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What a whirlwind trip! So much drama (and squiggles) has occurred around trying to make my way to Sri Lanka but I finally made it!
While I was in Sicily 12 days or so ago, I bought a ticket out of Rome for July 20th, that had a 2 hour and 25 minute layover in Saudi Arabia, with a final destination of Colombo, Sri Lanka on the 21st.
What the airline company didn’t tell me when booking the ticket was that I would need a transit visa in Saudi Arabia for the couple of hours I was there. Oh sure, they asked me about adding baggage, trip insurance, Covid vaccinations, even transportation for when I arrived in Colombo. But they never once mentioned the transit visa…until I booked the ticket and they had my money. Then, the second email I received from them after my flight confirmation letter, contained this REALLY IMPORTANT information about the visa.
Not thinking it would be a big deal, I started looking online for the information on how to get one, but I only found a ton of random sites and nothing looked legit so I emailed the US Government. The reply email stated that basically I was on my own and to go to the Saudi Embassy online to apply AND paragraph #2 said that they could not ensure my safety while traveling through Saudi Arabia but I should register my trip at the link provided in case something happened (like I end up missing or detained – I’m assuming this is what that meant).
Well that spooked the hell out of me.
I emailed them back a thank you note for their time and requested the official Embassy website for the visa, which they replied with quickly. I clicked the link only to discover a mountain of hurdles I would need to climb over for this 2.5 hour layover that was in two days time. Not worth it. So, I decided I’d skip that flight and I found another one leaving a week later out of Bergamo in Northern Italy. More travel and more money but a better option. Plus, I would not be getting a refund of $543 USD either because I declined the dumb insurance. whatever. I’m still annoyed they didn’t tell me beforehand.
In the meantime, to wait it out, I went to Florence to visit some friends. I caught up with Luca (loyal readers know him as: ex-boyfriend/turned good friend/it’s complicated) and stayed at his place…which made me feel better (or not so bad) about losing 500 bucks.
We had a great time eating pizza & Chinese food, riding the scooter to a neighboring town and back, catching up, and we even tried riding a Bird (the little electric street scooters) as a duo and it was a success. Nobody died. Luca is a really good driver…which is sometimes hard for my competitive side to admit…you know that he might be better at it than me. Maybe. It’s a close call.
And for those of you who’ve asked, Luca is doing great! He is still making and selling his art in addition to his full time job. His medium at the moment is used/recycled skateboards. He cuts them up and reassembles them into a statement piece. It’s up to you to figure out the meaning. Check out his Instagram page for the latest creations.
I caught up with my old pal Simone. I’ve written about him before – read about him and my fabulous yellow bag, here. While we were chatting, some lovely women from Oregon stopped by his store and he sold each of them a beautiful bag. He really has the best stuff in town. See photo below.
I also got to briefly catch up with Gisella but unfortunately we didn’t take a photo of us together but I did capture our macchiatos and the cafe where we drank them. Gorgeous! ☕️❤️🇮🇹
It was great to see everyone and to visit some of my favorite parts of the city. For the first time ever, I stopped in the gorgeous and famous pharmaceutical/perfume shop. It’s been on my list. Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. See footage of it here. It was started by the Dominican friars in 1221. They sell beautiful, luxury items if you need a fancy gift and the place smells amazing. Definitely worth a visit if your into all things beauty…and good hygiene products.
Good news.
Turns out my original flight for the 20th via Saudi Arabia was canceled and it looks like I might get my money back after all. ❤️ Fingers crossed, people!
Public transportation is the name of the game and not getting stuck or left behind is how you play it.
So, two days ago, I needed to get to Bergamo for this flight. After my original (direct) train to Bergamo, to catch this new flight, was canceled, I was rerouted on another. I made it to Bergamo via Milan, spent the night at a nice B&B, then flew to Dubai and then Colombo…but not without drama. *sigh*
Many people had the same final destination as me (Bergamo-Colombo) so when we left 50 minutes late and we only had a 45 minute connection in Dubai, they assured us, they would hold the plane.
Well….They did and they didn’t.
They did for a brief time but you had to be quick. I was actually the last person to jump on the bus headed to the tarmac (I even had to hit the little green button to reopen the doors – it was a stressful close call), because we all had to go through security again. Sadly, about 10-15 people got left behind…within minutes. Not everyone can run through the airport. So this does not seem fair at all! Hopefully, the passengers made it on the next flight and got some sort of extra care from the airlines. One can hope.
I arrived in Colombo at 4:30 am local time. Which I should point out is very different from the rest of the world. They are exactly a half hour different from everywhere else on the globe. I screenshot a photo of my world clock for ya. So bizarre.
Once I got through passport control and immigration, I grabbed my bag only to discover it had gotten a rip on the top somewhere in transit. Not a huge deal but annoying and I need to patch it to keep it waterproof.
As soon as I walked out of the airport, it was muggy, humid, warm, and swarming with people…mainly guys who wanted to know if they could drive you somewhere. The hostel I’m staying at advised me of costs, distance, etc. but these guys are haggling for their lives and honestly I was too tired to care about a couple bucks. Take my money and let me sleep. I think an hour ride cost me $12.00.
I was couriered around by a guy named Pradeep. He was actually a fairly safe driver but the roads are wild! Lots of Tuk Tuks, cars, trucks, bikes, scooters, walkers, dogs, etc. I even saw some cattle roadside! It’s organized chaos if you understand the flow but for now, I won’t be driving.
Pradeep and I stopped for breakfast which consisted of pastries and tea at a little roadside stand. The owner of the shop was very kind and VERY intelligent. I could have listened to him all day. He used to work for a luxury hotel for 20 years so he was accustomed to American tourists and offered up some great suggestions of things to do.
Along the way we saw school kids in uniforms and others on their way to cricket practice. And yes, there are tons of girls wearing uniforms and getting an education but unfortunately, all of my photos of the girls are blurry because we were movin’ and groovin’ so fast in the Tuk Tuk. They wear white dresses with a men’s-looking long tie a with a big letter on it – looked like an “A.” I think it stands for the name of the school.
I made eye contact with many people as we zoomed by. Most of them smiled a welcoming smile. One teenage girl smiled and started to blush when she saw me. Another young boy probably around 11-12 years of age, waved a big wave when he saw me in the Tuk Tuk at a red light. He was very genuine and sweet. Most boys that age would probably flip me off.
Just as Pradeep dropped me off at my hostel, he wanted a selfie which I was happy to do despite the wear and tear on this weary traveler.
When I checked in to my hostel, some really nice guy was checking out and gave me his FREE breakfast ticket. The waffles were delicious!
After my room was ready, I dove head first into the bed and took a two or three hour nap. I didn’t sleep on the plane so this was much needed.
I met a nice woman from Norway at the breakfast table and we hit it off. We met later for dinner, the sunset, and a fun Tuk Tuk ride back to the hostel. We both have one more full day/night in Colombo and then planned to move to another town so it looks like we might travel around Sri Lanka together for a bit. I’m looking forward to this! I’ve wanted to see Sri Lanka for awhile now but sometimes traveling alone gets lonely…and exhausting. It will be nice to travel with someone for a few days and split up the decision making.
So far, I’ve had a great experience and I like what I see.
Kari made another fun recap video of my day. Watch it here!
Goodnight and much love & gratitude from Sri Lanka! 🇱🇰
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Interesting things I’ve noticed.
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They drive on the left.
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The time difference of 30 minutes I mentioned above. Anyone know why this is? I’m too lazy to Google it at the moment.
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The current exchange rate is $1.00 USD to LKR330.67
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It appears they have a very strong community life. Everyone gathers for the sunset. People are singing, kites are flying, kids are playing…it’s lovely.
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There is a huge luxury mall in Colombo, Galle Face Mall, and most of the advertising features white people. I think as a humans we can do better than this – come on big corporations. Let’s represent the people who live here. If Barbie can get on board, you can too, Crocodile.
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Dogs literally take naps on the sidewalks and medians between the roads. They are so calm among all the noise, cars and foot traffic.
The cows on the roadside.
TTMS (Tuk Tuk Mirror Selfie) 🛺💨💨
