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Published: October 6th 2006
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Sunset in Colombo
My first Sri Lankan sunset and a bloke having a stretch. Wow, it’s been a week now since I first set off…and so far I’ve had some big ups and downs. I arrived into Colombo on Friday morning, and went straight to the guest house where Jess (my sister) is staying…on the way having the first of many conversations with Sri Lankans, in this case the taxi driver, about their corrupt government, under whom the poor are getting poorer, and whose strategy of dealing with the Tamil/Sinhalese conflict has (as you may well have heard) resulted in the end of the cease fire the previous government had secured... It's really sad, and a little scary - a bomb was found yesterday in Colombo, and 11 Muslim men were killed in the East a couple of weeks ago… But for me, other than occasionally noticing an armed-police presence, the 'threat' is probably no greater than a journey through London. And so it begun...
For the first few days I spent most of my time sheepishly following Jess, who was dealing with tuk tuk drivers, negotiating food orders, and generally navigating the city. What with perfecting my role as the shy little sister, suffering from jet lag, indulging in good food, beer, cocktails,
Galle Face Green, Colombo
The only pictures I have of Colombo portray it as kind of picturesque and calm. It's not. But most of the time I was trying so hard not to get run over my camera was the last thing on my mind. hanging out with white NGO volunteers, and frequenting beautiful hotels (or at least sneaking in to use the pool)… my first few days went in a happy haze. And then Jess left. And the cliched culture shock set in. And whilst my experience of Colombo remained hazy, this was more due to sweat in my eyes, and dehydration. Yeah I didn’t cope too well. The highlights were as follows: Firstly, having my boobs felt up by a dress stall man, who was, it turned out, very Very concerned about me getting the right size… (it wasn’t. I looked more like I was wearing a flowery potato sack, than the cool summer dress I had envisaged… ) Secondly, getting out of a tuk tuk, looking down, and seeing a huge wet patch all over my lap. I truly thought I had wet myself, that I had some kind of heat disease that makes you pee without even knowing it… Well, thank god, I don’t and I hadn’t. It was my water bottle that had leaked inside my bag. But I may as well have. I had to endure an hour or so of staring, smirking and sniggering in the Office of
Immigration where I was extending my visa. Never before have I wanted to sit in a waiting room for as long as possible (i.e avoiding standing, walking, or any kind of getting up and down, which seemingly was an integral part of the process). Oh yeah, and the road lined with school kids on my walk back to the guest house was a real joy too. Lastly, on my way out of Colombo I wanted to find an internet café. Easy, you think, in a capital city...I spent about an hour wandering around with my 80 litre bag on my back, in 30 degree heat, with make shift maps, miscommunications, misdirections, and a man who just wanted me to walk in his direction for ten minutes… I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror of the tuk tuk I flagged down when I finally gave up. It was beetroot red, and I thought that was it, forever, like I'd burst blood vessels or something... Hmm maybe I was slightly delirious.
Since leaving Colombo, hobo life has got progressively easier. I spent one night in Hikkaduwa, a deserted beach town on the road heading South. And finally with
Hikkaduwa
This was the view from the restaurant where I had dinner. It was slightly spoilt by a bloke with a chain around his neck inviting himself to my table. All the waiters got really protective, and there was a little scene before he left. Turned out he was a regular, and the chain was for his motorbike. the help of a tout (a guy who makes out he wants to help you, cos that’s just the sweet kinda guy he is, but actually is going to attach himself to you for as long as possible, and then demand money for his trouble) I arrived at Unawatuna, a stunningly beautiful little beach village, set away from the main road, and largely unspoilt. It’s certainly not untouched by tourism, but it’s geared toward independent travellers, rather than package resorts… and yet has managed to avoid excessive amounts of tie dyed goods, and fake dreadlocks. Yesterday I sat in a small restaurant at dusk, my table on the sand, lanterns lighting the beach, the smell of incense in the air, a beer in my hand, watching the sky turn an impossible pink...Exhale...
So yeah, I’ve stopped involuntarily holding my breath for prolonged periods, which helps, and I met some nice girls in the place I’m staying, Shangri La. (I have this cheap single room, which is actually on two floors, my bed is up these crazy stairs that are sloped and uneven and so steep they may as well be a ladder. ‘Health and Safety’ mania remains a happy
Unawatuna
This is where I'm staying now,the photo doesn't really do it justice... memory of home.) So all I need to do now is start surfing - a girls surf trip to the beach down the road is in the making - and to save the world. Well, so far I’ve been offered work in local schools, but due to my fear of children, I’m a little nervous about going down that route… we’ll see.
I haven't found my feet yet, so I guess I just keep looking... Any suggestions for finding them will be gratefully received.
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Laz
non-member comment
Feet not lost, just hiding
I'm sorry to hear that you have misplaced your feet, but having known you for as long as I have, I have no doubt that you will find them buried in the beautiful sand, having just been hiding for a few days. It looks amazing there, I'm very jealous. I'm sorry to hear about the man feeling your boobs and the chain man, but I'm not at all surprised! I have booked our Sydney accommodation for new year - we will be by Darlling Harbour, so I hope to see you there too. Enjoy yourself and look after yourself. Laz xx