As I mentioned, Edward spent just over a day in Kandy and it seems that most modern tourists do it in similar speedy fashion. We spent six days there and when I told the taxi driver delivering us from Kandy station to our hotel that, he almost ran off the road in surprise. Likewise, the factotum (cook, waiter, cleaner and concierge) at the Amanda Hills Hotel touched his heart at our last breakfast and said that after six days, he would feel our departure there. I told him we would feel it there too, having had a very relaxing break. He also insisted on making us a complimentary lunch of ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches, bananas and bottled water, to take on the train back to Colombo.
For his return, Edward rose at five o'clock in the morning...and rapidly descended the hills towards Colombo arriving about 4pm. They rested at the Royal Hotel for three hours before embarking on the coach for Galle at 7pm. The road was now wet and muddy and the horses provided appeared to have already done their work during the afternoon. Thus the trip to Galle which was expected to be reached by daylight, took until almost mid-day. Not only the horses worked hard because the coach had human runners whose job it was to run alongside the horse's heads, pulling and urging them along through difficult patches. Edward noted that one of our runners came all the way without being changed...only occasionally obtaining a little rest by standing on the carriage step. The distance is seventy-three miles. !!!
Edward then had another day in Galle before leaving. He enjoyed his time in Ceylon saying that had arrangements permitted I would gladly have remained a fortnight longer in this delightful island... for never in my life have I spent a week more agreeably than the last. He does mention though that others were less keen on the heat and humidity. Despite his disparaging remarks about the Singalese contempt for labour, he also mentions that several fellow passengers engaged as servants young Cingalese lads...good looking, merry little fellows who appear very obedient and docile and confesses that I would have taken one or two had I been going to, instead of leaving, Australia. Easily done apparently in Edward's time but today's BorderForce might take a dim view of bringing Sri Lankans back now.
The train from Kandy down to the coast once again meandered through scenic mountains on its way. Like the roads, the train traveled slowly in the mountains, averaging only 25-30km/hour. Once on the flat it picked up speed to around 60km/hour and once again it was very crowded. Old hands now, we had arrived at the station an hour before departure so were able to enter the waiting train and find seats, but only just.
Our host at the Galle Star Hotel, had mentioned that he also had a hotel, the Sun Up, at Katunyaka, less than a kilometre from the airport. As we had to be at the airport at 8.30am the following day we had decided to book in there for our last night, rather than stay in Colombo and take an expensive taxi through morning rush hour traffic.
So arriving at Colombo Fort Station we immediately took another train to Katunyaka Station and found the Sun Up Hotel, just a short distance away. It certainly was close to the airport. Trish and I walked the kilometre there to check out the lie of the land, before having dinner at a nearby restaurant. However, I'm glad we only had one night because it was not salubrious. In fact it was just a concrete blockhouse of about five windowless rooms. I commented to Trish that our, at least air conditioned and relatively clean, room and ensuite, was probably what prison would be like, albeit having a cell mate of the opposite sex.
We embarked on our plane the next morning without incident and about 14 hours later were safely home in Perth.
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