First Class

We had bought our train tickets in advance because the ride from Kandy to Ella is so popular and we wanted to make sure we got seats in first class. People had told us that third class could be insanely crowded and in second class you were not guaranteed a seat. You could buy a second class ticket but it was first come first seated, and then all other passengers had to stand. First class was the only option where you got an assigned seat and nobody stands. With my claustrophobia this was the only way I wanted to travel. We had just enough time to buy a few snacks before boarding. We were told that there were no food or beverages served onboard. I had assumed that you’d have guys jumping on and off at stops to sell things but apparently this was not the case so we stocked up on some goodies for the journey.

I’m not precious, I’ve literally lived in a van down by the river, but I had to chuckle as we boarded our carriage. Our seat bottoms were missing their fabric entirely and the old yellow foam was all that was left. There were reclining levers but mine didn’t work. My seat stayed in a firm 90 degree position. Who wants to recline for a five and a half hour train ride anyway? I’m a sloucher so I figured this would be good for my posture. There were also little foot rests that you could use if you wanted your knees to be closer to your chest. The tray tables were barely hanging on, the mesh seat back pockets were torn to bits and wouldn’t have been capable of holding anything. I loved it!

As everyone got settled Andre stuck up a conversation with the guys across from us as one of them comically tried out his foot rest with his knees nearing his chin. It was Hosni’s first time on this train and he appeared as amused as we were. His mate Muzo had already done the train ride once but had returned to Kandy to meet him so they could travel together for a few weeks. As we chatted we learned that they were also heading down to Yala in a few days time to go on Safari. They seemed like really interesting, fun, and well humored guys so Andre got their contact info.

As it turned out it really didn’t matter that I had an assigned seat because I was only in it for around 20 minutes of the entire journey. I would still recommend booking first class because then you always have a seat if you want it (if you’re not a psych like me) and there are fewer people which means you have a better chance of getting a position in the coveted open doorways where I spent nearly the entire trip. That being said, if I did it again without a huge backpack I’d try second or third class because I think it would be a ton of fun to travel with the locals. The Sri Lankan people are the best people!

This was one of the most fun days I have had in the last six and a bit months. The feeling of standing in the open doorway with the tracks whizzing by and the endless breathtaking scenery filled me with joy. The views of the mountains, tea fields, waterfalls, and old bridges were unbelievable. As we’d pass by tiny villages people would stop and wave. the children were so excited. Passing the tea plantations you’d see tiny specks of bright colours from the picker’s saris. At one station a group of school boys smiled and waved. I asked if I could take their photo and they posed proudly in their uniforms. 

If you are going to visit Sri Lanka the train from Kandy to Ella is a must do in my opinion.

Selfie Behaviour

Of course the ride wouldn’t be complete without the tourists that must get their perfect model selfie while hanging out the train. It was like watching an episode of America’s Next Top Model. I got roped in when a Russian girl asked if I could take her photo. I was happy to take one for her while holding on for dear life as I leaned out the doorway trying not to drop her phone. I took a couple quick shots for her. She then reviewed them and asked if I could take one more as she fixed her hair. I told her I was worried about losing her phone but she seemed willing to take the risk. So I had another go and she seemed happier with those photos. Then about ten minutes later she was back, with her boyfriend. This time there were some wardrobe changes (denim shirt tied over the dress, denim shirt loose blowing in the wind), and of course hair up, then down, shoes off, leg kicked out leaning forward, leg kicked out leaning backward, then hanging out as far as her arms would allow in a backward arch. It was something.

There were a lot of ladies and their friends, or poor boyfriends, risking their heads just to get a photo for social media. The train comes in really close and really fast to cliff faces and tunnels and I couldn’t help but visualize someones head exploding like a melon during their photo shoot. As I looked around I saw some other people that looked like they were thinking the same thing. I gave them a bewildered look and shook my head with a smile as they too laughed and we shared in a moment of common disapproval of other people’s behaviour. It made me think of “train street” in Hanoi and I hoped that no one ever ended up getting hurt and that the silly behaviour of some would not result in the eventual crackdown of the open doors.

Hold The Train

What I didn’t mention earlier is that we had initially purchased tickets to go only to Nuwara Eliya, which is about halfway to Ella, where we planned to stay a night and then take the train again the rest of the way to Ella the following day. This was because we had heard that the train ride was around 7.5 hours and could be longer. What we didn’t know was that the trains run a bit differently on the weekends in terms of departure times and some trains are express (including ours). I was riding high on life when we pulled into Nuwara Eliya and Andre and I both wanted to continue on. No need for a break in travel. Plus Nuwara Eliya is up higher in the mountains and much cooler than Ella with not much to do besides visit a tea plantation. Andre spoke to one of the guys working on the train just before we pulled into to the station and was told that we could buy onward tickets from him and keep going.

But as people piled on in Nuwara Eliya a couple politely told us we were in their seats. So we got off the train and spoke to someone else on the platform. Turns out we could get onward tickets but they needed to be purchased upstairs, not on the train. So Andre and the guy ran off and the train just sat there. After a good number of minutes and some discussion among the staff I realized they were holding the train for us. Andre came flying back down the stairs and grabbed the bags and we started running for our new carriage. The guy Andre had initially talked to just laughed and shook his head telling us that there was no need to sprint. They are so laid back in Sri Lanka. I love it.  

 

Up The Mountain

Again, we had not booked ahead but Andre had a few places in mind so we grabbed a tuk tuk at the train station and headed for a place called La Montagna. It was a fair way up a mountain (past the very smelly local tip) and our tuk tuk began to feel like the Little Engine That Could, but we made it and saw that it was very worth the ride. Our guesthouse had a phenomenal view.

The family could not have been sweeter, including their four year old boy who was very eager to come along for a tuk tuk ride to drop us off in town for a bite to eat shortly after we checked in. The town was really cool and kind of had a bit of a Pai feel to it. Staying up on the mountain was definitely the best spot though!

 

We wandered around the town a bit and ended up at a little restaurant that had the most unusual dog. He had 6 toes on each of his back feet with nails that curled up on them like he was going for a Guinness record. He also had a thing for chasing cars. Not tuk tuks. Just cars.

Our hosts had their own tuk tuk that they used to drop guests off in town but it broke down the day after we arrived. As we set off to walk to town a guy pulled over and asked if we needed a lift. Andre asked him how much he charged to which he just laughed and replied that he wasn’t a taxi. He was heading into town so we hopped in and by the time we arrived we had his Whatsapp number and a possible lift to our next destination of Tissamaharama.

Two interesting things in town were the bread tuk tuks. They would drive around like ice cream trucks to the tune of Für Elise.

Then there were the liquor stores which were unique in that all bottles were sold from behind a window at a caged in shop. Fun facts… no not fun. Facts. Fact One: Women are not allowed to sell or buy liquor in Sri Lanka. I’ve heard that this is just a symbolic law but I didn’t see any ladies purchasing or consuming anywhere. Fact two: Homosexuality is considered illegal in Sri Lanka, with up to 10 years of prison for “carnal knowledge” against order of nature. Moving on.

Sometimes We Do Stuff

While our friends Hosni and Muzo basically planned to cover every square inch of Ella we chose to embark on one single adventure. Nine Arches Bridge. We walked there from town and it was absolutely beautiful. We headed to a coffee shop near the bridge to take some photos from up above and have a cool drink, then headed down to walk along the tracks. During our stop at the coffee shop we spotted a Grizzled Giant Squirrel and got to watch a train pass through. Another train came along shortly after we got down to the tracks.

 

Leaving Ella

We decided to hire a driver to get to Tissamaharama and initially Muzo and Hosni were going to come with us. They had invited us to join them on their safari and they were leaving the same day for Tissa, however because they just love doing stuff they wanted to spend the morning taking a cooking class and exploring some more areas. This meant they wouldn’t be leaving until around 4 pm. Our checkout was at 11 in the morning and as usual we had no plans aside from eating. So off we went without them.

Our driver was a great guy and he was kind enough to take us to Ravana Falls on the way out town which was pretty impressive. This area had a few cheeky monkeys hanging about which added to the fun.

 

194 days in…

Headed South to Tissamaharama for a safari with our friends Hosni and Muzo!