2018 "Song of India" Adventure - Day 10 - Colombo, Sri Lanka
Day 10
– Thursday, March 1st – Colombo, Sri Lanka
(Steve writing) Today began with some
shocking news from my office: one of my most beloved co-workers, Suzanne
Konecny, died on her 58th birthday this past Sunday. She wasn’t in
ill health, and the death was sudden. Suzanne and I shared a lobe, as it were,
and hit it off famously from the first day we worked together, September 29th,
2014. I remember the date because she started the day before my work
anniversary. She was very musical, and if she started a song lyric, I’d finish
it. She and her husband Ray would attend the SMC shows, which I always
appreciated. I hadn’t worked daily with Suzanne for about a year and a half
when she went to another position in the organization, but we always maintained
that closeness. It’s as if a part of me were suddenly taken away, never to
return.
I was absorbing
this news as we slowly docked at the bustling seaport of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The weather remained sultry, and we were positioned among the large container
ships in this part of the harbor (there was no passenger terminal). One thing
I’ve noted on this trip: the container ships in these parts ride very low in
the water, filled to the brim with cargo. They only ride higher after they’ve
unloaded their cargo in U.S. ports. Indeed, we seem to export far less than we
import. At least via the sea.
We had breakfast
in Blu, and then met up with Bobby and Michael to start our sightseeing day in
Colombo. From the port, the city’s skyline was a mix of some tall office
buildings, many low-rise structures, and the new Colombo
Lotus Tower winning the
award for tallest structure on the horizon (1,150 feet/350 meters). We debarked
the ship around 9:30 and took the shuttle bus to the port entrance (we were not
allowed to walk, and it wasn’t close).
The port
entrance was a hodge-podge of military/police officers and tuk-tuk drivers.
Lots of tuk-tuk drivers. Tuk-tuks are three-wheeled motorized vehicles: room
for two passengers in the back and not much else. They are noisy, stinky, and
offer a rough ride. Imagine your lawn mower engine powering a rickshaw, and you
have the right idea. Here’s a video from a ride we took later in the day:
Our goal was to
get to the Dutch Hospital Shopping Centre to meet our guide at 10:30. Despite
many attempts by tuk-tuk drivers to give us a ride, we walked the distance
along the perimeter of the seaport until we were able to duck into the lovely
air-conditioning of the Hilton Colombo Hotel. The décor was beautiful, Michael
exchanged some money (USD $1.00 = Sri Lankan Rupee 155.00) and we admired the
beautiful baked goods on display (truly works of pastry art).
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| Hilton Colombo lobby ceiling |
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| Brilliant cake execution - Hilton Colombo |
I found it
curious that there were so few pedestrians, so little traffic, and so many
closed shops. It turned out that today was Madin Full Moon Poya Day. It marks
Buddha’s first visit to his hometown following his enlightenment. While that
made getting around easier, I would have enjoyed seeing a little more
liveliness in the city. For comparison, think of New York City on Memorial Day.
Eerily quiet.
(Our walk from the Port to the area we
were to meet our guide somehow reminded me of our visit to the old walled part
of Cartagena, Columbia two years ago: brutally hot and humid walk down very old
streets but with a tang of excitement and anticipation for something new in the
air! – AFK)
Nevertheless, we
made it to the rendezvous point with our guide, Harold, who is the owner and
sole guide for Colombo Walks. He offers several walks a day, and came
highly recommended on Trip Advisor. He turned out to be a delightful fellow who
studied in the U.S. and was interested in viewing the current day situation
from a historical perspective. By the way, it’s called the Dutch Hospital
because it originally was a Dutch Hospital in the late 17th century (Harold said the first official dated
reference to the Dutch Hospital was 1681 – AFK).
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| Dutch Hospital Shopping Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
The history of Sri
Lanka (Ceilão as the Portuguese called it in 1505, or Ceylon as it was known
before independence from England in 1948 and official renaming in 1972) is one
of conquerors conquering the previous conquerors. First the Portuguese, then
the Dutch, then the English, a pattern repeated elsewhere in the world. The
island nation was always desirable because of its indigenous supplies of spice
(cinnamon and black pepper, to name just two) and tea. It was also along the
trade routes between Europe and Asia, making it an ideal place to establish a major
trading port.
The Dutch
Hospital looked anything but traditional Dutch: it appeared more Spanish, with
a red-tile roof on a rectangular structure with a large courtyard. At the time
it was built, the sea wasn’t very far away and the breezes would help those
convalescing. We learned from Harold that natives weren’t treated here: only the
foreigners. Now, the whole thing has been revitalized into a high-end shopping
and dining center.
Our group of
four grew to nine as we were joined by two other couples from the ship, and a
delightful young German man who had just arrived in town the night before and
was starting a two week visit to Sri Lanka.
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| Our guide, Harold, in the red shirt |
The first place
Harold took us was the Kingsbury Hotel, a beautiful modern property overlooking
the sea. We went up to the baking rooftop terrace for some nice views down the
seaside promenade toward the south, and views of the busy port to the north.
Alas, the seaside location is already disappearing as the Chinese are funding a
300 acre addition that will have hotels, casinos, shopping, and a convention
center. Huge sand acreage reaches out to a new sea wall. In a way, it’s sad,
and in another way, futile: the seas are supposed to rise during this century.
Why add more acreage at sea-level??
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| The view south down the promenade |
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| The view north toward the port (that's the Constellation on the left) |
From the hotel
we walked toward the Presidential Palace, stopping at the Central Bank of Sri
Lanka which had suffered a terrorist bombing by the Tamil Tigers on December
31, 1996. 91 people died after the driver drove his truck into the lobby and
detonated the explosives. You wouldn’t know that today, as all traces of the
incident appear to be removed.
The Presidential
Palace was a large structure, painted white, originally built by the Dutch.
Like our White House, it’s surrounded by a fence and a great deal of security.
It certainly looked attractive. Beyond the Palace, we continued down
Janadhipathi Mawatha street as it curved and featured handsome 18th
and 19th century buildings in varying states of decay and renewal.
One thing about buildings in this latitude: if you don’t keep them up, they
fall into disrepair very quickly.
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| A building dating to the Portuguese colonial era |
The next stop
was the Grand Oriental Hotel, whose heyday must have been the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. Its location across the street from the
city’s main pier made it a favorite with visiting tourists. Today, it seemed
tired, with a lobby that was far from glamorous. (I beg to differ. I thought the lobby of the G.O.H. was charming. A
little bit shabby, but still charming. – AFK). We went to the top floor (4)
and enjoyed tea (both hot and iced) as we viewed the surrounding area.
The restaurant was getting ready for a large luncheon party, and we headed out soon after they arrived.
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| View of the old pier from the Grand Oriental Hotel |
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| The lobby of the Grand Oriental Hotel - shabby gentility |
The restaurant was getting ready for a large luncheon party, and we headed out soon after they arrived.
The group proceeded
east from the hotel along several blocks of construction until we arrived at
the next part of town: Pettah. This section is known for its shopping and
markets. The streets here were certainly more crowded than where we had been
(the area called Fort). Did I mention all the handsome men? Because there were
plenty. There were also plenty of merchants who would have been more than happy
for our business.
From the main
drag, we went down a side-street to see the Sammangodu Sri Kathiravelayutha Swami Hindu Temple. Sri Lanka’s largest
religion is Buddhist, followed by Hindu and Muslim. The exterior of the temple
was very picturesque, with dozens and dozens of figures crafted in the concrete
(it was built in the 20s or 30s). We were unable to go inside. (At the beginning of the tour, Harold had handed
each pair of us large automatic umbrellas to carry and use in case we had long
periods of walking – or worse, standing in the hot sun. Standing there across
the street from the Hindu temple and up against the high, hot wall behind us
the sun was punishing. Even with the umbrella I could only remain there a
couple of minutes else I would have sizzled into the sky… - AFK).
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| Sammangodu Sri Kathiravelayutha Swami Temple - note how all the figures are looking out, not down |
A few blocks
away was an even more impressive religious site: the Red Mosque (or Red Masjid). It was built in the early 20th
century, and on the day it was dedicated in 1909, the architect was killed. It
didn’t appear to be your standard design mosque (central prayer area and
minarets to call the faithful). It seemed jammed into the middle of a city
block. And the exterior was all patterned in red and white (hence its name).
Again, we were unable to go inside.
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| The Red Masjid, from the Main Street side |
We continued
walking down Main Street and then turned south toward the markets. First there
was a stop for fresh coconut water. The seller whacked off one end of the
coconut and provided a straw. It wasn’t anything to write home about. The
narrow streets were lined with many small stores featuring produce of all kinds.
Several stores had baskets and baskets of dried fish. At one point, we
interrupted a few teens playing cricket in the middle of the street.
Harold led our
group through a very busy produce market, and then through another market with
a lot of non-produce items: clothing, toys, electronics. It was hot and noisy
and crowded, but oh so full of life!
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| The fruit and vegetable market, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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| The staff serving up bowls of spicy yumminess at the Curry Pot |
At this point
our tour was officially over. The cost was US $27.00 per person, plus tip. It
was a great experience, and after hearing what other people did during the day,
I think we managed to see quite a a lot at ground level (rather than viewing
it from a bus).
Our foursome
decided we wanted to do some shopping, so Harold called a taxi to take us to a
shop called “Barefoot” in another part of town. Our taxi
driver drove like a madman, avoiding wandering tuk-tuks left and right.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t crystal clear on where we were heading, and called
Harold to get some clarification. The driver was nice enough to stop in the
middle of the street to allow us to get some photos of elephants, and at one
point pulled over to the side of the road, got out, and asked a shopkeeper
where “Barefoot” was. He didn’t get much satisfaction and called Harold again.
Second or third time was the charm, as we finally came upon the store.
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| Barefoot's colorful wares |
Bobby described
the place as a “Cost Plus” or “World Market”. It was a very nice multi-level
store that featured local textiles, crafts, and products of Sri Lanka. We spent
about a half-hour there while our driver patiently waited (he did manage to
move the taxi off of the sidewalk and on to the street).
Our last
destination was the famous Galle Face Hotel, along the water at the other end of the promenade from the Kingsbury Hotel. This very grand and colonial-style
hotel was built in 1864, and was one of the oldest hotels east of the Suez. When
we arrived, a large wedding party was crowding the drive. Large and exquisitely
dressed. Did I mention the handsome men…again?
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| Sea view balcony at the Galle Face Hotel |
While our driver
waited (not on the sidewalk this time), we toured the interior, looking for the
museum that Harold had told us about. We wandered around, discovering a
beautiful sea-view balcony, and admiring the beautiful woodwork, before we
stumbled on the museum. There were items in glass cases from its storied
history, as well as photos of many of the famous people who’ve stayed there
(from Che Guevara to Indira Gandhi to Harrison Ford). In the middle was a
vehicle that once belonged to the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Phillip). (I always love meandering about in these
storied old hotels, like the Broadmoor in Colorado. I’m not sure what it is
that I’m so smitten with about them, but I truly am. Probably the quiet
elegance about them – and possibly the lack of screaming children ;-) – AFK).
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| Former vehicle of the Duke of Edinburgh |
Back on the
ship, we had tea and refreshments before heading back to our stateroom. The
ship left the pier around 7:00PM, and eventually we made our way to dinner in
Blu.
I think Sri
Lanka is deserving of a return visit. The countryside is supposed to be
beautiful, with a mid-island mountain range that on a clear day lets you view
the coast about 200 kilometers to the south.
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