White knuckle drive or Independence Day?

I think it was all the Dutch courage I drank last night and the subsequent hangover I felt this morn that got me out of bed and into the truck.  Judging by the way the inside of my head felt, I knew I could handle whatever those Colombo drivers would throw at me!

Our mission: photograph what we could before security showed up.

I would kill to "liberate" these signs.

We went out the back way of our building to the school.  There is an old factory out there that has the coolest signs on it.  They started to clean up the grounds a few days ago which led me to suspect something nefarious is afoot! (Sadly, it happened to the Elephant House GoDown across the way in Slave Island).  I got out there with no problems and parked.  Of course, 2 foreigners walking down the street in that neck of the woods does draw a bit of attention.  I quickly took a few shots before the security guard came over to see what was happening.  Okay, I use the term "see" very loosely as his glasses were so thick and dirty!  He chatted us up and we came away not sure if we'd been invited to go in and see it or it was being torn down for condos.  Time will tell.

I was starting to feel a little bit cocky behind the wheel so we explored a bit.  Nice for G to be able sit back and scope out things for once instead of always driving.  We had to find a gas station and we did, near "Inner Flower Lane".  Sounds slightly pornographic but so be it.  G, of course, had to tell the gas jockeys that I had been a tuktuk driver in Canada so all these guys came over and peered at me!  If he's not telling them I'm a tuktuk driver, he tells people I have rellies in prison...which I don't!!!!

Road Warrior.

We arrived back home uneventfully.  It feels good to be back driving.  It has been 3 months, probably the longest I've gone in awhile. I find that your relationship to the host country changes once you begin to drive.  You begin to spend time in your vehicle rather than dealing with people.  Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's sad.

A rare sight in Colombo.