The chaos that has kept Sri Lanka in suspense these days can be seen from a few hundred meters along the capital's beach promenade.
In the protest camp in front of the presidential offices in Colombo, the demonstrators shout slogans into their megaphones.
A little further on, hungry residents are queuing in front of a soup kitchen, which is also run by the demonstrators.
But most people continue to make the pilgrimage to the presidential palace, which, like the offices, has been in the hands of the people since the mass rush to the building last Saturday.
They want what may be their only chance to get a glimpse of the luxury in which their president resided while the people headed ever further towards the economic abyss.
This annoys some people: "The situation in our country is extremely bad,
Till Fähnders
Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.
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In fact, only a few hours later, the situation becomes precarious again.
The news that the hated President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives in a military plane with his wife and two bodyguards was greeted with jubilation in the protest camp.
But what about the announced resignation?
And will the prime minister also resign, as he had offered?
Protests erupted again in front of his office on Wednesday.
The police tried to push people back with tear gas.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declares a state of emergency and a curfew across the west of the country, including Colombo.
Then the speaker of parliament announces that the prime minister himself has been appointed acting president by the incumbent.
"Ranil", as they call him here, is an old acquaintance.
He has been prime minister six times.
But the highest office in the state was still missing from his resume.
The state rooms are closed
Then some of the images from Saturday seem to repeat themselves: the demonstrators storm the building and appear on a balcony waving flags.
No matter how these political turmoils continue: The storming of the buildings of power will be reflected in the history books of the South Asian island state as well as the flight of the president abroad.
No wonder people from all parts of the country want to be a part of this moment.
From the entrance to the palace, a human bond runs through the streets for miles.
The irony that they are now standing in line for hours again, and this time even voluntarily, does not go unnoticed by the people.
“They live their life of luxury, we stand in line.
Now again.
That's Sri Lanka: always queuing!” says housewife Lakshmi Shalom.
She is alluding to the miles of car and tuk-tuk traffic jams in front of the gas stations that are now a feature of Colombo's streets.
The extreme shortage of fuel is the biggest problem for the bankrupt island state.