FIRST VIEW OF THE FAR EAST - COLOMBO

Monday 3rd December 1984 - Colombo

Always have a good breakfast

We woke up at leisure. There was an optional tour to Kandy and although I would like to have gone, it meant leaving here at 07.30 and getting back at about 19.00 – too long a day for us in a bus. A pity because I would have liked to have seen a bit of the countryside.

Anyway, after coffee and a read of the local papers, which were full of news about the rebels in the north, we had a pleasant breakfast in the coffee bar – just fresh fruit and a couple of boiled eggs with toast which is what we needed after the rather rich food yesterday. Rab was fascinated by the egg cups which were shaped like an upside down chalice with one egg in the top and the other keeping warm underneath. We tried the local tea but I could taste no difference.

Heavy haulage bullock cart!

We left by taxi and went downtown past the beach to a general store called Laksala - run by the Sri Lankan Handicraft Board (a government institute promoting traditional craft skills). Bought a couple of things for Matt there but there was nothing we really fancied for ourselves. We spent the next couple of hours just wandering around the shops. Very dirty of course with uneven dug up pavements and buildings being knocked down, built and altered everywhere. Although our guide yesterday – Bennet – had said the traffic congestion was frightful, it wasn’t too bad although of course the hooter is used a lot. Certainly nowhere as bad as Rio for example, although admittedly there are no bullock carts there.

Rab at the bazaars

Rab got her supply of cloves from the State Co-op (if I hadn’t restrained her she would have bought half a kilo which I reckon would have lasted her the rest of her natural life). We gradually made our way down to a bazaar we had seen yesterday – Day and Night Bazaar – near Slaka post office – on the way passing through an alley with foodstuff in it including what looked like kapenta and other dried fish which stank to high heaven. There were a couple of fruit we had never seen before, none of which was tempting enough to try. The bazaar was a bit of a disappointment although there was some nice leather. I bought a belt plus a bag for Matt - $6.00 the lot.

Our first experience of a tuktuk

We were pestered all morning by various vendors pushing their wares who really annoyed Rab. But I told her to treat them like flies and just ignore them. Talking of flies, it is quite surprising that there are not more of them around. In fact the only time we have seen them is in the food alley and on the mangos and pineapples which are sold on the roadside. The one lot (of salesmen that is not flies) who were particularly annoying were those who were trying to sell me batik shirts which were far too small for me – just wouldn’t stop!! Once we had enough of them we caught a motorised trishaw (know better known universally as a tuktuk) back to the hotel. Just like a delivery three wheeled scooter in Zimbabwe but with a bench seat in the back and a canvas hood. Great fun, weaving our way through the traffic and a darned side cooler than the air-conditioned car we went in into town this morning. Not a lot of difference in price though – they each cost about a dollar.

I found a very nice batik shirt here in the hotel – quite reasonable at Rps 225 or $9.00. we lazed around the pool and had a couple of beers – I prefer the Three Coins, a lager, to the Lion Pilsner, but Rab prefers the latter. We were not all that hungry, so just shared a bowl of delicious chilli con carne – the latter being goat, we suspected. It was quite interesting watching all the types around the pool and also the crows which were having a great time bathing in the fountains. Damn cheeky they are too. Swipe your food if you give them half a chance.

Rab bought herself a pair of shorts (rather garish striped ones, I thought) and then we just lay around and read for a while. A very pleasant way to spend a day.

Never did find out why Jaws featured here alnside the Buddha. Perhaps bad karma reminder?

We went down to the foyer at about 18.00 to collect my photos, have a last look around the shops and then have a drink whilst we listened to a local string octet playing away quite happily. I had a couple of arrack and ginger beers. We had dinner in the Ran Malu again, but by ourselves this time. Rab had the beef curry with mint roti and saffron rice while I had chicken tandoori, cajun curry and noodles (string hopper as they are called) with butter roti. Washed down by a Lion for Rab and a bottle of Three coins for me, it was again a most pleasant meal. Whether it was the arrack or the curried cashew nuts I had for dinner, I don’t know but when we got up to our room, everything went rushing through me with great velocity!

This has been a lovely hotel to stay at – one of the things that impressed Rab was the profusion of orchids everywhere.