Negombo.

Negombo was my first stop in Sri Lanka. It is a short hop from the international airport which i arrived sweaty and uncomfortable. Already at Heathrow i felt bad-that something bad would happen. First when my cards really got scrutinized at check in, then at boarding when two big guys took me aside asking what i was up to. Never happened before. I was let onboard with no fuzz and the flight went on trouble free. Customs made me sweat again-what if my 6th sense had warned me my luggage was drugged? Nobody cared about me. I could get my warm clothing away, a taxi to Negombo, a room in a hotel almost right at the beach-and finally my first Lion beer!

Negombo is a fishing town along the coast north of the capital Colombo. Like most towns in these parts most of it isn't really pretty. It is the people life making it worthwhile. For some people the beach-even though that interests me zero.

My first meal of Rice and Curry. Good stuff.

Good stuff as well.

Fishing is the big thing in Negombo. After the catch is brought ashore, part of it is instantly spread out on bamboo matresses or plastic sheets or even directly on the sand to  expressdry in the baking sun.

Emptying the just arrived fishingnets. A rapidly performed job.

Many types of vessels are used in the fisheries. The most interesting one is the large sailing canoe with a solid outlier on its side. Here one of them is rapidly entering the inner harbour.

The sailing canoe-imprecisely often called a catamaran-seen from different angles. A catamaran is a vessel with two connected hulls, the outlier of this boattype is not at all a hull.

Packed down "catamarans" waiting for the next trip to the sea.

The small tidal canals is the home of the small motorboats. A smelly place at low tide! But at least a friendly one.

Near the canals and the market and the long beach-the fortress. Inaccessible for the average visitor: it is used as a prison. Prisoners are working on top of the wall.

Negombos most modern and long ranging fleet segment. Hundreds and hundreds of these vessels line the bigger waterways in the area.

Visiting the market. It is raining-seriously raining!

What should not have been there at all.

Right behind the drying beach there is a fishing village, partly very poor. It is a nice place to stroll fro a while and people are friendly, if sometimes shy.

Customer at a local shop.

A shrine. You find both Hindu and Buddhist temples in town, as well as many churches.