October 17 Nuwara Eliya to Kandy

We took the train to Kandy this morning. Before the train arrived I was taking pictures of the station when I met the station master. He told me that the locomotive was 50 years old and it was a gift from Canada, Sri Lanka had several of them and they were all still going strong. He was urging me to take more pictures when our train rolled in – and I took off like a rabbit to get back to Joan and our luggage. We got on board safely and there were plenty of available seats. It was another trip through mountain terrain and through the major tea growing areas. Both of us were snapping pictures through the windows. When we arrived in Kandy we took a Tuk-tuk ride to our hotel. It was 6 km of heavy rain, bad traffic and incredibly bad driving, We cut off everybody, drove through the crosswalks at speed and just about killed a pregnant mother. This was unusual because most drivers in Sri Lanka

have been law-abiding drivers.

Locomotive plate

From the train window

Tea Fields

J.- Our driver from the train to our hotel was diabolically crazy, squeezing between cars, cutting off buses and respecting no one. I love riding the trains as does Tim so it was an easy decision to go to the airport on Tuesday by train rather than by car.

We are really looking forward to seeing Caroline and Ali in Singapore.