Friday, 9 January 2015

Chaos in Columbo | Sri Lanka

After our crappy half day in Kalutara we wanted to treat ourselves to a ride on the famous steam train from Columbo to Kandy. The journey is said to be one of the most spectacular in the world due to the scenic route of tea plantations and waterfalls toward the hill country.

We’d tried to find information online so we could reserve seats but struggled to find so much as a timetable, and in the end we agreed to just turn up at Colombo station and enquire directly. As it turns out, the steam train is only available to book if you are a party of 15 or more and they try to fill the 300 available seats before it will run.

After sitting in the station canteen nursing a cup of tea and feeling sorry for ourselves for a good half an hour, we decided to initiate plan B; get the train to Negombo instead.
 
With two hours to wait until the next train so we agreed to use the time exploring Colombo. A short walk from the station led us straight to the heart of the infamous markets where we were offered a glimpse of what a European city might have felt like 200 years ago. Hand carts weaving in and out the narrow stinking streets as traders competed for attention from potential customers. Their calls distorted into a demented holler caused by the constant repetition of a certain word or phrase.


Even though Columbo is the tourist gateway to Sri Lanka, you’d have sworn the men had never seen a western girl before. The stares and cat calls came from every direction as we ambled through the busy network of streets careful not to run over anyone feet with our matching Skyscraper bags.

In Unawattuna, Hikkaduwa and Kalutaara, we’d been used to Matt being greeted by passers with a jaunty ‘hello sir’ and a polite smile or reserved ‘hello’ toward me; but in Colombo it was a complete role reversal. Every man I passed shouted ‘hello madam,’ desperate to strike up a conversation with me whilst completely ignoring Matt. With the ratio of men to women in the area favourable to men at 20:1, it wasn’t somewhere I’d want to be alone. Although I’m sure they were harmless, it felt intimidating to be given so much attention.

 
After two hours in Colombo we felt relieved we’d decided against an overnight stay as it isn’t somewhere we’d want to spend the evening and apart from the shops, we weren’t interested in any of the other activities Colombo had to offer. This was the vibe we got from the research we’d done beforehand and also from the other tourists we’d spoken to. Bring on the sleepy village of Negombo!

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