Since we had to rely on public transport to get us from Colombo to Galle, I was weighing the options between taxi, bus or train. Taxi was too expensive so that was out of the question. Taking a bus would involve travelling to a location outside the centre of Colombo where the bus journey starts and it cost around Rs350 per person. So the remaining option is the train. Not such a bad one considering that many have regaled the delight of the train from Colombo to Galle and it is by far the cheapest option. The only downside was that the seats could not be reserved – scrambling for seats is a pre-requisite.
It was in this frame of mind that my anxiety increased as the tuk-tuk whizzed its way from the hotel to Maradhana Railway Station. Our train was at 2pm and I was planning to be there by 1pm but it was already 1.15pm. To make things worse, the driver dropped us by a very busy road with no sight of anything resembling a train station. We were just told "Railway is down there...after police station”. We walked for 3 minutes through the throngs of people going about their daily lives, praying that we were at the right place. Past the police station and around a corner and thankfully there was this white, colonial building with a big "Maradhana Railway" signboard. Phew.
It was in this frame of mind that my anxiety increased as the tuk-tuk whizzed its way from the hotel to Maradhana Railway Station. Our train was at 2pm and I was planning to be there by 1pm but it was already 1.15pm. To make things worse, the driver dropped us by a very busy road with no sight of anything resembling a train station. We were just told "Railway is down there...after police station”. We walked for 3 minutes through the throngs of people going about their daily lives, praying that we were at the right place. Past the police station and around a corner and thankfully there was this white, colonial building with a big "Maradhana Railway" signboard. Phew.
The interiors of the building looked more ancient than the exterior. There were 3 counters with Counter 1 selling 2nd Class tickets. The tickets cost Rs450 for the 3 of us (Rs180 for adults and half price for kids), approximately RM15, which was a total bargain. The station was dimly lit with an air of a bygone era. A rusty device at the counter was used to stamp tickets and the information board was made of wood with arrival and departure time being manually changed.
We headed towards Platform 6 on which crowds of people had already congregated. It was a long platform and there was no indication of where to stand for which class of train. We asked a man near the start of the platform and were told to go further for the 2nd class carriages. We walked further but apparently that was not enough as unknowingly we still ended up in a 3rd class carriage.
But before getting into said carriage, there is a story to be told. Now, a good strategy is a pre-requisite in many things in life. This is doubly true when you are about to board a train with a quarter of the Colomban population and especially with little ones towing along. I told A to board the train first and to make sure to book seats on the right side for the ocean views. I, on the other hand, would hold Irf’s hand and try to get onto the train in a more civilised manner. Then the train came and all manners and civility, including mine, were thrown on the tracks. Let’s just say that I put the skills honed through years of taking the Tube and LRT to good use. I bet Irf did not know what hit him. We managed to get 3 seats facing each other but Irf ended up sitting on either A’s or my lap as we gave up his seat to an elderly man, whose daughter was sitting next to A. They became our first examples of how friendly Sri Lankans are, even to the extent of inviting us to their house for dinner.
It was full house on the train. By the time we got to Fort Station, you would be considered lucky if you managed to squeeze in and grab a spot to stand. The single best piece of advice I would give to anyone contemplating this train journey is to take the train from Maradhana where the train ride originates. Take it from Colombo Fort station and you probably have to stand for most of the 3-hour journey.
The whole train ride was a feast for the senses. Barely 5 minutes after leaving Fort station, the train whooshed along the coast, the Indian Ocean within spitting distance. The train could probably be described as decrepit, but it was clean. There was no air-conditioning system, its only cooling device being vintage ceiling fans that you can only find in kampung houses in Malaysian hinterlands. But that did not matter – we had the sea breeze and the salty air wafting in through the open windows.
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| Inside the vintage Maradana Railway Station |
But before getting into said carriage, there is a story to be told. Now, a good strategy is a pre-requisite in many things in life. This is doubly true when you are about to board a train with a quarter of the Colomban population and especially with little ones towing along. I told A to board the train first and to make sure to book seats on the right side for the ocean views. I, on the other hand, would hold Irf’s hand and try to get onto the train in a more civilised manner. Then the train came and all manners and civility, including mine, were thrown on the tracks. Let’s just say that I put the skills honed through years of taking the Tube and LRT to good use. I bet Irf did not know what hit him. We managed to get 3 seats facing each other but Irf ended up sitting on either A’s or my lap as we gave up his seat to an elderly man, whose daughter was sitting next to A. They became our first examples of how friendly Sri Lankans are, even to the extent of inviting us to their house for dinner.
It was full house on the train. By the time we got to Fort Station, you would be considered lucky if you managed to squeeze in and grab a spot to stand. The single best piece of advice I would give to anyone contemplating this train journey is to take the train from Maradhana where the train ride originates. Take it from Colombo Fort station and you probably have to stand for most of the 3-hour journey.
The whole train ride was a feast for the senses. Barely 5 minutes after leaving Fort station, the train whooshed along the coast, the Indian Ocean within spitting distance. The train could probably be described as decrepit, but it was clean. There was no air-conditioning system, its only cooling device being vintage ceiling fans that you can only find in kampung houses in Malaysian hinterlands. But that did not matter – we had the sea breeze and the salty air wafting in through the open windows.
We passed villages with ramshackled huts just next to the tracks and I wondered how it was like living on a thin strip of land between crashing waves and thundering trains. In the train and especially when the train stopped at stations, vendors went up and down the crowded aisle selling all kinds of snacks carried in worn-looking baskets. We threw caution to the wind and bought Rs20 worth of vadais, wrapped in someone’s marked school homework.
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| For most part of the journey, the train thundered along the coast |
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| Cheapest way to get from Colombo to Galle |
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| One of the 3rd class carriages |
Time passed quickly when there was a lot to see. And thankfully, Irf did not complain of being squashed and being in the crowded train. He was busy munching on tidbits that we bought at the train station and the apple given to him by his new friends.
Just before 5pm, we reached Galle and boy was I relieved to let down anchor for 2 nights. We had been in Sri Lanka for less than 24 hours but the train ride and the conversations that we had with the people we met on the train allowed us to glean into everyday lives of ordinary Sri Lankans much more than an air-conditioned car ride would do - and for less than RM15 too!
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