After a solid night’s sleep we were up and had breakfast at the hotel. They did ring the room at about 8:30 to ‘politely’ remind us that they close at 9:30. Today’s main activity was to visit the Negombo Fish Markets which are recognised as one of the larger fish markets in Asia. The local view is that they are the largest. Whatever is true, it is certainly an impressive enterprise. We will visit the markets again as part of our tour on Monday, but I wanted to try out a new lens I’d bought for the camera without the pressure of a schedule.
After copping a bit of sun yesterday, we decided to take a Tuk Tuk rather than walk the 4 kilometres in the sun. This was a particularly interesting trip through the peak hour traffic. We’ve learnt after numerous trips in Asia that it is best not to look and trust the driver will deliver you to your destination.
Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived, my ‘fisherman’ friend from yesterday appeared from nowhere and dragged us about ‘educating’ us about the market for a small fee, so my plan to be unaccosted was a bit of a failure.
I doubt he’s a fisherman at all and probably makes his money fleecing tourists. Although, I was feeling a little silly, he was a bit helpful in guiding us around the drying process. I hope he spends the money in the local community. The market produces a lot of dried fish which is salted and basically left in the sun to dry.
It’s very manual process as the fish are sorted, cut and prepared from drying, so it was quite the hive of activity to observe. From a food safety perspective, there are so many issues with the process. Additionally, as I walked past the fish cutters and the runoff was flowing straight back into the ocean, I did wonder about environmental impact.
There is also a ‘wet’ market where fresh fish and all sorts of other seafood can be purchased. Once again, I did wonder about the lack of refrigeration and the general ambient temperature affecting the quality of the fish. The egrets and local crows also come in to see what they can scavenge.
Upon our return to the hotel, there was time for a quick swim in the pool to cool down before going to lunch. We walked to the main road and I selected a crab restaurant appropriately named Mr Crab. We shared a seafood platter and I had a Lion beer. The seafood platter features a half lobster, a small crab, calamari, fish and a dead octopus that neither of us wanted to eat. The quality was OK, but we’ve eaten better on this trip. My other problem with small crabs is that the small amout of crab meat you get takes a lot of work. I’ve probably been spoilt for life after eating the King Crab in Alaska last year (still my favourite).
We walked back to the hotel along the beach, racing the incoming tide. There are a number of ‘resorts’ that face the beach of varying quality as is often the case when an overall plan is not clear.
After a relaxing afternoon we planned to go to the most recommended restaurant in Negombo call Salt. Some tropical storms blew in in that afternoon, providing a little relief from the humidity, but also making Tuk-Tuk travel a little impractical. We assumed it would be a simple process to have the hotel call a taxi, but it did take a little encouragement. Once the taxi arrived, he tried to leave before Deb got in, but ultimately got us to our destination.
The meal was spectacular and was actually one of the cheaper high-end meals we’d had. We opted for the Seafood Kottu and a Marsala Curry with some nice extra including a delicious Beetroot Curry. We managed to squeeze in a Curd and Treacle dessert as well. The restaurant itself was beautifully appointed, but I did wonder whether eight (8) chefs cooking for 9 people was a little excessive.
One more day in Negombo tomorrow, before linking up with our tour group.
Until tomorrow
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