this picturesque city has a combination of modern not so pretty structures; ruins form the 2004 tsunami and beautiful buildings from the portuguese, dutch and british colonies. we went around in tuk-tuk which is the most common mode of transportation. it is a motorcycle but with three wheels and a bench in the back. no doors or windows for easy and fast access in and out. unfortunately what is not so fast is the mandatory 15 minute prior negotiation of the tariff before you actually get on. it is actually a very ingenious fun and cheap way to go around.
we visited the town and saw the many wooden shacks mostly on the beaches with different colors where you can buy all sorts of fish; the great local market full of every fruit and vegetable imaginable, a couple of museums and many stores of clothes, gems and dvds. i do not know how this is possible. everywhere we have been in asia we have seen dvd stores (not street vendors but actual permanent businesses) with copies of movies and music for less than one dollar a piece. here in sri lanka 4 movies cost 0.70 cents. makes you wonder how they enforce any copyright law in these places….
the other stuff for sale is very pretty. crafts, lots of gems and colorful clothes. what we enjoyed the most were the restaurants and their excellent food. mostly curries and lots of coconut and spices, not to mention the fruits and inexpensive fruit juices!!! 
No comments:
Post a Comment