The last word on Trinco

Photo courtesy: Indi Samarajiva – Wikimedia Commons

Trincomalee was memorable for the families I met. There were two other reasons I’d rather forget that I also connect to the town. One happened while I strolled along the harbourside heading towards a shop to buy butter.

Trinco Sinhalese Connection

I spent many an evening with a Sinhalese family while I stayed in Trincomalee. They lived a street back from the harbour on a good sized plot of land where we sat and idled away the evenings.

Trincomalee’s Australian connection

Trincomalee Bay – Photo courtesy: Dschen Reinecke – Wikimedia Commons

This peaceful town sat on what seemed like a strip of land with the ocean on one side and the protected harbour on the other.

It was here I met the Labroy family originally hailing from Australia. The children’s accents held nothing of the Australian twang but were tinged more with the local Tamil.

Kandy’s Botanic Gardens

Photo courtesy: McKaySavage from London UK – Wikimedia Commons

Kandy was a cool change from the coast. In the mountainous interior, the landscape was lush.

Hikkaduwa before the internet

Colombo near Fort Station. Photo courtesy: Calflier001 – Wikimedia.org

Being in Hikkaduwa for six weeks before the internet meant day trips to Colombo to pick up snail mail.

Hikkaduwa

Photo courtesy: Astronomyinertia – Wikimedia Commons

South of Colombo lay Hikkaduwa. This beachside resort was normally a major tourist spot even during the early days when I was in Lanka. But due to the disruptive political times, most travellers had deserted the entire island.

Under 24 hour curfew

Photo courtesy: Jolie – wikimedia.org

Anuradhapura was an ancient Buddhist town with stupas studding the landscape and tanks spread around the outskirts filled with glistening water.