Sure Travel Journey Vol 4.3 Winter 2018 | Page 24

Colour
© SHUTTERSTOCK
Island of
From bustling markets to
exotic beaches, Richard
Holmes discovers the
many hues of Sri Lanka.
Sensory overload. That’s perhaps the best
way to describe the neighbourhood of
Pettah. What may seem an orderly grid
of streets from above is, at ground level,
a colourfully odorous and chaotically
crowded corner of everyday Colombo.
A frenzied bazaar packed with tiny shops
that flog everything from Bollywood
24 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
blockbusters to plastic buckets as barrow
boys barge past pushing carts piled high
with pomegranates, shallots and a myriad
bags of fresh produce. I loved the place.
This was my first visit to Sri Lanka, a
country that’s long been on my hit list.
Friends had returned waxing lyrical about
the warm waves of Arugam Bay in the east,
the hill walks of the cooler central highlands
and dawn hours spent spotting leopards in
Yala National Park. I wanted a piece of the
country dubbed “India-Lite”.
And it’s true: Sri Lanka delivers all the
charm and colourful chaos of India, but
with the volume turned down. The crowds