... our driver has to look for the hotel. We have to circle around twice and with the help of Captain Frey’s iPhone we are able to find it. The drive-in does look everything but inviting - and the pilots start to complain; what else is new... But then what a pleasant surprise: a 200 year old house that has been completely renovated. And with taste and style!! One of the most amazing hotels we stayed so far. Soon Bhathyia, and old friend of the Spörri family picks us up and we head for drinks at a rooftop bar. How Colombo has changed since the end of the war! There is construction going on everywhere and many new buildings ca e up since the webmaster was here last time. People are friendly and traffic is civilized; what a pleasant change from Dhaka! Later André, another longtime friend (and he still has the same preferences), joins us and we have a great dinner at a local outdoor restaurant that is built like a local village. Great food, interesting conversations and a good time with old friends. Gents: Thank you for a great evening!

The economy is booming and Colombo, which for years was a capital under siege from terrorists, is turning into a building site, and newfound wealth is translating into new shops and restaurants, restored historic buildings and huge public events such as pop-music concerts and fireworks. Optimism across the nation is replacing the relief that was pervasive immediately after fighting stopped. Literally gazing down on it all is the president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, whist mustached visage adorns huge billboards everywhere. His challenge is to steer the nation into reconciliation while so much pain remains.

The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that lasted over 20 years