Diana’s ring 🤣🤣

I had intended rising early to say goodbye to one of our group. Instead when the alarm went off I rolled over, turned it off and went back to sleep waking around 9:00am. Nearly a 12 hour stint. Yes I do feel better for it but annoyed with myself that I left it a bit late to venture out while it was cool. 

I get a “check in” message for my Brunei flight and realise my travel agent (aka me) had miscalculated my dates and that flight was a day after I had thought. 

Immediately I went into panic mode thinking I had stuffed everything but phew all it meant was that I needed an extra day here in Colombo which I am not unhappy about. In fact, I’m glad. More time to explore outside the hottest parts of the day. 

It was too hot to venture too far and after I had walked a few blocks the tuk tuk touts started to annoy me big time so I grabbed a coke from the supermarket and came back to my room to recheck my flights. 

One tout made me laugh though. He told me he used to be a policeman (presumably so I would trust him, but from what Ananda told me about corruption here I would not trust a policeman any more than anyone else). Anyway he told me that today was a special celebration of the 50th!!! Anniversary of Princess Diana’s engagement! Because of that his friend the jewellery friend was offering 50% discount. Where does this bullshit come from?  40th maybe but really. 

Its too hot to go wandering and I have booked a city tour for tomorrow. I am also hungry so despite reading contradictory reviews about the floating market I book an Uber tuk tuk to the floating market. The idea was to grab some street food. I didn’t. Quickest visit ever. I have never ever visited anywhere with such a putrid smell. So putrid that you could smell it well before it came into view. 

Dumb move so I start walking. Nearly die and grab a tuktuk back to the hotel. By now I am ravenous so go to a restaurant I spied yesterday. The Ministry of Crab 🦀. Main attraction is the crab. Today they have run out but I am too hungry to move on so take my seat and order garlic prawns and a passionfruit soda.   They have 6 sizes of prawns available. I go for the 4th biggest at USD30 per order. 

The bib is embroidered with “Keep calm and crab on”, my serviette folded like a kimono. The service is amazing. 

My soda comes with two small phials of sugar syrup which was so cute, cool and thirst quenching. 

I’m bibbed up. My prawn arrives. Remember it is the 4th size of 6 options. I have selected garlic chilli flavouring but even the garlic doesn’t stop me smelling the freshness of the crab. The flavour is out of this world. How the prawn shines through the garlic and chilli I dont know but it is sooooooo good. I don’t even know how to describe it except to say I need the bib. Not to protect my clothes but to collect my slobber. OMG. 

AND then there is the bread. A 3cm slice of toasted garlic bread, crunchy on the outside and an oh so fluffy interior, oozing with garlic butter. 

This is as good as it can possibly get. 

Customers are almost exclusively Japanese - maybe they are better placed to afford it. 

My receipt comes in a tiny branded envelope. Perfection, but then it is my most expensive meal. I’m glad they have run out of crab. It could not possibly have been better than my prawn. 

They also have a concept store selling branded products for charity. Of course I bought something I didn’t need but it might help a kid somewhere. 

I spent the rest of the avo trying to sort my blog. Its annoying me that I can’t upload photos on the blog space I am using so this will likely be the last blog on that platform. 

From now on go to:  https://www.polarsteps.com/HelenDobson/11314768-sri-lanka

Blog sorted one a kind man in a suit offered to find me a tuk tuk to the mall and invited me for a drink. I declined the drink and he then told me the story of Diana’s engagement and the store that was offering a discount on jewellery. Explaining I wanted to walk and had no  in jewellery didn’t cut it. I said I just want yo go to the Mall (within walking distance) so he gets me a cheap (.50cent) tuktuk ride to the mall. 

Guess where I got dropped. Yep. The jewellery shop. No wonder the ride was cheap. The driver would have got commission if I bought something and was pretty pee’d when I said I didn’t even want to go into the store. Oh well tough mate. Sorry. NOT. 

So then I got my second uber tuk tuk going in the opposite direction headed to the AIRCONDITIONED mall till it cools down outside. 

The Mall was crowded and not particularly cool but it was nice to check out the locals. We had to go through security airport style to be able to get in the door. The shops were different to home with a few brand stores thrown in. 

I was hungry so went in search of local snacks. I’m now in the food hall waiting for my Lebanese meal for goodness sake. Beetroot, leaves, mint, haloumi, chick peas, red onion and pomegranate and I love it. So refreshing after the carb based meals I’ve had. 

Hardly any local stuff here but there’s KFC, Pizza Hutt and Burger King of course. Interesting that up until now I have only encountered smiling, polite and helpful people. Get to the mall and it changes. I guess people who shop here are wealthier (prices were not cheap) and the niceties have gone out the window. That’s what first world environments do to people. 

Sated with my meal I head off and walk home. It was cooler outside than in and I enjoyed the walk. In the opposite direction there was a beach food thing I would have liked to go to but now I was full and couldn’t be bothered walking anymore. I’m glad I am stuck here for the extra night. 

Until tomorrow. Good night from Colombo.