Negombo

Negombo, 7:15am

I failed in my attempt to overlap my future jet lag by waking up late. After having dinner -a nice grilled meat- at the hotel I spent some time in my air conditioned room but eventually fell asleep around 10:30pm.

I'm not sleepy anymore, so I am having a terrible coffee waiting for my breakfast. Yesterday I asked for a Sri Lankan one, so they ordered hoppers for me. There is a nice cool breeze and the Sun is not high yet si I think I'll go explore Negombo downtown.

Negombo, 9:30pm

I'm spending my last hours in Sri Lanka trying to stay awake for my flight at 3am. Today it's been a very relaxing day yet I've enjoyed it a lot. Food wise the day couldn't have started better: string hoppers with dhal and 'sambol'. With some energy in my body I went to see the fish market of Negombo. It was an impressive sight: many stalls of vendors selling all kind of fresh fish with no hygienical condition whatsoever. The vivid colors of the morning matched the strong smell of fish and the noise of the busy, loud fihermen.

Immediately next to the fresh fish market, the beach served as a dry fish area. The wooden canoes and catamarans lined in the shore, were the background of dozen of nets laying on the sand with multiple varieties of fish drying up. I delighted the moment but eventually the smell was so strong that I decided to keep exploring Negombo.

I went to Saint Mary's church, a neoclassical building from the late 19th Century fully decorated for the upcoming Christmas festivities. Negombo is mainly a catholic town, so many christian shrines and Nativity sets were everywhere, creating a very odd Christmas-themed subtropical place.

After that the Sun was high enough to seek confort in the swimming pool of my hotel, where I spent the afternoon reading. I had my last rice&curry: a prawns one. Terrific! I will miss a lot Sri Lankan cuisine.

I didn't want to miss the opportunity to enjoy my guilty pleasure: grilled lobster! So I went for dinner at Magrove Sea View in Negombo's lagoon. I can't tell if it was better than the one I had in Bali or the one in Belize, but for sure is a tradition I want to keep.Read more