Jaffna & the North - Sri Lanka - page 600

Many of Vavuniya's three-wheelers are equipped with meters, so prices for short hops
around town are very reasonable.
BUSES
Vavuniya's Central Tourist Board (CTB) bus station ( GOOGLE MAP ) is by the clock
tower. Less organised private buses, with similar fares, line 2nd Cross St.
Anuradhapura Rs 76, one hour, every 20 minutes
Colombo CTB/private 'semi-luxury' Rs 270/390, seven hours, every 30 minutes
Jaffna Rs 164, four hours, every 30 minutes
Kandy Rs 191, five hours, 12 daily
Mannar Rs 114, 2½ hours, hourly
Trincomalee Rs 138, 3½ hours, hourly
TRAINS
Call or visit Vavuniya's railway booking office ( 222 2271; 7-10am & 4-5pm) for cur-
rent services. At the time of research, the railway north to Jaffna was terminating at Pallai,
30km before Jaffna, but trains should be running all the way to Jaffna by the time you read
this. Similarly, a branch line under construction from the town of Medawachchiya (25km
south of Vavuniya) will soon open up rail travel to Mannar Island, scheduled sometime in
late 2014 or 2015.
Anuradhapura 3rd/2nd/1st class Rs 50/90/160, one hour, six daily
Colombo 3rd/2nd/1st class Rs 265/410/680, seven hours, six daily
Mannar Island & Around
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Sun-blasted Mannar Island is a dry near-peninsula with lots of white sand and palm trees,
gulls and terns, wild donkeys and fishing boats. Culturally, it's an intriguing place: dotted
with ancient baobab trees (native to Africa and said to have been planted by Arab mer-
chants many centuries ago) and crumbling colonial edifices built by the Portuguese, Dutch
and Brits.
Once a prosperous pearling centre, today Mannar is one of the poorest, least fertile and
most isolated corners of Sri Lanka. The island was hard hit by the war: it was a major exit