Kandy, Sri Lanka

DAY 350 - CEYLON
May 2nd marked a number of important milestones for me. 350 days since leaving home, two weeks shy of one year, first time on Sri Lankan Airlines and my first time to Sri Lanka. Arriving in a new place it's always the little differences that make the biggest impressions. First impressions are usually lasting and my first impressions of Sri Lanka were very good. The airport was quiet and the immigration procedures didn't take long and before I knew it I had changed some money and was ready to head for Kandy, the hill town where Phil was staying. Outside of the airport were various security staff but what got my attention straight away were the female officers wearing knee length skirt uniforms with ankle socks. Every single one of them had hairy legs. What a thing to notice first off.

It was just as hot as India so I didn't appreciate the fact that the air-conditioned bus to the city, 30km to the south, wasn't running. Instead I walked about a kilometre to the junction and caught a public non air-con bus to the busy Bastion Mawatha bus station in Colombo. As soon as I leapt off the bus I was almost run over by another one which, purely by coincidence, was heading to Kandy so I got the last seat, next to the driver and watched in horror for the next three hours at the suicidal Sri Lankan driving. No corner is ever too blind enough to attempt overtaking, no following distance too close. Maybe it was because I watched the road the whole time that I felt as if we could die any minute because the other passengers in the back seemed oblivious to the danger we were all in. Our driver was relatively inexperienced and it seemed at times he didn't really trust what he was doing. A number of times we came roaring up beside a truck or bus trying to overtake, only to pull back at the last minute and tuck in behind one second before another bus or truck came hurtling past in the other direction. The scenery was nice though and the countryside around Kandy is spectacular. It took me longer than usual to finally get my bearings in town but once I found the lake I just followed Phil's directions up to the guesthouse overlooking the lake. I last saw Phil at the All Bar One in Covent Garden the day before we flew to Russia so it had been about 350 days since I saw him last.

KANDY
Phil had given me directions to the guesthouse in Kandy so once I found my bearings I walked uphill through the main street past 'The Pub', around the lake, past the tree that smells like hash and up the hill to the Lake Inn guesthouse. After a few minutes Phil emerged. It was great to see him again after nearly a year - we went to school together in Wainuiomata and shared a flat in London for a year or so. He has a reputation as being New Zealand's biggest cricket fan and the reason for being in Kandy is to watch the second cricket test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Awesome for a cricket fan like me but dead boring if you don't follow it. For the record, after five days the game ended in a draw but we had an excellent time sitting in the sun for the most part, enjoying some of the local three coin lager.

Waving the flag randomly - maybe a wicket, maybe a four. Who knows?

After almost a week in Kandy, walking around on foot most of the time, I began to notice a relatively unique phenomenon. It was as I was walking uphill through the main street past 'The Pub', around the lake, past the tree that smells like hash and up the hill to the Lake Inn guesthouse that I realised that it's not very often you walk up hill towards a lake. It was weird but not quite as weird as the tree that smelled like hash. I spent a lot of time beside that tree looking out over the lake. Sniffing.

THREE COINS
This is a quote from the back of the 650ml bottle of Three Coins lager;

"When consumed in moderation, Three Coins is an ideal thirst quencher, a mild relaxant or an excellent lubricant for social intercourse."