Days 48 to 54 – Colombo and Galle, Sri Lanka

Transiting from Bali to Sri Lanka was pretty easy with Air Asia – flight to KL and then a connection on to Colombo, a total of 6 hours flying. Colombo airport is about an hour north of the central city so $30 didn’t seem too bad for the taxi ride in.

We were met by our Airbnb host Surekha, a lovely lady who spoke with an immaculate English accent. The English were actually the last colonial masters here, from 1815 to 1948 when Sri Lanka gained independence. Before the English it was the Portuguese from 1505 and then the Dutch from 1638 – so I can imagine the poor old Sri Lankans quite like having the place to themselves now . . .

Colombo has over 5 million inhabitants and is the capital and commercial centre. To be honest it’s like a lot of big cities – big, bustling and busy and not really our cup of tea (no pun intended).
We did a bit or sightseeing of which one highlight was probably the old Dutch Hospital in the city centre. Built in the seventeenth century to look after staff serving in the Dutch East India Company it is now a little haven of shops and restaurants, insulated from the hectic bustle of the city. The interior is impressive – high ceilings with massive teak beams running along the roof – and as we sipped our juices we could imagine patients recuperating in the relative calm and coolness of the building.

We travelled most places in Colombo by tuk tuk, which was quite a hair-raising experience. The road rules here must specifically require the use of the horn, and no one follows that rule quite as enthusiastically as tuk tuk drivers. The brake appears to be used as a last resort with the use of the horn preferred to warn other drivers and pedestrians of our passage. When there are three lanes jammed full of traffic and no apparent way through, tuk tuk drivers seem to spot a gap only they can see and hurtle towards it. And amazingly it always seems to come off ok. Our only real near miss was one lady on a pedestrian crossing who obviously didn’t understand the horn rule – this was one of those ten per cent times that the brake was used and Jo and I had to hold on tight to avoid getting deposited on the street.

So the upshot of this story is, for those adrenaline junkies out there – forget the amusement park roller coasters and pay about 2 bucks for a tuk tuk ride in downtown Colombo . . .

Our other highlight of Colombo was a visit to “Our Turtle Conservation Project” on Mount Lavinia Beach, about 20 minutes south of Colombo CBD. The centre exists to promote the conservation of sea turtles, which are fast becoming an endangered species – their shells, meat and even eggs are in demand and therefore can provide a source of income for local communities. The centre volunteers educate local fisherman and guard the hatching of turtle eggs, ten per cent of which they keep as hatchlings for a few weeks before release to the sea in order to improve their chances of survival. We met one of the volunteers and her very cute toddler Shakira – both of whom had lost their beachside hut in the latest monsoon. Made us realise how much we have to be grateful for . . .

On our fourth day we departed Colombo for Galle by train. Taking the advice of someone who had done the trip before we opted for second class and were treated to a fantastic vista of sea (the train travels down the west coast) and life along the tracks. Every 10 minutes someone would come up the aisle selling sweets, drinks, fruit and even, curiously, nail clippers. 120km of great views and all for the price of two $1.50 tickets!

Galle is a very cool spot. Quite different from Colombo – quieter, more laid back and only about 20% of the tuk tuk honking. We stayed in Galle Fort – a walled complex built mostly by the Dutch during the seventeenth century, encompassing around 50 acres of houses, restaurants and shops, every second of which seems to sell gems. Our second floor guesthouse balcony provided a magical spot to view street life – everything from the vegetable man doing his rounds to a photo shoot of some serious canoodling.

Strolling round the ramparts was great to experience the sea views and breeze, not to mention another opportunity for people watching. There is such a big Dutch influence still in the town with many street and shop names in Dutch. We visited the 300 year old Dutch reformed church, which was a haven of peace and coolness on that very hot Sri Lankan day.

I got a good old session of food poisoning during our stay in Galle and so I stayed in bed for a day and generally felt sorry for myself. Thank goodness for the pack we brought with us from the Travel Doctor in Wellington with a flow chart included to work out what antibiotic I needed. By the next day I was back in the land of the living (well just) and by the third day had my voracious appetite back again.

Tomorrow we head to a place called Dickwella (I kid you not) for our 11 day Ayurveda detox session. I have to admit feeling a tad apprehensive – but this trip is all about saying “yes” to things, so here goes . . .

Days 48 to 54 – Colombo and Galle, Sri Lanka

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