30 December, Hikkaduwa

This morning we took a train to Hikkaduwa. I wanted to take an air conditioned bus but Fausto insisted on taking a train, claiming that we will not be caught in traffic. There was no first class carriage so we got second class tickets (80 pence = 160 rupees per person). The train was an hour late and packed with people. I was lucky as I managed to sit on my suitcase right by the open train door (in the picture), other people had to stand up for several hours inside the carriage. Our trip took almost 3 hours and in reality wasn't so horrible as we were talking to the other travellers and this made up for the discomfort. The train line runs along the coast, in some places right on the sand by the sea which was a great experience.