Sri Lanka- How do I get there from here?

How do I get there from here? Well, from Colombo to the southern city of Mirissa, a 6 hour train ride priced at $1.47 seemed reasonable. Little did I know the train would be filled with Sri Lankans on holiday. I stood on that train for six hours. I used my Chinese-train-fighting-skills to elbow my way to a corner of the car and ended up reading for a large chunk of the trip. many many Sri Lankans stared at me. I was the only white person in the train. A man in the middle of the car started shouting from across the crowd to me in English. That was fun, to have a conversation with a curious Sri Lankan, and to guestimate how many other people in the car understood. Outside tourist areas, about 10% of Sri Lankans understand and speak English. Most of them are part of the older generations who went to school during the British colonial rule.
For four days in and around Kandy, I employed Raju, the tuk tuk driver for daily trips. The first day I paid $15 to get toured from the elephant orphange an amazing Botanical Garden, to a hilltop temple, and back by an ayurvedic massage place (6 or 7 hours total). Raju has three kids and is a Muslim. He and I really bonded over the four days spent together. He asked me if I was married and when I explained "no" he seemed confused. He told me that maybe one day I can find someone to marry and then I can come back to Sri Lanka. Raju suggested, "Come back to Sri Lanka, married, happy, better life." Hmm... He seemed worried that I was 29 and not yet married. Raju also asked me if I wanted to drive his tuk tuk. I mentioned a few minor car accidents in the states and suggested that maybe it wasnt the safest idea! He couldn't stop laughing about that one. Other Raju highlights include getting another flat tire. We pulled over next to a little tire shop where there was a Sri Lanka - New Zealand cricket game going on. The tire shop owner got me a coconut to drink and a chair to sit in while they fixed the tire. Everyone was focused on the game. At one point I noticed that no one was working on the tire, "hey!" I said. "Let's get going!" Basically, we didnt get the tire "fixed" until the game was over.. hmm... Raju was great. In the mornings we got fruit together, shared sandwiches, "vadai"- lentil/potato snacks, and took water breaks together. He was really concerned about me being alone and even avoided some short cut dirt roads in favor of more mainstream dirt roads because he said, "You never know, single young woman, and me, middle of the jungle. We need safe way always." Most Sri Lanks were cool like that. Whenever I ate out somewhere at night (ie- every night!) the owner of the restaurant would get me into a tuk tuk with a known driver "to be safe". That was appreciated.
This third picture is a picture of the first class observation train car that I rode in from the hill country back down to the coast, and Colombo. I paid $2.50 for this ticket and the car was filled with very upstanding Sri Lankan citizens. The ride was gorgeous and out the window, this time seated, I was able to observe the whole world going by. GREEN GREEN GREEN.

Other modes of transport in Sri Lanka besides tuk tuk and train were bicycles. I think there might be some old men in Sri Lanka who could rival the old Chinese cyclists for speed. As I wandered down dirt roads and paths into the countryside, I would often pass Sri Lankans riding a bike. Their greeting was, "Hello. Where are you going?" I thought this was a thing for me, a Westerner. Then I realized that it is just a way of placing you into their internal schema of things. I would always reply, pointing, "that way." They seemed happy with that answer!