Four days by the pool is enough for Paul but Alison and Emma were not tempted by a train trip so a solo trip to Colombo for Paul. 

The nearest station to the hotel is Pinwatte, around 1 .9km away. This is only served by local (i.e. slow) trains but the additional time it would take to get to Panadura where the express stops offsets any journey benefit. A quick check on google maps satellite view showed there was a path all the way from the hotel to Pinwatte running alongside the railway; no concern over trespass here - many people seem to use the railway track as a footpath, shortcut or convenient shady spot.

A 15 minute stroll and I was at the station. Even such a tiny halt like this has a ticket office and for the princely sum of 60 rupees (about 30p / 50c) I had a 3rd class return to Colombo. The Sri Lankan railways website showed a train at 1106 and the ticket seller confirmed this. Sure enough at 1106 in rolled the train and I climbed up on board. Still some seats available. No aircon but all of the windows are wide open, as are the doors, so whilst the train is moving there's enough of a breeze.  

The railway line hugs the sea shore for much of the journey and even where it doesn't there are only two or three dwellings between the track and the sea . Most of these dwellings are very basic - made of wood or breeze blocks with corrugated tin roofs. Families are sitting outside in the shade watching the world, or at least the trains, go by. Only much closer into Colombo do the buildings become bigger, more modern and sometimes better maintained. We arrive into Colombo Fort on time at 1205; Colombo Fort feels like a provincial British station and must once have been much busier than it is now. I'd guess at about 8-10 trains an hour pass through today.

I leave the station and walk along the main street towards the bus station. There is a cacophony of traffic, horns blasting and music from some of the shops. It is very sweaty and people throng the pavement and into the road. A market is in full force and many vendors have set up stall or laid out their wares on the side of the road. The market sells clothes (collared shirts for £1), fruit, veg, toys, electronics and who knows what else. A bit too busy and hot for me to browse too long but I pause to buy some grapes .

I take a brief wander round the bus station, another state institution a little past its best I fear, and buy a Sprite to top up my liquid levels. 

The main sights and shops are a bit too far to walk in this heat and this crowd so I wander back to the station for the return train and sit for a while watching trains arrive and depart. Seeing passengers board the train from the track rather than the platform in order to beat the crowds to a seat is not something I've seen before.

I take an earlier train than planned back harbouring a sneaking suspicion that this will terminate at Panadura which it does. The next train that takes me the last 2km back to Pinwatte arrives about 20 minutes later just behind an express train which I am glad I don't need to catch as around people are desperately clinging on the outside of the train at each doorway, unable to fit inside the carriage. That's a bit precarious at 60km/h !

A 15 minute walk and time for a swim and a drink. Gasp!