Day 4 - The Coastal Line

10:30
I have a strange night’s sleep. I’m fast asleep by 23:00, but wake up just before 01:00, and am awake for a good 2-3 hours. It’s extraordinarily dull. I drift off again around 04:00, and sleep happily through to my alarm at 08:00. Weird.

I’m finding it tricky to make card payments here. I’m not staying in big chain hotels, but rather small, independent and often family run guesthouses. Many only accept cash. I’m conscious that the cash I’ve brought from the UK means I’m paying at a premium - the exchange rate was poor - so I need to top up from a cash machine locally to get a better rate. Seems counterintuitive, but it is what it is. Walking around the Fort area around 09:00, it’s beginning to heat up. There’s a pleasant breeze when I leave the hotel, which by the time I head back, has turned into a warm and sticky breeze. I’ve got my cash, and stocked up on supplies for my train journey this afternoon. Opinions vary as to whether there’s any water or snacks to buy on board. It’s a pretty short 4 hour hop, but always pays to be prepared.

The train’s not till 14:00 or thereabouts. I really do mean thereabouts. My ticket says 14:40. Google Maps reckons it’s 14:20, Sri Lanka Rail’s website thinks somewhere in-between, at 14:32. I think the belt and braces approach is to make sure I’m there for 14:20, right?

13:15
YES. This is more like it. I’m packed in time for check-out at 12:00, eking out the last possible moments of the frosty A/C in my room. I head out to grab a quick lunch before heading to the station, and stumble across (literally - there was a massive step outside, upon which I very nearly came a cropper) a brilliant little restaurant, where I tuck into a rice + curry plate, which sets me back all of £1.50. Rice + curry feels to me to share a great deal of DNA with the Indian Thali - a buffet for one, featuring a series of different curries and chutneys alongside a bowl of rice, or some roti. I opt for the veggie version, and receive a bowl of excellent dhal, some spiced green beans, and what I think are some curried baby aubergines. There’s also what looks like some dried coconut mixed with some chilli as a sambal. I wash it down with a couple of pints of Lion - each of which is comfortably more expensive than my food. On the Tim scale of heat, I’d put it at 2 meatballs. Quickly, I can feel the pin-pricks of sweat forming on my forehead. It’s a pleasant sensation.

There’s some consternation when my dishes are collected that the coconut sambal type thing is all gone. Apparently, this is a chilli seasoning spice used to allow diners to adjust the heat level of their food. I did think it was a touch on the warm side…

14:52
Ok, so for future reference, trust the ticket. My train to Matara pulls in at 14:37, and we pull out of the station a shade after 14:40. There’s some confusion (all mine) about where my seat is. To be fair, there’s nothing on my ticket suggesting where I’ll find it. I board a carriage, and all but accuse a Sri Lankan woman of sitting in my seat. She very kindly and patiently explains I’m in the wrong carriage.

My seat is blissfully cool. The temperature today is hovering around d 32-33C, but with the humidity, feels more like 37-38C, and I stupidly decided to walk the relatively short distance from my hotel down to the station. Probably saved myself all of £1 in tuk-tuk costs. I’ve chosen an air-conditioned seat for this train journey. It, of course, means that the windows won’t open, and photo opportunities will be limited. I’m ok with that today though. I’ve got a second class ticket for the train ride from Ella down to Kandy, which is reputed to be one of the most beautiful train lines in the world, and which will allow me to hang out of the window to my heart’s content. I settle back for the c. 4 hour train journey, watching the Indian Ocean lap up to the shore as we meander past…

16:15
There were a couple of small rucksacks on the seat next to me when I found mine, and no one’s been back to collect them. I’m a little confused. At one point, the AC appears to have failed. I quickly realise it’s because we’re at a stop, and the doors at both ends of the carriage are open, allowing hot air in. I’m trying to work out if we’re running to time, but it’s a little challenging. There doesn’t seem to be an official timetable anywhere, so I’m kinda working off guesswork. I don’t think we’re tragically late - maybe ten mins behind schedule - but I could be a ways off. I know the couple of stations before mine, so promise myself I’ll be super vigilant, and realise when we’re getting near. #holdtightforfeedback

18:30
Getting off the train was fun. I managed to keep my vigilance promise, and was all set to plop myself onto the platform at Polwathumodara. As I approach the train door, the guard advises that I need to climb down. With a heavy pack on my back… The platform is too short, and only the front 4 carriages get to use the platform. Confident this will be the greatest of my challenges at the station, I climb down, making a half decent fist of it, then walk up a small path to get back to the station itself. Once there, I’m flummoxed. There’s no obvious way to get out. Literally none. There’s a small station building that opens up onto the platform, but there’s no door on the other side. I look up the platform to the South, and there’s a *hint* of a level crossing about 200m away. Looking back to the North, there’s a suggestion of a road maybe 400m away. A small child approaches, and asks something I do not understand. He points up the platform to where his mother (I assume?) is standing. I follow him as he runs in that direction. She asks where I’m heading to. I suggest anywhere would be a good start, and am quickly directed through their garden, which backs directly onto the tracks. She asks if I’d like to stop for a chai. I graciously decline. I’m far too fucking hot to make niceties over nice tea.

I consider making it to the main highway a raging success, and set about ordering a cab. Uber is prevalent out here, as is a local app called PickMe - v similar in concept, and perhaps unsurprisingly, design. After some false dawns, a car is on its way to me, and I’ve just a couple of minutes to wait. What turns up is a shoebox. I mean, it’s a car - in that it’s got steering, an engine and four wheels - but there the similarities diverge. It’s a Tata Nano, that Indian conglomerate's attempt at recreating the Beetle, Hitler’s beloved peoples’ car. For the avoidance of doubt, I’m in no way suggesting the board of directors of Tata have any of his other leanings. I barely fit on the back seat with my backpack. It sounds like it has a two stroke lawnmower engine under the bonnet. We reach 20mph at one point - by accident one assumes. Still, he gets me close (ish) to my guesthouse, and I cover the last 200m on foot. My room looks great, but is sweltering. It’s air-conditioned, but the AC hasn’t been running this afternoon. I quickly dump my bags, and head straight out.

21:30
I’ve fallen in love with Mirissa, and I’ve only ventured about 20m from my guesthouse. The sun’s already set as I head down towards the beach, but I can still see some surfers picking up a half decent left-to-right break no more than 40m from the beach. I stop in at the first bar/restaurant I find, so urgent is my need for a G+T. I’m delighted to find that they run a happy hour until 19:00, and a G+T is included in their offer. It is a life-affirming sensation. I decide to stay for some dinner. It’s called Oh La La (shit name), and is owned/run by a French family. The menu is a fusion of French and local ingredients / techniques. I opt for some spiced calamari with a coriander ‘persillade’ and some spiced pilaf rice. It’s delicious. Amazingly, they have a half decent glass of Chardonnay that won’t break the bank. I’ve been getting a little bored of Lion lager, so an alternative is very welcome. After a less than stellar sleep last night, and a long, hot day of travel, I’m tuckered, so head back to my room, where I find a beautifully cool temperature to nestle down in to. I’ve not got much (anything) planned tomorrow, so will set a late alarm, and see where the day takes me…Read more