It’s almost midnight and here I am on another train heading towards the South Central part of Sri Lanka. The window in my cabin is open and the cool air blows in, and I sit staring at the stars glistening above. I realize this is the closes I’ll come to sleeping under the stars.
My friend Sue and I had talked about taking this particular trip for over a year. We finally booked the train tickets a month ahead, not knowing what to expect on a night train ride.
We were shown to our bunk beds and we both just stood there laughing, thinking that this was going to be one long train ride.
It’s about 3 hours into our ride, I have the lower bunk, which gives me a vantage of seeing the stars and city lights in the distance. From time to time I stick my head out to catch a glimpse of the starry night and feel the cool breeze on my face.
Trying to sleep in a moving train is almost impossible. We finally reach our destination 10 hours later. We stretch our achy and tired limbs and head to find our hotel. After a few hours of sleep, we head out to our first stop, which is called 9-arch bridge or also called sky bridge. Construction of the bridge was completed in 1921 and is spectacular when you watch the trains going over it. The bridge is a huge tourist attraction not only because of the hike to get there, but also because it was built with only stone, sticks and cement and no steel.
I realized that this was going to be a long weekend, when my friend started to complain about everything. If we had to walk a few kilometers she complained, if the sun was shining brightly, she complained, It really did not matter what it was, she found a reason to complain.
However, after a few hours I learnt to tune her out and do the best to make my visit an adventure. I was unaware of all the hiking involved, but yet I was up for the challenge. Sue on the other hand decided to sit at the bottom while I went on all the hikes.
Despite her best effort to dampen my trip, I managed to capture the images I wanted and do the things I had planned.
The train ride back home was another long 10 hours. Since this was during the day, I managed to enjoy the views of the lush green tea estates, the waterfalls and the mountains in the distance. The random conversations with others passengers also visiting Sri Lanka, made the train ride go by faster.
Here are some of my favorite pictures I captured.
Train on 9-arch bridge
View from the train
Tea pluckers after a hard day of work
Tea pluckers getting the tea leaves weighed
Tea plucker
Tea plucker
The world’s most beautiful train ride! They say it for a reason!
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It definitely was an absolutely breathtaking train ride. I cant wait to go back and have more train rides.
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Yes. You should definitely come to Sri Lanka back again!!
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I am from there, so I make it back every year.
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Oh wow! That’s awesome
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Looking at your pictures I immediately recall my last visit to SL
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Hope you enjoyed your last visit to SL and that you will be back there. Thank you for reading.
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Come and see my first impressions. Next soon😊
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I really like the photos of the child and monk staring out the window. That is such an incredible train ride, and the cool air is a real treat in the tropics!
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Thank you. The child is easily my favorite. Sitting on the steps of the train, definitely helps feel a little cooler. Thank you for reading.
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I’m so sorry about your traveling companion, but it looks as if it was a good trip just the same. Fabulous photos!!!
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Thank you Ann. The trip was great, fortunately I was able to muster all the patience in me to ignore her.
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What an interesting train ride, and I love your photos!
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Thank you. It was definitely one ‘interesting ride’. I’m now looking forward to the next exciting train trip. Thank you for reading.
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I was surprised you found it difficult to sleep on the train. I’ve slept on a moving train before and it was quite comfortable.
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This was not a train you would see overseas, it’s a loud one with Diesel engine, where it rattles and shakes a lot. Plus the night train stops at most stops and the glaring station light was making it hard.
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Wonderful photos! That bridge that is only made of cement, sticks and stones is awesome! I am surprised it will hold a train without having steel in it. What a lovely trip! Too bad your friend had to complain so much.
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Thank you PJ. Apparently the bridge was built during the war and there was no steel for it. ( at least that’s what google said 😊) guess that’s why it’s become a huge tourist attraction now. I learnt that it is part of my friend’s personality to complain. I tune her out when I feel like I’m going to get irritated and do what I want and she has the choice to stay or follow.
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I think it is amazing that bridge is as strong as it is without steel! Amazing! That is good you can tune your friend out and that you accept her as she is as a good friend.
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PJ tuning her out was not easy, because my level of patience is very low, however, I thought of it as a true test of my patience. 🙂
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Yes, you’re right. It is a true test of patience.
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