Postal Travails

I braced myself as I entered the Main Post Office again today, carrying the large, wooden devil dance mask that I had bought in Ambalangoda and now wanted to send home. I expected something in the line of "Where is the receipt?" or "We need proof this is not antique! You must obtain a letter from the Department of Archeology!" Instead I was bewildered at seeing the staff smile benignly at me, acting in a courteous and helpful manner. I had to pinch my arm. "Wrapping guy" recognized me immediately and talked lightheartedly to "Sari woman"- I only recognized the words "printed matter parcel", but their voices carried no grudge. They both smiled to me and asked me about my stay in Sri Lanka.

"Man in Counter 16" was replaced with a more competent colleague. He made no fuzz about the mask and was able to give me the different rates so I could make an informed choice as to how I would send it. Only "Stamp guy" ruined their performance slightly by being out for lunch. He had me waiting 10 minutes, but what does that matter?

The world is full of surprises, but this caught me completely off guard. Maybe it is the up-coming Kandy perahera that has put everyone in an amiable mood.

/haakon/

BTW! I recently found in my guidebook (yes, even this anthropologist has one) a note that I wrote last year. On the note was jotted down all the different parcel rates. It turned out that the 600 rupees or so that I paid for my printed matter parcel was correct. Who knows..? Maybe the books aren't lost after all.