It all began when a little old cheery lady asked me to take a photo of her grandson.
She didn’t ask me with words, she just sort of motioned to my camera bag, wide smile and head nod.
Feeling comfortable in the Tamil bus, and having no clue as to when the driver would start the engine, I busted out my camera and got a couple shots of her grandson.
Showing her the photo on the LCD screen, her eyes filled with tears of joy.
Others waiting on the bus had noticed my camera as well and when I showed the photo, about 10 other people stood up and attempted to catch a glimpse of this novel device.
I was on an all Sri Lankan Tamil bus in Pusselawa, waiting to ride into the rolling Ceylon tea fields.
In this majority Sinhala area of Sri Lanka, Hindu Tamil’s from India came multiple generations ago to pick tea on the many plantations around.
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The town of Pusselawa is almost all Tamil.
There are a few things you should know about normal buses in Sri Lanka:
- Passengers: The driver will absolutely not drive his vehicle until all seats are full, there is zero standing room, and you are hugging the person next to you.
- Comfort: It’s a requirement that no one should be comfortable on a Sri Lankan bus.
- Driving: After over filling a bus, a driver must drive as fast as possible, hammer the brakes (especially when it’s unnecessary) and make swerving 90 degree turns without ever touching the brake.
So we were all in the passenger stage, waiting for more passengers, but really clueless as to when they would arrive.
Being positively patient and having flexibility when we travel is truly one of the most important attitudes to embrace.
After everyone saw my camera soon the bus turned into a bus-wide photo studio. First it was a man in the front of the bus, then another, then a boy, then a girl etc.
At first they would give me a nervously sheepish grin and motion for me to take their photo, and after I’d show it to them, they’d loosen up and smile wide with ecstatic disbelief as if thinking “really, that’s how I look?”
The facial expressions, smiles, and looks were priceless.
The photo session went on for about 15 minutes where to the delight of the entire bus I snapped a portrait of almost everyone.
An hour later the driver came and we thought we may be on our way; He revved up the engine and honked the horn.
To our dismay he made the decision to drive 2 kilometers per hour through town back and forth for another hour.
Every now and then we’d pick up another passenger armed with a giant jua kali style load and they’d be added to the mess of humanity in the Tamil bus.
Soon I was holding onto a bar, someone was standing on my left foot, there were a few butts pressed against my side, and I was straddling a giant stock of bananas.
Around 2 hours later we were on our way, cruising through the gorgeous tea fields aboard the Sri Lankan Tamil tea bus!
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Bhathiya
11 years ago
yes… these drivers are running on money …
If you come to kandy don’t get on to “panideniya” buses , in that speed we can walk faster than that buses 😀
and nice job ,
visit sri lanka …
in sri lanka there is all climate ..
jafana is vary hot
hamabanthota is also very hot
and kandy , kadugannawa is middle of all
and bandarawela, nuwaraeliya is very cold ….
you need to try that ….
visit to sri lanka and taste worlds no.1 tea … 😉
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Ahh, thanks for all this information Bhathiya!
Tash
11 years ago
So true about not moving until the bus is full to overflowing!
Patience is the key, absolutely…..spending time talking yourself into the patient outward demeanor is character building, right!? Ha!
I was back in Sri Lanka in August, and the local bus from Galle to Colombo was a highlight, for that real travel feel….but had all these elements (minus the photo shoot!). The squeeze, the reduction of any scrap of personal space….so real life! ha!
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Haha, yup, it’s really a great experience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts too!
Bama
11 years ago
Great shots, Mark! My favorite is the photo of the kid. Those little eyes say “I’m curious” 🙂
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks Bama!
Gabby
11 years ago
Hi Mark,
Great photos, and great blog. You are a talented photographer and gifted storyteller both! I’m excited to read your entries about Sri Lanka, as we’ve just moved here for 3 years and hope to get some travel ideas. Out of curiosity, what camera/lens are you using for these photos? They’re incredible!
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hey Gabby, thanks so much for the kind words.
Cool to hear that you’ve moved to Sri Lanka, wow 3 years, you’re going to have some incredible experiences and stories to tell. I am using a Canon 550D camera with an 18-135 mm lens (an upgrade from the stock lens – 18 -55 mm). Hope this helps and I wish you all the best living and traveling in Sri Lanka!
Globetrottergirls
11 years ago
Love these photos – especially the first two! All your Sri Lanka posts make us really wanna go there 🙂
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Awesome, thanks so much for checking out this post and hope you get a chance to visit Sri Lanka!
Jenna
11 years ago
I really enjoyed this. The photos are lovely, and the story made me laugh. A lot. I’ve been thinking about Sri Lanka because I have a very good friend who is there right now.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hey Jenna, thanks for taking a look at this article.
You should definitely visit Sri Lanka, especially if you have a friend there – it’s a great country!
Suzy
11 years ago
It sounds like a Sri Lankan bus is quite the experience! Your photo shoot really captures some great emotions and expressions.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks for checking it out Suzy – Sri Lanka is such a fantastic country to visit!
Stephen
11 years ago
A great example of how to make friends AND get good photographs. Excellent story, awesome photos!
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks Stephen! Photography is one of those things that can make a lot of friends or can make some people angry (depending on the culture) – luckily in Sri Lanka I’ve never seen people so excited and receptive to photos – it was fantastic!
Juno
11 years ago
Great photos Mark! Really enjoyed it.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks Juno!
Lakmal
11 years ago
Thank you for this article. Actually Sri Lanka is a paradise of tea and they are the poeple who qualified to received that credit. I know this beacause I am a Sri Lankan.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks Lakmal, Sri Lankan tea is fantastic!
Jack
11 years ago
Wonderful images. Last time I was on a bus in Sri Lanka it crashed…but then that’s hardly a rarity by all accounts 🙂
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks Jack…oh man…the driving in Sri Lanka is a little on the edgy side… too bad about the crash.