Welcome to Sri Lanka

I actually didn't intend to write a travel blog. But on the second day after our arrival, while lying on the beach in Negombo on the west coast of Sri Lanka, I realized something. I have never experienced so many different impressions in just one day in any other country. It became clear to me that I needed to organize these thoughts in my head, share them with someone, and never forget them... And just like that, I found myself writing. In a way, it is just a kind of travel diary.
Day 1
- Arrival in Sri Lanka (Bandaranaike International Airport) -
After about 10 hours and 30 minutes, we arrive by plane from Frankfurt to Sri Lanka. In total, we were on our way for exactly 24 hours. That means from home to our first accommodation in Sri Lanka. But let’s start from the beginning. When we were on the Sri Lankan Airline plane, something caught our attention. 'Wow, what beautiful people!' One flight attendant particularly attracted us, and I really mean both of us, not just David 😄 No, seriously, I have never seen such a beautiful woman. And it quickly became clear that she wasn't the only one. So, Norway really can't compete with this, in my opinion!
The flight was pleasant and we even managed to sleep for a few hours. The flight took about an hour longer than announced, probably because it wasn't possible to fly over Israel. Travel time from 3:15 PM to 6:30 AM.
...and finally, they arrived.... our backpacks made it to Sri Lanka too. Every time that happens, a little stone falls from my heart. Our backpacks, weighing about 7 kg each, are really a blessing compared to our world trip where we had a whopping 20 kg. Carrying them is really fun, and my legs hurt much less in the evening. No, let’s put it this way: with 20 kg, everything hurts in the evening!
After we got a SIM card for our phone and a bit of cash, we stepped out into the tropical air. We were welcomed by a blue sky and a solid 30 degrees. And of course, many, many taxi drivers, who saw us as easy prey, since it’s clear that the two tourists with backpacks are definitely not locals; that’s undeniable. Well, since we were used to this from Bali, we were very relaxed, quickly escaped, and searched for the nearest bus stop. The search wasn't easy until we heard from a distance, 'Colombo, Colombo, Colombo....!' The voice got louder and louder until eventually, a bus drove right past us and invited us to get on in the middle of the street. We had to leave our backpacks in front. We even managed to grab a seat as the bus was quite full. Everywhere things were blinking and shining, pictures hung on the walls, it smelled of incense, and there was a plastic crystal on the gear shift. We had to pay at the end of the ride. You stand up so that the driver knows to stop. We paid 200 Sri Lankan Rupees, which is about 0.60 cents. We still had to take another bus, and for the last few kilometers, we treated ourselves to a tuk-tuk. Fortunately, we were allowed to check into our room earlier.
And there we were at our first destination in Sri Lanka - Negombo. We will spend two nights here.
After a 'first arrival' and a brief stroll on the beach, we had a coconut at a small beach restaurant. We came into direct contact with many locals. The people here are really very friendly, making you feel welcome very quickly. You look at each other and smile.

I quickly had that good and light feeling again that I had during my world trip last year. We both felt really comfortable right away.

Unfortunately, we once again had to notice that we were not the first Germans in Sri Lanka. A large part of the tourists are Germans, so much so that some beach vendors even speak broken German.

That's okay, but it wouldn't have to be that way from our perspective.

The beach section where we are is really beautiful and clean. I was very surprised. But in other parts of Negombo Beach, there is indeed some scattered garbage.

A long day, with a +4.30h time difference, comes to an end. In the evening, we can hardly keep our eyes open from fatigue.

Day 2
After a solid 12 hours of sleep, which was almost like a coma, our second day in Sri Lanka began. Chilling, relaxing, bathing, eating, strolling through the streets, what can I say, it was a very relaxing day. And rightly so.
Perfect beach weather, delicious food, and a wonderful sunset on Negombo Beach made our day perfect. Our small guesthouse right on the beach was simple but sufficient, a small paradise on Earth among the palm trees. Our accommodation was called 'Star Beach'.
Tomorrow we want to travel further towards Kandy. Let's see what awaits us and how the train travel works here.