1. Sri Lanka
Crisis 2001 Tour
The thinking man's alternative to a small red sportscar
1. Sri Lanka |
Crisis 2001 Tour The thinking man's alternative to a small red sportscar |
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Learning to swim with the Shaw Method. 16 February - 1 March Links:Shaw Method trainers in Oxford
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| Dispatch
from Sri Lanka:
17/2 (Day 2): Arrive in Colombo to be greeted by what appears to be the white goods shopping district of Sri Lanka.
Washing machines, fridges, microwaves etc. - all duty-free. Should I write a book
called "Round Sri Lanka with an Air Conditioning Unit"? This could be part of a series including
"Ducks Don't Float in Lhasa" and "A Forest Without Trees".
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18/2 (Day 3): Walk into downtown Negombo. Shop signs include: 20/2 (Day 5): Steven Shaw demonstrating himself to be the fine teacher that his reputation had led me to expect. His method breaks down each stroke (we are doing front crawl) into its constituent parts, around 18 of them. This allows analysis in detail of elements of the stroke which take place for only fractions of a second. Today we spent most of the time almost on our backs in the breathing position - counterintuitive for the front crawl! In my case, a rather subtle twist of the hips made a huge difference. Masterly tuition! I've now been offered a lady for anything from an hour (from the gentleman on the beach) to a lifetime (from the gentleman in the restaurant). This certainly provides a wide range of possibilities.
Lunch was "Hidden Fantasy". Some mystical Sri Lankan dish, conjured up from rare spices and hidden in a casing of exquisite delicacy? No - chicken nuggets and chips. |
28/2 (Day 13): Last night dined at the Hill Club in Nurewa Eliya, a throwback to Britain's (England's) colonial past in this former hill station. Dinner cost an outrageous 35 pounds - 15 for the food, and 20 for the gear that allowed me to eat it (shoes, trousers, shirt and a rather fetching silver tie, all bought at a local shop for the occasion). Brigadier Fairweather-Cockball et al in their element here, with the immaculate table settings, pork chops and formal waiters buzzing around with a hushed servility. A vodka martini in the bar to fit my recently-acquired secret agent status (Talia and Tommo suspect that I may be a spy). The question lingers in my mind - what do I have to learn from this? A farewell meal in the Oriental Sea Food Restaurant ("Our Food Is Always Good") to reflect on a very good start to Crisis 2001 Tour. The Sri Lankans are an impressive bunch - even with their limited resources they (mainly) had an equanimity and humanity about them that came through in their beautifully winning smiles. And the ladies are so beautiful! Marshel, the owner of the restaurant and my driver for my five-day tour, didn't check the wad of cash I thrust at him as we finalised payment for his services. This seemed a fitting way to end my short introduction to Sri Lanka.
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At the hotel, I was faced with a few moments of trepidation when I realised that the very friendly barber
had actually understood that I'd asked him to give me a #1 all over. Now I look like Buddha
and can rightfully assume my nom-de-voyage "Sri Baba Hadden San".
22/2 (Day 7): Discovered today that the Sinhalese alphabet has, as far as I can tell, 59 characters and 22 modifying symbols!
Sri Lanka - travellers' tips: