Sri Lanka

Boarded flight at Auckland international at 9am, and four hours later, landed Melbourne. Straight from plane to international departures without exiting through customs. Momentary panic when I realised I didn’t have a boarding pass! I thought I’d checked in for the whole trip but alas, just the first leg. Fortunately, after a frantic upload of passport and emergency contact, and grabbing first aisle seat I spotted, I now have a boarding pass. Now just have 5 hours to wile away….

Arrived late at night after the incoming plane was late. So tired! I’d been on the move for 26 hours with just a few snatches of sleep here and there. The flights and layover in Melbourne were as you’d imagine them to be. The unique bright coloured sari uniforms of the flight attendants and the food were the only things that stood out. 

I had planned to NOT get cash at the airport. I had it under great authority (Google AI) that the ATM’s charge an arm and a leg for withdrawals and that you could just pay for official airport taxis via credit card. AI let me down. You can’t. I had to withdraw cash. It did cost an arm and a leg. Too tired to quibble and too tired to navigate Uber and Pickme (thank you Steph & Lauen; definitely too late in life for that kind of ride) at that late hour. One very expensive 45 minute ride to Colombo CBD passed in a blur. The hotel was waiting for me - kind and hospitable. The bed comfortable. The air conditioning not too noisy.

After taking half a sleeping pill, I managed about 6 hours sleep despite my body clock sayings it’s 7am and time to get moving.No pics yet - I’ve only seen the inside of airports and hotel rooms so far! Best buy - Dialog sim at the airport. 20G for 30 days for LKR$1399 = about $7.50 NZD.

Up early local time. It is warm and muggy as you would expect. I’ve walked around the same block a few times, being redirected by helpful commuters that thought they knew better than Google Maps. I was too polite to  point out that I had it sussed, so followed their instructions until out of sight before retracing my steps. Finally made it to my morning destination - top cafe as recommended by TripAdvisor. It just happened to be in the Hilton hotel,  so no surprises there. My bag went through aiport security level screening before entering. The coffee is good and the air conditioning a plus. It’s also quiet. A brief haven before tackling the railway station!  I spotted the harbour on my circuit, and can smell the sea air but will leave exploring Colombo until I return in a couple of weeks. Next mission, securing a train ticket to Anudrahapura, and hopefully a seat too. The adventure begins...

Having returned to my hotel, I packed and headed to the railway station only to learn that the 10.30am train wasn't running and the next was at 1,45pm. This wouldn't have been a problem if I hadn't already checked out and wasn't carting my gear around in 30+ heat! So, I decided to check out the bus. I asked the very first bus driver "Anuradhapura?"?  He enthusiastically gesticulated for me to hop on the bus. I asked repeatedly if it was going to Anuradhapura to which I received lots of nods and something spoken so fast... could have been Anuhadrapura? I bravely boarded, hopeful rather than confident I knew where I would end up today!

I have no regrets about choosing the bus. After checking Google Maps, and confirming we were actually heading north (really didn't want to end up in Galle), it was quite exciting to not know. The next 5 hours riding a local bus, packed like sardines with locals, haring around bends to the accompaniment of horns, were fantastic! Everyone was so friendly, the driving was horrific, stopping regularly to squeeze in just one more person, I saw a real slice of Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, everything flew by so quickly that I'm afraid of losing the detail with no photos. The polluted pond with a splash of bright crimson lily somehow surviving the muck (very buddha-esk), the way the driver's helper made sure that the men gave up their seat for women with just a fierce glare, spending at least half the time on the wrong side of the road and using the horn to say 'I'm coming through', and on-coming traffic literally having to drive off the road to make way. The constant laughter. The chaotic madness, colour and smells.

The bus stopped for a toilet break just after Puttalam, where we finally left the coast and the never ending towns behind. Desperate for food, I tried my very first Sri Lankan street food - unfortunately nothing noteworthy - just a humble deep fried chicken roll, but spicy, flavourful deliciousness all the same!