I just needed to close my eyes and that train ride from
Colombo to Galle unspooled in my mind like it happened yesterday and not a year
ago.
We arrived at Sri Lanka’s Colombo Fort Station at six in the
morning, an hour before boarding time. The station, though bustling with
people, was not as chaotic as I expected, and we easily found our platform, from
where I watched with glee the coming and going of trains as we waited for our
ride. I could have stayed there for hours marveling at the endless ebb and flow
of people leaving and arriving at the station, but our train arrived on time
and we had to leave.
 |
| Our observation car was attached to the rear of the train and gave us an excellent view back along the track. |
The train started to move, past
the commotion and the wearying tempo of the city, chugging slowly along the Indian Ocean through small coastal towns. Looking out the windows of our
observation car, I could see the sweep of the railroad tracks fringed by
coconut trees and flooded by the sun’s warm, golden light. That ineffable joy of experiencing something singular
for the first time seeped through me as the train rumbled on and the cool ocean
breeze wafted in.
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