Colombo to Galle train

I had decided that Colombo wasn't worth overnighting in, so I had booked my first night in Galle (rhymes with colour in Sinhala, with fall to foreigners).

As predicted, I was able to get a seat but it was on the landward side and faced the wrong way. Then again, I didn't get burnt by the afternoon sun. I got glimpses of the ocean waves crashing on the shore close to the line. I'm sure sea level rise will eventually force the relocation of sections. It took a while to leave the extensive southern suburbs of Colombo, where the occasional restaurant sign in Cyrillic showed that Russian tourists came here too. We crossed bridges over river estuaries and passed rural dwellings of Sri Lankans. Rains and floods had left their mark in pools of water.

The train wasn't quite as crowded as pictures of Indian trains with people sitting on top or hanging off the sides, but passengers filled the corridors. Vendors passed at times, selling water or snacks. I dozed off occasionally in the heat, which was mitigated by breezes through the windows. Progress was slow; it took 3.5 hours to cover the 160 km to Galle.

Galle Station is a terminus; the train has to backtrack a little to continue east to Matara. Tuk-tuks tried to interest me in a ride but I knew it was walking distance to the guesthouse in the old city in the fort. They weren't persistent though. It was a relief to check in, get an air-conditioned room and have a shower.