tiramisu: sri lanka travelogue, colombo

sri lanka was crazy. a good crazy. the traffic was insane and noisy (and kinda dangerous). the food big on flavour and spicy. the people were friendly, chatty, and had the best smiles. urban centres are hustling and bustling. the hill country lush with nature and elephants. the southern beach we visited was wild, unspoiled and gorgeous. buddhas in abundance and sri lankans worship of them even greater. being right under the equator, the weather was hot every single day.

colombo, the capital of sri lanka, is where we hung out for the first couple of days. the guesthouse, havelock place, is a peaceful place. on a quiet lane with a lush garden and a small, gorgeous pool right outside our door. the outdoor cafe a perfect place to start the day with tropical fruit and breakfast curry. so tranquil compared to the city just beyond it's doors.

the first thing we noticed? the traffic. traffic rules in sri lanka. you are at risk as a pedestrian, a red light means do not cross the street and a green light means proceed with caution. you are at risk as a passenger too where car lanes don't matter, where every vehicle on the road - buses, trucks, the three-wheeled tuk tuks, cars and motorbikes - careens around each other to get ahead even if they have to cut you off or pass you on blind corners, where beeping of horns is done wildly and constantly, where wandering cows are given priority. safety considerations do not exist. buses and trucks in particular blast right past you, driving like crazy with little patience.

however, the tuk tuk is an unavoidable, cheap, and do i dare say, fun method of transportation. the tuk tuk drivers are baffled when you choose to walk instead of getting into their tuk tuk. most accept a no to their 'taxi, sir/madame?' and drive away. they will be an exciting treasured memory when stefan, kai and i reminisce about them in years to come, 'do you remember when we almost died on galle road?'

we plunged into the madness of pettah, the neighborhood brimming with open-air markets that sell everything and anything; jewelry, ayurvedic medicines, lace and fabric, plastic flowers. vendors clamor for business, men carry heavy loads laden with goods, and tuk tuks clog the narrow streets. we wandered over to the fruits and veggies section where we had a pineapple opened via machete for us, much to kai's amusement. we wandered aimlessly absorbing the ambiance.

we took a couple of walks along the boardwalk of galle face green where locals hang out to fly kites, eat deep-fried snacks from food carts and enjoy an ice cream. it's a long stretch of grass facing west towards the sea and very popular at sunset.

it's also where kai was first photographed - there would be many more strangers taking pictures with him. kai's hair was often caressed and comments made about it's colour. these occurrences remind me about our trip to vietnam so kai was already well versed and went with the flow when the sri lankans approached him.

we happened upon a snake charmer, paid our rupees and kai held a python! i'm not sure he loved it though :-)

we walked lots, finding the perfect cup of coffee at hansa coffee (always on stefan's travel agenda!), visiting a couple of boutique shops (barefoot and paradise road were favourites and each have a cafe too), and discovering curries to eat. we also walked around the old dutch hospital, now turned into a space for boutique shops and restaurants.

we also happened upon viharamahadevi park, where, midst the chaos of colombo, it was quiet and peaceful with its flowering trees, sleeping bats, funny birds, and public displays of affection among young couples sitting on benches or in the shade of trees.

it was a lovely park made even lovelier when the 'gardener' offered to take us around. he pointed things out and provided stories of the flowers, trees, and animals we never would have known about or noticed. we came across mahogany, ebony and teak trees. we saw tons of ants cocooned in a nest of leaves right on the branch. as he dissected some of the flowers, he shared their symbolic relationship to buddha. there was jackfruit which thankfully not stinky while still on the branch. paths and paths to wander through and a place to enjoy an ice cream too.

those black things? sleeping bats!

when it was time, we were ready to leave the hustle and bustle. we took a train to our next destination, kandy. it took three hours of slow, bumpy riding but i loved it. it was quite spectacular to stand outdoors and watch the passing scenery change from urban to nature. we passed by small villages, open green spaces with youth playing cricket, and every so often a buddha would pop up too. i think it was one of my favourite things, riding on that train.