It’s a long way from my childhood days in Livingstone by the Zambezi or Cape Town and the greatest table in the world. I’ve lived in ten different locations in the UK, Blackheath and Sevenoaks were perhaps the most enjoyable. Then I spent the equivalent of a year living in India and decades of extensive global travel mainly on business to over 130 cities. These included Baku, Sydney (the wife’s hometown), Tokyo, Rio, Dublin and more. So where did I decide to “hang my hat“? In Colombo.

As The Whinging Pome you may have thought my preference would be to be in England or Australia. The reality is the whinging pomes will always talk up Blighty. (I.e. the old England) but will never return to live there. After twenty-two years of living in Sri Lanka, I loved my world travel but always enjoyed returning home to the teardrop island. It’s not that Colombo is a clean city, in fact, it’s dirtier now than ever, for example, the Beira Lake becoming a smelly swamp. The city traffic is horrific, and most bus drivers belong in the movie “Mad Max”. I’ve stopped driving.

So enough of the whinging, what makes this place special to me? Well, a big part is the people, the inner circle, who I consider my adopted family, a wider group of great friends, and a massive circle of good acquaintances. Having been here for over two decades I’m still discovering new places to eat out, have a wine or just watch the world go by. In all these years I have felt safe. I’ve never really been threatened verbally or physically in  Sri Lanka. Some of whom I met managing a few companies in Sri Lanka. The teams here were as good if not better than the many other businesses in other countries I’ve set up and managed.

Get over the negatives! Colombo is an easy city to live in. Daily walks and great coffee stops, there are numerous clubs and the best shopping mall is next door to where I live. Having been here for over two decades I’m still discovering new places to eat out, have a wine or just watch the world go by. In all these years I have felt safe I’ve never really been threatened verbally or physically in Sri Lanka. Whilst only two people have stolen from me, the con artists are numerous. Given we all have a list of the go-to places on this paradise island, spending time out of the city is a delight. Hopefully, more highways are coming and travel times between key locations will improve. So, you may think I’m wearing rose-tinted glasses. Why are so many locals leaving the island, how are people coping with rising costs, lack of growth of the middle class (in fact it’s likely reducing), corruption, and the list goes on.

I’m going to continue wearing those glasses as I still believe Colombo will remain my home town. If it gets too difficult here then I’m heading to Lisbon. In truth some factors don’t impact me greatly, it helps living in an apartment with my lifestyle. Considering many citizens of other countries are also facing severe challenges, is the grass always greener on the other side?  For many Sri Lankans however, leaving the island may still be the best or only option of improving their lives.