Ambitious weekend plan

It's amazing how the stuff I pack manages to expand to fill whatever bag I've decided to use. Even though I'm only going to be gone for a long weekend, two of those days will be spent mostly on trains, so I had to make sure that I packed enough work and entertainment - reading for my project ("Religion, Art, and Visual Culture"), pleasure reading ("Love in the Time of Cholera"), music, camera, sketchbook, flash cards (which I could be making even more of now, but I'm writing this instead). And of course I will need snacks, since it's a long ride. I am planning to go all the way to Tangalle tomorrow, which will involve a six hour train ride to Matara (leaving at 5am), followed by a two hour bus ride. I was even advised against making the trip only for the weekend, but I had gotten the idea into my head, and when I found out that my Tamil teacher wasn't going to be able to make it for lessons on Friday or Monday I needed to console myself somehow. I'm looking forward to the train ride - it's long but incredibly beautiful, especially in the mountains just outside Kandy, and then when it follows the coast. And by god, I am going to take advantage of the fact that I am living in a tiny country where it's possible to get almost anywhere in a day (currently excluding Jaffna by land).