Back in 2001, we visited the country of Sri Lanka for the very first time. With a population of over 22 million, we expected the peaceful tear-drop island, once called Ceylon, to be a place with steamy tropical air filled with cinnamon and tea plantations. It was. But we also discovered that it was a place of political turmoil and civil unrest. Not only in the capital of Colombo, but also out into the country sides. Almost 20 years later, not too much has changed….it still is a volatile country, although the capital city has become more safe for tourists we heard.
Located at the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka is a tropical primarily Buddhist island with some very interesting history. Colonial museums and monuments can be seen in the capital, but so can modern high rise apartments and high end resorts. It is heavily influenced by ancient kingdoms, the Portuguese, Dutch, and the British. Foods that is popular here are rice, coconut milk, curries, pickles, and chutneys. A certain type of mud crabs exist here, and are shipped to many nearby countries. Tablemates Greg and Heo indulged with a lunch at the Cinnamon Hotel today, and said the crab was out of this world.
One of the most fun places to visit out of town had to be the Pinnawela Elephant Sanctuary and the sacred city of Kandy where the Temple of the Tooth resides, an authentic relic from Buddha. One time we took the antique train ride, which seemed to take forever. But what a blast from the past as we rode through country sides, seeing how these folks live away from the big cities.
More recently, we took a safari trip to Yala National Park to see the leopards and elephants up close and personal. It was an excellent experience, despite the fact that the entire country was undergoing a terrible heat wave. Then we had two separate trips to the settlement of Galle which revealed the Dutch history from the colonial past.
The most interesting random fact about Sri Lanka is that cinnamon was cultivated here centuries ago, and has traded the spice since 2000BC. We had a private visit to a plantation a few years ago, and saw the entire process of cinnamon bark gathering. It was surprisingly labor intensive, and an art that is passed down from the workers to their children.
As we mentioned, a 3 hour ride to Pinnawela Elephant Sanctuary was offered through shore excursions. The best thrill was seeing these animals taken into the river where they are bathed, groomed, and watered by their handlers. And you view this activity from a tiered restaurant right above the river. We have done this tour at least twice, except we never paid $350 per person which included the train ride.
Other excursions here were city tours, as well as a long ride to Galle, the Dutch settlement we mentioned before. We did spend two lovely days at the colonial hotel there a few years ago, enjoying our time there.
So today, we began the day with a dining room breakfast, learning about the party the fellows had last night with their late Indonesian dinner. Apparently, the chefs had brought 3000 small meatballs while in Semarang to be served later on. Our favorite waiters confessed to eating from 10 to 45 meatballs in one sitting. They may have been joking about the amount, but had so much fun teasing each other today.
By the time the last of the tour buses were leaving, we went off to explore the city nearby. To back up a bit, last year in December, we had to apply for the Sri Lankan electronic visa before we left home. Done completely on the computer, we filled out the form and paid the $35 fee for a one day stay. Normally the ship was able to procure these, but not anymore. Compared to other visa applications for other countries, this one was fairly easy. At least we did not have to mail in our passports, since everything was done electronically, as well as having the proper forms emailed directly to us. Without the visa, we would not have been allowed to leave the ship…..not even to buy souvenirs on the pier. Many folks we know chose to stay onboard, having been here dozens of times over the years.
No doubt about it, today was going to be a hot one. Maybe not as hot as Darwin, but a close second. One factor of walking out of this port has to be the encounter with the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers offering tours for $1. You had better practice your skills at saying no thanks, and really meaning it. These guys can be persistent to the point of disbelief. We had been warned to make no eye contact or even responding with nothing more than saying no. Since we have done this stretch of the road many times, we were prepared for it. And just like last year, at one point, a well-dressed what you would assume was a business person, warned us to stay away from these drivers. Then he will go into a talk about an elephant parade about to happen at a temple, and he would call a taxi for us. Again, we said no thanks. And besides, there was no parade at all.
About the time you think it would not stop, we were at the Kingsbury Hotel, where we ducked inside to escape the ride offers and cool off. This is a modern and elegant property where if you chose, you could spend a nice afternoon eating lunch and using their pool for a fee. On a couple of separate occasions, we stopped here for tea and small sandwiches following a city tour. Today we just visited, but did not stay.
Continuing on towards town, we passed by the British colonial buildings of the government complex – Sri Lanka’s seat of government. These days it is dwarfed by all of the high end hotels and financial centers.
A complex that was in the works for several years has been completed at One Galle Face. It includes a modern mall, towers, and apartments. Perhaps when we come back here next year, we will see what they have to offer here.
We reached the Galle Face Greens, a promenade of ¼ mile along the coastline of the Indian Ocean. Back in 1859, this stretch of grass was used as a horse racing track and later, a golf course. The wide walkway above the surf was filled with benches and snack food stands for the locals. Being on the water like this also provided a nice breeze, making the hike tolerable. Most of the ladies carry umbrellas for shade, as there are no trees planted here at all. About at the halfway point, there was a pier that went out over the water. We walked out to the end, watching the fish swimming in the shallows over the coral and rocks. What you won’t see in the water are swimmers. We suspect there is a powerful undertow, and also it is possible that the water is polluted. Warning signs were posted the entire length to stay out of the ocean water.
At the end of this promenade is a most lovely hotel called the Galle Face Hotel. It has been here since the 1800’s and recently renovated. We made our way through the marble-clad lobby to the outside open-air patio dining, and the section called the Travellers Bar. Part of the back section had reserved signs on the tables, set with tea cups. We suspected that the HAL group would be stopping here for their tea and snacks, which they did.
We spent two luxurious hours relaxing in the comfortable chairs sipping Lion draft beers, sharing a ham and cheese panini and bowls of chili-flavored chips. The local chipmunk paid several visits, begging some food from us. He took a few of the chip bits we left for bait (had to get close-up photos of him). One chip was too big, and the little devil simply licked the seasoned salt off of it, and discarded the chip. The new group of dance hosts happened to be sitting across from us, and they were equally amused as we were. Eventually the dance teachers Kirsten and Alex, joined them, and we became their official picture takers. All but one of the dance hosts are from England, and seem to be a much more friendly group than the first set of guys.
When the HAL group was ready to depart, one couple stopped and asked us how we got here. By walking, of course, so they decided that the cold beers we had were a far better idea than hot tea, and would attempt the hike when they got back to the ship. They were soooo jealous that we had free time to stay, but we did tell them we had done the same tour they just did more than once, so we understood. By the time they left, we had ordered a brownie with a scoop of ice cream to finish our meal. Really good and just enough with sharing it.
It was interesting watching the outdoor buffet set up for a private group of business people we assume. It was off limits to the general public today. Before we departed, we walked the property taking many photos. The pool area was separate from the patio, so maybe next time, we will try their cuisine. The only difference from last year, was that we had paid with the US dollars, and they converted it the rupee. Now they will not do that. But they did take a credit card, where we might even get a better rate exchange. By the way, the ship did not sell Sri Lankan rupee, but a local rep came onboard with their money, and sold it near the front desk. They also had a hospitality desk where maps were handed out.
The walk back to the ship was by far easier, as the taxi and tuk-tuk guys knew you were not interested in a tour at 3pm. All aboard was 5:30pm, so we took our time getting back. Closer to the pier area, a gigantic project of reclamation was ongoing since our last visit a year ago. Funded by the Chinese, we heard, this area will look like something you might see in Dubai. A whole new spot with high rise resorts, shopping, and restaurants. It will include entertainment venues with a meandering creek with bridges. The total cost is in the billions.
Before we boarded the ship, we strolled through the craft market set up on the pier. There may have been many bargains here, but since some of the bus tours had just arrived back, the vendors were too busy to help with pricing. And we were not in the market for “elephant” pants which seemed to be the hot item of the day for many ladies. Since we already own wood carvings and treasures from here, we came back on the ship with nothing new.
It was so refreshing to get back to the air-conditioning, we stayed inside working on photos until sail away. At 5:30pm, there were still buses late, and people shopping. It was not until after 6pm, that we left the very busy harbor. The sun set with an orange ball of fire going down on the horizon. With no clouds, there was little color before it just went dark. We stayed until 7pm, visiting with good friends, catching up on their exploits of the day. Always nice to hear so many different stories as the lights of the city faded in the distance. The next port will be Cochin, India.
Dinner was heavily Sri Lankan themed, although one of us had the American stew. It was cooked to perfection. The minced skewered chicken salad was also good with some different spices. We shared one sticky date muffin again with a scoop of ice cream. We were so exhausted from the long walk in the heat, that we skipped the show with Kenny Martyn, a clarinet player. He will be back at least once more we are sure.
Bill & Mary Ann
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Report #68 Colombo, Sri Lanka March 27, 2019 Wednesday Sunny & 90 degrees
