Long Handle Brooms

What's so special about long handle brooms ? Apart from being easy to use and less damaging to the user's back muscles, they are not commonly seen in South Asia. Most of the brooms I've seen in India and Bangladesh have short handle. The problem with this kind of broom is that, the sweeper has to crouch or bend down low to sweep. The long handle version on the other hand allows one to sweep the floor without bending down. Being able to use both hands allows one to leverage more force and a wider range of motions as well. In Sri Lanka however, the long handle brooms were common. It could be the topic of an interesting sociological research to find out what influenced the adaptation or retention of short/long handle brooms in certain countries in the area while neighbors were shifting towards a different sweeping technology.

Long handle brooms being sold in Negombo

Shopping for Souvenir in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka offers a good bunch of interesting souvenirs. Masks, leather goods, batiks, wood curving and metal ware are a few to name.

Lakmedura has a diverse collection of items at decent prices. Masks, batik, wood curving etc. are good in Lakmedura, but the leather collection was found to lag behind the rest.

Laksala seemed to have almost the same quality of products as did Lakmedura. However, the prices in Laksala were a bit cheaper. The Gurulu masks in Laksala were the best among all souvenir shops; had better curving as well as intricate paint job. At a higher price, of course. Besides masks, they had good collection of metal ware.

There is a certain Kandyan Arts Association in Kandy. Its located by the lake, next to the Temple of Tooth. This place had the largest collection of wood curving as well as metal ware. The metal ware were exceptionally better than the other shops. Their collection of wood curving was the largest, but almost the same quality as others.

Best collection of leather goods were found in the souvenir shops along Lewis place in Negombo. Not all of these are genuine 100% leather. But the prices can be negotiated to compensate with the shortcoming.

Although batiks are somewhat ubiquitous, tasteful design or color combination is a bit rare. A shop in Negombo (forgot the name) had the best batik; a small but tasteful collection. Pretty good collection of batiks were also found in souvenir shops along the DS Senanayake Street, near the Temple of Tooth.

Hoppers

Hoppers are excellent local food available at local prices all over Sri Lanka. The local restaurants serve different kinds of hoppers throughout the day.

String hoppers

Rakshasa Masks

Rakshasa mask

Unique to the Sinhalese culture, the rakshasa masks expresses Sri Lanka's rich and vibrant cultural heritage.

President Rajapaksa

President Rajapaksa on billboards and bank notes

Sri Lanka's current president, Mahindra Rajapaksa appears to be actively seeking popularity and improvement of his image among his fellow countrymen. His face appears a lot in billboards, posters and even in poorly designed bank notes. The new 1000 LKR note features the president on one side while a badly done copy of a famous WWII sculpture adorns the other side. This note is quite low in aesthetic value compared to all the other bank notes in circulation.

Travel Between Negombo & Colombo

There are a few options for traveling between Negombo and Colombo. One can travel by road, rail or boat.

Buses run between Negombo and Colombo

Tuk-Tuks of Lanka

Tuk-Tuks are an economic alternative of taxi cars in Sri Lanka. Similar vehicles can be found in neighboring India as auto-rikshaw, in Bangladesh as CNG. But there are a few differences setting them apart from the counterparts in neighboring countries.

Meal Packs in Sri Lanka

Meal packs are common street food in Sri Lanka. They are also sold in small restaurants sometimes. This is the most economic option for food known to me. These are not mouth watering food per say. More akin to modest home cooked meals in decent portions. That is precisely why I like them.

Landing in Sri Lanka

My apartment in Negombo

Sri Lanka is an island nation of South Asia. As such, the only ways to reach Sri Lanka is either by a boat or an air plane. There are quite a few countries connected to Sri Lanka through air plane routes. Regular flights are operated between Sri Lanka and neighboring countries of Maldives, India, Bangladesh etc. and also south east asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia etc.

My flight from Chennai landed in the Bandaranaike International Airport. Nearest town, Negombo is about 6 km away. A taxi from the airport to the hotel / beach resort neighbor hood (Lewis Place) was 1500 LKR.

It was 4:00AM in the morning and the manager of the hotel I walked in was sleeping. He was woken up with the help of the taxi driver. This hotel was full, so he took me to another one where I could get a room for 3000 LKR per night. Later that day, I found an apartment close to the beach with kitchen, bathroom and terrace for only 1500 LKR per night. Thinking that this could serve as a base to travel around in Sri Lanka and come back to rest, it was rented for a month. Thus I completed my landing in Sri Lanka.

Idly and Dosa

Idly or Dosa served with coconut chutney, sambhar (or sambol), vaadai etc. is a typical Tamil breakfast. Can be found in both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, India.

Dosa, (also spelled as Dosai, Thosa, or Thosai) is a pancake made of fermented rice flour mixed with coconut milk and spices according to taste. Idly (also spelled Ittly) is a steamed rice flour muffin of round shape. A similar muffin called Vapa is cooked in Bangladesh for winter breakfast. Vapa usually has a sweet core of coconut and jaggery which is missing in Idly.

Local restaurants in both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, India and serves these in breakfast. The chutney and sambar varies from one region to another, and from one restaurant to another. Curry dishes of vegetable, chiken, fish and mixed were found but not all at the same place.

In most places, Idly or Dosa breakfast was found to be quite cheap and filling. A filling Dosa breakfast can be no more than 150.00 LKR in Sri Lanka. This would also include a cup of fine Ceylon tea. Sri lankan grocery stores often sell break fast packs of Dosa. It contains three to four Dosa and a small serving of spicy sambol. A pack costs 40.00 LKR.

Kovil

A kovil in Negombo, this one has three increasingly smaller gates on top of the main gate

Tamil temples are called Kovil. The architectural style is different from North Indian mandirs.

Kovils are colorful and more ornate. Most of the work is focused on the entrance to the temple. Its built as a large gate with multiple levels stacked on top of each other. The ground level is the actual gate that people use to go inside. There are sculptures of two mythical guards, sporting more than one pair of hands and carrying big scary weapons, on either side of the door. The guards are sometimes accompanied by other mythical figures. Above the ground level gate is another smaller gate with its own set of guards, deities and mythical creatures. Above this is even smaller one and it goes on. Every single detail is painted to distinguish from the back ground and other neighboring elements. It's an work of art.

There probably is some kind of encoding in the architecture. By selection of mythical figures, their position and ordering etc. the architect may send out a message. Its beyond my abilities to interpret the message now, but I would like learn this language some day. For the time being, I'm admiring the kovils for their beauty.

Sri Lanka Visa

Visa on arrival at the Bandarnayeke International Airport

One can apply for a visit visa to Sri Lanka online from the website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration. Alternatively, a visa on arrival can easily be obtained from the Bandernayeke International Airport. A visit visa costs 30 USD. Citizens of SAARC countries are eligible for a discount, for them visit visa costs 15 USD.

The visa is valid for 30 days and can be extended for 15 or 30 days at the office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in located at 41, Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka
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