“The Most Beautiful Train Ride in the World” (Part 4)

“The Most Beautiful Train Ride in the World” (Part 4)

Riding the Ella Odyssey: Into the Wilds (Part 4 of 5) (In case you missed it, here is a link to Part 1) Between Idalgashinna and Pattipola, the track runs through its wildest stretch on the route—dense rainforest and tunnel after tunnel. (There are fourteen tunnels...

Who wants to become a writer?
And why?
Because it’s the answer to everything. . . .
It’s the streaming reason for living.
To note, to pin down, to build up, to create,
to be astonished at nothing,
to cherish the oddities,
to let nothing go down the drain,
to make something,
to make a great flower out of life,
even if it’s a cactus.

—Enid Bagnold

 

Read more
“The Most Beautiful Train Ride in the World” (Part 3)

“The Most Beautiful Train Ride in the World” (Part 3)

  Riding the Ella Odyssey: The Most Spectacular Part of the Ride (Part 3 of 5) (In case you missed it, here is a link to Part 1) Almost immediately beyond Ella, the vistas swell. No longer were we seeing across a river valley, but across vast highland plains to...
“The Most Beautiful Train Ride in the World” (Part 2)

“The Most Beautiful Train Ride in the World” (Part 2)

Riding the Ella Odyssey: Leaving from Badulla (Part 2 of 5) (In case you missed it, here is a link to Part 1) We arrived at the Badulla Railway Station a little before 9:00 am. The train was scheduled to leave at 9:15. There are advantages to doing things differently...

Keep a small can
of WD-40 on your desk—
away from any open flames—
to remind yourself
that if you don’t write daily,
you will get rusty.

—George Singleton

Read more