Bunga was busy in the garden after a brief photoshoot. He was the younger of the two. He liked toy cars for a long time like any other boy. He bought it at Ramboda.
It was a wooden replica of Sri Lankan Auto rickshaw/tuk-tuk with a black top. It was not worth the money. The jelled joints came out the next day itself. Bunga was upset. Rangamani does not know how to fix it. Tushara tied it with a rubber band. Despite a simple solution, the auto-rickshaw appeared as good as fixed. There was a bright smile on Bunga’s face.
Their next hop would be at Ella, another hilly town located 60 KMs away. This stretch of the travel would be covered by a mountain journey. This is one of the scenic train routes in the world as per Sri Lankan tourist information. That was similar to Mettupalayam to Ooty heritage rail route of India. They reached the nearby railway station at Nanu Oya town to catch the afternoon train.
The short downhill dropped them at the station. Rangamani bought a few snacks in the shop outside the station. The owner was a Tamilian.
Shop keeper: “Are you coming from oor (India)?”
Rangamani: “Yes”
Shop keeper: “I visited our oor as well. I went to Trichy, Madurai. What’s your native place, brother?”
Rangamani: “Pudukkottai”
Shop keeper: “I see. Don’t know where is it”.
Rangamani: “Do you know Kattabomman? King of Pudukkottai betrayed him. Now you know…”
Shop keeper: “Our place does not differ from that. Same betrayal. Same story”
Rangamani knew what he meant. Those who know about the racial unrest between Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils can understand it. He did not want to continue with that discussion. Instead, he asked the shop keeper “How much is this coconut biscuit?”
The railway station resembled the railway station of Mettupalayam, Tamilnadu, India. Colonial style boards, deserted rail tracks…
They were waiting for the train. There comes a shocking news. The elder boy Junga alerted Ranga that Bunga had missed his toy train in the garden of the lodge itself.
Alas, what bad news it was! It was so sad to see the disappointment on baby Bunga’s face. It is too far to go back. They can not catch the train. Rangamani told Bunga to ignore it and continue the journey. He assured him to get a new toy later. Bunga accepted in half a mind. But it was a sad moment for them. That tragedy was blown up in the air as the train arrived.
That train journey took three to four hours. It took its passengers through lush green tea gardens, hill tops, valleys, and floating clouds.
Tushara had booked a first class ticket for them. This train looked to be Chinese made as per the public documentation available on internet. There were seven boxes running with kada-kada sound of Indian trains. The windows are bigger enough to enjoy the sceneries and get excited.
Tourists post plenty of dangerously photographed pictures on Instagram. But few of them met with accidents. During their trip, a European lady had scratched her leg and created a scene.
Vendors sell sliced pineapple strips, mango, butter corn, freshly prepared rice, and curry, chilli bajjies etc. We can see new items at every station.
The entire route was covered with clouds! You will find beautiful hills and dense jungle intersected by tea estates, hillocks, old bridges, waterfalls and hamlets. When the train passed through the tracks, local kids cheered at the level crossings.
The travel took three and a half hours. Tushara came by road and welcomed them at Ella station. As they climbed into the van, Junga saw the toy auto lying in the seat. He shrieked at his brother, “Hey Bunga, here is your auto-rickshaw”. Tushara went the extra mile to go back to the lodge at Nuwara Eliya to take the toy car. It was such a touching moment for Rangamani. He thanked his chauffeur many times.
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