Sri Lanka

Colour Vision: 336666

July 6, 2010

This week’s Colour Vision drags you through a series of electric avenues. The randomly selected hex value 336666 was hard to pin down, and stirred me around like a good dream. Plump up your pillow, as you curl up for my latest instalment in the Colour Vision series.

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Three Years and Counting

June 30, 2010

Like old-aged pensioners huddled around a domino table, we travellers are not adverse to measuring our lives in days. Indeed, today marks the 1098th day — or three year anniversary — since I strapped on my seatbelt and took off from London Heathrow.

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Trails of the Unexpected

September 4, 2009

I stare at the newspaper. It wasn’t me. I gawp at the television. It wasn’t me. I trawl through the internet. It wasn’t me! I listen to the radio, podcasts, and conversations on the bus. It WASN’T me! At least — I hope it wasn’t me?

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The Reprint: ‘Turbo Turtle’

December 17, 2008

Day One: “Oooh. Nice Turtle Farm, can we come and work here?” Day Two: “What’s the difference between a turtle, and a tortoise?” Day Six: “What do you mean people eat turtle eggs!?” Day Nine: “Welcome to the Peraliya Sea Turtle Farm, kids. Did you know that tortoiseshell is actually the shell of a hawksbill […]

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A Thousand Glorious Times

July 4, 2008

I’d seen him from a short distance, twelve months previously, he travelled alone aboard a plane to Moscow. He wore a dark tracksuit top zipped over a light t-shirt, and loose pale green shorts covered the knees he cradled by his chest. His hair sprayed out in loose brown curls beneath a khaki cap, highlighted […]

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So Long, Ceylon

March 17, 2008

Ding ding. Honk honk. My ears are being drilled with the blaring high notes of Hindi-pop. Ding ding, we stop. Rev rev, we’re off. Honk honk. We swerve through a checkpoint chicane, passed sandbag retreats holding tin camouflage roofs, we skim a stack of khaki patched tyres, it’s insides filled with soil and it’s top […]

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I Beg You, Don’t Ruin It

March 14, 2008

Beep beep. One-forty. Beep beep. One-fifty. Beep beep. Two am, Monday morning. “What to do in Sri Lanka?” Step, step. Breath in. Step, step. Breath out. Step, step. Coffee. Black. Breath in. Step, step. Breath out. Step, step. Breath in. Coffee. Black. Strong. Breath out. Sigh. Step step. Breath in. Step… step. Breath out. Coffee. […]

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