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Published: January 9th 2008
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Day 1
The Etihad shuttle left a hot and sticky Al Ain round 8 p.m packed with boxes, sleepy Indians and very talkative but friendly Philippinos. I sat next to a Philippino lady who for most of the journey insited on telling me about her life as a nurse in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates and her two young children back in Manila. The mostly one way chat made the trip more pleasant killing the time quite nicely until we got to a crowded, smoky and generally unpleasant Abu Dhabi international airport.
Quickly checking in and after security were convinced that I was not carrying a lethal bomb, I spent a couple of hours either walking aimlessly around the limited duty free area or drinking grotty cups of tea in only cafeteria available for travellers to pass the time before we had to assemble by the departure gate.
The flight, full from the cabin to tail, was bound for Bandaranaike International Airport, about 20 km north of Columbo, the capital of Sri Lanka. I got there after a sleepless but short 4 hour flight at around 7 a.m.
After bargaining at the airport with several
taxi companies about the price to Columbo, I arrived after a 40 minute taxi journey at the sea front Galle Hotel. An 1864 hotel with a distinct sense of colonialism. What I noticed was that the staff was incredibly polite and friendly, the room was comfortable and adequate and the food was satisfying.
After only a quick wash and shave and no rest, I managed to get a young man to take me to Columbo Fort railway station in his three wheeler vehicle to get a rail ticket for Kandy. This proved difficult because it was the weekend and there was a shortage of tickets. But in the end after agreeing to stay at the railway master’s guesthouse for a couple of nights in Kandy, a first class rail ticket was forthcoming. Amazingly, I only paid 1£ for the journey of three hours. In the afternoon accompanied by my three wheeler tourist guide, I saw some touristy sights. Late afternoon I relaxed by the hotel pool which happily faced the ocean and drank tea. What a nice way to relax I thought. In the evening I sat alone and ate dinner in the hotel, and after walking a little near the sea front, decided to call it a day.
Day 2
I arrived at Fort Columbo station around 6.30 with plenty of time to catch the 7 a.m. Intercity express to Kandy via Peradenya. The station was surprisingly full of people going to various places north east and south of Columbo. My train came on time and then I found my seat in the observation section of the train. It was a bit scruffy but by Sri Lankan standards I guess it was good. The train slowly chugged its way out of Colombo stopping only occasionally on its two and a half journey. I passed by mountains and forests on the way and tried to chat a bit to the person I was sitting next to. When I arrived in Kandy. I was met on the platform by a young man who took me up to the 15$ per night guesthouse. It was a bit out of the city for my likings but the luscious surroundings were superb.
After dumping my little bag, I immediately set off to have a look around the place. The map in the guide book didn’t really help that much. In fact I had to ask how to get to the Temple of the Tooth. The latter is said to house Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic- a sacred tooth of the Buddha. The tooth is said to have been snatched from the flames of the Buddha’s funeral pyre in 543 BC and was smuggled into Sri Lanka during the 4the century AD.
After taking a guided tour of the Temple, I headed for a Kentucky Fried Chicken and here met up with a charming young Russian traveller. Together we went to the nearby Botanical gardens care of cheap local transport and then in the evening to see some very colourful Kanyan dancers at the yachting club. It had been a full day. I believe this young Russian traveller was off to Adam’s peak the following day and I planned to go north to see Sigiriya.
Day 3
As this was to be my final day in Sri Lanka, I wanted it to be as full as possible. After an early morning breakfast, I headed for the Goods Shed and caught a very cheap mini bus for Dambulla, a barren town with its only attraction being the cave temples. In fact there are five separate caves containing about 150 Buddha images. I think it is worthwhile to stop for a short time to see these beautiful paintings and then you can carry on further north to see the rock fortress of Sigiriya. I had time to make it there after Dambulla, but for some strange reason maybe due to heat or lack of motivation I didn’t go on. Instead I took a very crowded bus back to Kandy, walked round the lake for the last time and decided to get an early night. My taxi would leave at 3 am Jan 1st to get to the airport in time for the morning flight back to Abu Dhabi.
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