The rain season in Sri Lanka is divided in two parts with a dryer part (June / July) in between – but only for the south and west coast. The north / east coast are opposite (due to the mountains and highlands in the middle of the island which act like a water divide). Therefore rainfall starts picking up tremendously in April (rising from 67mm in March to 195 in April…) and thus we had a down power every afternoon around 3pm. 

On our last day in Bentota (the idyllic west coast village) this even created a small lake on our balcony and daybed

Some creatures do like these humid climates indeed – fresh from the egg (approx. 2cm long)…

Our lunch consisted of the remains of the previous nights dinner – a special fish which shouldn’t exist at all. It has the spots (and size) of a Garoupa yet the skin texture of a Red Snapper; well interracial mixing increases the gene pool… We called it simply the “Grapper” – it has wonderful flesh (less fatty than the original Garoupa and super skin which gives a lovely jelly when refrigerated and eaten cold…).

Our travel to Colombo was uneventful (aside the very smelly driver & car as well as a hair-rising style of driving – but hello, we are in Sri Lanka…) and due to the help of the previous hotel we got a super-extra deal in the Taj in Colombo…

Our view from the room

Perhaps the nicest part was that we were allocated into the “club level” which means access to a club lounge and – best of all – happy hour from 6:30 – 8:30 with free alcoholic beverages… I guess we drank back 1/4 of our bill

A small anecdote on this “happy hour” is that every month on the poya day (technically it should be the full moon – in reality I am not entirely sure if the monk who defined full moon was entirely sober at the time…) no alcoholic beverages are sold or served anywhere. The only exception would be either room service (in your room you can do what you want) or the club room… This is considered “private area” (as by invitation only) and therefore they don’t display the bottles, but serve anyhow… There never has been a law where no way around was defined as well

The view from the windows in the evening is just stunning

Sunset approaching

That’s stylish

On Saturday (as Friday being the Poya day and Muslim prayer day and Good Friday in one everything was shut down) we decided to go for the Manning Markets. These markets are located next to an area called Pettah which is a huge market in itself, only for the individual buyer. In Pettah (mainly Tamil population – Muslim & Christian), the streets are divided by branch (one for spices, one for rice & gram, one for clothing, etc.). Manning Markets instead is for the retailer and has much more “bulky” and “large volume” items…

Just imagine 35°, 95% humidity and then stepping into one of these halls (like seen on the pictures). Your sweat is simply jumping out of your skin and within minutes you are absolutely soaked.

Again – you can buy anything which is produced on the island (yet no imported stuff – that is sold somewhere else)

After the markets we strolled a bit through Pettah, but as there is nearly no way through even as pedestrian we simply gave up after some time…

In the end we took (for the first time as our original tuk-tuk had engine problems) one of the metered ones. Cool thing…

Nice, new – very modest driver. Absolutely a delight

Well, I just recognized the nice typo (Lambogini Super Bajaj…) – it should have been “Lamborghini Super Bajaj” I guess (Bajaj being the Indian manufacture of these tuk-tuk or technically three-cycles).

The Taj, being an Indian hotel of the Tata group (one of the biggest employers in the world with something like 1 Mio. employees worldwide), has quite a lot of beautiful (presumable) original art in the building (well, at least on the club floors )… And we didn’t check if they are nailed / drilled to the wall – big promise…

Banners

Which were supposedly held before the leader

or king and depicting classical scenes

Yet, they could be fans as well

Or… They would be heavy enough… Instruments to chastise non-obedient domestics? Just a suggestions  

In the later afternoon we went out again as I needed still some spices and were directed to Laksala, a state owned gift shop. Spices – not really, but other stuff was quite ok…

This one had to be present…

On the way to the “Old Dutch Hospital” (ok, just one building – nice but no too special) we headed to a roof-top bar (no, not top-less – just roof-top…) to re-hydrate lost minerals…

Funny ceiling a nice panache made the day

Next to the complex is an old (I assume) hospital which will undergo re-construction which was already anticipated by the strangler fig

These figs are so amazing and impressive

It just looks very martial – 5 m onwards was a gap in the fence

This red-white style is quite typical of colonial (British…) architecture in Sri Lanka (and India). I guess one master-plan and then adjusted to the local demands…

Anyhow a beautiful building

If a bit repaired…

I always love to see the roots coming upwards – it’s so much a symbol of strength and power

Back at the backside of the “Old Dutch Hospital” were other quite nice buildings as well

And a Dilmah (tee company) branch

Were we just relaxed and had – guess what – tea!

Nice old building…

Just imagine sleeping there at 28° at night…

Anyhow we were steaming like old race-horses and our clothing needed some drying out… No better place to do that than at the A/C-outlet griddle

Ufff – what a day…