Love at first sight is supposed to be most enchanting and enduring. In the case of Colombo, my second visit appears to be more interesting and challenging at the same time. The view from the Airbus A340 window was captivating as it approached to land over silvery clouds and down to verdant palm groves and a carpet of greenery shimmering in the golden sea of the rising sun.
And finally to a feathertouch landing at the Bandaranaike International Airport.
Well, I have written about it in the past as well but passing through customs and immigration was a virtual breeze. I cannot imagine any other airport where you can get out within half an hour after landing having gone through immigration, after collecting your bags and going through the customs.
Sri Lanka have introduced a Fast Track service for the business class passengers but in effect it is quite unnecessary. I must also mention here that I held on to my ThinkPad laptop for dear life after the near disaster of my last visit when me and my Dell laptop were almost separated soon after landing.
Saudis Prefer to Go East for Tourism
The flight from Riyadh to Colombo had many Saudi families preferring to go East for their summer holidays. Saad is a businessman from Riyadh. His wife and seven children were on the flight to Colombo. They were on their way to Maldives and Malaysia where they were going for the second time according to his eldest son Muhammad.
Then they plan to return to Colombo for the last leg of their holidays.
“We prefer to go to the East because of all the problems the Muslims and especially the Arabs have faced in the Western countries,” said Muhammad who is a lieutenant on the verge of completing his military education at the academy in Riyadh. Muhammad told an intriguing tale about his family’s attempt to get American visas.
“The women were granted visas within 24 hours but for my father it took three months and for me even longer — four and a half months,” Muhammad said.
Madame President Will Be Away
During my weeklong visit to Colombo, I had thought of killing two birds with one stone — in addition to covering the Asia Cup, also interview Sri Lanka’s top leaders.
Sri Lankan Ambassador Ibrahim Sahib Ansar had written to the Foreign Ministry about my interest in interviewing President Chandrika Kumaratunga, and also the prime minister and the foreign minister. In an excellent display of efficiency, the ministry wrote back to the office regretting that since madame president would be away during that period, she would not be available for the interview.
My colleague Mohammed Rasooldeen, a veteran of over 20 years’ stay in the capital, took me to meet the ambassador and see if he could arrange the interviews with the prime minister and the foreign minister. Ambassador Ansar was most courteous and helpful. He made several calls to people in Colombo who can help in the matter and I am still hopeful of a couple of good interviews with top politicians.
The ambassador also pointed out that I needed a visa since my visit was a business one and most graciously granted a gratis visa even though the visa section was already closed. The Sri Lankan officials were equally helpful. Country Manager Fayaz Taha, Chnithaka Bandara (manager, Western Province), Reza Yusuf (manager, Central Province) and Prince Weeraratne (station manager, Central Province) were instrumental in making my trip memorable and enjoyable.
Hindi Movies Popular
The drive from the airport to the hotel takes nearly an hour and a half. I got talking to the taxi driver. He did sound very enthusiastic about cricket but was aware that the Sri Lankan team was doing well.
When asked who would win the Asia Cup, Kumara, the taxi driver replied that he did not know. But he was familiar with Muralitharan and other leading Lankan cricketers. He opened up when I asked him about Indian movies.
“You mean Hindi movies. Yes I do see them. They are shown in certain theaters in Colombo,” Kumara told me. Kumara said his favorite actor was Hrithik Roshan and favorite actress Rani Mukherjee.
