16.09. - Transfer DXB-CMB

'Please open the blinds' just about an hour before landing in Dubai, at 7:05 a.m., we were finally awakened from our more or less sound sleep. From the window, we could already see Dubai, which was enveloped in sand mist. At the airport, we browsed through the shops and were looking for a good coffee. In the end, we decided on Paul's and had cappuccino with vanilla. Very delicious! Now we also ate the bananas that I had brought from home. As one of the last, we reached the gate. Luckily, I can say in retrospect, as in the waiting area, the security alarm went off in a very unpleasant tone. It was only shortly before we boarded the plane that the alarm could be turned off. All passengers, who were visibly annoyed by it, began to applaud. When we took our seats on the plane to Colombo, we were happy not to have a neighbor and enjoyed the free space next to us. I was dozing off again and Stephan took pictures of the gigantic modern desert city after takeoff. When I woke up again, I watched 'Gifted.' The movie was very beautiful and somewhat sad, just my taste. Meanwhile, breakfast was served, which unfortunately did not quite meet our taste and we ate very little. We had very strong turbulence over India, otherwise the flight was quite smooth. Upon arrival at the airport, we went through immigration control and, hey! we received another stamp. Everything went smoothly. We received our suitcases fairly quickly and were greeted by our guide. As soon as we left the airport building, the warm air immediately enveloped us and we had to get used to the high humidity. Especially since in Germany we only had cool 15 degrees. When our driver fetched the car, immediately 2-3 men came and loaded our luggage into the trunk. So apparently, they earned part of their money. We needed just under an hour to get to Colombo. The drive was quite calm and our guide was not very talkative either. However, this suited us very well, as we were very tired. As soon as we reached the city, the traffic was pure chaos. The lanes were just nice indications. Tuk-tuks, cars, and motorcycles searched for their own way to move forward as quickly as possible. Now I also understood why everyone advised against a car rental tour. We would probably still be looking for our way through Colombo now. Our first stop was a currency exchange office, which we urgently needed. We had dollars and euros, but no SLR. In this currency exchange office, the rate was 1€ to 180 SLR, which turned out to be a very good rate later. Thanks to our guide for taking us there. At Sayura House hotel, we were warmly welcomed by the hotel manager with freshly squeezed watermelon juice and the words 'you look fresh'. Good thing we looked better than we felt. He showed us our small, cozy room, which was apparently mostly furnished by the Swedish corporate giant Ikea. From the balcony, we could photograph a dreamy sunset. After showering, we followed the hotel manager's advice and walked along the turbulent street to 'The Station' restaurant. We crossed the tracks with the help of an officer and entered the cozy restaurant, which was located on the beach. We ate chicken and curry with a lot of rice and had our first cocktail. We relaxed and let the first day in Sri Lanka come to an end, snuggled up in the small bed, and imagined the next few days contentedly.