A small war.

Kandy, 15-10-1994. So far Sri Lanka reminds me a lot of India. The locals - the males - wear the same designer clothes, their women saris, their children dressed in rags or - for the middle class and up - like dolls with clothes full with glitter. They don`t seem to bother about washing their clothes too often - just like the indians. I see the occasional - holy? - cow searching through the numerous piles of garbage that line the streets looking for something to eat. Street sellers everywhere who occupy every spot on the sidewalk forcing the pedestrians to walk at a slow pace or in the street risking their lives among the heavy motorised traffic. Rickshaws and three wheelers but no Ambassador taxies. Rats and cockroaches abound and they must feel the streets are paradise! I took the train to Kandy today - at 500 m. altitude, up in the hills, it feels like an indian hillstation - and even managed to get a seat despite the little war that was on for free seats as soon as the train came to an uncertain stop. The Old Empire hotel has a colonial admosphere, a beautifull old mansion that charges 150 R. for a room.