An early start to the airport passing queues of people hanging around some stalls by the railway tracks.they were hoping to get some work that day said our driver and gang masters would come and choose.In contrast we passed a giant Lulumall,the only store like it India.Anyone who has been to the gulf will have seen their stores.apparently started by a Keralan who is the only person that doesn't need an appointment to see the king,said our guide. It even has a Marks and Sparks and fast food joints that our guide did not approve of as the youngsters today preferred that to good honest local food.Like home we said.
Our plane journey was uneventful,we could see the tip of India which looked like a lovely sandy beach and almost immediately we started our descent into Colombo airport .From a great height the countryside looked like England,very green and well ordered fields and trees planted in rows. As we got lower the trees were all coconut trees so not like England at all apart for the greenness.Going through immigration was a doddle,no hassle and our luggage was on the carousel as we arrived.Our driver was there waiting and we were soon on the road heading north west up country.Our first impressions were that Sri Lanka is very much like Kerala in architecture and countryside but very much cleaner and emptier.Next we both thought it looked like a more prosperous Mauritius with rice fields instead of sugar cane. We passed cottage industries by the side of the road, a blacksmith at his anvil,a family brick works,small saw mills cutting the coconut trees into 4x2 planks and fruit sellers(pineapple,coconut and bananas). The women tended to be wearing dresses and blouses and the gents sarongs,saris are apparently worn in Kandy,the capital.Many of the children were wearing their white Sunday school uniforms.We stopped to drink and eat a king coconut and a coconut roti.Eventually in the mid afternoon we arrived at our hotel which is a lakeside resort and our chalet is huge surrounded by trees.It is more luxurious than our beach hotel in Kerala.We have a bath as well as a shower and their is draft lager in the bar.
After freshening up and allowing the temperature to drop a little we set off to the mountain palace ruins of Sigiriya.1252 steps to the top and 5th century frescoes accessed by a spiral staircase.There was even some 12th century graffiti concerning the beautiful paintings.We returned to have a welcome shower before a beer and dinner.