Blogs from Negombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, Asia

Recently I listened to a play about Kafka and his absurdist writings by Alan Bennett. The inimitable Toby Jones played Kafka....Funny how I should bring it to mind as we came through immigration in Bandaranaike Airport. First stop was the queue at foreign passports. We waited patiently here chatting to a fellow Aussie only to be told we needed to complete an arrival form. A sign or information prior to the queue could possibly have been helpful. The computer forms did not work, impossible to choose the flight number you arrived on so hard forms were searched out and completed. Queued again to be told that although we were only staying for less than two days (supposedly visa free) we need to go the visa office queue. No visa officers in sight, it was past eleven ... read more

For the sake of completing this journey on the blog, I will simply say we returned home after an arduos and fraught time. Then commenced a 14 day self isolation period.... read more

Monday 9 March, 2020 cont'd We left the room at 6.40 pm to find some dinner. Down to the main road and turned right. We stopped at a a restaurant called Sherryland, a few buildings down. The menu looked ok, so we went in. The waiter came for our drinks order and we asked about alcohol, as it was Poya (full moon) day, the waiter spoke quietly and said there was no alcohol. But if we didn't tell anyone they would mix a drink at the bar and could serve it that way. So no bottles of beer were seen on tables. Pat had a gin and tonic and I had a coke. For food we had a burger with chips and chicken stir fry with rice. Food was good, bill was LKR 3311 (GBP 13.97). ... read more

Wednesday 4 March, 2020, cont'd During our walk this morning we had spotted several laundrys and many restaurants, some of which we might even like to try. There were a couple of Italian restaurants, next door to each other which caught Pat's eye. So we headed out at 6.30 pm to find a laundry and then eat. We had it in our minds that the first laundry was a little way along and then the Italian restaurants followed. We walked and walked and came to the restaurants! Well we had got that all wrong. Next we walked past the cafe and the shop we visited this morning. Both guys were out on the street and we said hello. Finally after walking even further we spotted the laundry which was up a side alley. It was a ... read more

Arrived very late into Colombo (5 am by Qld clock) and transferred to our nearby costal starting point at the Lavinia Hotel Negombo. Negombo is a low key fishing village and a popular beach alternative to the bustling capital city of Colombo. Had a short but sound sleep but then lay awake waiting for the late winter sun to rise with the muezzin’s call to prayer announcing a new day. Next day was a casual adjustment for time & travel with a long morning walk to a thriving fish market taking in the local scene and atmosphere before returning by a beautiful beach front. Middle of the day is incredibly hot. We finished the day with an evening briefing and meet-up with the rest of the group. The tour has 15 riders supported by a guide, ... read more