Colombo Trip, Sri Lanka

Joseph looking out the window on the way to Colombo. Several things of note are just how close the train tracks run beside the ocean and the clean clothes lying out on the ground to dry (shades of India). The scenery was beautiful and we all enjoyed the ride up to the Capital City of the Country.

The train station. It is about a 2 hour train ride to Colombo if you do not take the express train. We opted to stop at all the stations to get a feel for the area. On the return trip we had to twice get off the train and wait for a different train to pick us up and take us further on down the line, this seems very odd to all of us. The airport and train stations are infamous for "touts" a.k.a. scam artists.

Christine right outside the central train station in Colombo. Things to note here are the corrigated metal roofs on shops lining the streets, these shops sold everything from clothes to sunglasses, phones to jewelry. We were all impressed with how clean Colombo was and compared to India, even the high-traffic areas were quite clean. There is also a woman in a sari right behind Christine, most women seemed to wear full-length cotton skirts, so the sari was notable.

Just past the train station is this monstrosity that begs to be titled "Who Ya Gonna Call? Ghostbusters!" Actually it is a monument to the Sri Lankan telecommunications systems; we all found it rather weird.

We walked from the train station to the Old Fort area (yes, old fort area in both Colombo and Galle). This photo shows the landmark old lighthouse which has been changed over to a clock tower. An "off limits" harbors is just behind the clock tower. The presidential palace was to the right past the clock tower and security was very much in evidence. This old part of the town has mostly colonial-era structures, many are in good shape and others are being renovated/restored.

Katherine was so excited to go to The Pagoda restaurant because the Duran Duran "Hungry Like The Wolf" video was filmed here in the 1980's. This is one of the oldest eating establishments in the Fort area. However, it was also undergoing a massive renovation and only available for drinks and pasteries. We were all disappointed, so the women went shopping at Lanka Hands, a multi-level store selling local crafts (including Sinhalese masks, batik and lacework, basketry and way more). Christine filled her backpack full!!!

Cargills Ltd, a once-grand Department Store built to supply imported luxury to British Planters and Colonial Administrators, was established in 1844. The building still features gorgeous glass, mahogany cabinets and lots of brass; it is a living mercantile museum.

This photo shows the still beautiful red-brick victorian Cargills Emporium. The company still has a major retail influence on the nation, in 1993 Cargills began a supermarket chain. We even shopped at the one in Wadduwa; it wasn't huge, but it was clean and air conditioned.

Scott simply had to have a picture of this! I was trying to figure out how to make a "B" with my arms to do the YMBA dance.

Beautiful Hindu Temple - bright colors are quite popular in Sri Lanka.

View from the passenger seat of a tuk-tuk. Please note how the driver is actually over the center line - very common driving practice, cause it is all about passing the guy in front of you. We took the tuk-tuks across town to another restaurant Katherine recommended.

This victorian house is the Paradise Road Gallery Cafe. We had an excellent lunch at the 2nd floor cafe. The first floor and much of the second were all retail; amazing array of housewares, home accessories and lovely gifts. Scott and I both shopped while we waited for our lunch, but as we are on the 5-Year Plan, what we bought were gifts. So much of the store reminded me of Ozzie's - great merchandise, fair prices and good customer service. As we were flying home, the terra cotta garden pieces were for looking only.

This is a sacred Bodhi Tree, we saw them all over the country and like this one, right in the middle of the road! Cow also roam freely, but we saw very few of them in Colombo.

This white-domed building is known as "Old Town Hall", but the locals call it "The White House"

Just across the street is Colombo's largest park, Viharamahadevi Park (say that 5 times fast!). It was originally called Victoria Park, but like many places and streets, was renamed in the 1950's. Working elephants sometimes spend the night in the park eating palm branches - bet the gardeners love to clean up the mess?

These are Indian Flying Fox. The are the largest of three types of fruit-eating bats in Sri Lanka

Groups of roosting bats, numbering in the the hundreds, will take over the large trees in this park. They decamp after sunset. A gardener in the park led Scott and I to the roosting bats. He took a huge fallen tree branch and wacked at the ground until the bats flew up in a flurry. Their wing span is 1.3 meters (4.2 feet) and they made an awful screeching sound, yikes! Imagine that flying over your head?

See all the bats still hanging in the trees? They were amazing and we watched them two different times - even the local population was enthralled (and probably glad that the bats eat only fruit). After the gardener got the bats to fly up several times, he looked at us and put out his hand. Scott gave him some Sri Lanka Rupees and he looked at Scott and said "I need more, I want American money". Scott prompted pulled the note out of the man's hand and said "this is all I've got, you want it or not?"

The park is extremely large, with lots of play areas. Scott noticed this bridge over a small lake in need of repair. We were surprised at how many things needed work, but Sri Lanka's economy is in the same straits as most countries.

We saw this Boy Scout monument to the Golden Jubilee (1912-1962)of the Ceylon Boy Scout Movement. We both smiled and felt it rated a photo.

It was a long, long day and the little guys passed out on the couch, we let sleeping children alone!

The Sri Lankan who took care of us for a week. Miss Pushba was out cook and Mr. Thulak took care of our house and several others in the compound. They made out holiday restful and relaxing.

Sri Lanka was a lovely trip for us, a place that we probably never would have visited if not already living over overseas.

Hope this little slice of a our travels was enjoyable. Stay safe and warm,

Scott and Christine

Galle Trip, Sri Lanka

Galle is at least a 2 hour drive south of Wadduwa. Our tour guide offered many side trips, this kept the adults interested and our youngsters got to move about. A tall and elaborately carved staircase to a Buddist Temple. Note the raised circular area at the base, also carved - elephants a plenty. Christine was asked to wrap her sarong around her waist, as neither knees or shoulders can be uncovered (just like when entering a Mosque!)

Elephant carved into the side of the staircase.

Top of the staircase looking back downward, note the carved stone entryway. Van at the bottom was out transportation.

This huge Budda actually sits atop of the temple. To gain entrance, you must walk around the sides.

Christine and Katherine walking down one of the many staircases inside the multi leveled temple. Very colorful reliefs depicting the stages of Budda's life (i.e. enlightenment) cover almost every square inch. Our guide was Buddist and he spent a lot of time explaining the religion to all of us.

This relief was painted after the 26 December 2004 Tsunami, close study shows people climbing the hill to reach safety at the temple.

Always an opportunity to make money: the industrious Sri Lankans have this placid elephant outside the temple. Tourists pay a small amount and children walk under the elephant three times, it is supposed to bring good luck. The boys are touching the skin at the urging of the keepers. Note the sarong-like wrap on the Sri Lankan on the left - this is national dress for men.

Our guide, Mr. LaLa, explains varies components of this memorial to the Tsunami victims that were trapped on the train and perished. The coastline is just beyond the palm trees.

Close up of the memorial - note the railway cars. The train was full to capacity with 15,000 people traveling to celebrate both Buddist Full Moon and Christmas. When the first wave hit, the local population (of about 2,000) climbed into the carriages and on top of the roof. People were jammed tightly inside. When the second wave of 18 feet hit, people inside could not move to swim and the possibility of survival was extremely low.

This beautiful Budda, standing in the middle of a peaceful lake, was a gift to the people of Sri Lanka from a sister city in Japan. While driving along the main road (there is ONLY one road), we saw thousands of buildings never repaired. People are still waiting for release of the money contributed from all over the world. Government moves as slowly in Sri Lanka as it does elsewhere in the world...

Galle (pronunced Gaul) was occupied by the Dutch (among many others).

Christine, Katherine and Joseph outside the Dutch Reformed Church in Old Galle. There are memorial plaques (similar to the ones against the church base) all around the perimiter of this walled property.

Inside of the Dutch Reformed Church - still in use and still lovely. Beneath the entire floor are burial vaults with the information as to who occupies each vault. Besides the names and typical information, inscriptions offer occupations, time length in Galle, number of children and spouses. The vaults on the floor are all Dutch, but the ones around the sides are all English - yes, even the Dutch Reformed Church was occupied by the British!

Our group in front of the Lighthouse at the "Old Fort" - The fortress covered a vast area and encompassed the much of the town.

View off to the right from the walking path (atop the fortified granite walls of the fortress). This shows the old town of narrow streets and white-washed, red tile roofed homes. We were impressed with how clean this city was, NO litter anywhere.

Walking further down the pathway, we passed another colonial era church and approached...

a lovely granite jetty. Just the place to snap a photo of the Atsma family.

We moved to another are of the original Old Fort. As we were walking up a ramp, we passed a "snaker charmer" with his cobra in the basket and a constrictor coiled beside him on the pavement. Sri Lankans are opportunists where tourists are concerned: this gentleman played his flute and got the cobra to "dance". He also...

places the snake on obliging tourists. Both Joseph and William seemed to enjoy the experience.

We came out here at the top of the ramp - another entirely different section of the fortress, with an inner harbor just past the far side. That is a huge raindrop in center of the picture - yes, the rains had come.

Hendrik, who took the vast majority of these pictures, has spun 180 degrees and now the open seas are in the background.

Stopped at this seafood restaurant our guide recommended. We have come back up the coast 14 km to Hikkaduwa, this area was the first of the first beautiful beaches to be discovered by the tourists in the 1960's. It became a haven for "hippies" we are told. The area has expanded to a 4KM strip of hotels, shops, bars, restaurants & guesthouses all lining either side of the 2-lane road. Hikkaduwa is best known for excellent snorkeling & diving - colorful fish & corals, turtles and several documented shipwrecks to explore. We explored lunch!

Scott finally enjoying his soup. We ordered and our waiter disappeared for more than 45 minutes.

Thankfully the open beach was just over Hendrik's shoulder. A woman walked up the beach selling textiles. She came over to our table and was rewarded by sales from both of our ladies. Hey, we had to do something while we waited!

Stopped at a "gem" mine on our way back up the coast. This fellow was really working hard.

You can see another fellow down at the bottom of the mine.

Scott and one of the workers seem to be enjoying themselves.

Katherine and Joseph were checking out the raw gems.

A worker cutting and polished green quartz. He was making a lovely necklace all with these simple tools. We moved on the the sales room where Scott was soon parted from some of his money - the snake charmer was much cheaper.

Sri Lanka is famous for ceremonial masks. These were in a museum further along on the way. We also stopped at an herbal farm, but that story is so long, so complicated and so hilarious that will only tell it in person. We went home and jumped into the pool then relaxed until dinner.

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Galle is at the SW tip of Sri Lanka and is the capital city of the southern province. The city has a population of 100,000 and is contected to the rest of the country by rail and by roads laid out by the British. Traveling was time consuming and the drivers were daredevils. It seemed that we were playing "chicken" an awful lot of the time.

The city was devastated by the massive 26 December (Boxing Day) 2004 tsunami. Thousands were killed in the city and surrounding areas. More than 40,000 were estimated dead in the entire country and 2.5 million people were displaced. The 6 meter waves swept 5 K inland, made more deadly because most of Sri Lanka is flat.

Galle was a prominent seaport long before Western rule. Persians, Arabs, Greek, Malays, Indians and Chinese have been doing business at Galle port for centuries. A 1411 stone tablet commerating the visit of Chinese admiral Zheng He is written in 3 languages - Chinese, Persian and Tamil (remember the Tamil Tigers from northern part of the island?)

The Portugese arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505, followed by the Dutch in 1640. The Dutch East Indian Company is responsible for construction of the fortress. British rule began in 1796 and they used the fort, largely unchanged, as an asministrative center

It is the best example of fortified city built by Europeans in SE Asia. The Galle fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. The fortified walls were constructed of solid granite and has three bastions. It was quite impressive.

Hope you've enjoyed the pictures and descriptions,

Christine and Scott