The Sinharaja rainforest.

The Sinharaja rainforest reserve is a hotspot for biodiversity, and it made it to the UNESCO list in 1988. It is not a big area. 21 kilometers long and 7 kilometers at its widest, but still a true gem as far as wildlife concerns. Inaccessibility was what saved it from loggers and poachers long enough to survive.

I took a series of local buses, starting down at Galle on the coast and eventually landed in Deniyaya, a small inland town close to the Sinharaja reserve. My accommodation of choice was the homestay of the Palita brothers just outside thẻ centre of town-yet far away in a tranquil location. Palita himself-a funny guy, has years of guiding experience and knows what he is doing. The wildlife watching actually started as soon as i arrived. His garden is actually teeming with life.....treefrogs, spiders. Small reptiles. And there were many scorpion burrows in the soil. They started to come out in the evening and i got to see them strolling around.

A green pitviper. Venomous but non lethal. A bite is not something to ask for though. This snake ís endemic to Sri Lanka. On this hike i actually saw at least two endemic species-highlighting the importance of this forest-endmism among several animal groups including the reptiles is as high as 50%. A staggering number. It is a peacefull snake, and if irritated it will vibrate its tail before mounting an attack.

My hike to the forest started with a tuktuk trip on twisting dirtroads going up and down trough the countryside. There were villages and lot of farmland-fruit, rice and coffee. Eventually i was met by a guide in the outskirt of the last village. We started walking. We entered a moist, shady green world of trees and plants, crisscrossed by small, shining streams. There were the sounds of countless insects playing and some birds. The air was filled with the smells of wet soil, and that of vegetation-living and dead. To begin with we saw no traces of animals, and i started loosing hope in my wished for creature fiesta. But then it loosened and my guide started to find a lot of interesting stuff. My guides eyes were sharp.  Reptiles was what we saw the most of. Fine with me-that's why i had come. Reptiles are often hard to find so i was happy.

The kangaroo lizard. A true runner and jumper. It is lightening fast, and run on two legs when threatened. My second endemic reptile encountered that morning.

The kangaroo lizard is able to change colour. Right now it is a bit intimidated by us.

A treeclimbing frog. They live most of their life up in the trees, only coming to the ground to spawn. They are lightweight to be able to walk on thin branches, and have large discs on their toes to improve their grip.

Showing off,trying to scare us off. An hump nosed lizard, endemic to Sri Lanka.

The hump nose lizard, a charmer.

Green vinesnake. Mildly venomous venomous but gentle in its ways.

A funny face.

Humpnose pitviper. Lethal if not treated. Its venom is necrotic, meaning the tissue dies.

A doctor snail, filled with healing substances. Or at least so they say.

Fungus on a dead branch.

There are some massive vines in this forest-with a mass outweighing most trees from where I come from.

a snail with egmass.

Resting in a pool below a waterfall. Small fishes come in starting to nibble on my feet.

Then freshwater crayfish joined in, they were tickling seriously and no problem, only when a crab arrived i retreated. Its claws were a bit too powerfull!

Colourfull sap oozing from a treetrunk.

Many legs, imagine this one wanting sandals!

The Nilgiri railway.

On the  UNESCO  list are a few of the Indian trains. Hill train lines dating back to the time of British rule. It was constructed in 1907. Train lines that survived modernisation just long enough to make it to the protected world of UNESCO. Today their main economical base is tourism, but they still work for the locals as well. They are heavily outnumbered by tourists, though. The Nilgiri mountain railway is one of these venerable trains. Modern roads with cars and buses has made the line obsolete-a moving anachronism from another time. Without the UNESCO status, it would have been gone. But maybe not that long gone, it was inscribed on the list as late as 2005, as an addition to the more famous Darjeeling Himalayan railway.

The Nilgiri line is a 45,88 kilometer long 1 meter gauge line running from Mettupalyam to Ooty.  The steepest parts, from Kallar to Coonoor is equipped with a pinion rack. Along the way there are 13 tunnels, 27 viaducts and 206 curves.

I arrived in Mettupalyam the day before my planned trip, it is advisable to get a reservation placed the day before even in the low season. In high season, even that is usually not early enough. My plan was to get to the station in good time. However the Indian punctuality blew that. I couldn't place a reservation but was advised to show up at 5 am at the station. So i did, and joined a line of tourists and locals alike hoping for a seat. I had left my luggage at the hotel-the plan was getting my place, and then return to pick it up and get to a decent toilet at the same time. There were several hours to wait, so i expected even Indians would make it run quickly enough to make that work. A stupid plan. A guy eventually started to pass out white paperslips. Something written on it, i don't know what. Then shortly after ordering us to embarque and capture a seat. But-but-but, i tried to explain-i need to get my luggage. GET ONBOARD-NOW, OR LOOSE YOUR SEAT. YOU GOT YOUR TICKET> YOU DECIDE IF YOU USE IT OR NOT!!. Got my ticket? I wondered as i followed order. What i had done was following instructions. I had never paid a rupee anywhere. And suddenly I was on the list. Exellent, i thought. I got a seat, or half of it at least. I travelled budget class, in the most basics of traincoaches. Everybody had luggage, but not really anywhere to put it. Now came my moment of quick action. I put some clothing on my seat. Asked my seatfellow to look after it, telling I WILL return soon. Jumped out the window. It was easier than opting for the door, and ran to my hotel and back. Then in trough the window with my luggage. No problem.

Now it was time to enjoy. I came in time to welcome the steamlocomotive, she came coughing and panting from a shed. Passed us on a paralel track, got changed over to our track and was attached behind the couches. She was going to push, rather than pull. Probably adding to the safety.

  Then the boss with the green flag entered stage. The lok screamed, and we were off. The landscape along the way is beautifull, and in areas quite spectacular. There is a looong way down to the valley, sometimes visible from the train. Getting the right seat is vital-you should fight for a left side seat if going uphill. I didn't manage that, and was cheated for lot of the best views. However lot of people left when we arrived in Coonoor, because from there it is diesel-not steam. I could switch a bit between seats as it suited me.

Our locomotive is one of the old X class locomotives. Coal fired engines. There have been built four "modern"" oil fuelled X class locomotives to ease the burden for the old ones. The first of those arrived in 2011, the last entered service in 2013. The Lock was built in Switzerland and is a four cylinder compound engine. On normal racks it can manage 30 kilometers per hour, whilst on the rack it is down to 15 kilometers per hour. Romantically slow.

Lots of wheels and brackets. I would love to run one of these machines one day.

The steam lady breathes heavy as she pushes us uphill. The gradient is 8,33%, or 1:12. That is the steepest gradient in Asia.

A peek into my coach during a stop where most left to stretch their legs. An old coach, hundreds of daily life tales from the old India embedded in its walls.

A second class coach.

After a heavy uphill leg, the locomotive get a rest. Water is filled and the crew lubricate moving parts.

The pinion rack. Without it, it would have been impossible to run a trail along this line.

Kallar station, where the uphill battle starts.

Coonoor. The end of the line for the steam locomotive. From here a diesel engine propels us up to Ooty. It was an incredible different feel. The steam engine provided a more alive experience-chugging and shaking. The diesel was one rhythm, no heavy breathing. It felt like going from a living animal, to dead engine. I instantly missed the steam!