Leaving Colombo

I wok up early this morning. Too early. 4am. I just couldn’t sleep. Perhaps because I’d slept all day yesterday. Perhaps because I was worrying about gran.

I got up and showered and went for breakfast. I was having a bit of a stare out with one of the locals on the street until I gave him a smile. He duly returned it and gave me a wave. Breakfast was nice. I got bacon and sausage and some pancakes. I enjoyed it. My stomach did not. That’s all I’ll say on that matter.

I thought I’d go outside and get some pics of the train. However the streets were so busy I physically couldn’t cross the road! Tuk tuks kept stopping and asking if I wanted to do some sight seeing. Nothing unusual.

I took some rooftop pics and then Nala picked me up for today’s adventure. I asked him about taking pics of the train and he said he would stop somewhere I could take pics. He literally turned the car around and parked on the opposite side of the road. Needless to say I got my pictures and didn’t get run over. Thanks Nala!

We headed out of Colombo through some little towns. I saw my first couple of wandering cows. He told me all about the program and we chatted about religion in the country etc. He also showed me the China port which is apparently owned by the Chinese and they are developing a big complex of casinos and hotels. I also saw a Tuk tuk that said Uber on it. I’m not sure of its authenticity. Maybe I should have asked.

We saw some trees at the side of the road and Nala told me the name of the tree. Except what I heard was dick. Yes the less spotted dick tree. It took me a few minutes to realise he meant teak.

He also told me they have giant squirrels here so there you go! I also found out that people keep their pet cats indoors but let the dogs out to wander. Weird.

We stopped at a lakeside restaurant for a break. I was starting to get a little hungry as it had been 5 hours since breakfast. So I had an omelette and a coke. £4.30. No joke. I know it’s just a couple of eggs but omelettes in restaurants are usually twice that price. I also saw my first big bugger of a lizard. And a snake charmer but I didn’t take a picture as I didn’t want to give him money. It was a feisty little sod though.

On the road again we saw a lot of coconuts. Not even in trees but people preparing them to sell. Also some wild macaques hanging around a road side store.

And now I’ve lost my bank card. Well done Michelle. Not the end of the world I have another but still a bad move.

Arrived at the next hotel and I’m going to end this post on a positive. Gran doing a bit better!

Tune in to the next episode when I’m on safari!

Want the full Sri Lanka trip in one place? Read my complete Sri Lanka roundup here.