We decided to take the trip up to Kulpitiya tomorrow. We arranged for a van so the whole family can come along for just the day.
Those plans left us with an unexpectedly free day today. I had said I wanted to see the close town of Gampaha. The city is kind of close but I was pretty sure I hadn't been there since the 1980's. I don't know whether it is 12 miles or 12 kilometers away. We walked down to the Kopiwatte Junction on the Airport Road. It's probably between a half and a full mile. It used to be the main way of gong anywhere. Now, however, everyone is spoilt by having a tuk-tuk just a cell phone call away. For example, we sometimes hire a driver to come, drive us to Minuwangoda, do errands, and drive us back. So, I sort of liked walking past the neighbours the old skool way even if it was already a little hot at quarter past nine.
The direct bus came along after a few minute's wait. I really liked the scenery. It reminds me of how the Airport Road used to look. Now there seem to be businesses, or at least hundreds of signs, that entire route. Yet today, we saw rice fields with egret-type birds. We saw pineapple plantations. We saw all the average family homes along the route.
In Gampaha, we walked. I am sure there were more buildings and that many were taller. It's just that after all this time, I honestly didn't remember much. As the train station is in the center of things, we went to check the schedule. A train to Veyangoda left in 40 minutes, so first we stepped across the street for ice coffees and shared a chicken patty. The bus from our destination city was not much further than the one we'd taken to get to Gampaha.
Okay, here's where I gush. I've written about Sri Lankan trains quite a number of times in my eJournal and images. The rail system is ancient and creaking at every seam. Some of the coaches seem to have been operating from the British era. The station facilities are basic. And I love it all! We hopped on the first express train although I think the tickets were actually for one that'd be along in a few minutes. The trip was short, maybe only around 15 minutes. Each ticket sold for $US 0.07 only.
We got a direct bus back to our junction and walked back to the house by 12:30. Just moving in close circles made for a pleasant morning.