Tales of a Miscreant in Taiwan: SRI LANKA

Welcome one and all to the Year of the Horse!

And what better way to celebrate the Chinese New Year (the Lunar New Year) than escaping the Chinese speaking world and the crowds that a week-long holiday create? Rather than compete with the other toursists flocking to the more scenic areas of Taiwan, or battle for space in the Philippines - the other favourite - or even stay in Taibei to be witness to the inevitable fireworks display around 101, we decided to head west to Sri Lanka.

This move was spurred on by various considerations. We did wish to be free of cities and the thronging masses, and being a country of Indian culture Sri Lanka wouldn't be celebrating the Lunar New Year. It also offers the advantage of Indian food without the crowds of India. Of course there's also the lure of fine fabrics and well-made, affordable clothing.

Let me begin by telling you something about Bangkok airport. It's frustrating. We flew to Bangkok airport where we were to transfer to a connecting flight with a different airline to Colombo. On leaving the plane we traversed a single corridor where we were greeted with a sign indicating the transfer section. We tried to enter. The guard at the gate stopped us and asked us for our flight details. We told him the flight we were on. He shook his head. Again he asked, saying that we needed proof of our flight.

Now at a normal airport everything is digital. One's passport has all the details required and a simple scan can send passengers merrily on their way. Not here. Instead we were turned away.

We began questioning the ladies at the information section, worried that we might miss our flight. They gave us a passcode to the airport's wi-fi and my girlfriend, hoping her battery wouldn't die, loaded her emails on her smartphone and began the long process of scrolling through them in search of our flight confirmation.

Phone in hand we re-approached the guard. This time he let us through and we were put through a security check. Bear in mind this is immediately after landing. Why a security check was needed I will never know, but they stole my toothpaste on the dubious grounds that it was a little too big.

After that we got to the check-in counters and secured our seats on the next flight. From there we flew to Sri Lanka, arriving late at night (though for Taiwan it would have been early morning). We exchanged half our spending money on arrival and went looking for our lift. A man with a sign was waiting to meet us at the airport. He Led us over to the carpark, bundled us into his van and drove (what I've now come to think was) the long way round into the city.

Our guest house - Hotel Sunshine - was waiting for us. Their rooms, as shown below, do not match their advertisments. Spartan is the word that springs to mind when descriptions are called for. We were greeted on arrival in our room by a cockroach, which did its best to avoid my shoe. It failed.

It was at this point that we realised we had lost our Sri Lankan guide book in transit from Taibei. Much upset by this, as we had earmarked certain pages of interest, we went to bed and began an early start of planning the steps of our trip.

Day One

It's always good to see wildlife in a city.

Our first step had already been decided. We were booked at the Black Beauty Guest House in Unawatuna - just south of Galle on the south west coast - for the next three nights. That meant a bus ride was in order. We caught a tuk-tuk to the bus station.

We passed a market on the way. I caught a few snaps of the lengthy line of stalls.

The bus station was... an empty plot of land. A man in a shack told us where to wait for the bus. One noticeable thing was a large advert towering over the parked tuk-tuks, offering them a blessing of shade. It was interesting to see an advert that (finally) turned men into objects rather than women.

One buys one's bus tickets on the bus once it's already on the road. This bus took the motorway, a relatively new road. Unlike the usual roads, this one is inland and is robbed of the coastal view, but it's a lot quicker.

The left the motorway to join the coastal road when we got close to Galle. What fascinated me the most was how the climate and vegetation, both inland and by the sea, mirrored South Africa's southern coast so precisely.

From Galle we caught a tuk-tuk to Unawatuna.

Here let me say a word or two about tuk-tuks. Many people in Sri Lanka can speak English. If you're asking a driver about a place you want to go, and they seem confused, or simply repeat "okay, okay", but don't seem to know what's going on - just walk away and find an English speaker. Trust me - it'll save you in the long run.

Also, make an agreement over price before you get in. Don't let them simply run the metre, because there are those who will take extended routes to get more out of you. A trip from Galle to Unawatuna should cost about 300 rupees. Always bargain and always start lower than you're willing to pay. In popular tourist spots (i.e. most of the coastline) they will do their best to overcharge you. It makes sense - their economy is run on tourism.

You will need change. Get lots of one hundred rupee notes. These guys are terrible with change.

Black Beauty Guest House

Choosing this place was, unquestionably, the best decision my girlfriend made the entire trip. Everything about this guest house put us at ease.

The rooms are gorgeous. They came equipped with mosquitto nets, fans and AC. Ours even had an international plug socket in the wall. Our room was on the first floor, which gave us a view down over a tree which a particularly playful chipmunk was playing in for most of the first day. We had our own verandah (complete with a rocking chair for some reason).

Meals are served from the third floor of the building - an open-walled roofspace that gives a view spanning 270 degres. Two sides end in mountains and forest, whilst the third inculdes a view of the pool and, in the distance, the sea which provides an constant, gentle murmur. One can hardly hear the cars on the road - a rare treat for one living in the heat of a city like Taibei.

Our first meal in Unawatuna.

After a bit of down time to recover from our travelling and to let lunch settle, we caught another tuk-tuk back to Galle and up to the Dutch fort, which is now a fully-fledged village. As well as being a residential area complete with houses, shops, restaurants and schools, it's also a tourist hot-spot. Not surprisingly the prices are there to match and negotiation is still possible.

If you find yourself in a position staring down a pricetag that won't budge - don't worry. Just leave the item and walk away. No matter what it is, you WILL find it again in another shop in Sri Lanka. Many of them stock the same items and some are more stubborn with their prices than others.

Some of the beautiful old streets on Galle fort.

Stick No Bills - a shop that specialises in reprints of old posters and postcards. They are a little pricey, but if you must buy something, make sure it's a poster. Their postcards (and similar) can be found elsewhere for more reasonable prices.

More wildlife. It seems there is quite a large a murder that lives around this fort.

Trust me to find the post office. My family can confirm that from home.

A tuk-tuk. They may drive like crazy, but they don't go particularly fast. That's probably why I didn't see any accidents. Whatever apprehensions you might harbour toward such a vehicle, riding in one is always fun.

Possibly the most untrustworthy looking attorney's office I've seen in my travels; what with the crumbling walls, the abandoned look and the rusted bars over the door.