September is knocking on the door, and so is "a daily Colombo grind". Well I mean.....how daily grind'ish can it really get, when you're still getting totally thrilled by the fact that the temperature never dives below 25+, that you can stack up on exotic fruits for what you pay for 2 kg over fertilized mushy apples in Netto in DK, and when - even though daily rutines of course are a part of my life, I still get to be pleasently surpriced ever so often by the Sri Lankan way of going about life, and by how every day spend here, allows me to get just a tad deeper into the culture I'm in and surrounded by.
I'm here, all alone for the time being. My darling roommate - and landlord :) - Michelle, is still in her other home coutry Down Under visiting familiy, friends and taking some well deserved time off, so I think for the next few weeks, I'm still on my own. It was the plan, until very recently, that I should only stay here temporarily, but I guess those plans have changed :) Michelle and I have both grown quite fond of the "roomie concept" - and each other of course, and so I have gladly accepted her generous offer of staying here, instead og finding a place for three months.
Her appartement is in the same building as the office where I work, so in that sense it is also very convenient. The area where it is located is called Bambalapitiya, and is an area of central Colombo. So I'm pretty close to everything. That being said, close has a different meaning than back in DK. A place may only be 5-10 minutes in a three-wheeler, but walking the distance would be highly unthinkable! Well, when the sun is out I'm glad to work - eventhough people think I'm NUTS, but after sunset, you hardly see anyone walking here. It's not that I feel unsafe, but I guess walking, just isn't the best way to get around, 'cause you never know.... Sad fact, I guess, but just how it is here. Actually, I'm really surpriced by how little "life" you see in general on the streets at night.
This Saterday, I went to a jazz concert at Barefoot (I tried to warp you down so many times Lea - you would really have LOVED it), and I headed home around 11.00 - streets almost completely abandoned. I saw the occasional Tuc tuc, but apart from that - empty streets (Oh yeah, this particular Saterday, you would also have seen me standing on the side of the road, while the tuc tuc driver tried to fix the flat tire!!! )This is in a Capital that counts around 2.2 mil. inhabitants....
Anyhow, Saterday I spent some of the day on the backseat of Chamin's three-wheeler (he's a sweet tuc tuc owner, who's reliable, not a hustler, and he takes pride and joy in keeping his "wheels" in MINT condition!). I went around town, visited a few temples, and, I'm afraid, a few of the shops, I've already come to know some what well ;)
Colombo truly is a place worth visting. The tourists that have come here within the past years, seem to have went straight from the airport to either beach or high lands, and that's a shame, I think.
Snapshot of the concert on Saterday - especially for you, Lea :)
Today, I've went to my first, long awaited, yoga class. It was just FAAAAANTASTIC. I won't spend much time elaborating on it now, because the class, and the amazing 65+ plus female teacher!!!!, really deserves a paragraph of its own. But it was just lovely - and: it's 3 times a week at 350 Rps per class - Yoga happy :)
At the last moment, I have to say, that even though being here is full of adventure and a lot of exciting 'first's', there is great downside to this "being abroad" situation.... Skype is a good thing no doubt, but when life shows one of its ugly sides to someone you hold close to your heart, Copenhagen and Denmark is a loooooooooooong way from Colombo! In general really, being away from the ones you love, is the price you pay, I guess. Most of the time it's okay - thanks to Skype, but sometimes longing and missing creeps in on you! Skype or no Skype, it's just to damn far, when all you really want is to be there FOR REAL. Leaves me feeling very powerless. All I can do, is send ALL my LOVE and compassion - and that is exactly, what I will do, hoping it reaches its destination in some way or another.
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