Grace
Everything that happens in front of you is within the field of Grace. So, accept them all as blessings.
When I woke up it was still dark, sunrise was at 06:23. I started reading and got ready with my backpack. I found a house on booking.com in Tiruvannamalai, just five minutes by scooter to the Ashram. I booked for 14 days, will see how it is, it seems to be a new building.
Not much packing this time, I didn’t unpack much. At 08:00 my host came with the breakfast. Some tea and eggs, toast, and a variety of fruits. I paid my bill for the stay, tour, and dinner. He would pick me up at 09:15 for the railway station.
I had to buy a ticket, 300 Rupees for the 2nd class. The platform was packed with tourists. The train arrived 20 minutes late. I couldn’t make a reservation as there was no network connection due to a power outage. At first, I entered the train in the car with a reservation. I had to out again to the next car. Here all seats were occupied already. Many people were still waiting to enter the train. A Sri Lankan guy asked me to follow him to the next car, 3rd class. Here I got a perfect window seat, even with a table.
The guy who showed me the place just came back and talked to me. He is a police officer, walking along the train taking care of people. Then he made a video while I was standing at the door.
We stopped in Bandarawala. Some local people left, and more came in. The train drove back to make space for another train arriving from the other direction. Here is only one rail for both directions, so it had to change to a siding.
At my window seat, I was surrounded by some local teenagers sitting opposite and next to me. The train arrived on time in Nanu Oya. From Nanu Oya, it is four kilometers from Nuwara Elya. My accommodation is just in the middle. I was supposed to be picked up at the train station, but nobody was there or even responded to my messages. I took a Tuk Tuk by myself to reach “Belief Inn”, my accommodation for two nights. There was an elderly lady and her daughter. It seemed she even didn’t know about my arrival. She called her husband and I talked to him. Anyway, I got my room. The room is OK with the bathroom attached, but it is quite close to the road. No nice place to sit outside here. What to do, just for two nights.
I sent a message to Pringi in Ella, then she called me and we had a short talk. Manjula was also sending me a message. It’s amazing sometimes how fast you come close to people in a short time.
The bus stop is just 50 meters on the other side of the road. After unpacking some necessary stuff I walked to the bus stop. There should be a bus every 20 minutes. The first bus was a red bus and didn’t stop. Same with the second bus. Then came a white bus and stopped. I don’t know why it is like this. I will ask my hosts later.
Inside the bus to Nuwara Elya
After 10 or 15 minutes I reached Nuwara Elya. It has a remarkable post office here. It looks a bit English style here, some half-timbered houses.
It is a bit cooler here, 1750 meters above sea level. The temperature is 23 degrees, 12 at night. Everybody is wearing a sweater or hoody, except me. I will change it for tomorrow. I was walking around a little, it feels much different again than Kandy or Ella. Kandy was super busy and crowded, and Ella was just small and full of tourists, Nawaru Elya has also some tourists, but it is more relaxed here, a local town. I will check out more for tomorrow. I have no plan to make any excursions to a tea plantation or waterfall. I found a suitable Restaurant and some food between lunch and dinner, it was around 17:00. After buying some water and nuts I walked to the bus terminal. The buses are fortunately labeled, like “Nuwara Elya – Nanu Oya”. So it was easy to find and I sat down in the bus. Soon later the bus started its tour. Whenever it stopped the motor went off, and it was a bit difficult to start again. The motor has had its best days. The bus stopped right in front after pressing a stop-button.
The rest of the day I just spent in my room. At least they have here a fast WiFi. I booked and apartment in Tiruvannamalai for the first 14 days. I am not sure yet about this, I will investigate more tomorrow, I still can cancel without paying fee.
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