11. Haputale to Demballa by train

The train ride is a fun experience. We rode a small section between Haputale and Demballa that is close to the better known town of Ella. Fortunately our section of rail was still operating. Part of the track down the line was badly damaged by the cyclone and will be under repair for some months to come.

For people who ride the UK train system frequently, aspects of the stations will be very familiar. Aside from the lack of technology in the ticketing operating systems the environment was very familiar.

old time signalling system still in use.

The construction structures and appearance of this 130 year old station are a mirror of many regional town stations across the UK.

I have to be honest and admit I was not entirely sure what to expect so far as the train itself was concerned. It rolled into the station only one minute late, something SW Trains could try and emulate! It was comfortable and carried us through terrain and landscapes we would not have seen by road.

Tourists mostly travelling in first class. The clue is actually to work out which side of the train is going to have the best views and hope your allocated seat is on that side. As may be expected with a manual ticketing system, irregularities over seat reservations and duplicate ticketing were prevalent. Fortunately most travellers took a light hearted approach to such complications. Perhaps the Buddhist “easy come, easy go” attitude finally infected us all.

Our guide met us at Demballa – he managed to arrive before us by road.

I wasn’t able to capture the passing scenery so well, a combination of not having a good, clear view, exchanging chatty ideas and experiences with fellow travellers and generally deciding to enjoy the moment rather than try to record it.

A few pictures below but otherwise a highly recommended experience.