Sri Lanka, AKA India Lite

[OnlyMark]

Perused a couple of menus for later. As mentioned, divide by 200 to get Euros and a little more difficult, but 150 to get US dollars –











The main tourist street, called the hotel street, is a kilometre or two long. The further north you go it gets more expensive, south thus cheaper. On the previous menu I had already started to do comparisons by using a dish I knew would appear all the time – vegetable rice – the cost was 500 LKR, which is about average for this place. Hence I would be about halfway down the street –








That evening I tried some of the local fayre, this being a generic rice and veg curry. Cost was 300LKR, about €1.50. The price of this meal varied from 850LKR at the posh end, to the price I paid at the rough end. I saw the next day in Colombo the cost had come down to 150 – 200 LKR –




In short, Negombo hasn't got a lot going for it, certainly not as a main destination, but is good for a stop off when arriving or leaving.
I had a couple of days to wait before I picked up my tuktuk and that was fine because I could then have a wander round the capital, Colombo, before moving on. After a lazy morning and a good breakfast –

[OnlyMark]

I used an Uber type app, called PickMe, to arrange a lift to the city. It all went smoothly and at a reasonable cost, a lot cheaper than arranging a taxi through the guesthouse, that’s for sure.
In Colombo I was staying at the old lady of the city, the Grand Oriental, located in a good position.








Useful for some to know which way to pray –



The room was Euro 38.
The view from my window –






And a couple of shots of the inside –

[OnlyMark]

It was about lunchtime when I arrived so I went for a walk round to get my bearings –
















As usual I'd not gone far when I realised I'd had breakfast, but no lunch. So I made a pit stop here. It is a standard food place serving rice, noodles, curry and some items that are basically a spoon or two of curry wrapped by a type of bread into a parcel. More on this soon –




More shots –








This seller had various small pieces of fruit and veg covered in a fairly hot chilli type sauce as a snack –




And of course, lots of coconuts everywhere –

[OnlyMark]

There are a number of large and small markets knocking around selling all you would expect. In fact there are a number of things to see in the capital itself. I did have a mind that I may come back and spend more time there but it turns out I didn't. I realised that if I saw a hundred things in the country there would be at least a hundred more I didn't see. Next time, is all I can say –
















The roads were busy(ish) but nothing too startling, and it looks like in this photo I've stopped all the traffic so I can take it –




There were the usual temples dotted about but because of the narrow streets it was virtually impossible to get a good complete shot of them –






That looks interesting in the distance though. I'll head up there –










Some of the side streets were quite jammed though –




Ahh, this'll be it then –










This was a typical restaurant window. Usually fuller though because it was mid-afternoon and most had been sold and more variation. Top left are rectangles and triangles of paratha bread, inside being a veg curry. Top right are bread rolls again with veg, fish or meat, of some descriription, curry. Bottom left are the usual samosas and you have to ask what is inside. A variation of anything above. Bottom right are paratha type rolls in something like panko and inside usually is an egg curry. These are quite delicious (to me anyway), as are the top left things. One would cost 30 – 40 rupees. Another sort of snack you can have is a big bowl of buffalo curd/yoghurt with honey. The big bowls hold a litre and cost 200 rupees or there abouts –




Moving around, especially in a fairly chaotic town/city can get quite confusing. I had noticed in the 4th shot from now a tall telecoms tower. I tended to use this as a reference point –

[kuskiwi]

Brilliant Mark. Please keep them coming when you have time. Love the Red "candy cane' building and the chaos which can really only be India or India lite in the last posts.

[tzarine]

yes, i absolutely see the india in sri lanka
i want to eat those curries
love the colonial architecture

merci, mark

[tiltedflipcurves]

Thanks for the cool pix. I was curious about the candy cane building; using its archway inscription I was able to identify it as en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jami_Ul-Alfar_Mosque

[Voy]

thanks, Mark! some of those narrow streets are India-full-on !

[OnlyMark]

Yep tilted, that is the one.

More to come yet...

[OnlyMark]

Maybe I ought to at this point give you some brief information about Sri Lanka before we go any further.
Apologies if you know any of this. You've seen a few pictures so it's about time you read something again.

Sri Lanka is an island close to and bottom right off India. At one time they would have been connected physically by land, but are no more so. It could well have been passable on foot though as recent as 1480.
Designated as a tropical climate it is teardrop shaped, a bit less than 450km as the crow flies north to south, and at its widest point, about half of that, 225km. In fact it is a very attractive and proportional country to look at on a map.
It has gone by a number of names over history, one in Hindu mythology being just "Lanka", or "Island". Eventually the Portuguese name was translated into what we know as Ceylon but became Sri Lanka on independence.

After going through rule by the Portuguese and the Dutch, Britain took control of the whole country after a number of battles between 1798 and 1815 and it eventually became independent again in 1948.
Coffee was originally grown by the British but after a downturn in the market and disease, tea and rubber as well became the major source of income.
By the way, the modern flag has a symbol of a lion in it. There have not been lions in the country for 37,000 years, but the animal is used as a symbol of strength, courage and bravery.

The two main and official languages are Sinhala and Tamil but English, as expected, is widespread. There are about 21.5 million inhabitants and has a population density of about ¾ that of India. Bear in mind though that if you want "crowded", think of Macau, Gibraltar, Monaco and Singapore. It is all relative.
Seventy percent are Buddhists, and though Hinduism predates Buddhism, only 13% are Hindu. Muslims make up around 10% and Christians, 7%.
That'll do for now.

[OnlyMark]

Cutting down the smaller streets showed where people began to lay out their wares –






Tucked away in the middle somewhere was the fire station –






Walking round further and round the back of the fire station –










And then just behind it was a covered area that would have made a good museum, but it was all locked away and I couldn't see much of what was supposed to be there –






Nope, don't need it yet –

[OnlyMark]

I then entered a large vegetable and dried fish market –
















It is fairly self-explanatory but just in case, the prices you can see are often per kilogramme but if not it will say something like 250, which will be grams. And then the rupee cost –


























I thought for a minute they were selling motorbikes, then I realised they were just parked up –

[OnlyMark]

Keeping my bearings –

[OnlyMark]

Then I got a bit thirsty. I wanted some fresh juice. Of course made with local water as it will be diluted somewhat. So I spied this place and stopped for an orange juice –




What I didn't know was that just as I'd finished drinking it, a party of about ten Japanese walked up from behind me. I can only presume they saw me and thought if I was drinking there, then it must be ok. I knocked back the last of mine whilst the owner started a flurry of activity. He gave me a smile as I left.
I know my stomach is more robust where it comes to water than most. I am unsure what it would be like for a crowd of Japanese though. I hope they were ok.
Whether it works or not, or is just a superstition on my behalf, but I'd already started my coca cola regime. In these places I swear by the power over nasty things in the water by coca cola and drink it always a couple of times a day when I can.

Time started getting on so I cut out of the busy area and made my way back to the hotel via a quieter route –























My hotel –




Just outside the hotel –

[OnlyMark]

Dinner was at the YMCA, filling but nothing special, nice thing on the way there though –




View of the docks at night. Good, but the reversing buzzers on the container moving trucks made it a long process to get to sleep –

[OnlyMark]

The next morning I was due to move on but had time for another walk round. The intention was to move a little south, not far, about 15km, so that I was in a position to pick up my transport for the rest of the stay in the country.
As I meandered around I quickly became aware the streets were quite empty. As it was a Sunday I gave little thought to it -








Then I noticed quite a few military and police type people hanging around –




I made my way to the main sea front and saw it was all blocked off. I was going to go for a walk down it but was stopped from doing so by the police –

[OnlyMark]

Then it struck me. It was Independence Day. More and more people began to line the streets away from the main area and I began to hear musicians warming up in the distance. An easy conclusion to make was that there was going to be a procession. So I made my way to a vantage point –
















The music got louder, more a cacophony than anything though, and then a 'float' came past.
It made me laugh a little with the amount of exhaust smoke coming out the back –




The open topped Landy more than likely held some very important, but unidentifiable, people as it led the formation –

[OnlyMark]

I'll let you look through the rest as they came past me. All I can say is that the UK influence must have been strong, plus, I never realised there were that many branches of the military and police. Each was led by musicians of one sort or another playing tunes that were unknown to me. You can enjoy the spectacle as I saw it and it took a good half an hour or so to finish –

[OnlyMark]

[OnlyMark]

My favourites –








Bit of an anti-climax after that but still interesting –










Don't ask. I have no idea –




The last few –








Time was getting on so I made may way back to the Grand Oriental and checked out –

[OnlyMark]

To travel between Colombo and where I was going, a place called Mount Lavinia, I tried to use this Uber type app again. But because the streets were blocked off I was unable to get anyone to come to me. Outside the hotel though were some tuktuks who every time I'd gone outside had offered their services. I just grabbed one of those as I knew the driver would be able to extricate us somehow.
I knew, from the information from the app, that the journey I was to undertake should cost around 500 rupees. But and as expected, the driver quoted me 800 rupees. I stuck to my guns and with bad grace he agreed.
A little before we arrived the driver had to call for petrol but said he had no money. Ok, said I, I will give you 200 to get us there. No, he said, you give me now the 500 and more when we arrive.
Oh dear, thought I.
Nope. No way. You have a choice. I give you 500 now and no more or I give you 300 and I get out and get another tuktuks.
He decided the 500 option was better.

We arrived at my new place and jumped out. He obviously was not happy and asked again for more money. I said that there was no way I was going to pay twice the going rate just because I was a tourist and for no other reason. He tutted a lot and I turned my back on him and walked away.
It's not the money, it's the principle. He didn't have to agree to my price before we left and could have stuck out for more. If so, I'd have just found another tuktuk though.
If he'd made no fuss I would have given him more without a thought, even another two or three hundred. But if you are annoying you only get the agreed price.

Some people love public transport. Getting taxis, trains, buses, tuktuks etc etc. For many, many reasons, one being the hassle every other time and the feeling you are being ripped off, I much prefer to do it myself. As you may have gathered.
The overwhelming advice is for tourists in the country to get a car and a driver. Very few in proportion self-drive, and it is frowned on by so called country 'experts'. Fair enough, if you feel it is the best option to not drive yourself, then no problem. Your choice, I don't criticise. Get buses, trains, taxis or whatever. Certainly an interesting experience with stories to tell afterwards.
But some, like myself, feel they have an option available that others wouldn't feel confident with or dismiss for valid reasons. I just choose to take that option.

[kuskiwi]

Their drill sergeant did a superb job. Not too many out of step. Great photos and the elephant in the middle made it. All your photos really highlight the chaos and the vitality of the place. Thanks Mark.

[sophie]

Love the pictures.. brings back a few memories. Colombo hasn’t changed too much.

[OnlyMark]

Thanks both. More to come..............

[shrjeff]

with all those heavy uniforms all i could think of was 'heatstroke'...

[OnlyMark]

It was quite hot but there was a sea breeze and it was only mid-morning. It could have been worse for sure.

[tiltedflipcurves]

Wouldn't it be great if armies, instead of war, settled conflict through line dancing competition?

[OnlyMark]

The main railway line runs south of Colombo and hugs the coast. Often and usually it is only a road with or so away from the shore. This means to get to the beach area you will have to cross the railway line and usually a road. I dropped my bag at my accommodation and headed that way to see what is what. First I had to pass through the railway station to use the bridge over the tracks –
















Up an over –






The excitement grew as I realised not one, but two trains were arriving and passing through.
If you do use the trains for transport around, and they are cheap and regular, then this is what you can expect/experience -


















I cut down a small path to get to the beach -

[OnlyMark]

Looking one way, and then the other. Reasonable enough. I'm hoping for better though as we go on, but this is the rough end of the beach. There is a headland where the Mount Lavinia Hotel is, seen in this next photo, and past there is where it is supposed to be better –






Dogs, hmmm, be prepared that there are a lot of them. Usually and invariably feral and often in poor condition and/or injured from the traffic. Only once did I feel I might be attacked by a group of three or four, but usually they just seem quite lazy and will tend to move away from you or not be bothered about you at all.
Cats are very few that I saw, but dogs can be a pain if you are averse to them or are upset by their condition. I have heard of at least one person who has second thoughts about travelling the country because of them. Why so many? No idea –




Not unexpected was also the litter around. Not a lot can be done at times because it is often litter brought in by the tide rather than being dumped locally. The beaches not serviced by hotels or restaurants mostly had litter on them, that was dumped there by the sea. Obviously it had to have been dumped somewhere else by someone, but nevertheless –




A steady rest of the day was had as I mooched around the back roads and tracks and nothing much of note was seen, done or heard. I walked into town in the evening for a standard meal of veg curry and rice –






In the town, Mount Lavinia, is the National Zoological Gardens which was one of the places I had to make a mental note of to visit another time. I was chomping at the bit somewhat and understood I wouldn't be able to see everything everywhere I went. Plus there were a number of temples and the Sri Lankan Air Force Museum that would have to be done another time.
During British rule, the second Governor of Ceylon, Sir Thomas Maitland, in 1806, bought land there to build a house.
"He fell in love with Lovina Aponsuwa, a local mestiço (mix Portugese and Sri Lankan) dancer, and continued a romantic affair with her until he was recalled to England in 1811. The Governor’s mansion, which he named "Mount Lavinia House" is now the Mount Lavinia Hotel and the village that surrounded the building has subsequently developed into a bustling area, taking its name from the Governor's mistress, Lovina. Later, the area assumed the name of Mount Lavinia alluding to the factual story of a romance between the then British Governor Thomas Maitland (1805-1812) and a dancing girl called Lovina of the area."
He even built a tunnel between his place and her place. The dirty old sod.

[OnlyMark]

The next day I walked to the place I was going to rent my steed from. But not before having breakfast. That was a trial in itself. I was staying at a hostel that had a couple of dorms plus several normal rooms. It was quite busy and the occupants were all in their 20's and 30's. Unfortunately I stood out from all the males, not because of my age, but because I didn't have "man bun". Every male I saw had one. Plus a beard. I didn't have that either.
Breakfast was on the roof terrace where there were several smaller tables and one long table, occupied by eight to ten people.

I left them alone and went to a small table, sat down and waited. No staff seemed to appear and I noticed a small room with someone local sitting in it. I approached and asked about coffee and breakfast. It was a small kitchen I saw. The man gestured to the rather grimy cooker and nearby being some dirty mugs and a bowl of instant coffee. It was a "help yourself" gesture.
I declined and asked about breakfast. He leaned forward, half out of the door, and pointed to the large table, again with a help yourself type gesture.
I turned and walked towards it, then saw what was on the table.
Upon it was/were the makings of a breakfast for sure. Loaves of bread, butter, jam, fruit , big pots of yoghurt, curry, lentils and so on.

However, it seems the system there was for someone to put everything on the table and you helped yourself, cutting the bread, the fruit, dipping into the yoghurt pot etc etc.
It looked like a particularly untidy lion had made a kill and started eating, was pushed off it by another group of lions who then dived in to the mess, but were also pushed off the table by a group of hyenas who decided to have a Roman type orgy on it, eating and shagging until the food was all mixed together, squashed and contaminated not just by the other food, but by everyone grabbing and stuffing their faces.

I looked to see what I could salvage, but gave up and walked out.

I walked the kilometre or so to the pickup place for the tuktuks, another hostel/guesthouse.
When I went in through the gate I wondered if all the occupants of my overnight hostel had suddenly beaten me to it and transported themselves to this one as well.
I muttered a curse under my breath and forged on though.

It was difficult to tell who I should approach from the Westerners as I couldn't tell who worked there and who didn't. So I asked a local man bending over one of the tuktuks. He pointed out another who then passed me on to a western bloke. It all seemed a bit make do but appeared to work. I was asked to first sit in front of a laptop and listen to a video about the tuktuks. An Australian guy on the video kept me enthralled for the next half an hour telling me all sorts of things but what was so distracting was that all you saw, for half an hour, was his face – close up – and you could count every single beard hair.

That gone through I went outside again and was taken in one of the vehicles, which ended up actually being mine, for a ride and a practice drive. That took about twenty minutes and we returned. I was given my driving licence and that was it.
The driving licence – for a fee of $40, the company will sort it all out. The problem is Sri Lanka is one of the few countries that do not recognise your home country licence or an International Driving Permit by themselves. You have to get one of theirs.
Fortunately this is an easy process but takes time as you have to visit one of their official offices to do so – or you pay up before you get there and the company will sort that all out for you, visiting the office, filling out the forms, waiting in line etc. If they do then all you have to do is sign your licence/bit of paper and away you go.