"The 0840 stopping train from Anuradhapura to Colombo is cancelled" (11 January 2009)

The final leg of our Sri Lankan odyssey involved a five hour train journey, a relief from the horrid taxi vans - or so we thought! We turned up for our train at a beautiful little white railway station, set in woodland, and as usual the ticket counter was closed, so we sat on the floor and waited and waited. Well past the scheduled departure time, Gill went and asked what was happening – and yes joy of joys the train had been cancelled! Buggers – now to search for a taxi van and face the journey by road. In such situations, the best ploy as a Westerner with money is to stand looking helpless and eventually someone will turn up – and in this case it was a rather sleazy tuk tuk driver. He took Ant to meet his friend with a van, leaving Gill and the luggage rather bemused at the roadside. Half an hour later, Ant and van man turn up, load Gill and the bags and off we go. The journey was bumpy and tedious and interrupted by many military checkpoints – but we got here safely and have treated ourselves (again) to three nights at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, it’s the Regency wing for those of you with Google. This 150 year old colonial grand dame hotel is this time more grand than damned! It faces the sea and serves alcohol and there is the promise of shopping – at last!