Colombo, there we go!
20-22 April
Colombo
SRI LANKA
Amira asked me when I'd be traveling back to Bangkok. She wanted some pots, flower pots. I told her I don't plan to go back there in the near future as I was just in Bangkok a few months back. After a while, she asked, "Ok, do you want to go to Colombo?" I checked the flight schedule. Looked good. So I said YES.
The day after we decided to go, we had everything ready--tickets and exit permits. Though the return flight was full, we still went ahead with our plan because history says that a lot of passengers don't show up at the gate. We had a chance. Not that good, but still, a chance.
Our journey started with Amira forgetting her QR id at home and not exchanging her riyals for dollars. In-flight, I had a terrible experience with a drunk passenger and a not-so-good sample of Sri Lankad food. At the Bandaranaike International Airport, we were met by the QR airport manager who also assisted us with the hotel arrangement. We checked-in at the Cinnamon Hotel, one of the few 5-star hotels in the city. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take advantage of the hotel's facilities as we had to spend most of our time outside. We went to Victoria Park (where Amira shopped crazily for plants), batik shop, Buddhist temples, shopping malls (Odel, Majestic City, House of Fashion), gem mine (where I bought white sapphire and amethyst stones), and ceramic shops (Noritake, etc.) We had a late-night dinner at the beachside of Mt. Lavinia.
Though the country is poor, I was amazed at how honest its people are. Courteous, too. The place actually reminded me of Iloilo and Davao with all the greens, old buildings and the simplicity of the way people live. The weather was like ours (Philippines) and currency exchange rate is almost LKR2=PHP1. Transpo system, however, is not that developed. There were a few taxi's, tuktuk's and buses. No MRT rides this time. But there was a train, I remember, that passed by the beach when we were having dinner.
The place looks safe with the police seeming to be everywhere, that is, in about 50 meters away from each other. I was told that they were very strict about the security so that photos could not be taken in places that were actually ideal for picture-taking. Ay buhay!
Going back, we encountered several problems. One, we had no ride back to the airport so we asked for assistance from our tuktuk driver. He was kind enough to arrange one for us. At the airport, we were held by the Customs officers because we were carrying lots (and I mean lots) of plants. We thought we could get the plant quarantine permit from the airport as we usually do in Manila, but no! The Plant Quarantine office was located 18 miles from the airport. Amira was already crying at the thought of not being able to get her plants home. Fortunately, the officers helped her contact the quarantine office and we were allowed to carry the plants even without the written permits. Then there were more than 10 staff waiting for their chance at the check-in counter. I had high hopes that I'd get on the flight because of the captain's promise that I will be given a jumpseat, if the need arises.
The flight back was delayed due to no-shows (as expected) and 2 passengers were also offloaded. 2 hours inflight, an announcement was made asking for any doctor on-board. I didn't know what happened but I was actually afraid that we could be forced to have an emergency landing because of that. We were blessed that we went straight to Doha and arrived at 30 minutes past 10 in the evening.
Colombo
SRI LANKA
Amira asked me when I'd be traveling back to Bangkok. She wanted some pots, flower pots. I told her I don't plan to go back there in the near future as I was just in Bangkok a few months back. After a while, she asked, "Ok, do you want to go to Colombo?" I checked the flight schedule. Looked good. So I said YES.
The day after we decided to go, we had everything ready--tickets and exit permits. Though the return flight was full, we still went ahead with our plan because history says that a lot of passengers don't show up at the gate. We had a chance. Not that good, but still, a chance.
Our journey started with Amira forgetting her QR id at home and not exchanging her riyals for dollars. In-flight, I had a terrible experience with a drunk passenger and a not-so-good sample of Sri Lankad food. At the Bandaranaike International Airport, we were met by the QR airport manager who also assisted us with the hotel arrangement. We checked-in at the Cinnamon Hotel, one of the few 5-star hotels in the city. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take advantage of the hotel's facilities as we had to spend most of our time outside. We went to Victoria Park (where Amira shopped crazily for plants), batik shop, Buddhist temples, shopping malls (Odel, Majestic City, House of Fashion), gem mine (where I bought white sapphire and amethyst stones), and ceramic shops (Noritake, etc.) We had a late-night dinner at the beachside of Mt. Lavinia.Though the country is poor, I was amazed at how honest its people are. Courteous, too. The place actually reminded me of Iloilo and Davao with all the greens, old buildings and the simplicity of the way people live. The weather was like ours (Philippines) and currency exchange rate is almost LKR2=PHP1. Transpo system, however, is not that developed. There were a few taxi's, tuktuk's and buses. No MRT rides this time. But there was a train, I remember, that passed by the beach when we were having dinner.
The place looks safe with the police seeming to be everywhere, that is, in about 50 meters away from each other. I was told that they were very strict about the security so that photos could not be taken in places that were actually ideal for picture-taking. Ay buhay!
Going back, we encountered several problems. One, we had no ride back to the airport so we asked for assistance from our tuktuk driver. He was kind enough to arrange one for us. At the airport, we were held by the Customs officers because we were carrying lots (and I mean lots) of plants. We thought we could get the plant quarantine permit from the airport as we usually do in Manila, but no! The Plant Quarantine office was located 18 miles from the airport. Amira was already crying at the thought of not being able to get her plants home. Fortunately, the officers helped her contact the quarantine office and we were allowed to carry the plants even without the written permits. Then there were more than 10 staff waiting for their chance at the check-in counter. I had high hopes that I'd get on the flight because of the captain's promise that I will be given a jumpseat, if the need arises.
The flight back was delayed due to no-shows (as expected) and 2 passengers were also offloaded. 2 hours inflight, an announcement was made asking for any doctor on-board. I didn't know what happened but I was actually afraid that we could be forced to have an emergency landing because of that. We were blessed that we went straight to Doha and arrived at 30 minutes past 10 in the evening.
