Paul Topping

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In the theatre area of London at Bedford Street, l perceive a mystery is about to unfold. I’m excited about visiting the home of Mr. Phileas Fogg, yet I know he is a fictitious character in Jules Verne’s book, “Around the World in Eighty Days”. We pre-booked a table slot in the pub that is implied to be Foggs home. The ground floor is actually a small pub. The waiter says that the maximum we can stay in the building is two hours. The Whinging Pome Random Rule No. 319 kicks in, “always have an exit plan”.

We agree to have one-hour upstairs and one downstairs. The pub is packed with various plaques about Mr. Fogg implying he lived there, but it was his mother’s house. Clearly this can’t be true. After one hour in the bar, we can go to the gin area one floor below. There are no customers at 8 am . A member of staff starts to take us through some of the 160 plus gin bottles they have in stock, normally it’s over 200.

This is looking but not tasting. I pick up on some I’ve never seen e.g. Engine, Copper Head, American Gins. The lady doing the presentation and the gin range are impressive. Good to see Colombo 7 in stock. We settle down for a tasting, for those seeking tonic it’s the house brand.

It’s a nice small bar and fills up in the hour we are there. Our two hours are up, and we have had fun and prices are ok.

Of Mr. Fogg it is a bit of a foggy connection. With no further reference to the Fogg of Jules book, but spare a thought for William Perry Fogg. He travelled to India, China, Japan, America and more and published two books. It is thought that Jules inspiration came from Williams travel stories and his surname.

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If you are someone who goes to Victoria/ Digana from Kandy, I hope you have noticed the little picturesque blue church. It’s opposite the Earl’s Regency Hotel, just over the bridge crossing Mahaweli River. On four occasions we have driven to the gates at the front of the amazing little church, but the gate has always been locked. This time Amresh says the notice says “access at the rear”. He is a good Kandy St Thomas boy of the 1970s, quite bright in those days.

Down a few alleyways we arrive at the church complex with a school, houses and walk to find we are the back of the blue church.

The church looks old from a distance, on checking it out we find it was opened in the 1950s.


Back in 1917 in a place called Fatima in Portugal three children of local farmers met Fatima or as we would call her “Mary the mother of Christ”. Mary visiting the place and the children has become of religious importance. A small basilica was built on the site and it became a Christian sanctuary.

There are a number of plaques around the blue church of Kandy. On closer investigation it is a simply built church on the Fatima church design, but in a commanding location next to the river.

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Dogs of the Galle Road, Colombo

My morning walks give me a chance to meet the dog community of the Galle Road in what I call the Manhattan stretch. (Kollupitiya to the Kingsbury)

I don’t know their names, but I get to chat with a few. Some days I count over twenty-five of them as they hang about waiting for breakfast and “meals on wheels” I hear charities fund the cost of feeding them.

Some dogs look as though they’ve been partying all night and make no effort to say good morning. Many have their spots to sleep and rest, some in the middle of junctions and on zebra crossings.

Dogs of the Galle Road, Colombo

I have only one thing against these street urban dog dwellers, and that is the random pavement poo, which street cleaners cover with sand so us humans can avoid the mess.

I’m not sure dogs have multiple morning locations for breakfast when these good-hearted humans come to feed and water them. How sustainable this humanitarian activity can be is another matter.

Dogs of the Galle Road, Colombo

The dogs in the main look healthy, some have taken a bash from cars. I’ve seen some chase bike riders. Maybe avenging previous encounters. The bikers who slow down to converse do so at their own risk. Some of the dogs have collars and dog tags, and many looks related to each other. Sometimes I see the bitches hiding from the male dogs or trying to avoid being chased.

In thirteen years of walking the Galle Road, I’ve never met an aggressive dog, some are chattier than others. There are big signs up saying “no dogs” on the Galle Face Green. Daily, the Sri Lankan army troops come on to the green to exercise. They don’t want to be rolling in poo. The dogs however will have their gatherings there in the very early morning when the human master race is asleep. For dog owners in this area who wish to walk their dogs, there are not many options. I see a few with a dog on a lead also carrying a stick and a poo bag.

I’m thinking of going out with the street dogs late one night to see what they get up to.

Whilst these dogs are living in Colombo Two, I see many in the other outer suburbs struggling, underfed and neglected. Their owners in many cases are also struggling with the increasing cost of living. There are a number of organizations that are running programs to help these dogs. E.g. feeding, foster and adoption, vaccination and sterilization programmes.

Dogs of the Galle Road, Colombo

Estimate numbers of stray dogs in Sri Lanka vary, some hyped by government personnel, but generally it’s estimated there are two and a half million of them. A colleague some years ago from India was at an event I was holding in an up-end hotel down south. I was asked by the Indian if the beach dogs bite, and I said, “don’t know, but don’t go to the beach alone”. A stray beach dog came up onto the hotel pool deck and bit the chap. Every dog has its day. Very upsetting, and the victim had to go off for rabies jab. Today, the rabies jab can cost more than 60,000 rupees.

So, if like me, you talk to the dogs whilst out walking, you have to know your patch.

26th of August was International Dog Day!

Dogs of the Galle Road, Colombo
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The Fortress Hotel in Kogala first opened in 2007, having being stalled during foundation work by the tsunami. It was and is a five-star hotel, and we were regular visitors in those early days when two amazing Australian managers ran the establishment, there was some empathy and fun with Jezzabel.

We are on the road again, this time on the expressway, not the coastal Galle road from Colombo. Arriving at the fortress hotel, four minutes from Koggala and thirty minutes from Galle.

It’s that wow factor on arrival, the Dutch columns and the sea view across the large pool. Then we meet three staff members who we remember from the early days.

The building with fifty-three bedrooms and two restaurants has a fort look, but ironically once inside it is very open and well-designed.

The unusual three connected pools are visibly very attractive, large and well located. It is a bit difficult to do serious swimming as there are curved walls, dark visibility and some areas of excessive and changing depths. Stronger signs are much needed at this pool.

We have enjoyed many excursions locally, Koggala Lake out on a boat and meeting cinnamon growers. There are many links to WW2 and the British. These include the military airport where a number of Catalina seaplanes were based, flying to Singapore and beyond. There was also a short air strip with 800 people were on the base at the time. At the end of the runway close to the sea there is what is called an “aviation museum”. It’s actually a small post-war prop plane you can go into.

In season the area has surfers and lots of sun/ beach budget tourist mainly on package holiday.

I’m a big coffee fan and try to push companies to use local Sri Lankan coffee. Fortress is using Italian Molinari coffee. I would urge them to use high quality local coffee.

The Fortress bedrooms are well-equipped with big TV’s, nice balcony, comfy large beds with a large bath and a jacuzzi. There is a massage facility, but we were only on a short stay.

I walked on the local beach to see many old style hotels closed as it’s out of season. There is also much evidence of sea erosion. Koggala Beach hotel is in a prime location but with most of its land frontage lost to the sea, it is $40 a night B&B and most people I met there were middle-aged Dutch folk. There is monsoon rain and wind with frequent warnings, not to swim in the sea.

With an excellent location, Fortress is also next to Ahangama, the up-and-coming nightlife place on this coast. In front of the hotel you can see the “stilt fishermen”, they sit over the sea on sticks with basic fishing rods. I don’t think they catch much, but if you take a photo of them, a local will pop up and demand money. This area is renowned for both activities.

So on our third day we sadly have to return home having had a chilled, pampered break at the Fortress.

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It’s nine o’clock in the morning and there are no regulars dropping in. There is a young couple sitting next to me making love to their coffee and tea. (Thank you, Billy Joel)

It’s morning time and for a change I’m having my morning coffee in the Shangri-La Sapphyr Lounge. I’m sharing the place, some seventy plus seats, with initially one family of four. Then joined by a couple who sit at the next table to me and use their phone excessively. I can tell you their plans for the day and the weeks ahead. Given over 60 chairs are empty, why are we all sitting in the same area? Well, there are two reasons, the view of the sea and the massively developing Port City. The staff are some 60ft away at their service desk. They let you choose your own seat and then make contact. The staff are very polite, but all can do with some physical exercise. There must have allocated jobs amongst the staff, the table on the other side of me by the window and view is not cleared or cleaned for thirty minutes. This is done by the only male member of staff, who looks like he has just come on duty.

The coffee and the cookies are excellent, it’s better value than my normal Delifrance with little service, no view and no tasty free cookie.

A well-dressed elegant European lady joins the light gathering, later she is met by an aging European looking chap with an iPad, he speaks loudly, and I gather his flight was over 12 hours late. Flew Usually Late UL, no doubt.

I do wish Shangri-La would open their coffee shop facing the mall way before eleven am. It would become my morning coffee stop.  The Central Café in the Shang Hotel is a Bewelleys green Irish coffee shop look alike. It provides service, an extensive menu and good product. Sadly, I can’t wait till nearly midday for my first coffee. By midday, like many other people, it’s too late for a good coffee.

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We went to the Port City the other night to Bellevue Beach Club, it’s the only quality haven along the water front you will find. A couple and their son, from France, have opened this very stylish club waterfront restaurant. On an upper floor there is a great private party location.

It’s a smaller version of Potato Head Beach Club or KU DE TA in Bali. These locations however have all day dining, breakfast to supper. You can start at eight, and you can finish at two or later.

Bellevue hasn’t got there yet, as it is experimenting with opening hours at the moment. Worth ringing if you want to go during the day.

The first chairs on the water front are a bit over designed and not so comfortable, we tried some others but ended up at a classic table as we all wanted to dine. For us, the whole night out was value for money, but for some people it would be considered a bit expensive. So in these early days, the team are checking on who is dropping in just to look. Some sit and just order a beer.

All striking cuisine cooked in a different way to what’s around in Colombo. Great prawns, meat skewers, unusual flavours.

Two of us got a thin pizza with a topping of lightly cooked vegetables, including my favourites, mushrooms and aubergines. The others had burgers, which they thought were full of flavours. The new French chef came out, as did the owner, to get our feedback. Lucky, we had a French speaker in our group to interact.

At 10 o’clock, we still have not finished our meal and are four out of twelve people in the whole place. The disco music has been pumped up. They are never going to get the big dancing crowd on a night before eleven pm. Each of us were shouting to have a conversation. The management turns down the volume. Hopefully they will understand dinners don’t want load music.

This French designed and operated waterfront white club style venue is a great addition, so I’m sure Bellevue Beach Club will do well.

Masses of space and seating options, plenty of staff and an exciting venue with some new style in Sri Lanka.

We will return.

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It’s been more than twenty-five years since I’ve been to this hilltop authentic village and basilica. What a difference a quarter of a century makes. I take Jezzabel there to share this unique location, the views and a quant hilltop village.

Oh my god how it has changed, there are still artists happy to do your portrait and the old religious buildings are amazing in this historic village. The people in their masses look a motley crew and the place is filthy. It’s amassed with tourists and reminds me of a theme park. People eating and drinking in the streets, the brides-to-be with their fairy outfits wandering around the cobbled streets. I keep looking for the big Disney sign and the shows on the street. It’s rough. Cheap tat shops and rip of restaurants where everyone sits facing the roads eating crapes or pizza. The roads are mainly pedestrian but with taxis, small buses and Cho Cho train rides.

I think this is my last visit to this hilltop tourist trap and the masses.

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Our experience of Eurostar has always been good. An earlier trip to Avignon when we ultimately slept in Napoleon’s bed was excellent. See story one of book two (The Whinging Pome – On The Road Again) and spot the only major typo in the whole book!

This latest booking has been the train to Paris from St. Pancras Station London. Well-organized process for security, passport controls and boarding. We chat up three ladies doing research on travellers, what a hoot they are. One is from Zimbabwe, another one is from South London and the third is from East London. I go through the questions and they laugh at most of my made-up answers, we chatted till boarding. They end up on the Whinging Pome Site and one day they are coming to Sri Lanka. The big-as-life Zimbabwean lady and Jezzabel share stories and contact details.

The train is on time, boarding is well organised and staff are at hand to help us with our four cases. Jezzabel has one empty case for shopping in Paris. She informs me London is more expensive than Paris. As a man I’m working on a more basic approach…. don’t think I need anything in Paris other than wine, restaurants, music, cemeteries and Jezzabel. I don’t do art galleries.

You can better the price of going to Paris from the UK by train if you want to risk low-cost airline carriers. This normally comes with add-on costs, delays, luggage restrictions and travelling in and out of the airport chaos.

Eurostar is a star product with clear processes and rules communicated well in advance. The duty-free and duty-paid shop run by Dufry looks like an afterthought. Clearly, water is the biggest seller in two meters of space, liquour is in the same space, and perfume is in two locations. I suspect there was no plan for duty-free shops pre-Brexit, so space was not planned.

Friendly, fun, down-to-earth rail staff are as efficient as the many up-end airline teams. The train staff must have been given happy tablets.

Paris is said to be one the most visited cities in the world … what a melting pot.

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It’s the first day of rain in the eight days of being in Paris, it looks set for the day. The natural thought is to visit indoor places. E.g. museums. If there are queues normally, they are even bigger on rainy days.

On a website, there is an article that tells you what to do on rainy days. We are all inspired by it and the “covered passages”. These passages are basically long indoor walkways with shops selling art, stamps, postcards, walking sticks, umbrellas, sweets, stuffed animals, bags, etc. The galleries have a stylish artisan feel with numerous quirky nik-nak shops, restaurants, coffee shops and more.

We stop for coffee and are presented with the biggest and the most colourful croissants I’ve ever seen.

Above these malls with a central high glass ceiling, there are also apartments and some old-fashioned hotels.

The Galleries started in 1786 and went on in number being extended in the nineteen hundreds with a total of 183 of them. Sadly only 25 remain today. Napoleon was a major influence in their expansion. Given extreme winter weather they were a way of getting around parts of Paris without getting wet or cold. The decor is ornate as are the floors with bright colours and lots of hanging lights and signage.

So, we have a fun ninety minutes exploring and rummaging in the shops. These are the early forerunners of shopping malls, it’s a shame many have been destroyed.

I’m on a mission to seek out some old French prints. In our waterfront retreat in Victoria in each bathroom I have original and some copies of a French artist’s work. Basically, it is a row of various French dogs peeing up against a wall, whilst above them a cat watches. So funny and so French.

I found some further galleries that majored in up-end exclusive fashion and clothing. I’m writing this sitting in a coffee shop opposite Galleries Lafayette. Jezzabel is shopping and promises this fourth time here will be the last on this trip.

Let’s see.

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I’m checking in at the Qatar desk for my flights to London, it’s my first economy long-haul flight in decades. I’m wearing a jacket and a big friendly smile and about to ask if I can buy an upgrade but before I do the staff member says.

“Mr. Topping, we are upgrading you free of charge on the first leg of your trip. The second leg is down to the staff at Doha.”

The Whinging Pome Random Rule No. 295:

“Always wear a jacket when flying economy, it’s a great move to getting a free upgrade.”

Sadly, I don’t get an upgrade on the second leg of the journey.

So, I’m sitting in economy on a Qatar flight to London. Two jumbo-size people in tracksuits sit next to me. The lady, (I think it was a lady) is obese, she sits in the seat next to me overhanging the seat by 6 inches. God steps in, they are in the wrong seats and they have to move.

More people get on the flight and I get the loud kid behind. Worse to come, it’s a kicker and batters my seat back which is getting a thumping. I’m about to turn and give the parents some parental guidance in a short sentence to regain control of the overly aggressive child. Then a slither of hope and distraction. A smartly dressed lady sits next to me and then what I assume is her teenage daughter sits next to her.

The Whinging Pomes brain kicks in and a sixth sense tells me that they must be from Nepal. So, I ask them and they are.

Three degrees of separation. Christakis and Fowler established the diverse phenomena that we are all three degrees away from being linked to a perfect stranger by someone we know. The more we chat the more we establish common people we know and places in Nepal.

The trip just improved. The kid behind has fallen asleep and the red wine arrives, it’s not Shiraz but Merlot my least favourite red grape. A pack of prawn sandwiches also arrives.

During all this time I’m watching a soppy movie, with a well-known Indian actress and lots of WhatsApp message. The stewardess comes over and welcomes me, “Mr. Topping welcome to our flight, as a frequent traveler with us and a gold card holder. blah blah blah ….”

This is it; I’m thinking, the late but much-deserved upgrade is about to take place. She continues;

“Welcome to the flight can I take your jacket?”

My jacket gets the upgrade to business but not me.

My return two flights are both full so no upgrades but lots of crew pampering (gold card) in economy. The two girls sitting next to me are on their maiden flight, at eighteen years of age. Given their chatter and naivety, they ask how much wine is from the drinks trolley and they think the snack is great.

The mischievous Whinging Pome smoothly says, “Are you ladies from Essex”

Their response is quite quick and they don’t look as if they know where Essex is.

“No Surrey actually, anyway who are you and why are you getting so much attention from the stewardess”.

I’ll give my response in the following sequence of Toppings Air Travels.

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