Within a week of returning from our mindblasting trip to NZ, I was packing to go to Colombo. If you are thinking wow, she must be a globetrotting traveler, let me stop you right there.
I was going for an office trip.
So, while the rest of the travelers were snorkeling in Hikkaduwa, or watching whales in Mirissa I was going to spend three days inside a conference room listening to hastily made presentations, discussions on sales plans and participating in mind-numbing networking. As you can imagine, I was looking forward to it as much as much as I look forward to a Monday morning. The evenings were filled with award ceremonies and more opportunities to bond with colleagues over free drinks- Nothing better than discussing business with drunk colleagues! I knew how Sita felt- imprisoned alone with strange creatures around her speaking a strange language asking her to do things she wasnt the least bit interested in.
But I had it better than Sita. Between free time snatched during boring sessions or dinner with sane colleagues( by sane I mean those who ditched official meals for outside ones) , going to clean beaches after the events or before, and exploring a couple of sweet cafes- Colombo entertained much more than I expected it to. The city was clean and green- something India can vaguely grasp as a concept, but can never implement. The sea does its job pretty well- tirelessly hitting against rocks. And its almost meditative to watch it do that in the mornings before you start your day. And to do so with your favourite person from the office is a delight. A foreign place (even if it feels exactly like Madurai) is a good experience- you end up seeing at least a couple of different things. I had wandered into a railway station and I felt I was in 1900s-the trains were steamrollers! And in the place where we dined on the last day, as we were getting ready to leave, we saw a huge turtle trying to lay eggs! Perhaps the turtle felt bad for those of us who couldnt snorkel to visit it, so it was graciously visiting us. Orrrr it was cursing us for standing and while it was trying to procreate.
As I snoozed my alarm on the day we were supposed to leave, I didnt realise that I was missing the opportunity to go for an early morning stroll- the last one I would get to do in Colombo. But I told myself its OK- Surely I would come back. For the snorkeling and the whales and a chance to go on the Ramayana trails. And most definitely to feel rich, for its one of the few places where the currency is weaker than the Indian rupee.
Yes, I definitely had it better than Sita.
I was going for an office trip.
So, while the rest of the travelers were snorkeling in Hikkaduwa, or watching whales in Mirissa I was going to spend three days inside a conference room listening to hastily made presentations, discussions on sales plans and participating in mind-numbing networking. As you can imagine, I was looking forward to it as much as much as I look forward to a Monday morning. The evenings were filled with award ceremonies and more opportunities to bond with colleagues over free drinks- Nothing better than discussing business with drunk colleagues! I knew how Sita felt- imprisoned alone with strange creatures around her speaking a strange language asking her to do things she wasnt the least bit interested in.
But I had it better than Sita. Between free time snatched during boring sessions or dinner with sane colleagues( by sane I mean those who ditched official meals for outside ones) , going to clean beaches after the events or before, and exploring a couple of sweet cafes- Colombo entertained much more than I expected it to. The city was clean and green- something India can vaguely grasp as a concept, but can never implement. The sea does its job pretty well- tirelessly hitting against rocks. And its almost meditative to watch it do that in the mornings before you start your day. And to do so with your favourite person from the office is a delight. A foreign place (even if it feels exactly like Madurai) is a good experience- you end up seeing at least a couple of different things. I had wandered into a railway station and I felt I was in 1900s-the trains were steamrollers! And in the place where we dined on the last day, as we were getting ready to leave, we saw a huge turtle trying to lay eggs! Perhaps the turtle felt bad for those of us who couldnt snorkel to visit it, so it was graciously visiting us. Orrrr it was cursing us for standing and while it was trying to procreate.
As I snoozed my alarm on the day we were supposed to leave, I didnt realise that I was missing the opportunity to go for an early morning stroll- the last one I would get to do in Colombo. But I told myself its OK- Surely I would come back. For the snorkeling and the whales and a chance to go on the Ramayana trails. And most definitely to feel rich, for its one of the few places where the currency is weaker than the Indian rupee.
Yes, I definitely had it better than Sita.
