Jan 26 Day 13
It’s an early start as we are on the 8.23am train.
The train is full and we have to stand the whole way.
The sea views are nice. Well Pete can see them as he’s too tall!
We book into the tour hotel. Cinnamon Lakeside. Its lurvely. Cold papaya and cranberry juice on arrival.
View of the pool, lake and lotus tower and a comfy bed. Result.
We head out to Pettah Market. Turns out it’s chaotic, dirty, busy streets.
Pete gets two Sri Lankan cricket tshirts… of course he does.
We pass the red and white 🕌.
We find a coffee roasters (thinking its a coffee shop) but they let us through, give us a table, some cinnamon jaggery and locally roasted Sri Lankan coffee.
The dust and heat is too much so we retreat back to the hotel pool.
There is a meet and greet at another hotel – The Galle Hotel.
It overlooks the sunset beach and bizarrely they have a piper to lower a flag each evening.
After 2 free drinks and another one for good measure we go to the Breeze restaurant. A non Sri Lankan meal for once.
Jan 27 Day 14
Today is cricket day!!
We have a pool swim and jeez more food.
Lunch time we are coached to the ground. Its pretty stress free and we get good seats in the shade.
Now its my first cricket match. Pete has found a fellow Argyle fan.
England win the toss and bat first. They start off slow… but it turns out slow and steady is a good thing.
We get to see two centuries from Harry Brooks and Joe Roooooot.
Lots of beer and more food. We finish on 358 for 3. Apparently this is good.
Second half Sri Lanka come racing out and it feels like we’ll be annihilated. They have an average of over 9 for the first hour.
But we get ‘wicket’ after wicket and in the end it’s close. BUT WE WIN.
Celebrations all round. The Sri Lankans are so gracious.
Its back to the hotel for a pool drink.
Jan 28 Day 15
We have a free day and after a swim and more fish curry for breakfast (I’m gonna be dreaming about tuna) we decide to find a mall.
My shorts are from Asda and 2 years old. I need new ones. Turns out I also needed a skirt and 2 tops.
Pete was short of a cricket top, so had to get another.
Can’t shut my rucksack!
Pete wants to go to the Cricket Club Cafe, so we head there. Its like a cricket museum, ran by an Aussie.
They serve all things beer. Pete had a chocolate milkshake.
I have a beer. I’m Scottish after all.
He’s also heard of a good restaurant a nice walk away, past a monument to WWII.
And through a park.
Horses, chipmunks, ducks and crows.
Forgot to mention the crows.
There are very few pigeons here… they’ve been eaten, I assume, by the gazillion crows.
Upani Restaurant is super Sri Lankan which means super spicy. I have the veggie curry, cant remember its name. Something about hot as hell.
The folks set off the Ring doorbell and we chat for a while via Alexa. Great invention.
