Colonial Crab Crash!

As I awoke on my first morning in sunnier climes, the city of Columbo sprawled below the vast picture window of our hotel room. The view was dominated by a vast river fringed by palms and skirted, on one side, by a railway -fog horn like tannoys announcing the arrival of regular new cargos of passengers - bodies tumbling out of windows and doors, others clinging tightly to running boards as their lives literally did depend on it.

Pulling on a long cotton gipsy skirt - conservative enough to appease local sensitivities; cool enough to face the oppressive heat of the day that engulfed us - we stepped outside the hotel. 

Immediately we were surrounded my men - young, old and invariably toothless - inviting us to ride in their three wheeled tuk tuks - red, blue, green and customised with an array of garrish stickers,silk flowers, posters and plastic - in many cases the rusty bodies welded together only by tape and dirt. Driven at speed at precarious angles round corners we decided that we would delay that pleasure and walk, all the time absorbing the sights and smells that surrounded us - carved dusty elephants sat alongside gleaming golden Buddhas; emaciated dogs trudged hopelessly along dirty pavements, whilst skinny  children in pristine white uniforms and navy socks, pigtails like shiny black liquorice laces swinging down their backs, marched proudly to school.

Ladies in colourful saris sauntered along the side walk whilst beggars looked on. The acrid smell of sweat and spice threatened to suffocate us as we escaped the masses into the airy confines of Cargills - a vast space with lazy fans spluttering for air high above; their rusty fittings clinging with difficulty to the greying ceilings . Cargills was a department store of sorts, boasting everything from the Sri Lankan capitals scant grocery supplies to a pharmacy to KFC with a locally tailored menu of popcorn chicken and spiced rice.

It was easy to imagine this city in its colonial heyday although, personally I prefer it now where the people are free to grow and the country free to develop away from it's all consuming colonial past and subsequent bloody Tamil terrorist campaign.

Our time in the city was filled with easy camaraderie, simple Sri Lankan cuisine and a less than recommendable evening at a supposedly 5 star international hotel where LP's crab looked like it had been involved in a particularly traumatic marine disaster - shell shocked doesn't begin to describe it!




And as for LP and I, well, so far so restful, relaxed and .... definitely ....recommended!