Colombo

Quick enough I was done with all the procedures at the airport, so I took a night taxi to Colombo, where I got a few hours rest in a fairly disappointing hotel. I woke up at 9am to wander through Pettah before catching the 10:30 train to Galle.

My first impression of Sri Lanka was that of a cultural shock. Although I've been to South East Asia before, the scenes from Colombo streets reminded me much more of an Indian movie. The first surprise was to discover that most Sri Lankans wear a facemask because of Covid. I didn't expect it.

The feeling in the atmosphere was nice and exotic but the heat was suffocating. I had hardly walked for 5 minutes when I was stopped by a vendor to try his mildly spiced samosa for breakfast. I'm sure I'll love Sri Lankan cuisine! I kept marveling the busy streets of Pettah -the commercial district of Colombo- passing by stalls of 'ayurvedic' medicine, jewellery and fabrics. I made it to the train station just to discover that for some reason my train wouldn't work today.Read more