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Published: December 24th 2006
Air conditioning comes as standard
Tuk-tuk driver battles it out with buses and trucksThe title of my latest entry refers to the coastal thoroughfare stretching from north of Colombo all the way down to the Dutch fort town of Galle, a run of nearly half the island down the western side of southern Sri Lanka. It also makes mention of what should be an hourly and most noteworthy occurrence on the streets here, given the apparently lunatic tendencies of those behind the wheel of each vehicle; then again perhaps ‘road rage’ is the domain of Western society only. Motorists in Colombo appear to accept most readily each other’s foibles, and indeed are likely to reciprocate such manic and dangerous manoeuvres straight away given half a chance or a car-width’s space. But contrary to what a casual foreign observer might expect, those road-users that have been cut-up, run onto the pavement or been overtaken with traffic lights still showing red, remain calm enough to retain their cool and not bother with remonstrations or displays of anger. All vehicles (save the battered-up, Britsh Leyland municipal city buses doing their rounds), however dilapidated they are, have air conditioning installed, and maybe this is the entire reason that frustration is not vented and no ensuing fist-fights between drivers
ever take place on the streets of the capital. The attitudes of the motorists in this steamy city are as cool as the interior of their cars.
ONE WAY STREET
Imagine if you will that Ken Livingstone, in his struggle to ease the now legendary traffic congestion around central London, has dictated that normal thoroughfares must become part-time, one-way streets at certain times of the day only, but without bothering to offer much in the way of signage to indicate these changes to the drivers that happen to be using those roads. At best, it is difficult to see this policy passing without some comment. Now drag yourself from Western Europe to Southern Asia, from London to Colombo, and BINGO! Here is the new highway ruling in all its glory and in full force as of last week! The ‘coolness’ of the Colombo road-users will be tested to the hilt should a regular commuter travelling from one side of town to the other somehow misjudge the new ‘road layout’, or casually disregard the ineffective, limp gestures of the traffic cops on the street corners whose job it is to deliver this new directive at the ‘front line’. The drivers
are expected to know when certain roads switch from one-way to two-way and vice versa. I am waiting to report the first ‘Doh! Collision!’ moment, but please do watch this space as it may be soon, especially because the change to ‘occasional’ one-way roads has forced some competitive tuk-tuk drivers to divert, in theory, a couple of kilometres in the wrong direction, and as time is money they are apt from time to time to sneak along unnoticed in the opposite direction to save time and stay in business. Can’t blame them. All this reminds me of the time when I use to live in a one-way cul-de-sac years ago. I don’t have a clue how I ever got out.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
I have stayed at ‘Padmini’s Guest House’ in Colombo 03 several times now, and it is a regular haunt for budget travellers from Europe, staying for a night or two, passing through to seek out adventures further towards the interior of Sri Lanka, or perhaps taking in the idyllic tropical white sands of the south-western beaches. There are only five rooms available in the bungalow, which is conveniently close to Libery Plaza (the first modern
shopping mall in Sri Lanka), and thanks to a positive write-up for Padmini in Lonely Planet among other publications, there is always a need to book ahead to reserve your accommodation here. Through my pal Harsha I did manage to make the booking prior to my arrival, and it was for my favourite balcony room to boot, although as it happened the guest house was unusually quiet, particularly given the time of year, so actually I needn’t have bothered Harsha at all. It appears that the low take-up for hotel and guest house accommodation throughout all of Sri Lanka, which is as poor as in the months following the 2004 tsunami, is due to the ethnic struggle and the current terrorist activity that continues to threaten this peaceful place. As a foreigner, however, the feeling is always that you are very welcome here and that tourists hold no interest whatever for the Tamil Tigers, who raise the publicity of their plight by perpetrating the bombings we hear so much about, but who always steer clear of foreigners. There are reminders of the tension that has been generated by the terrorists, and these include the presence of a number of recently-erected
roadblocks, and armed soldiers and police on many street corners in certain parts of the business district of Colombo. More evidence of the recent upturn in troubles, and perhaps of the reason for the downturn in business for Padmini’s guesthouse, is to be found just a couple of hundred metres up the road from my place, where a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into that of the government’s Defence Minister four months back, and where the impact of the explosion is still clearly visible on the wall next to the road where it happened. Innocent parties including by-standers and the secretary of the Defence Minister were victims of this attack, but the man who was the target of this outrage was in fact untouched. Despite this, where I am living still appears safe, as strange as that may seem given the recent events in the vicinity, and in any case, I relish a challenge and I like to think I laugh in the face of danger...’tweak’ the nose of terror...you know.
SPICE-FREE
Local shops like ‘Keells’ and ‘Cargills Food City’ do stock foodstuffs that are easy on the palate for British visitors, and this includes Marmite which I have
The journey from Colombo to Kandy. Definitely...'hairy'!
Our bus is overtaking a bus that is already being overtaken by another bus on a blind bend...hang on passengers! added to the contents of my local breakfast, alongside the fresh fruit, endless tea, toast, Sri Lankan omelette and Padmini’s daily ‘mystery fruit juice’. In addition to the faithful Marmite, I also purchased some HP Sauce from the local store…and I am paying it back at 20 rupees per week for three months! Boom boom!
KANDY
My latest trip out of Colombo has taken me to Kandy, higher to the tune of 500 metres and subsequently cooler than the current capital - Kandy previously held this honour when Ceylon was a Singhalese kingdom, but which relinquished it when the Brits arrived in the early 19th century.
My choices of transport for the three-hour journey included a car/driver (comfortable but expensive); “first-class” railway (quite comfortable, cheap, but difficult to book at short notice); state-run bus (uncomfortable but remarkably cheap…change from 50 pence); private air-conditioned bus (the preferred option - reasonably comfortable and still inexpensive, even when having to purchase a second seat to accommodate my luggage).
Having located the bus stand appropriate for the bus to Kandy, among the numerous destinations on offer at the Pettah bus terminus in a very busy area of Colombo, I queued in
a very British manner indeed and awaited the next bus to my hill country destination. Such were the huge distances covered by just about every bus that operated out of this major bus depot, there is a small but very busy on-site open market where stalls offer all manner of fruit, bottled water, confectionery and even toys for passengers undertaking journeys to remote parts of the island many hours away. Kandy’s three hours was a mere jaunt by comparison to most.
As a giant among the locals, but with available legroom in the bus suitable only for pygmies, I managed to eye two front seats that offered an opportunity to stretch my limbs forward into the door-well during the journey if I wanted to, and so claimed these as mine and waited for the other places on the bus to attract new occupants, for instead of any schedule or timetable on offer, each bus simply begins its journey when sufficiently full of passengers. This doesn’t take more than 15 minutes to happen, and the driver hits the road with some urgency, navigating the suburbs of eastern Colombo with the constant use of his horn and his reckless but ultimately
Cricket coaching at Dharmaraja College, Kandy
Video analysis on batting technique in the indoor cricket nets safe method of overtaking nearly every type of vehicle in some sort of competition with himself.
The scenery along the route becomes increasingly dramatic the nearer that Kandy looms, and the strains of the dusty, hot capital are finally left behind as lush paddy fields, pineapple plantations, palm trees and waterfalls pass us by.
I checked into my accommodation on Peradeniya Road, and was absolutely amazed at the value of the place that had been acquired on my behalf by a Colombo friend who was a regular business patron of the ‘Kandyan Arts Residency’. For the agreed rate of 2,000 rupees (£10.00) per night for bed and breakfast I was treated to air-conditioning, satellite TV, a balcony with awesome views over towards the hills of Kandy, a spotless en-suite bathroom with the luxury of running hot water, and meals taken on the splendid rooftop restaurant. From the outside, the building looks like some garish office block finished in English-mustard yellow with a crafts shop on the ground floor, and you tend to think that the proprietors could make much more of publicising the 15 very agreeable rooms on offer up on the fourth floor. I knew nothing of
Dharmaraja College, Kandy - cricket ground renovation
It'll take some time, but when the work is completed the school's cricket ground will offer a stunning setting the place until it was booked for me, and I suspect that not even those passing by are aware of it either.
Time in Kandy was spent coaching some of the first eleven cricketers of Dharmaraja College, a state Buddhist school which boasts the largest educational establishment (in terms of acreage) in the country, despite accommodating a ‘mere’ 4,000 pupils. Over a couple of days many of the boys made a special journey into school in order for me to conduct cricket coaching sessions (the school Christmas holidays had already started), which were in fact carried out at the practice facilities at the famous international ground in Kandy, Asgiriya, due to the Dharmaraja College cricket field being under refurbishment. I was also treated to a school site tour (shared with a junior badminton team from a school in Colombo who were here for a tournament) when we did get to Dharmaraja College on the second day, and it turned out to be more interesting than perhaps it sounds. The school has within its grounds a famous scout camp that paid host many years ago to Baden-Powell on several occasions, and there are many visible tributes to him in what
School site tour - Dharmaraja College
'Blimey, who's the gangly bloke on the end who has sneaked into our photo?', exclaims young Sri Lankan badminton prodigy is a wild, wooded campus above the school, carved into the tree-lined hills rising up from the main buildings. There is an accommodation block for ‘scouting’ visitors from not only Sri Lanka but other parts of the world, as well as a museum containing many artefacts about Baden-Powell and the early scout movement, including items personally donated by the man himself. If you go there, ‘Be Prepared’ for an inspiring trip!
I had intended to reward myself with a day relaxing by a pool in the sunshine following my coaching activities in Kandy, which had taken place in searing heat despite the normally lower temperatures here, but unfortunately on the one day that I was preparing to lose myself in a book under the rays, the clouds refused to pull themselves away from the hills and the weather decided against offering sunshine, remaining instead distinctly murky and cool all day at the Hilltop Hotel swimming pool. I consoled myself with the fact that there would be other chances to seek out some exquisite tropical beaches and sunbathing opportunities further into my trip, and therefore my tan could then extend beyond my face and arms for once.
The parts
Baden-Powell Hill
As a young tennis champ, Baden-Powell started the trend of tors, hills and ridges being named after the flannelled fools with racquets. Possibly. Henman, at Wimbledon, was nothing without the great scoutmaster! of Sri Lanka I hope to visit during the rest of my time here include not only the beach resorts down south, but also, as a nod to the cultural side of this ancient land, the famous historical Buddhist areas of the north central district - Pollonoruwa, Anhuradhapura and Dambulla. The Buddhist philosophy interests me greatly and I hope to resolve some of my curiosities about it when I visit these places. One Buddhist doctrine basically questions the high value we place on our possessions, and this leads me to think, ‘you can’t have everything…in any case, where would you put it?’
Happy Crimbo!
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Pikey
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Merry Christmas
Sounds like you is having some fun Mr Greeggs. Happy Christmas mate. Did you show them your wrongun?!!