I have very few relics from this two-week holiday in Sri Lanka, apart from my trusty (though quite pithy) journal notes and quite a lot of photos, only the highlights from which have been put into an album.
No itinerary, for example, although I do have a contact list…
…and I can pretty much reconstruct the itinerary from my journal notes. It was a Kuoni tour. We had successfully used Kuoni for our previous far flung adventure, to China, Hong Kong and Bali:
This Sri Lanka trip was to be the last time we did one of these guided tour in a group things. We got a little frustrated with the regimented nature of the tour…
…and the difficulty/inability to really get to see places and meet local people on our own terms. Some of that sense of frustration will emerge from my verbatim transcription of my (at the time of writing, in early 2020) 25 years ago journal.
We must have left London reasonably early on 16th to arrive in Colombo early on 17th.
Arrive at Columbo only 40 minutes late – despite early two hour delay at Heathrow Terminal Four due to power cut.
Get to hotel early morning – everyone travel weary – therefore slept until afternoon.
Took optional tour round Columbo.
Not a very interesting city – saw municipal buildings, old colonial buildings etc.
Our guide, Barney, took us to the Galle Face Hotel at end of tour. He helped us to find recommended Seafood/fish restaurant where we tried hoppers, gambas, seer fish curry and Barney’s recommended tuna dish, ambul thiyal. Very good meal.
Early night for early start tomorrow
We weren’t staying at the Galle Face Hotel – it seems we were staying at the Lanka Oberoi Hotel (latterly known as the Cinnamon Grand). We just went for a butchers at the Galle Face.
Part One of our two-part photo album for this Sri lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below there are 69 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
