Walking through the arrivals gate at Colombo’s international airport in Sri Lanka, I was struck by two things – the broad, warm smiles of the people I passed and the duty free stores. It may seem like an odd thing to notice duty free but I have travelled a fair bit these last few years and have never seen anything like it.
On the one side is the usual duty free store offering cigarettes and alcohol, perfume and chocolate (I have never understood why this is a duty free thing so if someone can explain it to me, I would be most grateful).
On the other side of the broad pathway leading to customs were dozens of small storefronts selling fridges, washing machines, televisions, clothes dryers – any large white good you would find in most western houses. It was as if Joyce Mayne, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys and Betta Electrical each set up three or four small stores within the airport. My head wrestled with the idea of picking up a fridge on the way out of the airport and then trying to hail down a taxi! I began to wonder if Sri Lankan people made the quick dash to Malaysia just so they could get a bargain television on the way back home.
As my mind pondered this, I wandered into the “mainstream” duty free shop to pick up a bottle of scotch. I know there are restrictions on what can be bought in so was content with just the one bottle before the staff helpfully encouraged me to buy another one or two ensuring me there would be “no problem” if I exceeded the allowance. I decided to stick with the law and bring in just the one bottle.
I approached the counter to pay for it and pulled out a small wad of Sri Lankan Rupee only to be told – with a warm broad smile of course – that Rupee was not accepted within the airport. Goods could only be paid for with foreign currency! I laughed because I thought the assistant was joking but his smile broadened and he assured me that was indeed the case as he encouraged me to exchange my foreign currency for Sri Lankan rupee once I had passed customs! I dutifully returned my Sri Lankan rupee back to my purse and paid for my one bottle of scotch in US dollars. Ah Sri Lanka, I already knew I was going to love this place.
I arrived at my accommodation after the usual Asian car ride – blaring horns, near misses, aspirational traffic lanes, passing tuk tuks and busses crammed with more people than one would have imagined conceivable.
There were three things I really wanted to do in Sri Lanka. One was watch a cricket match, one was receive some Ayurvedic healing and the third was eat some bloody good curries.
My host, it turned out, is an Ayurvedic healer and there is currently a cricket match between the Australian and Sri Lankan junior teams in Colombo. I am in heaven itself.
And then there is the food. My host in Colombo insisted I share a farewell meal with a Hungarian couple leaving that afternoon. I had eaten my fill on the plane but accepted a plate and placed mere morsels of food on it. I immediately regretted eating on the plane. Oh my goodness, my taste buds went into overdrive with the tastes. I could hardly wait to be hungry enough to enjoy the “light curry” I had requested for the evening meal.
Finally 6pm arrived and I went downstairs to eat. What awaited me was a table laden with food. Four massive curries (two veggie, one chicken and one potato), a salad, fried mushrooms things and rice. It was astounding and I quickly realised my plan to lose a few kilos of weight while in Sri Lanka was probably not going to happen.
Then my host helpfully informed me what awaited me at breakfast – cream rice which can be eaten with spices or honey, fresh roti bread, an egg curry and fruit salad. I insisted this was too much and could see her face fall ever so slightly. Now I am not one to deliberately offend so I will give that breakfast my best shot!
One day and already I know I made the right decision to come to Sri Lanka!