Beach weekend! Christina and I took the 6:30am train down to Unawatuna beach for the second time for a weekend of relaxation. We arrived around lunchtime and after a minor monsoon we headed out onto the beach for the afternoon. Because we are so close to the equator, the sun is really intense and you can only stay out on the beach for a couple of hours at a time, so around 5:30 we headed in and got ready for an amazing dinner. I had the most delicious grilled tuna fillet at a little restaurant where we had a table literally right on the sand. I even indulged a bit and tried a pineapple-free sex on the beach, which was amazing. After dinner we went for a walk on the beach and ended up getting a drink at a bar with a bunch of Marines from the UK. They were on break from escorting cargo ships around the world and already had been partying it up before we got there. One of the marines particularly fancied Christina, meanwhile I got the slightly drunker one who thought my American accent was quite funny. They ended up buying us mojitos because they didn't understand why we were drinking beer, so we didn't complain. They had such great stories from all of their travels around the world and thought it was really awesome that we were working with elephants. I think that is the latest I've stayed up (midnight) since I arrived! The next day was a short day on the beach because we had to catch the 2:00pm train back (it's a five hour train) so we made the most of it by getting out on the beach by 8am. We concluded our beach vacation with a platter of fresh fruit and smoothies at the Happy Banana before we headed out.
The train ride back was absolutely amazing! We didn't get a seat on the first leg of the trip, which was fine with me because I ended up sitting in the doorway to get into the train and just watched Sri Lanka fly by for three hours. We were going along the coast almost the entire three hours up to Colombo and it was beautiful! The sun was hit the water in such a way that it reflected brilliant blue and white colors without blinding me, giving me the impression that we were just riding a giant wave instead of a train track. We left even more of an impression on me was the fact that people sit, walk, eat, work and live less than a meter from the train tracks! I actually had to tuck in my feet a couple of times to make sure I didn't hit anything as we went flying back. Most of the small village consisted of make shift wooden houses, and you can tell that this part of Sri Lanka has not yet fully recovered from the tsunami. I could tell whenever we passed a village even with my eyes closed because of the mix of fish, curry and smoke smell that separated it from the rest of the salty coastline. The best part, I have to say, was watching the sun set right before we arrived in Colombo. After Colombo we managed to get seats inside the train for the remaining two hours. I was in a seat facing the opposite direction of where the train was going and had an interesting perspective of the landscape on the way back. It's truly amazing how the landscape changes when you see it in reverse. Instead of seeing what is coming up ahead, you witness what has already passed. Once night fell the train was practically empty and everything was so quite. I continued staring out the window, barely catching glimpses of the rice patties before the jungle once again swallowed up the sides of the track. I think the train is the best way to travel and see the countryside. I feel like I have a far better perspective of Sri Lanka after that train ride than the previous four weeks I have lived and traveled here. I simply love trains.
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