Going and coming back from Galle

Travel options between Colombo and Galle...

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Arthur: Someone I met at the party said “Take the train. The Express. It runs along the coast.”

It runs along the coast all the way

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Isaac: The one that the 2004 tsunami wiped out?

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Arthur: That’s the one. Bit of a scramble to get seats. But the coastal scenery is worth it.

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Isaac: How long does it take from Colombo to Galle?

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Wikipedia: 2004 

Arthur: About two hours. But our express took three. It clanked to a stop and people were running up and down the lines.

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Isaac: A tsunami?

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Arthur: No. We hit a cow and the driver was nearly lynched. So coming back we took a taxi. Couldn’t escape the shadow of the tsunami memory though. The driver’s mother went to the market to buy potatoes that afternoon. Her son told her he’d take her when he got home in the evening but she didn’t wait. They never found her.

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Voice-over

Stories going to Galle and coming back. Disasters swooping out of nowhere. Whether the causes are caused by Nature or deranged humans. Warnings may be lurking, but the tsunami alert didn’t get through and nor did warnings of the recent attacks in Colombo. Technology can be a barrier to the message getting through, as much as people disregarding portents.

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