Umm ar Raml

Day 18 - Home. Awesome! Reflections…

02:30 (Colombo time)
Sat in the departure lounge at CMB, waiting to board my flight. Colombo Airport is not one to aim for if you’ve got a long transit planned. There’s really not much of anything in the departure area. The one bar is a canteen style affair with a very limited range of food and drinks. There are two different tea shops, neither of which is open. There’s a Burger King, if that’s your thing.

08:00 (Dubai time)
First flight was pretty average. My seat was broken - I seem to be having a run of poor fortune with seats. This time, it would recline. It would ONLY recline. Every time I lean against it at all, it goes back to a full recline. Bit of a pain for me, but moreso for the poor guy behind me, whose drink I’m pretty sure I spill on more than one occasion. The cabin crew are powerless to do anything about it. The flight is entirely full, and was actually overbooked by 36 people. I’ll probably get some airmiles out of it, and I do at least manage to get a couple of hours sleep.

The transfer at Dubai is a far easier-going experience. We’ve landed on-time, and I’ve a good 90 minutes to cross the airport. I even have time for a quick sharpener at Jack’s Bar. I’ve treated myself to a business class seat for the second and longer of my two flights, so have no worries about getting to the gate at the last minute. Once onboard, I unfold myself into my seat. I’ve flown in business on an Emirates A380 before, and it’s a very cool place to spend time. Couple of glasses of champagne before take-off, which I barely register, so gentle and quiet is it…

11:00 (UK time)
I decided after take-off to get some sleep early doors, then rinse the wine/cocktails/food etc. I get to sleep pretty quickly, and feel quite refreshed when I wake up. It’s only once I’ve popped to the loo, and have found myself a spot at the stand-up bar that I realise I’ve slept for all of 20 minutes. They’re serving a world class California Chardonnay, into which I tuck. My glass keeps getting refilled without asking. This is both great, and a problem - I’d quite wanted to try the 2011 Bordeaux they’ve got on board as well.

‘Lunch’ is served at a body-clock challenging 08:00 UK time, but is very tasty. I manage to snag some of that Bordeaux to accompany my lamb loin. After lunch, I grab some more sleep, and manage a good couple of hours before I’m woken ahead of our landing into Gatwick. Looking out of the window, it seems cold, grey and mizzly. Standard.

15:00
I’ve had an amazing trip, but it’s SO good to be home with my awesome Vicki, and my beloved boys, neither of whom yet seem that impressed to see me.

Sri Lanka? Go. Go as soon as you can. Maybe even go twice. It’s a fabulous country to visit, and I can’t wait to take Vicki there in the near future.

A few reflections:

1) Going back, I’d go a little earlier than the middle of March. Several times, it felt like places I was staying were in the process of shutting down for the season, and I was among very few guests, or even the only one. That’s not a problem per se, but I think it robbed me of some opportunities to meet other travellers, From what I’ve heard, the heat is also a bit less humid earlier in the year. January or February might be a better option.
2) Sri Lanka still offers amazing value, but it may not last forever. My average cost for accommodation was less than £25 per night for spacious, clean, comfortable rooms that more than served my purpose. I reckon I spent around £50 per day on ‘everything else’ which included a couple of relatively expensive activities - whale watching and a full day safari. Outside of that, I never felt like I was scrimping, eating what I wanted, drinking what I wanted (when it was available - see point 3), and doing what I wanted. If you were on a really tight budget, that number could easily come down to £25 per day.
3) Buy a bottle in duty free to bring with you. Soft drinks / mixers are very readily available, but alcohol less so. The Government run liquor stores are both sporadic in their availability, and relatively expensive. There also appears to be a ‘tourist’ tax applied by some less than squeaky clean liquor store owners, charging visitors c. 20% more than locals.
4) Take the train - it’s a fun and cheap way to travel. You can book the tickets directly on the Sri Lankan railways website 30 days before departure, and it’s very clear which class of travel you’re buying.
5) Don’t take the bus - they’re driven by lunatics, many of whom don’t have a driving licence. They’re incentivised based on the time they arrive at certain destinations, and the time set to drive between these stops is insufficient. A couple of months back, 13 were killed in an accident caused by a bus trying to make up time on a busy road. Avoid.
5) ‘Medium’ spicy is the correct answer when you’re asked how hot you’d like your food. I don’t recommend asking for hot and/or spicy unless you particularly love a burning mouth, and time on the toilet.
6) Sri Lanka people are lovely - warm, welcoming and the vast majority I’ve met have got a great sense of humour. I’ve massively enjoyed meeting so many of them, chatting about their lives and their country.
6) The country is on its knees financially. Do me a favour? When you’re paying for your very cheap meal / cheap tuk-tuk ride etc etc - be sure to tip generously.

That’s all for now folks. You can join Vicki and I for 3 weeks in Thailand from April 5th!Read more