One of the highlights of our Sri Lanka trip, is definitely the train ride from Nuwara Eliya (Nanu Oya) to Ella.
Since we have 3 children in the group, and I was not very sure if they would enjoy the train ride during the planning, so I decided that instead of taking the train from Kandy to Ella, we took the shorter but the prettiest part of the train ride. (The ride from Nanu-Oya to Haputale is widely considered the most scenic part of the journey.)
We booked our train tickets back in Malaysia a few months ahead because the 2nd class tickets are very popular. (The only place you can buy online tickets for trains in Sri Lanka is at 12Go.) Why second class you ask? First class is stuffy with windows and doors that won’t open. Second and third class on the other hand, are a truly authentic taste of what life is really like for locals on the Sri Lankan railway system. Third class train seatings are wooden benches and I worried that it will get too uncomfortable if the ride gets too long. So second class is the best choice for our group.
We started our train journey from Nanu Oya, about 10km away from Nuwara Eliya. The Nanu Oya train station was built in 1885. Walking into this train station is really a nostalgic experience. It reminds me of the '80s in Malaysia. I especially love the canteen and the control room. The locals and workers are very friendly. When the trains were no where near the station, they're more than happy to talk to you, answer your questions regarding the building, the function of certain equipment and tools, and of course, their culture.
We were not as lucky as we wish. It started to rain after we boarded the train. Instead of enjoying the view of the lush mountains, 90% of the time, our train basically just went through fog and rain. The clouds and mist pretty much hiding much of the landscape for the journey. So all the good things we heard about this train ride, we could just imagine.
However, this didn't dampen our spirits. We had fun. Tons of fun. As the train gained speed, people were leaning out the windows and crowding to hang out the doors of the train, or sit with their feet dangling out of the door. We joined the crowd, took tons of photos. Sometimes when we were lucky, we had a glimpse of sunshine too.
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| Supposed to be the most scenic train ride |
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| This must look real good on sunny weather |
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| Use your imagination...... |
If you search Sri Lanka train ride on google, or browse through any social media regarding Sri Lanka, you sure come across photos of people hanging out of moving train in Sri Lanka. We were not as brave, but we took quite a number too, sometimes on a moving train, sometimes posting when the train stopped :)
Oh, of course, there were a number of couple photos too......
During this train ride, generally the adults were having more fun than the kids. The little girl even took a long nap instead of joining our crazy stunts.
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| Don't worry, he just posted on a stagnant train |
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He was not allow to do anything dangerous. So he was super bored.
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We met some very nice locals, chit chat a lot, when we were not hanging out of the train.
Finally, we arrived at Ella. Was it worth it to spent a few hours on the train in Sri Lanka? Definitely!
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| see, all happy with the train ride |
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