Scavenger hunt by Tuk Tuk

Fun on three wheels? It certainly is. Trishaws or Tuk Tuks as they are known locally are usually the daredevils of Sri Lankan roads. Loved and hated in equal measure, they are everyman’s mode of getting about. They whizz along the widest roads, and creep down the narrowest alleyways. So for a little bit of ‘treasure hunting’, the humble Tuk Tuk becomes the chariot of choice. The routes are carefully mapped out, the clues are given over – and the race begins with toots of horns and hoots of laughter. The more daring may choose to drive, but it is not for the faint hearted. The clues point to places off the tourist map, to little gems that lie hidden in every city and town that are missed by so many. A quaint old shop selling ancient watches down a tiny cobbled corridor of a street, its sole occupant as old and withered as time itself. A bustling market with vendors touting wares in loudest possible voices. There amongst the fluorescent coloured plastic boxes, may lie a clue to collect. Or would it be within the cavernous depths of the brightly lit sari shop where reams of silk and rayon shimmer and swirl expertly in deft hands, tempting passers-by. Is the sweet aroma of Faluda wafting from the nearby ‘cool house’ worth a brief stop for a sip? Or should one rev up and rush on towards the old clock tower where a clue might well be hidden? The fun is in the discovery of each new treasure, and each one an experience – a ride to recall with wide smiles.