Wow. What a journey from Singapre ! Everyone was thinking that I have gone crazy to have booked a ticket through Srilankan airways with a stop over of around 8 hours in Colombo just to save 130 dollars. But I went ahead with it. Thanks to my senior Arun C, I got this idea of seeing around Colombo during the break. I got hold of Bijoy and Sridhar who were coming from KL and who had to wait like me in Colombo. We three got our Visa on arrival. Converted the money and ended up getting an A/C car for 5 hours. It cost us 4000 Srilankan Rupees, which is like 40 USD.
Man it was such a pleasant place, I fell in love with it instantaneously. It is exactly similar to Kerala with lots of foreign cars and good clean roads. Very rarely could I see a slum. We went inside Colombo which is 30+ kms away from the Airport. The first place we visited was the Beira lake and a Buddhist temple nearby. Nice and Clean temple. Then went to the Colombo beach. It was the teenager's hangout. What on earth could people doing on a Saturday afternoon in such a scorching heat ? They were all in pairs and I dont know what they have been talking to each other in such a heat. They were all in their teens as pairs under a big umbrella cuddling, talking, embracing each other. Hmm.. I remembered the way I spent my teenage without a fuss. Could not emphathize with them. Had a nice walk at the beach.
One thing should be told about the Srilankans. They know that their life is not easy because of the unrest in the country. But rarely you will find them dull and sulking. The way they moved around, enjoyed their day out, busy shopping, lovers talking for long hours, breaking traffic rules(no honking or swearing...)... the people were so full of life and hope. Though one could spot security personnel here and there, people were going ahead with their tasks without a fuss. Lots of Indian brands are making their presence. TVS, Bajaj, Taj Samudra, Tata, Lipton etc.... Infrastructure was better. Traffic jams can be a little higher.
Cricket needs a special mention here. The number of grounds we saw,the matches being played, the ads with Srilankan cricketers all reflected that Cricket is very much part of their lives. We went by the side of Premadasa Stadium too. One more thing that needs mention is the number of cinema halls and the Adult movies that were running :-).
Then went to Shanti vihar. Had Madrasi thali for 125 Srilankan rupees. On our way back saw Colmbo port, the Parliament, the President's place. The buildings remind of you a Bombay Churchgate area or the Chennai Fort area with typical British style buildings. I would definitely love to be in this country for sometime and explore the place. In tau's words the colombo trip has " Sax macha di ".
Came to Chennai at 7.50 PM. Appa and Chithappa were there to pick me up. Poor old man is getting old. The same old shirt without the dentures, he looked really bad. Wanted to shout at him, but his only reply will be Let me live my life in my own way. So did not bother him. Came home and had good Vathakozhambu, Rasam and kichdi. It was great.
Need to start my activities here slowly and get back to S'pore within a week.
"Thodi si dhool meri.. Darthi ye mere vathan ki" - RDB, ARR rocks !!!
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