Sri Lanka
It was supposed to be a short stay of a week. I’m actually going to spend a month there…
Indeed, the day before the return I was stolen a bag containing my passport. Impossible to take the plane… So, I had to file a complaint, obtain an emergency passport at the embassy and, the most difficult, a visa to return to India.
For a French person, it is very easy and quick to obtain an e-visa with a normal passport. With an emergency passport, things get tough…. It will take me three weeks to get the visa.
Experience gained with this incident: A visa is granted to a passport not to a person. The loss of the passport leads to the cancellation of all visas attached to it. Consequently, when you travel without returning to your country of origin, the most important thing is not the money you have on you but your passport.
I thought Sri Lanka looked a bit like India. It is not so. Sri Lanka is a very touristy country that has gradually become westernized. We find it in the kitchen and mentalities. In Sri Lanka, rice has replaced Indian breads.
A few words about Sri Lanka: The north of Sri Lanka is quite Hindu and they speak Tamil (same language as in the state of Tamil Nadu where I live). The south is predominantly Buddhist with a significant Christian presence, they speak another language: Sinhalese. The economy is based on the production of rice, tea, coconut, fishing and tourism. Since the covid and the economic crisis, caused by the corruption of their ex-president, the country has become considerably impoverished.
For this first visit, I traveled the southwestern quarter of the island. The mountain landscapes are magnificent and the seaside is idyllic.
The mountain with the cities of Kandy, Nirwana-Eliya and Ella
Kandy Lake, view from my guesthouse and the Temple of the Tooth (relic).
From Kandy to Ella… Tea plantations and magnificent landscapes.
Drying and processing of tea leaves
Ella
The sea with the towns of Unawatuna and Negombo
On the way to the south, the beaches.
Then return next to the airport north of Colombo.
I stayed three weeks in Negombo waiting for the return visa. Round trip Colombo to High Commission of India and Indian Office Visa….
So I was able to enjoy the beach, the seafood and I had the chance to go fishing with the son of the owner of the guesthouse. Surface fishing using floating nets at night. That night, we brought back several good sized barracudas.
