The search for breakfast lead us to a very swanky joint indeed where we sat and messaged family to try and throw them off our scent and arrange the false Xmas day skype call. We loved Galle fort so much we spent all day walking along its walls encountering cobras, pythons, monkeys and swimming dogs. After lunch at the Tuk Tuk restaurant (coolest name ever) we headed to the train station for our 6 hour journey up north to Kandy. As soon as the train arrived it became clear that we would be stood for the duration. A local started laughing at our faces and said "very important public holiday and a lot of Buddhists are heading to Kandy to worship." Typical. Luckily we managed to secure a position at the door (which was open the whole way) and protect our personal space relatively well. Some poor people were literally breathing each other's stale air. Others were outside the train in groups and hanging on to whatever they could. At some points we managed to crouch into an almost seated position which was a relief. We were the only white people on our carriage and it was obvious that people were inspecting us, mainly the huge family who kept laughing and grinning at us the whole way. Probably just being shy and not rude but it does take its toll after a few hours, to the point Matt thought it would be funny to throw his arms in the air and ask "What?" This caused them to giggle more. We became chatty with a few local guys who saved us from the dangling spiders and gave us a crash course in Sri Lankan train etiquette. By the end we were professionals. Overall it wasn't too uncomfortable and it was a really good experience. We clearly proved our worth when two locals offered us their seats for the last 15 minutes. It was amazing. At points the train sound like it was going to split apart or even tip over but even the locals find it funny. We finally managed to check in to our hostel at 10pm.
M & C xxxx