Day 46 - There surely were a lot of fireworks on the beach last night. However, it was a pleasant view for the buffet breakfast. There were only a few guests in other rooms at the hotel. Yet, the breakfast was substantial and nice.
We decided we wanted to head to downtown Negombo. It is an interesting city if a bit rough around the edges. Fishing is still an important industry and we asked the PickMe tuk-tuk to let us off near the public fish market. I can remember when it was new, and as is so often the case with a government facility here, it started off with grand fanfare but nothing has been done since.
We walked past a prison facility on the original Dutch fortifications. The coastal area was under their colonial power from the second half of the 1600s until the beginning of the British era here and elsewhere.
We continued walking right into town. In Sri Lanka, most towns and cities have a clock tower than signifies their centers. We stopped at a bakery. I'd not had a sugar alligator bun yet. An iced coffee with plenty of sugar sounded better than a soft drink and was.
As it was the new year, businesses, I think mostly gold sellers and jewellers were celebrating with loud firecrackers. Rows of the hand-made gunpowder went off in succession and left a mess of ordinary newspaper print after all the noise.
New Year's day is a public holiday. As it occurred on a weekend everybody could take a trip. Many chose to come to the beach. Some years there are drownings as upcountry folk don't know about ocean safety. It got pretty packed.
And the people kept arriving right into the evening and night. It is going to be louder tonight than last, I fear.
We did find the Seaview Restaurant. It was busy as it was one of the few places open. I loved the typical beach vibe. There's a whole world of similar establishments that cater to sun-seeking tourists. The place could have been in Bali, Langkawi, or Mexico. It reminded me of places where we'd eaten in Thailand, Cambodia or even the Egyptian Red Sea coast. I love that cheap, back-to-hospitality-roots, surf type of environment.
We passed the expensive Heritance hotel. Although Christmas is over, the magical, light-up deer remained in a frozen prance around the green grounds.
