Family Holiday (Day 20)

The house we stayed in last night is beautiful. They have several rooms they rent out, but since it is off season, we were the only ones there. The house is a built in the Dutch Colonial style modeled after houses in Indonesian. The house is designed with a central court yard that is open to air. The roofs drain either away from the courtyard or drain into the court yard. Several plants grow in the court yard and they had a fish pond to catch all the final run off. After a nice breakfast of eggs, toast, roti and juice, we headed to the train station. After a bit of round and round confusion, we almost missed our train. Fortunately, they figured out just enough to hold the train for us and then figured out our tickets once we had boarded. The view from the train as we left the city started with fields and farmland. Gradually we entered the mountains where we could see waterfalls, lush jungle, and tea plantations. As we climbed, the clouds began to gather. Just before we reached our destination of Haputale, a mere 7 hours ride, it had begun to rain. The ride to the house in a van with no defroster was an adventure itself.