I left my homestay at Mt Lavinia & caught the local bus (20 LKR) up the Galle Rd to Fort railway station. After a third of the way there it broke down & we all had to jump on another bus that was nearby, the bus conductors are really helpful in Sri Lanka! I bought my train ticket for the 'ordinary express' (190 LKR) from the ticket office & was told it would be leaving from platform 2. As this was at 10:35am, I had time for a bite to eat & a nice cup of tea at the railway canteen (great friendly staff).
I was really eager to experience my first train ride on Sri Lankan Railways, & when it did arrive everybody seemed to jump on board before it actually came to a halt! I soon realised everybody was keen to get a good seat & so I did the same & made sure I was on the right hand side of the train facing in the direction of Kandy, (as mentioned in my guidebook!)
Whilst on the train there were plenty of locals jumping on to sell their goods, & yelling out things like 'wade wade'! (dhal & onion patties deep fried). About an hour before I reached Kandy a local man came over & sat in my compartment wanting to show me brochures on hotels & tours! I assumed he was on some kind of commission? I did find him a little pushy. Luckily for me the young couple I was seated with for most of my trip could understand I wasn’t particularly impressed & they soon put him right! The train finally completed its 116km journey in approximately 3 hours & 20 minutes. The stations that it stopped out were:
Ragama
Gampaha
Veyangoda
Ambepussa
Polgahawela
Panaliya
Rambukkana – Where it starts climbing!
Kadugannawa – 517m above sea level (by this time the vegetation is really lush & mountain streams can be seen)
Ihala Kotte (could be spelt a little wrong!)
Balana
Kadugana
Pilmantaraw (again spelling?)
Peradeniya
Kandy
After disembarking, I walked from the train station (approximately 30 mins) to my chosen Hotel, this being the 'Expeditor' at the very top of Saranankara Rd. I checked in (800 LKR) & decided to head for the restaurant called 'Devon' (as recommended by my guide book) & had 'Devilled Chicken' (260 LKR), which was lovely & served by great friendly staff again.
I finished off the evening by walking the full circumference of Kandy Lake & checking out the Temple of The Tooth for tomorrow.
I was really eager to experience my first train ride on Sri Lankan Railways, & when it did arrive everybody seemed to jump on board before it actually came to a halt! I soon realised everybody was keen to get a good seat & so I did the same & made sure I was on the right hand side of the train facing in the direction of Kandy, (as mentioned in my guidebook!)
My train to Kandy (This route was the start of Sri Lankan railways, construction started in 1867)
Before too long I passed a big old shed (Dematagoda I think?), where there was retired old steam engines. Soon the train was passing paddy fields where locals were using oxen to plough the land which was nice to see.
On my way!
Going through a tunnel!
Whilst on the train there were plenty of locals jumping on to sell their goods, & yelling out things like 'wade wade'! (dhal & onion patties deep fried). About an hour before I reached Kandy a local man came over & sat in my compartment wanting to show me brochures on hotels & tours! I assumed he was on some kind of commission? I did find him a little pushy. Luckily for me the young couple I was seated with for most of my trip could understand I wasn’t particularly impressed & they soon put him right! The train finally completed its 116km journey in approximately 3 hours & 20 minutes. The stations that it stopped out were:
Ragama
Gampaha
Veyangoda
Ambepussa
Polgahawela
Panaliya
Rambukkana – Where it starts climbing!
Kadugannawa – 517m above sea level (by this time the vegetation is really lush & mountain streams can be seen)
Ihala Kotte (could be spelt a little wrong!)
Balana
Kadugana
Pilmantaraw (again spelling?)
Peradeniya
Kandy
Selling nuts on the train (10 LKR a bag)
After disembarking, I walked from the train station (approximately 30 mins) to my chosen Hotel, this being the 'Expeditor' at the very top of Saranankara Rd. I checked in (800 LKR) & decided to head for the restaurant called 'Devon' (as recommended by my guide book) & had 'Devilled Chicken' (260 LKR), which was lovely & served by great friendly staff again.
Kandy
After my lunch I walked around Kandy for a while & headed towards the nearby Hindu temple (not sure what it was called?) & took a few photographs inside. Just round the corner from the temple I hiked towards the Hotel Topaz & continued to climb to the 88 feet Buddha statue. I paid 200 LKR for the privilege, but I was a little disappointed when I realised I could only climb as far as the Buddha’s shoulders & not his head, (the door leading further up was closed?) There were some nice views overlooking Kandy though (including the football stadium & the local prison!)
Views over Kandy
A Hindu Temple
Outside the Temple of Tooth
I finished off the evening by walking the full circumference of Kandy Lake & checking out the Temple of The Tooth for tomorrow.
Kandy Lake
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