Cultures clash in Colombo
Arriving in Colombo, I fell into what seems like a new habit; to walk from the airport into the city. Here, this meant a 30 minute walk to an urban train station, from where the ride into town was the equivalent of 25 cents.
It was early, and great to see the city waking up, commuters going to work. Like everywhere else, passengers were on their cell phones, with wireless earbuds in their ears.
Right around the corner from my hotel in Colombo was the Wolvendaal Church, a Dutch church built in the second half of the 18th century.
Sri Lanka was under Dutch occupation from the mid 17th century for a period of around 150 years. It was ceded by the Portuguese with the settlement between Holland and Portugal which permanently saw Holland give up its designs on Brazil.
But, when Napoleon rolled in to Holland, and the Brits took over control of many of the Dutch possessions, Sri Lanka did not revert back to Holland after Napoleon’s defeat. Perhaps the Brits liked the Sri Lankan tea a bit too much.
But, with that, it’s disturbing that most of the tea (and coffee) here, comes from Nescafe machines.
Walking through Colombo, I was somewhat reminded of Bangkok. It’s perhaps a bit messier, while perhaps also a bit more subdued, a bit less cultured, and a bit emptier, and also has notable hints of Kolkata and Dar es salaam.
Quite pleasant, in fact.
My hotel was close to the central market. There, one corner was dedicated to dried fish. A leftover from Portuguese times?
Then, on my return to Colombo a few days later, I stayed at the fading Grand Oriental hotel, once home to Anton Chekhov, Queen Elizabeth II (twice), and other luminaries.
Still with a pleasant enough lobby, the building is slowly disintegrating, its most recent renovation probably dating back to the 1980s, coinciding with Elizabeth’s last visit.
My room had an actual, and huge, TV, not a flat screen.