TRAVEL: Sri Lanka. Kandy- Ella train ride

famous train ride due to the beautiful scenery, even though its a long ride as its the slow train. tea plantations, waterfalls, bridges, mountains, villages and kids along the way, it is very beautiful. 

getting tickets is a bit difficult, locals buy in advance and hawk them to tourists for higher prices. you need to book in advance as they get snapped up quick, especially on weekends tourist agencies and companies tend to buy them and will sell on too. so if you are searching for some you can try this option, but expect to pay a lot more. .you can't buy online either except on 12Go, but again, more expensive than at the station . they go on sale 30days in advance.

12Go

https://12go.asia/en/travel/sri-lanka

1. Search for available train tickets:
   • I enter your preferred travel destinations in Sri Lanka  or choose one of the popular destinations from the list
   • Select your preferred train travel date (MUST be 37 days or more in advance 
   • Choose “One Way” or enter a return date if you want to take the train both ways
   • Select the number of people and hit the  “Find tickets” button
2. Find your preferred train departure time in the list & select  “Book now” 
3. Fill in adetails
• “Flexible” or “Not Flexible” – Flexible means that the 12Go partner will buy 2nd class tickets if the 1st class/ VIP is fully booked and refund the difference. If the 2nd class is also fully booked on this date, they will buy tickets on the next available departure on the same date. If 2nd class is also fully booked, 12Go will refund your booking immediately. With “Not Flexible,” you will get a refund if your exact tickets are sold out.
4. you can get your tickets delivered ($10) or pick them up in person.  (select “Colombo hotel delivery” if you are staying in Colombo, or “EMS Sri Lanka delivery” if you are staying elsewhere in Sri Lanka). Enter your hotel name, hotel address, and check-in date in the “Additional Notes” box.or you can collect hem in person from the 12Go office in Columbo 
5. once confirmed you will receive a pdf voucher receipt 

you can also buy from and agent or go to the train station yourself. tickets for government-run trains in Sri Lanka can be issued only 10-30 days (or shorter) before departure date depending on the route. For this route, Ella/Kandy, the train tickets are put out for sale 30 days ahead. You can buy tickets at the train station right up until departure unless the train is fully booked. 

Andrew tried the station first to no avail. so he then tried agent and got some for the next day, though he paid a lot and we would need to change seats half way through. the train ride is 6-7 hours. though car ride is around 2-4h.  there are 3 trains a day. 

08.47 arrive 3.14pm

11.10 arrive 5.11pm

12.31 arrive 6.23pm

this was back in 2020 (start of the pandemic) they have added another 2 at 3am and 10pm

there's only a few trains each day, setting off originally form the capital Columbo which would be an even longer ride, Kandy is a good mid point to set off from, with the best views and also ensuring a shorter trip 1st class  has aircon but 2nd class has windows you can open and hang out  off - great for photos, the 1st class doesn't. 

a lot of people stop in   Nuwara Eliya (station is  called Nanu Oya or Nanuoya) its 2-4 hours from Ella and has some great scenic spots and hiking options, the train ride has lots of tea plantations.

You get the train from the main station in Kandy, a bright and colourful colonial train station, that's easy enough to get too especially if you go by local 3-wheelers (Bajaj) also known in Thailand as TukTuks. There's no AC on the train, just fans, no dining cart either. there are. couple stops on the journey and you can buy drinks and snacks from peddlars who carry it and serve it to passengers from outside through the window. this is expensive, more so if you get something cold, these vendors carry it all by hand, in bin baskets and ice coolers, some balancing it on their heads! So it's a good idea to prepare in advance if you don't want to spend a fortune for a sprite or packet of crisps.   

We got the midday train. and headed to the station. it wasn't super busy, we met some tourists too. they had some weird fish in tanks....I don't really like fish, especially big ones. I don't mind small cute colourful tropical ones though. 

anywayyy.....we boarded quickly once the train pulled in (having originated in Colombo) signalled by a large blast of the train whistle. we had basic second class seats on the right side. 

https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/kandy-to-ella-train-travel-guide/

the train enters the station with a blast of it's whistle, coming from Colombo originally. everyone quickly gets on and gets to their seats. there are toilets on the train but they aren't the best. it was busy. half of which were foreigners, even though it was off peak season and covid had broken out in China. 

 

 

it's not super comfy but it's better than some asian trains. it's slow even though there are not many stops. there aren't any food or drinks to buy on the train however on the occasion stops locals come with baskets and sell you  expensive drinks and snacks through the windows. necessary but not amazing. not cold really either, but better than nothing!

 

 

beautiful sights, rising higher, up and up into the mountains, full of tea fields, the famous Ceylon teas. small villages and farms. some times passing locals or school children shading under umbrellas as they journey home through the countryside paths

 

halfway through we changed our seats. still on the same side but further up, still in the same carriage which was convenient so we didn't have far to move our bags.

 

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/F1B1M7dVHe8

https://youtube.com/shorts/lrEWhlpkZ4Y

https://youtube.com/shorts/izoUXHH95PU

 higher up the train climbed, then suddenly it got cold! due to the  altitude. had to stick on a jacket. around this time almost half the people on the train had fallen asleep, including Andrew haha. it was very quiet and calm. we even passed so beautiful waterfalls and ravines 

https://youtube.com/shorts/vHrZBYM7B0g

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ot3GwNmih5A

https://youtube.com/shorts/_1wwQmz9k3k

most people want the 2nd class carriage as its open and its better to take pictures and walk about. its famous for a romantic shoot taken over a bridge of a couple kissing with the girl hanging out of the carriage (bit too dangerous for me) they warned against this but don't have much health and safety features or protocol otherwise. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/V7ugxgD8_Ko

SRI LANKA: ELLA train curved bridge track : https://youtube.com/shorts/YR-SXfOGjhE?feature=share

ELLA tea fields from the train : https://youtube.com/shorts/UKI2G9I0pRs?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/6WqjmhA4qE4

https://youtube.com/shorts/J_qursMW2YU

we arrived later in the evening, some people had gotten of at the previous stop, and others were staying on. we arrived around 5, the sun still unset. we paid a fee for a tuk tuk to take us to our hotel/b&b in the hillside with our bags, it was quite steep and cold at this point. we passed an area of small shops/restaurants/cafes/bars along the way, a sort of chilled backpacker vibe to them.

we stayed at a small B&B not too far from the station, past the small village area it was a steep walk and we weren't too sure of the way hence why we got a cheap ride form one of the local drivers. the scene from our room was breathtaking, especially  for the set sun sky over the mountains. the included breakfast was delicious, more fresh juices - Papaya! 

SRI LANKA: ELLA train curve track. https://youtube.com/shorts/LwmbQV5Nc74?feature=share

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g304132-d15039004-Reviews-Kandy_To_Ella_Train-Anuradhapura_North_Central_Province.html

ELLA is one of the main tourist destination in Sri Lanka due to its cooler weather, laid-back atmosphere and picturesque hiking trails. It's also the starting/end point of the famed Kandy-Ella train route -  often referred to as the most scenic train ride in the world.

 

https://youtu.be/YDuvQT-0jSE

https://youtube.com/shorts/dVqusYCVMP0

SRI LANKA: ELLA arrival https://youtu.be/hR1uRUQCkXY

moquette nets looking bed canopy fancy haha. we got a smoothie on arrival which was nice. the host was a bit eccentric to say the least, but nice. there wasn't anyone else staying, if there was, they were quiet.  

 

 

I woke up for the sunrise too!

it was a long 7hour+ rickety train trip, (slow train) that might be a bit hot and stuffy depending on when you go but it is worth it for the amazing scenery. winding through the mountains up into the tea plantations it's simply mesmerising. the higher up you go it starts to get cooler too, much more relaxing and comfortable. by the time we arrived later that evening I put on a light jacket. the fresh cool mountain area and beautiful natural scenery was a wonderful contrast to the hustle and bustle of the busy city. quiet nature and delicious fresh tea! 

tour. tea factory. 7 arches. waterfall. to welligama 

the next day we booked a car to take us around the area and then onto Welligama on the coast. We went first to The 9 arch bridge,  a main attraction in Ella, it's also part of the train route after the Ella stop. sunrise is a recommendation for it. there were many at it. though you do need to be careful and clear the tracks as the train does come along this track several times a day. Set amongst the tea field and forests there's some nice hikes to do around it. 

https://destinationlesstravel.com/things-to-do-in-ella-sri-lanka/#:~:text=Arguably%20the%20most%20famous%20attraction,very%20few%20go%20for%20sunrise.

next we went to a tea factory. however, it was going to be another hour or so before they were due to do a tour, we could have done a private one but it would have been quite expensive, so instead we took some pics at the entrance and continued on our way to the Ravana falls and then Welligama, getting there late afternoon. 

 

 

  

Ravana Falls stands close to the main road so it's relatively easy too get to, the other Diyaluma Falls is further away, an hour drive, but it's the 2nd largest in Sri Lanka at 220m tall, and you can both swim at both the top or the bottom of the falls. Bambarakanda waterfall, the biggest isn't too far either, near to the town of Haputale surrounded by forest.

  

 

 

other things to do in and around Ella include "Liptons Seat viewpoint"  located around an hour’s drive from Ella another great sunrise watching location (yes, Liptons tea!) From here you can explore some of the many tea plantations or get something to eat / drink from the Lipton Seat restaurant. There's plenty of Tea factories to check out here too! most of which have their original buildings. such as Halpewatte Tea Factory  the largest tea factory in Sri Lanka!it's a bit pricy, a tour of the tea factory costs 525 rupees/person and runs for 40 minutes. the one closest to Liptons Seat is Dambatenne Tea Factory its tour costs 250 rupees but isn't as in-depth. \\

LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION: READING

 

Reading efficiently

Once you have identified the sources that you think you want to read, go through them briefly to make sure that they are indeed relevant to your studies. There is no point in reading a source comprehensively until you are sure the material fulfils your requirements.

Scanning

Scanning is the technique used, for example, when trying to find a name in a phone book. It usually involves running your finger across and down the page to try and identify salient words. By scanning the papers you have accessed you should soon be able to see whether or not they are relevant to your studies. Don't discard those that aren't relevant at this stage. They may be useful later.

Skimming

Skimming is the next stage of the process in deciding whether or not a particular piece is worth reading more thoroughly, as it requires you to engage with the text a little more. There are two levels of skimming.

• At the basic level you should read the abstract, summary or overview to get an insight into the purpose and the findings of the document, then read the headings and the subheadings to see how the information is organised. By reading any conclusions you can make sure that the outputs from the piece can contribute to your understanding.
• You may still feel that you need a better understanding of what the authors are trying to do before you read the text in its entirety. Here it may help to read the first paragraph of each section, or even to read the first two lines of each paragraph. Doing this will make it easier to decide whether or not to read the entire text.

Gutting the literature

This approach helps you to analyse how useful a book will be and to select material for a specific purpose. You need to

• establish and evaluate the value of the book by looking at its aims, introduction, contents and index
• identify passages that are important to your aims
• skim read these sections, as well as the ones before to get an idea of context
• read the chosen sections in depth.

This is a fairly ruthless approach, but one which helps you to be selective.

Critical reading

Once you have selected something to read comprehensively it is important that you engage effectively with the text. Before you start, make sure you have thought about why you are reading it and what you want to find out.

Always be ready to make notes as you are reading - in the margins of your study materials, on a separate sheet, or as comments and footnotes to a word-processed document on screen. Limit your use of a highlighter pen to key words only, as if you highlight too much you won't be able to pick out key points. Use sticky tabs to highlight key pages.

The theories you study are not static: they can be agreed with, disagreed with, analysed and engaged with. If you do this while you read you will show the person marking the work you produce that you have a good understanding of the subject as a whole.

Critical reading can be seen as a three-stage process.

1. Understanding
2. Questioning
3. Evaluating

Understanding

Throughout your study you will be exposed to a wide body of academic literature: collections of theories, concepts, models and frameworks. The theses they advance need to be understood in their own right and in terms of their relationship with the associated literature.

Start your critical reading by considering who devised a particular thesis, and when, to get an insight into the academic approach taken by the author. For example, some authors approach their subject area from theoretical perspective, others seek practical applications for their work, or their contribution is to the wider academic debate. Recognising who produced the thesis gives you an insight into the position from which they are writing.

Knowing when the work was produced gives you a feel for the time relevance of the thesis. That is not necessarily to dismiss the relevance of older theses to contemporary studies, rather to review their relevance and recognise the platform they may provide for contemporary theses.

The next step is to identify the central claim or claims of the thesis. Finding the central claim reveals what the thesis is saying, trying to prove, or argue. Use the points listed below to help probe the thesis for this information.

• What is the thesis trying to say? How successfully does it say it?
• Is the thesis graphically represented, if so how does this look?
• What are the key points or the component parts of the thesis?
• What are the relationships between these points or parts?
• What is the relevance of the thesis?

A further useful step in establishing your understanding of a thesis is to discover the reasons for producing it. Often you can see how a particular thesis has been shaped by looking at why it has been produced. For example, where the motivation is to produce a thesis which has practical relevance you might expect an emphasis on quantitative methods. The author might use measurement as a means of demonstrating the validity of their thesis. Alternatively, where a thesis is devised to contribute specifically to academic debate then the emphasis may be on discursive accounts rather than verifiable statistics.

Once you have established your understanding of these points you are much better positioned to start asking more probing questions.

Questioning

The core of a thesis is formed by the central claims made by the author, as identified above, and the ways in which these assertions are presented. You should question these claims to examine whether they are based on a strong argument - one that demonstrates their development from a clear grounding in the academic literature.

• Are the claims argued using reasoning and debate?
• Are they substantiated with evidence from primary or secondary sources?

You may discover that the claims are based on a weak argument, offering no more than a list of assertions with no rational explanation or justification, and insufficient grounding in academic literature. In these cases the narrative tends to be unilateral and value-laden, and the resultant thesis is skewed towards presenting a specific view.

You should note that these characteristics of strong and weak presentation of a thesis apply equally to the work that you submit.

Evaluating

By this stage you have an understanding of the thesis, what it entails and why it was written. You have considered the strengths and weaknesses of how the central claims are argued, and their grounding in academic rigour. You will be aware of the sense of balance in the supporting debate and the relevance or accuracy of the evidence presented.

Evaluating the thesis is the point at which you draw your own conclusions about the value of the work presented. Your evaluation should be based on an assimilation of contradictory and supportive evidence from within the thesis itself, from the surrounding literature and from your own considerations.

In formulating your conclusions it is worth thinking about the following points.

• The robustness of the arguments for the thesis
• The robustness of the arguments against the thesis
• The circumstances in which the thesis could be useful
• The circumstances in which the thesis would be less useful
• Any amendments to the thesis that would be useful in the context where you would apply it

It can take time and effort to develop skills in critical reading, but the more you do the more you'll find the stages described above become an automatic approach. Critical reading skills are essential if you are to be able to gather and process evidence to support your own views, which is what we move onto next.

Gathering and processing evidence

In postgraduate study there is usually an emphasis on gathering evidence to examine or support a point of view. This may be as part of a research project where you are asked, for example, to review recent academic literature, or you may need to gather your own data by using a questionnaire or running an experiment.

Once you have your evidence you are expected to make some analysis of it and then write up your findings, perhaps as a project report for an assignment or as a dissertation.

Academic ethics

Ethical considerations play an important part in many research projects, particularly if you are gathering material from people by means of interviews, observations or questionnaires. Taking ethics into account when designing a research project helps to ensure that participants are aware of the aims of the research and what will happen to the information gathered.

It is important that you check whether or not you need ethical clearance to carry out your research. If you think you do, you will need to complete an ethics application and submit it to the OU. Your tutor and study notes will tell you more about how this might relate to your area of study.

One of the most important ethical principles is that of informed consent. You should supply participants with an information sheet describing the purpose of the research, how confidentiality is managed, what the results will be used for and how it will be published, and then obtain their consent.

Thinking about the ethical implications of your research also helps to ensure the well-being of you and the participants.

• The safety of you and your interviewee: Are other people aware the interview is taking place and when you are due to finish? Do they have contact numbers? Do you have a clear exit from the building in which it is taking place? Does your interviewee?
• The emotional context of an interview: Will the issue raise emotional issues? If so, what is your strategy for dealing with them?
• Data protection: What will you do with your questionnaire data? Do you have a safe place to store it? Do you know how long you can store it for?

Academic ethics also include a responsibility for accuracy in reporting your findings and in reporting and quoting from the research of others, particularly in regards to plagiarism.

Problem solving

Thinking creatively is a great way to solve a problem, such as working out how to design a project, or examine a question you need to answer. If you 'think around' the subject you can generate the answer or more easily understand the topic. Here are some ways of thinking creatively that may help you make decisions on what evidence you might need to collect.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a way of generating ideas. It is a good method to try if you are attacking a specific problem, whether alone or as part of a group.

• You need to think freely about the subject at hand. If you were brainstorming the pros and cons of 'green thinking' for example, you would jot down ideas as you or the group thought of them. There would be no judgement of the ideas at this stage
• You then work with the ideas: can any be improved? Do they lead you to another idea? If working in a group, a moderator would lead this discussion
• Once several ideas have been generated, you sift through them to see which work and which don't.

This short YouTube video shows you exactly what NOT to do when brainstorming in a group.

Idea-generating questions

Here you would ask questions about the subject at hand. Namely

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How?

These questions would then lead on to other questions, or a wider examination of the subject.

Shifting perspective

Here you try and look at things from another point of view.

• If you are female, what might a male perspective be? Would it be different? Why?
• If you are looking at a conservative argument, what might a liberal view be?
• If you were examining something scientifically, how would a social scientist approach the situation? What methodology would they use? What theory would they engage with?
• If you are looking at something in detail, try to step back and see it from a broader perspective, and vice versa.

This is a good method to use where you want to see both sides of a theory or find out more about something. It also helps you to move away from your own opinion, which could be biased or lacking in information.