Christmas is coming so here's a random gift idea - buy your loved one/child/friend etc. a telescope. Ambling around Fort/Pettah I stumbled across the Batik Centre - which actually sells telescopes. Talk about diversifying. There are no batiks to be seen, instead they stock binoculars, cameras and space observation paraphernalia. Strange but maybe visionary? Anyway we just went to the Planetarium and space is cool, so a telescope really seems like a good gift. These ones look pretty solid, but they are expensive- Rs 12,000 for a small one. Sadly they arent open at night which is when you'd have the best chance of testing your purchase.