“Voyage upon life’s sea,
To yourself be true,
And, whatever your lot may be,
Paddle your own canoe.”
— Sarah Bolton
When you think about the fact that from tip to tip, India and Sri Lanka are only twenty miles apart, and that a direct flight from Trivandrum to Colombo would have taken merely an hour, it does sound rather ridiculous:
It took 24 hours to sail to Sri Lanka.
Yes, from our two o’clock check-in on Friday at the ferry terminal, to finally sitting down in my Colombo guesthouse on Saturday at 2.30pm, it had taken a full day to reach the island. But strangely, I was far less annoyed than I should’ve been.
A five-hour delay [something about the loading and unloading of trucks–we never quite figured out who the culprit was] meant we didn’t leave port until eleven that night…but I was too busy revelling in my neat little berth, socialising with other passengers at mealtimes and saying to myself, “So this is what a cruise is like,” to notice.
At dinner over tomato rasam, rice and papadum [and other Indian delights], I talked to a twenty-something Sri Lankan guy named Sharbeen, who now works in Dubai for his family’s tea export business. “You like the ferry?” he asked me. I told him I did, very much in fact, and turned the question on him.
He made a face and said, “No, it is not like the ones in Europe.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the reversal of opinions–the South Asian disappointed at the seeming lack of Western standards, and the Westerner pleasantly surprised by the high level of South Asian service.
Because seriously, it was high–and here’s some photographic evidence of why:
The room:
The food:
The view:
Trust me, we’re not talking sleeper class here, folks. So as we pulled into the wide blue harbour of Colombo–five hours later than we should’ve been–with a white stupa visible on the horizon next to colonial-era buildings, I thought about how simple a flight would’ve been…and how much I would’ve missed.
As Seneca himself said:
“Voyage, travel, and change of place impart vigor.”
Want sail to Sri Lanka yourself?
You can visit Flemingo Liners’ website for more information on their service from Tuticorin to Colombo (and vice versa). Here’s the important stuff:
- Fares start at 2,695 Indian rupees each way–that’s just over $50 for a single berth, which includes a non-alcoholic arrival drink (read: fruit punch), afternoon tea, dinner, and breakfast.
- The ferry departs Tuticorin on Tuesdays and Fridays at 6pm, arriving in Colombo at 8am the following day. It returns from Colombo on Mondays and Thursdays, following the same timetable.
- Online booking isn’t available yet, so you have two options: you can visit their offices in either Chennai or Tuticorin in person, or you can book over the phone, provided you email them a copy of your passport and visa and transfer your payment to them.
- Chennai office: Flemingo Liners Pvt. Ltd.
Old no 16A, New no 35
1st floor, KV. Apartments,
Poes Garden, Chennai – 600 086
Tel – +91 44 24994438, 43144736 - Tuticorin office: 1st Floor, Vilson’s Plaza,
A3, World Trade Avenue,
Harbour Estate,
Tuticorin – 628004
Tel – +91 461 2353600, 2353700
Have you ever taken the long way to somewhere new? Did it make you appreciate your arrival differently?
great blog and informative… reminds me of my ”short” ferry travel from Hull to Rotterdam supposed to take 12 hours, 8.30 pm to 8.30 am, took more like 20 hours due to rough sea etc (would have taken an hour by flight!) but it was brilliant overnight ferry – as they say ”but the craic was mighty!”
LOL @ ”Trust me, we’re not talking sleeper class here, folks” 🙂 would be lost on people not used to roughing it out on ”sleeper class” though 🙂
Thanks! Geez, that almost sounds worse than mine, even if it was a bit shorter…I’d much rather a delay due to cargo issues than rough seas. And yes, I do realize that 🙂 Suppose it was a little inside joke with any other train travelers through India, haha.
haha still funny tho, no comparison between ur berth and sleeper class 🙂 but i guess sleeper class has its own ”charm” and its ”interesting” in its own way ! 🙂 and have a brilliant time and safe travels in the hill country!
wow it looks super luxurious! I can’t wait to make this trip next year! How are you finding Sri Lanka so far? I’m waiting on your updates with baited breath!
Hey Natalie! It WAS super luxurious–I loved it 🙂 But I just heard yesterday they’ve cancelled all services from Nov 23rd on, so fingers crossed they resume it by the time you come back over! If it is back on, I seriously recommend it if you have the extra time…the people on board were lovely and they fed us afternoon tea, dinner and breakfast–can’t beat that 🙂 Hope you’re doing well! PS – Yes, will have more Sri Lankan updates up soon, I promise.
Oh no! They’re canceling it? I wonder why? I really do hope it starts running again, I’d hate to take a flight and miss out on a journey like that. I also hope it isn’t a sign that political problems are stirring up again in Sri Lanka.
Hope you are having a fantastic time in Sri Lanka 🙂
Hey! They didn’t mention why it was being cancelled, but I did hear a rumor somewhere that it was because of the cyclones kicking up…so hopefully it’s a natural and not a political problem? If I hear anything , I’ll definitely let you know…it was wonderful, though, so I hope it works out for you to take it at least once 🙂
I’ve only been on two ferries – one across the English Channel when I was 11 – everyone got seasick; the other was in 2010 when TWICE i took it from the shoreline of Lake Erie to Pelee Island in the middle of the lake. It’s just an hour though… nothing to compare!
Haha there’s nothing worse than being seasick! I took a tiny ferry from New Zealand’s South Island to another place called Stewart Island…like your Lake Erie crossing, it was also only an hour…but apparently each side of the South Island has a different tide, and when they meet in this certain strait, it’s like a death trap for anyone trying to cross. I wasn’t the only one feeling it that trip 🙂 Ferries are fun…when they’re big enough to handle the surf!