By train across Sri Lanka | DW Documentary

foreigner, thank you, Mainline Railway is supposed to be the most beautiful line of the railway, it is of such scenic beauty, you cannot get this kind of beauty anywhere in the world, be it the pearl of the Indian Ocean or the tear in the sea . both things are true in Sri Lanka the entire island nation, including its capital Colombo, is caught in an atmosphere of change the Civil War that lasted more than a quarter of a century ended in 2009 in early 2015 the people of Sri Lanka voted for More democracy in the form of a new president The island formerly known as Ceylon is an idyllic holiday destination for tourists.

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journey here is always also a journey into the country's colonial past, something that becomes clear before we begin our journey at the Central Station at the Colombo Fort in the heart of the city to buy our tickets at a counter that has a nostalgic heir, they can then be checked out by a friendly driver. The station building was modeled on Victoria Station in Manchester. The traces of the British colonial rulers. They are everywhere where the British ruled between 1796 and 1948, things were different back then, there are many problems, we have problems with the drivers and the guards there, on time, they are not interested in their jobs and, Otherwise, the people in the workshop are not working at the moment, they are not doing their job well.

We are in luck. Our train to Badula is already waiting for us. We leave at half past eight. We are about to embark on a train trip that It is being described as one of the most picturesque in Asia overseas will take us from Colombo to Ella in the highlands via Candy, a journey of around 270 kilometres, special journey on special tracks, it was the first railway route of the island and is still known as Mainline. The first 54 kilometer stretch to Ambapusa celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, perhaps it is there that this train journey acquires its charm and atmosphere.

It is a train journey that has always been important to the people of Sri Lanka. Originally it was for the transport of goods, but they had a minimum of passenger cars and very few passengers traveled, but, of course, with the construction of the railways, many in rural areas always like to travel by train to go see the beach of the sea ​​for the first time in life to go see the sea beach travel by train to Calambu we cross the Kalani, one of the largest rivers in Sri Lanka and leave Colombo behind the entire trip costs between 1 euro 50 and third class and eight euros in first class Sri Lankans are very proud of their railway because it is very comfortable, it is a scheduled schedule, that is why I travel on this plane as a solo traveler and it is quite safe for me.

I've taken the train since I was little. It feels good. You can breathe fresh air and see many things through the window, such as mountains, rivers and lakes. I like that the train is better. that on the bus you feel freer and the bus costs approximately twice as much, there is even a television in first class, those who don't like that can travel in third class for less money and, with a little luck, enjoy the music live, honey, the musician. Lushanta is actually a teacher, but in Sri Lanka it is often the case that well-educated young people do not find a suitable job.

We are God, please help me, please help us, make our country prosperous, our country is very poor. I mean helping to develop our country, that is the meaning of the soul. Sri Lanka is classified as a developing country. Many people make their living from agriculture. Often 50 euros a month should be enough for an entire family. It's not much here either. 20 of the children are malnourished the differences between rich and poor in the city and the countryside are enormous but the classes are overcrowded some passengers are not at all happy with the status quo we want to know what first class is like with the televisions we want to have the same services In third class we want greater comfort and greater security with its economic situation that caused the expulsion of President Rajapaksa in the last elections.

We will stop in ramblekana. It is just a few minutes by tuk-tuk from Sri Lanka's largest tourist attraction. Thank you. pinauela elephant orphanage the daily bath in the Maya Oya river is a sensation the baby elephants and injured adults are nursed back to health here in pinauela um, this is Mila, one of our founding members, she is now about 60 years old . The western bus was brought to Pinauela in 1975, so 1975 was the beginning of this organization. He started with five baby elephants and was brought here as a baby. He is now very big and has fathered about five babies for us.

We have their daughters and sons with us at this time. They house around 77 elephants in total There are four baby elephants that make tourists happy here at the moment They are bottle-fed six times a day and get up to seven liters of milk The animals are clearly happy Some of them have been brought from the jungle some of them have been born here the sick elephants are kept separate they have fallen ill due to certain accidents like train accidents and sometimes fights inside the jungle so we keep them here we treat them and give them a good life we ​​start ascending to the plateau in an ox cart this laborious train journey lasts 12 days it is about nine hours the construction of the railway line was carried out in difficult conditions many of the three thousand workers died of malaria and cholera the main line passes through very rugged territory it passes through Ravines and Georges and cuts cutting cuttings and fills, embankments and tunnels, there are 42 Columbus tunnels at the time of construction and the labor was not cooperative and we had no mechanization nor was it modern or anything, no type of modern equipment modernized to drilling and laying tracks, all with human labor.

It was difficult though, the soil that proved so taxing during the construction of the railway line holds treasures. There are many different precious stones in the ground that adorn the crowns of monarchs and the jewelry of adored women. As a result, Sri Lanka has a long and lucrative tradition of goldsmithing these days is mainly for tourists, that generates a lot of money. A goldsmith earns around 200 euros a month. Gems became the center of attention in human life because each and every gem has the power to cure certain diseases. This was medical, it's a medicine at first. although it has now become fashionable or as an investment sapphires in many different colors the design is also made in Sri Lanka we are about to reach the sweets we have traveled 130 kilometers in three and a half hours the weather is significantly better pleasant at 500 meters Candy was once the capital of the Senegalese kings and the epitome of Senegalese culture.

The kings were able to defend their independence from colonial powers for centuries. Here the mission was behind us in 1867. The blue water lily, the national flower of Sri Lanka is sold here, it is often used as a sacrificial gift in Buddhist temples, one of the most important in all of Sri Lanka is Sri dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic is kept here. The upper left cusp of the Buddha. A significant symbol of national pride, people from all over the world come to attend daily services, donate and pray. The 90-minute Puja begins at half past nine.

The word means something like worship and is an important ritual in everyday Buddhist life. Thanks okay. According to legend, the sacred tooth is said to store the spiritual force of Buddha. This belief also turned this religious relic into a political instrument of power for the Senegalese kings. Sri Lanka was ruled by kings. There were seven periods of royal rule in 1815, the British conquered the sweets and with It is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth as an important symbol of power in the Sri Lankan city of Pradhana, waiting patiently outside the chamber where the Relic is located.

Visitors can only see one container. The tooth is not on display. It is said to be housed in an ivory container. capsule which in turn is enclosed in six more containers thanks to the temple the sweets are on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites there is another sight worth seeing right next to the temple in the late afternoon the acerodon bats yobatus also known as flying foxes comfortable candy is also known for its dance performances, these men and women are just getting ready for one, the tradition dates back to the time of the last candy kings this dance group has performed since 1932 In the past, the dance was for the entertainment of the king, if the king was sick, the dance was used to cure him, we even had healing festivals today, the dances are mainly for tourists, it comes from a long line of dancers, the tradition of dancing is passed down from generation to generation abroad, the training is hard and begins every day at five in the morning the performances take place throughout the year with very little free time the performances consist of up to 11 different elements that balance these discs is called rabban dance a performance lasts about an hour we have left sweets behind the The mountainous landscape has some visual delights in store for us.

Other delights are waiters on the train. Nileme sells small snacks in the carriages. He has done this for many years. He provides life for his family. She has three children. She prepared the food at home and brought it. on the train I have been doing this for 20 years, it is a small snack you take two or three pieces I make a living doing this my regular customers like my pure body that is why I always bring freshly baked bread I have permission and I am allowed to sell it on the train to the passengers also like it little by little we are getting used to the gentle rocking of the train the colorful clothes of the women The strikers again and again the main line meanders higher and higher on the plateau thanks to the working population up here mainly women work in many textile companies their products are Sri Lanka's most important industrial export with salaries of only 50 euros per month manual labor is not a luxury and is cheap compared to buying a loom women can choose the colors we work on to use strong colors and bright, in one day you can weave a sarong about two meters long.

The thread is spun on the spindle that they made themselves. The fine thread of the sarong is very water-absorbent. It is made of cotton and is very pleasant for the skin. Silk it is less practical in the mountains where it rains a lot a cotton sarong is better apparently we are very lucky with the weather today we are told on the train that there has not been a single day without rain here in two and In a year and a half, the British built originally the railway line to transport tea from the mountains to the port of Colombo.

At first, tea was simply a substitute for coffee, which had been affected by a fungus, coffee rust. The British recruited Tamils ​​from the South Indian Highlands as cheap labour. Abroad to this day tea is harvested in an unimaginably large area of ​​2210 square kilometers. A secure job for many. We work in the plantations picking tea leaves. We thank our president for that. It's a good job. Abroad. The income from the tea plantation made the old Ceylon the favorite colony of the British in those days the tea pickers only received rice as a salary today they earn a little more than three euros a day working from dawn to dusk but It's not something they like to talk about This is where the famous Ceylon tea comes from We are in one of the countless tea factories and they tell us with pride what makes it special, a young Saturday, perhaps the best part of the league, and the causes that the stems and mature leaves may be the inferior quality material where there are fewer chemical compounds.

Young leaves are concerned that they have better quality and flavor through the chemical compound, caffeine, amino acids, polyphenol and familiomatics and essential oil are very rich when the leaf is young. One hundred people work at the Halper Tea Factory which is around 100 years old after the tea leaves are dried, broken by rolling and shaking, then fermented and dried, the next step is sorting the tea by size. Sri Lanka is one of the largest tea exporters in the world during the founding years. The construction of the railway line had to go hand in hand with the opening of new tea plantations in the highlands.

The railway has long since lost the importance it had in those days. The best time for the main line was during the time of the British, when they transported Produce and tea are produced there with the change to road transport. Nowadays not even a kilo of tea is transported by train. Today only about one percent of goods are transported by rail. Mr. Yonica has been insured for the last 33 years. That everything goes well, I am the main driver of the train during the entire trip, which makes me responsible for the lives of the passengers and the railway property of everything thathappens on the way a token has just been handed out it is in this brass The leather covered ring ensures safety on this single track route and has done so since 1901.

When I pass the token the train driver has permission to travel to the next station. I have to call four times to get this token, that's how they know. at the next station a train comes in, they ring four times in response and lock their token, which unlocks my token. I can take it out and give it to the next train, which can then travel safely to the next station. The token is unlocked and handed over. to the driver of the next train unfortunately there are no longer train tracks from Nanuarya Station to the famous Nuwara Elia Hill Station the writer Hermann Hess of Steppenwolf Fame had a pleasant stay here in 1911.

At an altitude of 1900 meters it is pleasantly cool the British called this little town little England and in fact we can imagine Miss Marple publishing a letter here. Time seems to have stood still since 1876 at the traditional Hill Club, in those days plantation owners relaxed here playing billiards, laundry might be drying there today, but in those days it was where colonial rulers watched the pool races. horses, everything had to be like a home away from home, it's rare that horse racing is held here nowadays, foreign things follow a slower pace in the Racecourses these days stop, what am I doing?

Another relic of the British period. The most sophisticated golf club in Sri Lanka. It was actually started by the old British planters and they continued to take very good care of it as if it were not primarily for commercial purposes. The business is maintained as a members' club because, because it was maintained as a members' club, it was not as commercially oriented. People start to love this place, so it is more than tourists, actually it is the members who used to come to the Pavilion and also to play. Golf, let's just say, I mean survival and also the people of this place.

They start to love this place. Visitors need to be temporary members of the club to play the 18-hole course. The club has shaped the life of Sri Lanka's highest city for the past 125 years. Entire families. I used to live here, even children were born on the Club premises. Many white knights lived on the plantations. Back then they came here to spend time. When I was between 10 and 15 years old, I worked for them as a caddy and they also allowed me to play. That's how I started in 1971 I became Sri Lankan free golf champion, okay, we are back at nanu Oya station we listen to the music of Clarence vigavardana, the long dead Sri Lankan king of pop, a change of vehicle we participated in an inspection on a trolley of Of course, the token is also essential on this trip, railway maintenance is quite a complicated job in Sri Lanka, especially here in the mountains.

I generally assist senior railway staff in their monitoring work. The carriage is used for maintenance and if there has been a derailment or a landslide it takes the railway staff to the site the heavy rains during the rainy season cause a lot of damage to the track so it needs to be fixed we visit a British manor house at a slightly higher altitude, currently houses a monastery Father Michael of St. Benedict has run it for 22 years runs the school for novices and also looks after the property the fruit that is cut here ready to make jam is called elephant apple or wood apple we started this jam industry for house keeping in At first we started with jam, strawberry jam and guava jelly, so we started with these three varieties at first, but then we became other different products and we still continue with what we started at principle for almost 50 years.

Traditional lunch is prepared at the same time the fruits are also used as medicine before they ripen. Chandra, 60, is a master in his field and has scrambled and scrambled since he was 13. If I remove the jam from the heat at the right time it will last for years you can keep it for up to six years there is a great demand despite the large quantity I make there is nothing left it is the consistency of the jam that determines the right moment here everything is also made to order Chandra hand produces up to a thousand jars each season the train heads to the mountains on the main line twice a day unfortunately the climate is becoming increasingly British the total length of Sri Lanka's railway network is around 1500 kilometers the gauge is wider than the standard gauge is wide gauge, yes, it has a width of 1676 millimeters or five feet and six inches in feet and inches, it is known as a broad gauge railway because the ideal situation for transportation of goods is the widest gauge because they can bring more cargo, so they had delayed the British put broad gauge here in silon India Pakistan Bangladesh is ideal for transporting tea the token is ready the next station is Patty Paula it is 1891 meters away it is the highest station in Sri Lanka weather has a different dimension up here employees must expect a series of difficulties upstairs Here the roads can be washed away, it can rain, sometimes we have dew or frost in the morning or animals get in the way of the train, such as the Sri Lankan tiger, the wild boar or the beloved sambars, can cause problems, we have not seen any animals and It is not a surprise in this weather, but we finally reached the highlight of our trip, literally, 3881 meters of height here at the top of the railway.

Here in particular, it is supposed to be a Guinness World of Records, John Marshall's Guinness Book of World Records is awarded. feeds facts and feet of railways occurs at the highest point reached on a broad gauge railway is also quite inhospitable thanks we are 224 kilometers from Colombo now the further we are from the capital of the island, the fewer passengers there will be on the train to the afternoon our limbs get tired we notice the altitude we deserve a little relaxation the region around Ella is known for its spa facilities the hardworking tea pickers can only dream of visiting them you have to bring some time when you come here a relaxing ayurveda massage lasts 80 minutes is a special massage the 107 vital points are treated that improves blood flow which influences the organs gives you a lot of energy blood circulation the Indian art of healing also has a long tradition in Sri Lanka the holistic approach of Ayurveda and a vision relaxing from nature the steam bath with healing herbs is also good for relaxing reduces cholesterol levels Reduces weight and cleanses the skin is heaven we are completely relaxed on our last stretch to Ella this stretch is definitely one of the most attractive from all over Asia, so it is better to think about its future, the main line should continue as a Heritage Railway, as it could be handed over to UNESCO for conversion as a Heritage Railway and then again.

As a tourist railway, I never say, I don't say it should be suspended for local passengers, the local passenger service should be maintained, but while for tourism this area should be developed further, it is a good idea because that would ensure the continued existence of the main line that allows travelers from all over to discover a new world in just nine hours thanks to foreigners