Blogs from 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

While quarantining in Sri Lanka, we had hoped to do a few tourist activities. However, those activities were limited and adhered to strict requirements. One requirement was to have a certified driver at all times - you were by no means allowed to leave the car. The second was scheduling an approved appointment for said tourist activity. There was a list of about 13 activities we could do in the whole country and maybe 5 were in the region we were staying. I was disappointed not to see or stay at the tea plantations, but maybe next time. So, we opted for Sigiriya Rock and Polonnuwara, both located a couple hours' drive north-northeast of Dambulla. They did not disappoint! Sigiriya Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage site located near Dambulla, which itself looks to be an ... read more

We had to return to Saudi Arabia for additional work. However, at this time, people were barred from flying directly from UAE to Saudi, so we had to do a 14 day quarantine. Most people were going to Bahrain as it was a shorter route. However, we decided to try somewhere a little different - if we are going to be stuck in a hotel for 14 days, why not try to make the most of it?? Maldives was on the table.... but work probably would not go for that! However, it was suggested Sri Lanka was open and after looking, the hotels were actually cheaper though the flights were a bit more - it would even out and we would be happy. Initially, it was supposed to be 4 of us, but then the client ... read more

Galle - Sri Lanka #heygo http://www.heygo.com In 1640, the Portuguese were forced to surrender to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch built the present fort in 1663. They built a fortified solid granite wall and three bastions, known as "Sun", "Moon" and "Star". After the British took over the country from the Dutch in 1796, they preserved the fort unchanged and used it as the administrative centre of the district. Our tour started overlooking the cricket ground. The ground was built in 1876 as a race course. There was no permanent pavilion until 1892, when a ‘grand stand’ was built. Eventually the racing ceased and the ground was used for cricket matches more than races. The fort was under renovation so our guide could not walk along the full length of the walls so he ... read more

Wednesday, 11 March, 2020, cont'd After a slow start we headed off at 10.45 am, simply walking North. Bought water from the supermarket, that we call fat man's, for obvious reasons. He told us the first corona virus had been found in Sri Lanka, yesterday. Looked in souvenir/craft shops on the way up to foodcity. We have a small list of things needed presently, but didn't find anything on the list. We bought other things instead. Then over to Tecso and found one item that we were looking for. Time for refreshment. The coffee bean & tea leaf cafe provided us with an ice blended hazelnut and an ice blended black forest drink. They claim to have invented ice blended drinks in 1963 in California and are world famous for them! Anyway it was something different. ... read more