After 28 days in Sri Lanka I decided to prolong my stay. Too many things left undone, too many places yet to be discovered, and too much connection to this perl in the Indian Ocean. Whereas this all made perfect sense, it wasn't an easy decision to make, given the fact that I was expected to be in India and I knew I would disappoint more than one very close friend.
Once I had made up my mind, I started the bus journey from Ella at 4am. For the first time I was freezing! Most passengers wore woolen hats and jackets. I was wrapped in two scarfs and a blanket and scolded myself for not wearing socks. Temperatures were somewhere around 14 degrees Celsius, but to me it felt like I am crossing Antarctica in a T-shirt.
As soon as the sun was up and we had left the hills, it became very hot. I was drenched in sweat when the bus arrived in Colombo by noon. The Department of Immigration is only few minutes by bus from the main bus stop. Inside the building, one of the friendly security guards showed me the way.
The visa extension application process is fairly simple, but the staff is not very helpful to explain which steps to follow. Some foreigners in the waiting area offered their guidance:
1) Pick application form from the far left counter (don't expect an explanation);
2) Fill in form and glue passport picture (use finger to dip in the plastic bowl with glue);
3) Return form and passport to the far left counter (don't expect a word or a smile);
4) Wait for few minutes (fix your eyes on the clerk who will wave with your form);
5) Collect signed-off form and visit department coordinator (who thinks he is the king);
6) With double signed-off form proceed to payment counter (fees vary based on nationality);
7) With triple signed-off form go to pick-up counter (which also serves as drop-off counter);
8) Wait patiently for 30 mins (if you are lucky, waiting time can extend to 2 hrs);
9) Keep your eyes focussed on the clerk who will call out your number;
10) Collect your passport, sign the form one last time and leave this depressing place.
My plan was to return to Ella the same day and I could well have reached for dinner time had I not felt the desire to explore Colombo at least a tiny bit. So I walked through the capital in the afternoon heat. Not a good idea, especially if you are dressed in clothes suitable for the hills and you forgot that the coastal area is much much hotter!
Exhausted from my 2-hour walk, I concluded that Colombo is worth another visit. It's absolutely not as crazy as I had imagined and there are some beautiful historic buildings giving the city some flair. The seven-hour bus ride back to Ella seemed like a piece of cake and I happily arrived back in my guest house by midnight.
Once I had made up my mind, I started the bus journey from Ella at 4am. For the first time I was freezing! Most passengers wore woolen hats and jackets. I was wrapped in two scarfs and a blanket and scolded myself for not wearing socks. Temperatures were somewhere around 14 degrees Celsius, but to me it felt like I am crossing Antarctica in a T-shirt.
As soon as the sun was up and we had left the hills, it became very hot. I was drenched in sweat when the bus arrived in Colombo by noon. The Department of Immigration is only few minutes by bus from the main bus stop. Inside the building, one of the friendly security guards showed me the way.
The visa extension application process is fairly simple, but the staff is not very helpful to explain which steps to follow. Some foreigners in the waiting area offered their guidance:
1) Pick application form from the far left counter (don't expect an explanation);
2) Fill in form and glue passport picture (use finger to dip in the plastic bowl with glue);
3) Return form and passport to the far left counter (don't expect a word or a smile);
4) Wait for few minutes (fix your eyes on the clerk who will wave with your form);
5) Collect signed-off form and visit department coordinator (who thinks he is the king);
6) With double signed-off form proceed to payment counter (fees vary based on nationality);
7) With triple signed-off form go to pick-up counter (which also serves as drop-off counter);
8) Wait patiently for 30 mins (if you are lucky, waiting time can extend to 2 hrs);
9) Keep your eyes focussed on the clerk who will call out your number;
10) Collect your passport, sign the form one last time and leave this depressing place.
My plan was to return to Ella the same day and I could well have reached for dinner time had I not felt the desire to explore Colombo at least a tiny bit. So I walked through the capital in the afternoon heat. Not a good idea, especially if you are dressed in clothes suitable for the hills and you forgot that the coastal area is much much hotter!
Exhausted from my 2-hour walk, I concluded that Colombo is worth another visit. It's absolutely not as crazy as I had imagined and there are some beautiful historic buildings giving the city some flair. The seven-hour bus ride back to Ella seemed like a piece of cake and I happily arrived back in my guest house by midnight.
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