Saturday 4th March 2023

We were up early this morning, as we were hoping to leave at 07:30. I said my goodbyes to Jana, Yad, and Meena, and we did get away at 07:45, which was pretty good going. Yad's brother Reuben drove me and Daya to Colombo, and it was a very pleasant journey, with only one stop for refreshments on the way. We arrived at Colombo Swimming Club just before 13:00, which was pretty good going.

Colombo Swimming Club is a very pleasant place to stay, and very reasonable compared to local hotels - I stayed there for three nights at the end of my last trip to Colombo. You have to be a member of the Club - or be recommended by a member of the Club to stay there, and fortunately for me a few members of Colombo West Rotary Club are also members of Colombo Swimming Club, and very kindly recommended me as a guest.

I couldn't check into my room until 14:00, so I just had a bit of lunch, whilst Daya went off to find his brother Ragu's place. He eventually returned around 16:00 and we headed off to explore some of Colombo and do a bit of shopping, catching the sunset over the Indian Ocean whilst enjoying a coffee at Marino Mall, before heading off to meet up with Daya's brother and two of his friends - Afwaj and Murali - at 19:00 for an evening meal. 

It was fun being with this party of young guys, and the food was pleasant, although the service was terrible. I think Daya left quite a bad online review of the place in the end, so I am not even going to mention where it was, as I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. We made plans to meet up at Afwaj's home tomorrow evening, and I headed back in a tuk-tuk, whilst the young guys wandered slowly home.

Today's photographs show Colombo Swimming Club, the sun setting over the Indian Ocean, and the group of guys at the restaurant in the evening.









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