Madras to Columbo, Sri Lanka

Heading to Sri Lanka…the airport experience with Indian Airlines was painless. We were on an Airbus- complete lunch service on our 1-½ hour flight from Madras to Columbo. The transition from India to Sri Lanka was dramatic—to go from chaotic, dusty, garbage strewn India to clean, calm Sri Lanka. There were a few stray cows - but overall, Columbo was a modern city. (Although things may have been quiet since it was a holiday- they have a holiday on every full moon!) Our taxi to the hotel was a shake and bake- an old Toyota with no A/C. Half way to the hotel, the tire went flat so we had to wait by the side of the road while it was changed. Then, the driver asked whether we’d like to engage his services as a driver for the next week! I don’t think so….

The hotel was nice- $40 U.S. We got a chance to actually do email from the hotel for a change. Our evening was spent with Arjun and his American wife, Kate. Arjun, originally from Sri Lanka, was in Sri Lanka on sabbatical from Macalester College. He was a charming man. We got a chance to meet not only his wife and two children- but also his entire family- sister and mother and dog, Mandy. The dog was a street mongrel dog that they adopted off the street. I got a chance to actually pet a dog- since the street dogs are off limits. Dinner was Sri Lankan “hoppers”- (a hopper is like a crepe with an egg in the middle of it—you add some curries on the side and rip off pieces of the hopper to use as scoopers for the curries. Very much like Ethiopian dining). After dinner, we got some advice on what to see and do in Sri Lanka. Our taxi ride back to the hotel was with the road warrior…. determined to show us his racing skills so we’d hire him as our driver. Everyone here has an agenda.