Colombo, Sri Lanka (Itinerary) 

We stopped in Colombo in 2012 (to find Sri Lanka on this link, go half way down the 2012 web page), but this time we had a different agenda.

This was an amazing sail in with a lingering sunrise that made it all the more spectacular.

 
In addition to the sunrise, we watched the gunship escort.

 
Once the sun came up it colored the thick air and the light house and port control tower.

  
They were working on the seawall near this raised mosque 3 years ago so it was closed, but this time the project was done.

 
Once we got off the ship, we headed out toward the seawalled beach area.

 
Both the storks and the pelicans sported some pinkishness:  the storks had pink in their tail feathers and the pelicans had pink bills and pink legs.

 
We walked out to the beach area where we had walked before, Galle Face, and hired a tuk-tuk for four hours and gave Suradan, the driver, a list of places we wanted to visit.

   
We stopped him when we spotted a local market. Rearranging the produce sometimes requires stepping in the middle of your display with your bare feet.

 
Okra was being dumped into its space from a large sack....

The fish and shellfish had been dumped onto newspaper.

   
When people saw us, the only caucasions in the market, they wanted to show us their produce. Yes, those were huge bananas.

 
The tarps used for covers are makeshift affairs that are tied to high pipes:  here a guy gets help so he can tie string where hundreds of strings have been tied before.

   
All types of knives were for sale.

 
The first destination on our list was this high-end resort with charm left over from the colonial days: Mount Lavinia Hotel and beach resort, about ten miles south of Colombo:  far enough away from the city so the water was supposedly swimable. We didn't test it.

 
Throwback uniforms and a beautiful beach. Even though we had stopped at the market, we were still early enough to enjoy the ambiance mostly by ourselves.

 
So many architectural details were in place, even on the floor:  this semicircle detail was in front of a set of marble stairs.

 
The view back to Colombo:  it looks beautiful from here.

 
We went to a shop outside the hotel to change some money. This embossed elephant leather bag was on display under a table. Across the street, Ceylon tea was offered with Wifi. Somehow that clanks. A person who cares enough to order that fine tea would never divert his or her attention away from the experience...

      
We met this lovely family on our way to find our tuk-tuk & driver outside the hotel parking area. We didn't get far in the tuk-tuk before the traffic was completely blocked on the small road to Mt. Lavinia:  we finally saw that it was caused by a tour bus full of our fellow travelers. We were happy that we'd beat them to this site.

We'd seen a couple of ox-drawn carts, but caught this one in the act of peeing on the road.

 
We stopped at a Hindu temple.

 
This man has celebrated something or honored a dead relative and has paint on his forehead.

We liked this shady street.

   
We had Suradan stop at this building, which was probably left over from colonial days. It could have been some type of government building but no, it was a high-end shopping mall, but still very tastefully done..

 
A Muslim family posed for a photo.

   
Next we went to a Buddhist temple with a small, locally run market where these two girls were helping their mother at the market. While we could go inside, we were not allowed to take photos during this special celebration of the "old ways."

 
This temple had a 6-tiered pagoda, so it was relatively important.

Our next stop was a lotus-shaped arena, the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Pajapaksa Theater, which was closed on this Sunday.

   
Across from the lotus arena was Vihara Maha Devi Park, the largest park in Colombo. We were surprised to see flying foxes, the large fruit-eating bats that we'd seen in Sydney three years ago and on this trip in Adelaide, Australia. Again, a male was displaying his organs.

 
We loved seeing this Brahmany kite with red-orange wing feathers. It looked like it had a fish.

Buddha watches over the park.

 
Young couples were everywhere doing what young couples do. Some found a little privacy under umbrellas, while others did not.

In front of the closed art museum, there was a lot of art for sale.

 
We did not understand why this vintage automobile was on display in this Buddhist temple. The sign on the windsheild says "Do not touch", but the ravens sat on its roof anyway. We concluded that ravens can't read.

 
We also don't understand why there are fierce-looking images mixed in with the serene ones.

A large family worships together.

 
Just around the corner, this celebration float awaits its next party.

 
We'd visited this lake in 2012, but stopped our driver for a few quick photos. Pelicans, two types of white herons, and pond herons mill around in the lake.

The Buddhas are still sitting around the pagoda.

 
The floating market only opened in 2014, so it was not in full swing, but we guessed that eventually it will fill up and locals will use it.

 
We dismissed our driver at Galle Face and joined the families enjoying the day. The ravens were talking behind my back. "Why isn't she smiling? She should sit up straight! Do you think she'll share her lunch with us?"

 
We enjoyed watching the kites in all their forms that were being flown on the beach.

 
We walked by this Buddhist pagoda and were struck by the elephant fence that surrounded it.

  
We stopped in the Taj Hotel, where an offering of flowers for the elephant added to its cultured ambience. The same as last time, Sri Lanka serves as a gateway or a warm up for India.
Dean's Log: Colombo.