This mobile office thing is working out fine, except for Imaad, who’s sitting here in a cordurouy jacket with his damn gypsy bag and long hair, making us look like homosexuals. Seriously, he looks like the cordurouy cowboy. We both have tabs which looks odd but efficient enough. He’s just got to take it that extra level.

I’m on the bus out of Colombo, heading for the hills. I’ve got some kit for mobile blogging (iPad, EyeFi card to wirelessly upload photos), so might as well use it. Here’s a photo and an extended, meandering caption.

Unawatuna is where we used to go to get away from the crowds in Hikkaduwa. But Una is crowded now. It’s literally where the new highway ends. So is it still awesome? Yeah. It’s also changed a lot. Here are a few places to stay, eat and some douchey joints to avoid.

They’ve been building this thing on Duplication Road called the Colombo Courtyard. I thought it was a mall, but turns out its a boutique city hotel. I wandered in there and both the staff and the place are very nice. This fellow Gihan kindly showed me around. Here are some photos.

The A9 is the mother road, connecting north to south. From Omanthai, however, it’s one big construction site. Rumbly, one lane in parts, severe delays. The impasse you see above happens like every few kilometers, they shut one lane down to pave it and all the cars have to wait and go single file. Cars is perhaps a misnomer. On one stretch I counted and there were 21 construction/industrial vehicles for every 12 that could be considered civilian transport. The A9 is under construction, which is good. It just means that right now, travelling on the A9 is very bad.

The Puttalam road is decent. After Chilaw it gets beautiful. The road winds along the lagoon, sometimes along the sea, across bridges, rivers, canopies of trees. You get some beautiful sunsets. Especially coming down from the north. Somehow, there’s nothing like the northern sky. It’s bigger, brighter, the sun melts down into the paddy, burns down into the sea. These are some photographs.

This is a poor photo, but it’s basically it. You’ve got the construction, the money, the people on bicycles, the promise of a better future. And the military in the shadows. Nothing’s in focus and this was taken out of a moving car, but I think this basically gets it. This is Kilinochchi 2012, post-war, pre-something.

China is Sri Lanka’s new big brother, which is kinda creepy but kinda fine, cause China and Chinese people are cool. I want to visit and a friend was going, but her visa got denied. Not her visa though, apparently no single Sri Lankan tourist can just go to China. We have to go in groups of five. Presumably with minders. Uncool.

My friend recently came from America (via India) and applied for the ETA, the new Electronic Travel Authorization. Sri Lanka was visa on arrival and this new $20 visa has been the subject of much debate. My friend, however, said it was quick, painless and that he wished more countries did visas this way. Of course, no visa is better, but the new system doesn’t seem that bad.

The Galle Music Festival is happening today. If you have the ability, head down to check the performances today starting at 5. I went briefly last night and it was really good. Saw some lovely stick dancers from Jaffna, a great drummery band from Bangladesh and Sri Lankans own Kaffers, singers and dancers of African descent. All very good. Tonight is similar, plus Bathiya and Santush, who are pop but still personal favs of mine.