Riverina Hotel Colombo

... 99% of visitors head to the highlands or deluxe resorts where the beaches are supposed to be awesome. Not me of course.

Air Arabia's magazine had a feature on Colombo and naturally the glossy pictures made the place look like nirvana. Having seen the articles and ads compared to the real deal in countless places I can tell you I know that they are to be taken with a grain of salt. I can report that walking around Colombo is like sizzling and baking ...

... empty, bar the parades of people waving flags from motorbikes, tuktuks, pickup vans, buses etc etc. I think they've been driving round for 3 days non stop! So unfortunately as all the t-shirts were Sri Lankan size i.e. UK age 13, Andrew is still stuck with his rust and sweat-stained ex-white cotton shirts - I am embarrassed to be seen with him - and I swear that we are getting more funny looks than usual - but he swears he ...

... any shortage." Having digressed, let me return to the routine. The team leaders typically do a "bed check" (and that's what it's called) to make sure the consultants are working and in their seats. There is a lot of infantilizing and non-trusting behavior displayed by team leaders. I don't know what or why, if anything, is behind it. Maybe they just want to throw their weight around and visibly show who is boss and call the shots. I mentioned earlier this is ...

... time! In the presence of his authority, I appreciated his need to act and look important, which included making me wait (and putting me in my place from the very beginning), and appearing officious and demanding within his domain and in his ability to allow access or not to information. He answered a few questions (very few, after all, we were constantly interrupted, making it hard to have a conversation with a beginning, middle and end). He provided several ...

... s wont to make sweeping assumptions about a country based on whatever received wisdom they've already heard plus a selective mental inventory of the characteristics or features they encounter within their first, highly impressionable hours. Admittedly, I'd already drunk out of a king coconut, met three extremely mellow and moustachioed Sri Lankans and seen a number of singer sewing in machines in shop windows so my prejudices were essentially intact. I wasn't ...

... and a fantastic pool... I quickly got into my bathers and settled into my pool lounge for some serious chillaxing time... The book i was reading was about a lady in India which is appropriate as i head there in a few days... I swam, sunbaked, ordered spag bol for lunch, sunbaked and swam then had a little nanna... I had high tea on the veranda and watched the rain come down... After it cleared i went for ...

Today I had a very long day slated: a train ride that could take anything from 7 to 10 hours from Nuwara Eliya all the way to Colombo, a couple of hours to kill in the capital, and then heading out to the airport to catch my 3am flight and spend the whole of tomorrow flying. I was hoping there wouldn't be any repeats of my last train ride, and I booked a first class ticket (still only $5). On that particular route, because ...

Today we were invited to a "Homecoming". It's part of the traditional Sri Lankan wedding. It was Milani's (a teacher) brother who got married on Thursday. The Homecoming is like the wedding reception. All day people drop in and out to see the happy couple and food is served. It is a very big deal and a lot of money is spent on it. It takes place at the groom's parent's house and, halfway ...

... to fill out the application for their children to enter grade1. most if the parents aren't well educated, so smile always try and keep them informed and guide them as much as they can. we then headed on out to tangalle prison - about 40km along the coast from Hambantota. what an experience. smile has close links with the prison. last year it bought the inmates a tv and sewing machine so they can make use of their time. the living conditions are appalling - due to them being short ...

... of his "club" rather than his followers... Also the concept of original sin - a whole misrepresentation of what Jesus Christ was about. If only we could come to a better idea of Jesus. Many doctrines are ecclesiastical elaborations. They are recited each Sunday, but not understood, and we just go on repeating. Purification lies in liberating the self from this baggage. Evelyn: Thanks for insightful and profound sharing. You have given us insight as to how to do ...