Day 1. Negombo.
Ayubowan (hello in local lingo). Took off from Heathrow with the plane rocking from side to side and landed an hour late due to storm Eunice delaying our departure.
Found a lovely taxi driver who ferried us to the hotel in his hybrid Toyota.
Everyone is wearing masks. Indoors, outside, riding your moped, walking on the beach. No if’s, no buts, no exceptions, no excuses.
We’ve booked ourselves on a Best Of Sri Lanka tour with Intrepid Travel. It’s the fourth Intrepid trip we’ve been on and I 100% recommend them for ethical, sustainable and down right fun travel.
Checked into our swanky hotel (7th floor with balcony looking over the sea) and chuckled that we’re back in the land of bum-guns.
Don’t know what a bum-gun is? Go anywhere is South East Asia and hand held bidets are all the rage!
Went for a wander to find an ATM and some life! Got accosted by the usual tuktuk drivers touting for business, who cleverly hang around the bank waiting for tourists but they’re not as aggressive as the Indian drivers. They ask once or twice, have a chat about where you’re from and generally move on once we say no.
Found our way onto the beach with a dozen food sellers and lots of vibrant life going on. Got collared by a lovely / well skilled street seller, with a bag of tourist souvenirs for sale. We talked about cricket, weather, his family and then the sales pitch came for bracelets he was selling. He started at 1300rupees and Mrs Dude haggled him down to 300rupees. She recons she could have gotten him to go lower but I wanted to crack on so paid him and off we went.
Dipped toes into the Indian Ocean, it is warm. Found a traditional fishing boat and a bar for a drink. Wandered back through a local cooperative market back to the hotel, unfortunately in a hurry to meet our tour group. It’s a lovely setup called the Good Market, full of local sellers and crafts people selling their wares.
Forgot how hot it is and with limited sleep on the flight was feeling quite flush.
Our group is only 10, some from UK, some from the States and one from Germany. Lovely bunch of like minded people. Dinner was had up the road. Curry and rice, with little bowls of aubergine, daal, vegetables and coconut infused with spices.
Pretty sunset but a lot of sea haze this evening. Highs of 31C, feels like 42C tomorrow! Humidity is at 85% so it’s going to be hot and sticky. That’s nice if you’re with a lady, but it ain’t no good if you’re in the jungle!
Travel Dude 