Siriilaankaa - Kutaa 1ffaa

Sri Lanka

Colombo - a hole consisting of never-ending traffic jams, suicidal tuk-tuk drivers (note: if a postage stamp fits between two vehicles in a traffic jam, a moving tuk-tuk can definitely fit as well) and shameless taxi drivers who would receive a call from the local association of shell game players in Germany, kindly reminding them that even they wouldn't cheat so obviously. And so, the bus was the only option for me to get to my hostel, although I still got ripped off and had to pay 12 cents instead of the usual 6 cents for the ride. However, the frustration about this quickly faded away when I arrived at my hostel. Not only was it modern and clean, but it was also full of open-minded travelers whom I quickly connected with. Among them was Alex, a Frenchman (here is the journey from his perspective with more pictures: https://alexandrestrip.wordpress.com/2017/11/25/sri-lanka-ella/), with whom I have been traveling since then. In fact, the French have always proven to be the most pleasant companions during my trip. It's impossible to be angry or annoyed with someone who greets you with 'Ello, au are yuu doing?'. Followed, by the way, by the Dutch, who are simply very relaxed people (wonder where that comes from...).

Back to the journey: The next morning, I went to the train station, which seems to have completely missed the last 250 years, and took the train from there to Kandy, where it seems that at least in terms of speed, the last 250 years have also passed by. In times of trends like slow food and healthy fasting, I would suggest to the Brigitte magazine as a trend for 2018: meditative train travel in Sri Lanka. The train winds through a breathtaking mountain landscape at a walking pace. From Ella, we took a bus to Dambulla. Bus travel in Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is more like masochism for the tough. Caged chickens in the EU have more space than people in these buses.

From Dambulla, we then took a hike to a rock, from where you can once again admire the breathtaking nature. We enjoyed and celebrated this in typical German fashion with a few cans of beer, and then four of us took a tuk-tuk back to the hostel. The next morning, we took the train from Ella to Kandy, where we arrived in a state of near nirvana due to the relaxation. There, we took further hikes, including one to a railway bridge and a mountain. Thanks to the leisurely pace of the trains, the rails are also wonderful hiking trails. But enough about trains and mountains, today we headed to Yala National Park by bus. Currently, I am sitting on the balcony of our stilt house, observing water buffaloes grazing and colorful birds flying around wildly. Stress level: Riding trains in Sri Lanka.

Best regards and see you soon