Ready
for my adventure to Sri Lanka, I breezed through immigration only to be stopped
by a customs officer. He seemed suspicious, maybe because I was traveling
alone. After thoroughly checking my luggage, he asked how much money I had.
When I said RM700.00, he acted like it was a fortune, grilling me endlessly.
Despite explaining it was for spending, he wouldn't relent. Finally, with no
real reason to hold me, he let me go. I joined a group of five Malaysian
Chinese, part of my tour, and thankfully, one of them approached me before we
got into the van.
Our first stop was lunch at St. Lachan Hotel, set in a beautiful garden. We were greeted with 'ayubowan,' a Sinhalese greeting similar to Namaste. As we nibbled on crispy snacks and got acquainted, we waited for our food. The 20-minute wait was worth it as we enjoyed an amazing meal, especially the fish curry with veggies and rice.