It was marked as a slow train and certainly lived up to that reputation. I find some of the train system absolutely amazing not for any hint of luxury nor speed but for the sheer tenacity of the equipment, structures, and staff. Stations are a prime example of what can happen in a government organization: it continues, just. Take away incentive and there’s little to no innovation. So much of the network still seems to still be run on original equipment. Stations built in the 1960’s haven’t been updated in the slightest, and here I’m talking about the paint and signs. Some far older structures hang in there with original steel weathered to point of near collapse. If it works, there’s no pressing need to change anything. This seems to have been the mantra for decades and decades.
It sounds like I’m suggesting one not travel by train here. I feel quite the opposite, really. It took us four and a half hours to travel 117 kilometers to Mt. Lavinia. As I admitted, we were on a train that stopped at most every station. Also, we had to wait a half hour when changing trains at one point, as the one we were on turned into an express that would’ve skipped our destination. These hours were interesting and relaxing though. One can really get a glimpse of life when the train barely tops 45 mph. So many house and back yards are right outside the train’s windows. I enjoy being a casual voyeur. People-watching aboard is fun too. For example, I’ll never know if that young girl gave that persistent young chap her real mobile telephone number.
We got out at Dehiwala and had a 3-wheel take us to the ‘restaurant part’ of Mt. Lavinia Beach. We walked down the beach with our backpacks in search of lunch as it was already 2:00 pm. We saw an older hotel called the Ocean View TourInn behind the rail tracks. We ordered lunch and checked out the rooms. We decided to stay tonight just to be able to see what activities take place here. During the day it seemed a little slow. I can’t see why tourist spend so much time and energy getting to southern beaches. The sand and sea look great here and the tall buildings of the city of Colombo are in the distance.
Tomorrow it’s Minuwangoda or bust. Home is not far really. We can take a bus to Colombo and a direct bus from there.