My tuk tuk duly arrived on time and I was dropped off near the departures terminal. Boy, it is SO hot today, about 32 degrees and 70% humidity and the threatened thunderstorms have yet to arrive but already I am sweating profusely. The airport process is pretty bureaucratic - three security checks, two immigration checks and a check in during which I had to prove how I was going to leave India. I haven't even left Sri Lanka yet! Sri Lanka and India are similar in many ways but in other ways very different. Three or four things are noticeable as soon as I arrive. Sri Lanka has a population of 20 million whilst India has over one billion people; Sri Lanka is a largely Buddhist country whilst here it is mainly Hindu; economic development in Sri Lanka is very slow whilst here it is phenomenal! There are massive developments of apartments, villas, cinema complexes, shopping malls, business and commercial developments for mile after mile. Oh, and the other difference is that the various coloured tuk tuks of Sri Lanka are now yellow auto rickshaws! You will find the next leg of my journey on the South India section on the dashboard.