Travel with Chamal: November 2017

Colombo to Kandy

If it is Friday evening I hope you have reserved your ticket at least 10 days prior to the journey or you will be out of luck (there are two intercity trains on Friday and Saturday evenings that leaves Colombo at 3.35 pm and the other one around 5.30 pm). When the train makes a slight right at Polgahawela you know everything is going to be perfect for the next couple of days. Skyscrapers will disappear into the mountains of Alagalla and Kadugannawa. The wind will get cooler, calmer and it will smell like something you know. Stressed faces will change into happy faces as you see the signs of home. Kandy here we come!

The intercity train will only stop at the Peradeniya Junction and Kandy and will take less than three hours to complete the journey compared to the 4/5 hour bus ride in the traffic. There are other express trains which stops at other stations and reaches Kandy in less than four hours, and still beat any bus. This journey is a cheap thrill as the entire trip would only cost you between $1 - $5. Where else in this world can you find such an adventurous trip for so cheap? The key thing is to buy your tickets ahead as there are only limited number of tickets. There won't be any vendors on the intercity trains so it is better to buy whatever you need before the journey begins. Sit back, relax and enjoy the epic surroundings of the highlands as some of the views will remain in your memory for a lifetime.

Following Link will guide you through the train schedule:
https://eservices.railway.gov.lk/schedule/searchTrain.action?lang=en

Kandy to Colombo

This isn't a joy ride for many people as they are either heading to work or the tourists have finished their holidays and headed back to the airport. It may not be the happiest ride but if you are planning on taking a Sunday evening or Monday intercity you definitely should reserve ticket at least 10 days prior to your journey. There are two trains that i usually take, one leaves at 5.50 am and the other one leaves at 6.10 am. First hour of the ride is beautiful just as this photo. Then strikes reality as the train passes the thick forest into the concrete jungle, as you realize that you will be working for the next five days or your holiday is over and you will be heading back home and back to reality. The intercity train stops only at Maradana and Colombo Fort. Try to enjoy the train ride and think of all the good memories you had, you will be back on holiday mode soon!

If you are a tourist and you have a couple of days before heading back to the airport following are some of the cities you pass by on your way to Colombo.

Gampaha - is one of Sri Lanka’s premier Ayurveda centers and is a great place to get some of the islands indigenous medical treatment. The town also has an attractive botanical garden where the first ever rubber tree was planted in Sri Lanka.

Kelaniya - the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara (temple) has some of Sri Lanka’s finest paintings and sculptors by Solias Mendis. For those lucky enough to be passing through in December and January the Duruthu perehara is a stunning collection of colour and noise.

Call it home or heaven, it won’t make a difference. Mediwaka is located about an hour away from Kandy and the beauty of it is seen as soon as you pass the Victoria reservoir and enter the Hunnasgiriya mountain range. Just as in many other places in the country, people in Mediwaka possess a warm and friendly nature reflected in persistent smiling faces and eagerness to help anyone who is new to the area. Don’t say no if someone invites you for a cup of tea or a meal because in they take their hospitality pretty serious.

Few of the cousins

Our parents, grandparents & great grand parents lived in this beautiful place. Even though our generation did not grow up here, we were always taught about the beauty of the village and the rich culture as we spent most of our childhood holidays in Mediwaka. We were not forced to go, but it was just a go to choice for me and my cousins. Our parents always had a hard time making us come back home.

Even though it was our vacation we were on a routine. We wake up early in the morning and leave our grandparent’s house to meet our friends at the ground nearby to play cricket till the evening. The tamarind tree next to the ground serves many hungry stomachs. Then we run across the paddy fields and jump into a stream and play until it gets dark. Sometimes we had bonfire’s (more like setting things on fire) or else we went back to our grandparents’ house for dinner and sleep on the main hall listening to each other’s horror stories.

Those were the best days of our lives. We were lucky to have a childhood that wasnt about going to tuition classes or playing on the computers and phone. We didn't even know what social media was back in the day.

Great Grand Mother and Son

We did not have cameras, Facebook or snap chat to document these memories but it’s all stuck in our heads and no can erase it. Luckily we still go at least once or twice a year to this beautiful Village along with friends and family who lives all over the world. It sure is a beautiful world.

Following are some photos taken during are recent visits.

More Picturesa of Mediwaka