14th Jan – Day 1

So we have landed in Sri Lanka. Flight was okay – Sri Lankan Airlines didn’t do the usual welcome drink, cool cloth or night time pack. But we survived.

I see peacocks and a chipmunk on the way to the hotel. Now weve checked in – Im feeling ropey. Perhaps my belly wasn’t ready for curry for dinner and breakfast!

Our Hotel Mandarina is on the coast of the city of Colombo…BUT the view is sadly and noisily obscured by a 26 floor building site. Thats a shame as the hotel is brilliant. It smells amazing!

We find a coffee bar over looking the sea instead.

And after a few hours kip and an anti-sickness tablet we find the Gallery Cafe. The food is super spicy and delicious. I go for Nasi Gorang from Indonesia. OmG so lovely. I haven’t had one of these for 10 years!

Pete manages to get through a very very hot chicken curry and the Sri Lankan hoppers. Hoppers are everywhere and are a kind of very thin bowl shaped egg pancake.

15th Jan – Day 2

We have an amazing nights sleep – the bed is like a massive cocoon in a lovely air-conditioned room. We pushed the boat out for our first few nights. £65

I have a swim in the infinity pool – when you swim you dont see the building site.. just hear it 😀 My first swim since Vietnam.

We get a tuk tuk to Galle Face open park area further up the coast. 70p. But tuk tuks here are crazy drivers.

Its sooo lovely and warm and breezy. We find the Dutch Hospital (ancient and now little shops and beer stops)… we have a beer. Pete has an 8% Guinness. There are chipmunks everywhere! Heaven. Its clear booze is likely the most expensive thing here. Even in the most tourist place means it was £6 for our two drinks.

We intended to visit Pettah Market but apparently its closed as its the Thai Pongal celebrations. Equivalent to a Harvest Festival for Tamils.

So we walk back along the coast and admire the view.. both of the sea…

..and of a man who has managed to climb to the top of a street light.

We’ve noticed we are mostly the only white people around so its good to spot two grey haired old dears negotiating for very spicy street food. They are game. Our stomachs aren’t ready for that yet.

Dinner tonight actually proves elusive. We walk to a “Cheers bar” to find it in a hotel – nothing nice about it.

Then we walk past a lake into some local housing estate that is walled in  – looking for JD Kitchen – a hidden gem. It’s closed.

We manage to escape thru a gap in the wall and go to a basement food hall.  I have a wonderful thali.. 5 different veg dishes and rice and crackers. Pete has a chicken nasi goreng. His chicken is elusive.

Mine was 450 rupees ( about £1.15) and fabulous! Each bit was different from super sweet aubergine to mega spicy soya and fresh green something!

Tuk tuk back to the hotel and a ceylon tea on the roof ends the night well.