WEATHER: Hot and 33C
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Dinner at the Colombo Cricket Cafe
BUMMER OF THE DAY: Having to say farewell to a great group
WORD OF THE DAY: Every
meeting has a separation
DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 130km
BUDDHA QUOTE FOR THE DAY:
“Teach this triple
truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and
compassion are the things which renew humanity.”
It’s the last day of tour today.
It’s my last day in Sri Lanka.
What a great journey we have had.
What a great group we have had.
In the words of Indika "every meeting has a
separation". This is true and I like the
saying (Buddha maybe). We had an early start this morning, just for a change
with a wake up at 5.45am, breakfast at 6.15am and at 7.30am the first of the 3
transfers to Galle Fort Railway Station departed, which was less than 10
minutes away. We were transferred in the
guest house owner’s 4WD and as we drove down the empty old city streets, we
only just fit; there would be a lot of trouble as there was a deep gutter each
side of the road. The station was busy
as we waited out front while Indika got our tickets and then it was a run for
the train as it pulled into the station.
There were no allocated seats today, it was a first come-first served
basis and we had been told to sit on the left side of the train, as today was
another scenic journey hugging the coast of the country on our run into the
capital. The train wasn’t super busy but
again we were doing the journey backwards again, much to Christine’s distaste
as a non-backwards traveler. It looked
like a newer train, with big windows, fans and straps suspended from the roof
it was going to be a comfortable ride.
This train was faster than the ‘scenic’ train we had from Kandy, so we
were moving a lot faster and had to be mindful of the trees and vegetation that
grows over the tracks. Indika told us
that there was a train on the tracks when the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka in 2004 and
all 2000 people died when the train was struck by the water.
The ride to Colombo, though less geographically dramatic
than the journey two weeks earlier from Kandy to Bandarawela, it was glorious
all the same. At certain points, we coasted so close to the ocean shoreline
that it felt like we were breathlessly skimming across the water at 35 – 40
miles per hour. We zipped past swampy
marshlands and plowed rice paddies, and tired water buffalo kicking back their
hooves in shallow ponds of soupy mud. Kalutara’s Gangatilaka Vihara, a massive,
blinding white (and hollow) dagoba, came and went on the right side, while
volleyball games on otherwise deserted beaches and intense games of cricket in
shadeless playing fields flashed by as well.
I wonder why the people build their homes so close to the tracks. They are that close you can see into their
homes through open doors and windows as we passed. Looking into their lives, their daily routines
as we looked on. There were a few vendors
that walked the aisles selling bags of deviled peanuts, baskets of fried
shrimp, chocolate biscuits, short eats, small bottles of water… anything they
could get their hands on, and make a few rupees from. This is how they make a living-it’s a tough
life. But despite it, fellow passengers
and people as we passed by were friendly and quick to return our smiles with a
welcoming look of earnest sincerity, just as others had done throughout our two
weeks traveling the country. Sri Lankans
definitely make the top of the list on my blog as one of the friendliest
nations in the world. To think they only
came out of a 30 year civil war 4 years ago is a testament to them and things
can only get better for them as time moves on to heal wounds from this turmoil
in their history.
We arrived into Colombo at 9.50am. The station was a hive of activity and we all
got off the train with minimal fuss and out to 2 vans that were waiting for
us. We were going to see a few things
around town before checking into the hotel in the early afternoon. Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a
mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins with a population of
about 752,993 in the city limits. Due to its large harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago.
It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and
its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948. It is possible that the Portuguese named the
city after Christopher Columbus, the
Italian sailor who lived in Portugal for many years before discovering the
Americas on behalf of the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragonand Isabella I of Castile. His Portuguese name is Cristóvão Colombo. Colombus set
sail westward to look for India around the same time Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama set sail eastward, landing at the Port of Calicut in
India on 20 May 1498. Colombus landed in the Americas six years before that on
12 October 1492 and was already a famed sailor and explorer, celebrated both in
Portugal and Spain by the time Dom Lourenço de Almeida accidentally landed in the port of Galle in 1505.
Our first stop was for a picture opportunity and a toilet
stop and that was at The Galle Face Hotel. Founded
in Colombo, Sri
Lanka in 1864, it is the oldest hotel east of Suez. It
is listed as one of the "1000 Places to See Before You Die" in the
book of the same name. In September
2012, it became the first hotel in Sri Lanka to be featured on a postage stamp,
along with three other iconic buildings in Colombo. The
hotel has played host to distinguished guests including the British Royal Family and other Royal guests and celebrities. It was a
beautiful building that looked very colonial and it is located right on the
seafront that had a great view of the promenade. We then took the opportunity to walk the
promenade also known as The Galle Face Green. It is the city's largest and most elegant promenade. Lined with palm trees and adjacent to the coast, this mile-long stretch in the
heart of the city is a constant beehive of activity. The green is especially
busy on Fridays and Saturdays. In the evenings it plays host to families and
children playing sports and flying kites, lovers embracing under umbrellas and health enthusiasts
taking their evening walks. There are numerous small food stalls and a small
stretch of beach. The green was recently given a makeover and since then has
been even more popular with the local community. From here we also had a great view of the two
World Trade Centre towers which used to be the most recognized landmarks of the
city. Before they were completed in 1997, the adjacent Bank of Ceylon tower was the tallest structure and the most prominent
city landmark. It was nice to walk along
the promenade to see people busy about their day. We stopped for a well-earned ice block before
getting met by the vans half way down and continuing our tour.
We stopped on one of the main
streets of the city and walked 400m of this very very busy area. There were tuk tuks, taxi’s, trucks, bikes,
people, touts, you name it there it was there on the street. So dodging all that we turned into a side
street and walked through a market area but to me it looked like it was more
wholesale rather than local stalls as such.
There were men carrying large sacks on their shoulders, bags of onions
shed fronts with bags of dried chilies and dried prawns and trucks all parked
either picking up or dropping off produce.
The trucks are a sight just on their own all painted in different
colours with pictures on them, they are pieces of moving art unto
themselves. The vans were waiting for us
down the road and then we were on a drive by city tour taking in the Lotus
shaped Theatre, the Convention Centre, a photo stop at one of the colonial buildings
that looked like the White House (but I can’t remember what it was called) and
a stop at Independence Memorial Hall
which is a national monument in Sri Lanka built for commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka
from the British rule with the establishment of Dominion of Ceylon on February
4, 1948. It is located at the Independence Square (formally Torrington
Square) in the Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo. It also houses the Independence Memorial Museum. The monument was built at the location where
the formal ceremony marking the start of self-rule, with the opening of the
first parliament by the HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester occurred at a special podium February 4, 1948. Located at the head of the monument is the
statue of the first prime minister of the country Rt. Hon. Don Stephen Senanayake "The Father of the Nation". Most of the annual
National Independence Day celebrations have been held here. Apart from a
monument it served as the ceremonial assembly hall for the Senate of Ceylon and the House of Representatives of Ceylon until the parliament was moved to the new parliament
complex. Currently it is the venue for religious events and annual national day
celebrations.
Colombo has wildly varying
architecture that span centuries and depict many styles. Colonial buildings
influenced by the Portuguese, Dutch and British exist alongside structures built in Buddhist, Hindu,
Islamic, Indian and Contemporary architectural styles. No other place is this more evident
in the Fort area. Here one may find new towering skyscrapers as well as
historic buildings dating far back as the 1700s. The era of colonialism ended peacefully in
1948 when Ceylon gained independence from Britain. Due to the tremendous impact this
caused on the city's inhabitants and on the country as a whole, the changes
that resulted at the end of the colonial period were drastic. An entire new
culture took root. Changes in laws and customs, clothing styles, religions and proper names were a significant result of the colonial era. These cultural changes were followed
by the strengthening of the island's economy. Even today, the influence of the
Portuguese, the Dutch and the British is clearly visible in Colombo's
architecture, names, clothing, food, language and attitudes. Buildings from all
three eras stand in their glory as reminders of the turbulent past of Colombo.
The city and its people show an interesting mix of European clothing and
lifestyles together with local customs.
The last stop before lunch was at
the Government Centre which sold souvenirs.
I was interested in getting some wooden masks at the end of the tour,
but now that the day had arrived I really didn’t have any space to be able to
carry them and had to make an executive decision not to buy them. I was happy with my silver bangle but I also
need to look long term with my move to Ethiopia, I have no idea on the size of
where I will live, getting the tings from Australia and all the other
complications that come with an international move. So I walked out empty handed and besides the
masks and a few wood carvings of the fisherman who sit on the stick to fish, I
didn’t see anything that was ‘Sri Lankan’ as such. I have found on my travels things that I have
either bought or seen in one country I have seen again in another country. It takes something unique now for me to buy
something and I try and buy one good piece rather than all the small knick
knacks that I used to buy 10 years ago.
What will I do with all them in my move?
I will have a massive job when I go home that is for sure. I have had plenty of offers for the 60 bottles
of vodka I have in storage though…. Funny that!
We stopped at a large shopping center,
The Majestic for lunch that had an eatery.
So plenty of options and I am happy to say I didn’t have rice and curry,
or curry and rice but KFC. Yes I had
Kentucky Fried Chicken. It wasn’t as
good as home, but it was nice for a change.
We didn’t have a lot of time here, so as soon as Christine and I had
finished lunch there was a quick trip to the supermarket where I bought some
provisions for breakfast in the morning and a stop at the ATM to be able to pay
for my bag transfer from Negombo and my transfer to the airport in the
morning. I had to work out the finances
and see how much rupee I would have left as I think it is a currency that can’t
be exchanged easily once you leave, if at all, so if I had any remaining I
would include that in Indika’s tip which I will give him tonight at
dinner. The difficult thing was knowing
how much the cost of dinner would be so I ended up just giving all USD to
Indika and just took a chance that I would use most of what I had tonight.
We checked into the hotel and
then were going to meet again at 5pm for a gem stone talk before heading to
dinner. I was using this time to repack
my bags when Indika came to the room to tell us the talk had been cancelled due
to the shop moving so we were now going to meet at 6.30pm instead. I was fine with this as it gave me some extra
time for baggage and to also start banging out another blog while I had the
time. The trio (and me) had happy hour
at 5.30pm for the hour before dinner where I was bestowed with Christine’s gin,
which apparently she doesn’t share with just anybody! I am going to miss my new travel
buddies. We had had great laughs, great
talking and just made great company for a great trip.
The Colombo Crickets Café was
only a 10 minute walk from the hotel. The
Cricket Club Cafe is a unique themed restaurant & bar was established in
1996 by James & Gabrielle Whight, both from Melbourne Australia. This cafe, the first of its kind in Sri Lanka
is popular amongst both local and expatriate population. It is filled with
cricket memorabilia including bats, balls, hats, gloves and shoes used by
famous cricketing personalities dating as far back as the 1940's which include
personal items used by Sir Don Bradman, Ray Lindwall, Shane Warne, Arjuna
Ranatunga, Sunil Gavaskar, Joel Garner to name a few. The walls of the cafe are
covered with framed original newspapers from the 1930's, plus photos, posters
and pages detailing cricketing mile-stones throughout the ages. In addition the
cafe also screens non-stop cricket classics and current sports activity via
satellite for patrons. It was a WOW
moment when we walked in to see all the memorabilia and it must have cost a
small fortune for the all the pieces they had.
After looking around the amazing sports items they had we were seated
for our final meal. The menu options
were named after famous cricketers and I ordered the Sir Hadley surf and turf
and a few beers over dinner as chatted like old friends. BK even took that so far as to help himself
to my beer unknowingly and then we shared another bottle after that to even the
score. Undoubtedly the most popular
sport in Sri Lanka is cricket. The country emerged as champions of the 1996 Cricket World
Cup and became runners up in 2007 and 2011. In the ICC World Twenty 20 2009 they became runners up again. The sport is played in
parks, playgrounds, beaches and even in the streets. Colombo is the home for
two of the country's most popular international cricket stadiums, Sinhalese Sports Club's cricket stadium and R. Premadasa Stadium (named after late president Premadasa). Colombo has the
distinction of being the only city in the world to have four cricket test
venues in the past: Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo Cricket Club Ground and Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium.
It was a great place to have our
final meal and when we had all finished and paid the bill, Indika wanted to
take us outside for his final talk and story.
That is one thing I really enjoyed were his stories that he told us over
the last 2 weeks. Some people have a
knack, like being able to tell a joke, and I was captivated each time he told a
story. I really don’t think I have ever
met a tour leader so attentive to everyone’s needs and enthusiasm and
personality just clicked with everyone.
So as with all talks there was a story, a thanks and quite un-expectantly
he had a gift for all of us in a brown paper bag and a personal thanks you to
each and every one of us as we received our gift. BK thanked Indika on our behalf for a
wonderful tour and then everyone else used the opportunity to say their own
thanks and his tips were handed over at this pint as well. We had decided to individually tip, which I
am fine with as I always add a personal note of thanks with my tipping anyway.
And that people is the end of my
time in this magnificent country of Sri Lanka.
We walked back to the hotel as a group and this is where I said my
good-bye to everyone out the front of the hotel. I am a hugger, so with hugs all round (some
awkward and some not) I said my final goodbye.
My transfer was coming for me at 4am, so I definitely would not be
seeing anyone at that time unless my Irish friends were getting home at that
time, which could be likely this was the last time I would see them all. Well for this trip anyway. I made some great friends and know that I
will definitely see some of them again in my travels. There were a few people going to kick on in
the nightclub attached to the hotel, but I had a few big days coming up and it
made no sense to go and drink when I had to be up in 5.5 hours’ time. Christine said she would get up in the
morning to wave me off, which was sweet and as I turned the light out in our
room, Lenore also said that she will also get up. Now that is showing your friendship and if it
had of been them leaving at 4am in the morning I would have done the same
thing.
So a personal thanks to my
fabulous group for the last 15 days. We
saw ancient ruins, we climbed mountains, rode bikes (some-one fell off), walked
over 20km in tea plantations, rode public busses and trains and sucked
cocktails by the beach and saw a working, living UNESCO city. Thank-you and in no particular order:
Indika-Sri Lanka
Christine-Australia
Lenore-Australia
Pops aka Les-Australia
Gary aka Cuzy Bro-New Zealand
Suzy Q-New Zealand
Melissa and Serena-Ireland
Jenny and Kev aka BK (Big
Kev)-Australia
Garry and Janice- UK
So for all of us other adventures
in far-off destinations beckons, that is the beauty of travel but this trip and
this country will long live in my memories and friends made long in my
heart. I also got a glimpse into a religion
I knew nothing about prior to this trip-Buddhism. I found this religion quite fascinating and
something that I will be reading up on when I get a chance in the future.
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