Sri Lanka 2003 - Part three: Unawatuna

dougburnett Wyświetlono: 507 razy 2003-11-25 11:06:41

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Friday, February 21, 2003 
Unawatuna, Sri Lanka 
It was still dark as I walked to catch the train to Colombo. 
Friday, February 21, 2003

Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

It was still dark as I walked to catch the train to Colombo. At the station I didn't have any trouble finding my car - it was the one closest to the station, at the end of the train. I had been led to believe by the guidebooks that it would have an observation deck but, in fact, it was a regular car with rear facing seats. Much to my relief there were more Sri Lankans than tourists inside. I had worried about being stuck with a bunch of loud tourists for the fourhour trip.

I still hadn't decided exactly where I was going. From Colombo I thought I might travel to Galle, an old city located on a small peninsula south of Colombo. I was also thinking about going to Unawatuna, which is a low-key beach town a little farther down the coast. Since I'm not much on laying around in the sun, I wasn't sure what I would do in Unawatuna, but getting to Colombo would be the first step. From there I would see.

We pulled out right on time at 6:00 and I soon fell into conversation with the people sitting behind me. There was a young fellow named Nick with a shaved head and his mother, Eva - both from Sweden. Nick was working for the UN in Sri Lanka and Eva was visiting him. Nick was living in Kandy and they were headed down to Unawatuna for a few days in the sun. When I mentioned I was thinking of going there too Nick asked if I wanted to share a taxi - that decided where I was going.

The train ride through the countryside was lovely. There were wild, greens areas, steep stone embankments, small stations, people walking along the track and farther along, fields under cultivation. The train rocked roughly from side to side and was loud enough to make conversation a little difficult. Being restless I walked the length of the train and ran into a woman who worked at the Queens hotel reception desk. She and her younger sister were heading to Colombo. I stood talking to her for a while.

When we arrived in Colombo Nick set out to find a taxi and, failing to get the price he wanted, we decided to stop at a small café to get something to eat. After eating, Nick went out again and lined up a van for us for 2300 Rupees. Before long we were plowing through thick Colombo traffic heading south. The going was slow, but none of us seemed to be in a hurry.

We spent over the next three hours getting to know each other and looking out at the continuous series of small and large towns we were passing through. It was only after several hours that we started to see scattered open areas. The day was hot and bright and once again I had that great feeling of anticipation: a new, unknown place lay somewhere ahead.

Finally, in the early afternoon we arrived in Unawatuna where the driver dropped us at a guesthouse Nick knew.

Strona: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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