006 - Sri Lanka. By train to Hatton and further by bus to Adams Peak

Längerer Beitrag – schneller Überblick:

By train to Hatton and on by bus to Adams Peak

I didn't hear the alarm clock. Kathi wakes us up 4 minutes before breakfast is served. Quickly under the shower and up to the guest room. We get toast and pink jam again, which you can slice and put on the bread. Funny food sometimes.

We pack our things, put on our backpack raincoats for the first time and stand amusingly in the rain to trudge to the station. The walk is not long. 10 minutes later we buy our 2-class tickets (no seats, madam) and wait for the train. At some point we figure that the Sinhalese announcements are trying to tell us that the train is late. It is, about 40 minutes. But we have time and play tickling, teasing and finger games like with little children. Time flies and the train arrives, the same fight for seats as the day before yesterday in Colombo begins. First we get on, then we get off... We get an enchanting standing place in the crowd, Moppi his much sought-after seat at the open door. We drive and at some point the Sri Lankans move together and make room for us too. Once again, I am amazed at how friendly the people are here.

In Hatton, we get off the train and into the Kamikaze bus. We drive for a little over an hour through a fantastically beautiful area. Tea fields. Reservoirs. Bright colours. In the mountains the play between sun, fog and clouds. I am in seventh heaven. If it weren't for this slightly crazy bus driver who seems to know only one thing: how to drive fast. No matter if it's steep bends, oncoming traffic or steep downhill. Full throttle and a quick honk. I'm actually surprised that nothing happens here. At some point I watch the Sri Lankans and admire how they can just sleep. I try to do the same and get into the same flow. It doesn't work so well yet, but I'm still a beginner.

At some point we arrive, go to our previously booked room with a mountain view, are thrilled and first drink a lot. We didn't drink much on either the train or the bus journey. We just didn't want to go to the train loo so often.

After a few rounds of UNO, we stroll through the village, which consists of stalls selling the essentials for the climb up Adams Peak, THE pilgrimage mountain in Sri Lanka. We buy thin gloves for us girls and sweatpants for Moppi. We think about how we are going to climb this giant guy (i.e. the mountain) tomorrow and in my mind I can already feel my muscles. Good thing I only have my barefoot shoes with me. I'm curious to see how it will be.

We eat a snack and then crawl under our mosquito nets - the alarm clock rings at half past two, and at two we set off on our adventure.

Shownotes for iTunes: https://www.leben-pur.ch/006-sri-lanka-mit-dem-zug-nach-hatton-und-weiter-mit-dem-bus-zum-adams-peak/