Our last day in Kandy had Stanley at the wheel as our guide and protector. We had decided to take the train to Nuwara Eliya instead of the van; it would take longer but the idea of a train ride appealed to us. Stanley's job was to get us on the observation car; we wanted to ride high. It wasn't a simple thing to do though, the reservations had to be made in advance and at certain stations along the way. Computers have not arrived yet, hands-on are required.
It seems that in Sri Lanka there is always an expert handy to help facilitate matters. We were to go to an outlying station to purchase our ticket. We had to wait for the train to arrive at Peradeniya just outside Kandy, to see if there were any free seats. Another advisor suggested we go to another station further up the line and get on the train before Peradeniya and pay the conductor money. We found ourselves bouncing from station to station and waiting. We got on the train at the observation car and Stanley and our advisor talked with the conductor and we were soon sitting in our seats arriving in the first station, Peradeniya, money having changed hands. It was very complicated and I missed much of the details.
The observation car trailed the train and looked backwards. We had a grand view of where we had been. The end of the car had two large glass windows. We sat about four rows forward and had good side window views and rear view, everyone in the car are facing back. Steve and I were comfortable, happy and ready for the train ride.
Small villages and towns rolled by, I photographed the station signs as we stopped at each, Geliola, Gampola, Ulapane, Nawalapitiya, Inguru-oya, Watawala. Every mile brought us higher in the land. The rails cut through tea plantations, at crossroads children looked up and waved or were pleasantly surprised when I caught their eye and waved. We rode by a looming metal-clad building on a hillside across a valley from the tracks surrounded by tea groves. It must be the place where the tea is brought after harvest and processed for consumption.
We didn't miss the jarring ride of the van; we glided through the landscape. A fan spun cool air down on us in our seats. Our compartment mates were all Sri Lankans, at least one group a three-generation family. I moved across the aisle to look down hill and a young man joined me in conversation. He was a student returning to Colombo, we were heading south. It began to rain. I always enjoyed the rain and this was an added pleasure except we had to close the windows. After two hours of travel we looked to the vendors whistling and calling at our window at the stations. We bought rice cakes reddened with spices, they were very good and spiced peanuts too and cool Cokes were a familiar luxury. We were feeling at ease buying food from vendors. Hunger softened our concern about illness. We relaxed more as we rode higher and higher in the mountains, the rivers ran far below in verdant valleys, we could see open fields and then abandoned buildings, small houses, and more estates. Along the rail bed in places, broken rail cars lay jumbled and rusting, historic accidents. Being a railroad buff I took every opportunity to shoot the rolling stock standing alongside the rails, it was all vintage.
We became familiar with the ways of the rails. We walked to the front of the car to look out the half doors and to check out what the other passengers were doing. At the station stops, we stepped out and walked along the train and participated in the ambiance, looking in the other cars, buying chocolate at a stand, inspecting the engine in front or just stretching our legs. We came to a station in Hatton, about two stops away from our destination. The end of the line at Nanu-oya was only a meeting place for Stanley; we were to travel from that station to the town of Nuwara Eliya. The name of the town is not pronounced like it looks; it sounds like Nurelia, one word.
The rain continued and at times came down quite heavily. So far the whole ride had been uphill, as we left this station we would be cutting through a mountain. The station had almost disappeared down the line when the train jerked and stopped and started and jerked, stuttered and stopped. We waited.
After a while of starting, jerking and stopping getting nowhere we backed down to the station and waited. Twenty minutes later we started again but met the same jerking and stopping and went back to the station. We were going nowhere it seemed. Steve had an idea that we were close enough to the end of the line that we could take a cab or tuk-tuk to meet Stanley. Steve had in tow a driver who would be our aide and consultant in this decision, his name was Derek. We decided to get off the train and either call Stanley to come to us or have the driver take us to Stanley at the end of the line. We took our backpacks went with Derek and the Stationmaster came out to talk with us. It seems that the rain on the rails was causing the wheels to spin on the incline and it was too dangerous to continue at that time. The Stationmaster, Mr. Dharmasena rose to the occasion to invite us into his office. He directed Derek to clear the desk and place a red velvet coverlet on it and went into the corner of the office and put on his tie and official hat. We were honored guests. We brought out the cameras and had posing and posturing and praising and thank yous. An hour at least had passed and we were served some delicious tea and were taken on a tour of the station main office and the others in the office watched with interest. Mr Dharmasena asked if I would like to see the switches and I happily agreed. It was dark now, he brought a flashlight and we walked the rails up hill. He explained that these switches were nearly 100 years old and still in good working order. He asked if I wanted to go up into the switch tower where the controller was stationed, but I declined, I was getting weary from the uncertainty of our situation. We returned to the station, he was going home and he wanted to know that we were taken care of before leaving. Our aide, Derek was on very collegial terms with the stationmaster and as we were standing outside along the road waiting for Stanley, a policeman passed us and by his manner it was clear that he too understood our predicament; it seemed that the whole station was observing the activities of the VIPs and Stationmaster Dharmasena.
Steve didn't have the Stanley's phone number, he called a contact in Columbo for it. Stanley didn't answer the call. The train had since left the station; we were committed. It was pleasant standing at the cross roads in front of the station, the evening waning into night. We watched the passing vans for Stanley. We hoped that he would figure out where we were and come for us. We were between waiting for Stanley and hiring Derek to drive us. We gravitated back to the station and after a while through the portal came Stanley; he had talked with someone at the Nanu-Oya station and understood why we were not there. He made the decision to come for us. Stanley's position rose in Steve's eyes. We made our goodbyes to Derek and Stationmaster Dharmasena who had by then, had returned and we drove into the night.
The road was poor and winding. It was night and very dark. We are now in the highlands, no flat places, all up and down. We began to reconsider our decision. It was difficult to drive this road once and Stanley would be driving it twice and the time spent was becoming long. Stanley became our guide and majordomo. Given that this road was dangerous and it was dark, we didn't have any energy for him in his driving, we were spent. We watched the spot of light in front of our van and endured the drive. The kilometer signs seemed to not change as we drove; there was always more miles to the end of our journey.
Finally there appeared Nuwara Eliya and soon we were parked in the Port Cochere of the Hill Club, an old line, formal English Establishment, exhausted and hungry, hoping that our adventures were finished for the day.
To view photos of "Spinning Wheels" click on link:
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Joe James
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