As everyone who has even a smidgin of knowledge about cricket knows, the Sri Lankans are absolutely mad about the sport. Their passion manifests itself on any spare patch of ground and corner of beach. On the beach several games take place cheek by jowl and it’s not uncommon, in Colombo at least, to come across a group of young men playing barefoot cricket on a scrubby patch of land with nothing more than a tennis ball, some improvised stumps and a piece of wood for a bat.
Sri Lanka is also a country where tourists are blantantly over-charged either officially or unofficially. Entry prices are all artifically inflated, by up to 400 per cent in some cases, and prices for other goods and services seem to be far to high to be supported by the local economy. We are also beginning to suspect that information imparted here is frequently ‘adjusted’ to suit the giver’s purpose. Such as the trains that don’t take reservations are always full, that there are no direct buses to certain places making them hideously difficult to get to. All designed to manipulate the unsuspecting to taking a certain, more profitable, course of action. We were even quote two different prices for our train tickets by the government train information office and when it became clear we didn’t want to book a tour package were sent round to the normal ticket window where the price was actually considerably lower.
This is our last day in Colombo. This afternoon we are taking the train to Anuradhapura, one of Sri Lanka’s ancient cities and one of nine former capitals. To while away an hour or too before leavng for the station we take a walk around the back streets of Mount Lavinia and discover a pretty suburb of mostly single story bungalows, guest houses and hotels with lush, green gardens overflowing with flowering trees and palms. It’s a surprising oasis of peace and calm only a few minutes from the manic traffic on Galle Road.
We find our way to the local train station which is only a stone’s throw from the beach. The trains from here to Colombo take as long as the bus and are the same price, but don’t run as frequently. As we walk away we are approached by old man who wants to show us a local temple, so we trundle off with him, knowing that there is going to be a cost attached one way or another. The temple is hidden away off a back street and has some beautiful if crumbling murals, ceiling mandalas and several buddha statues including an enormous recliningg buddha with lotus flowers painted on the soles of his feet. The reclining figure signifing buddha’s approaching death and achievement of nirvana.
As we should have anticipated, there is the usual visitors donation book, in which almost everyone before us seems to have given 2000 rupees, which seems an enormous amount when entry fees to other temples are around 100-200 rupees. But we fall for the psychological blackmail and give 1500. That, plus the 500 for the old man, make it a rather expensive diversion.
We have a quick bite to eat at the Casserole, which is part of a chain and seems to be quite popular with the locals despite the fact that it serves rather pale imitations of Chinese and European dishes and the Sri Lankan menu is off. It is also relatively expensive compared to local Sri Lankan restaurants.
We arrive at the Fort railway station in good time but discover that our reservation has been doubled booked by the ticket office. The Sri Lankans who have our seats very graciously make way for us and fortunately are readily able to find alternatives in this far from full 2nd class compartment.
The journey to Anuradhapura is uneventful and we arrive more or less on time, pick up a taxi for a modest cost arrive at Lake View Tourist Guest House around 9pm.