181. LANKA

The fabulous Red Mosque, Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital city...situated in a predominantly Muslim marketplace...

...this building is too beautiful to not have a closer study...pics courtesy of a better camera of a fellow traveller...

and a green one enroute...

It's a Buddhist society with Buddhism the main religion, but the muslim numbers aren't small....perhaps in travelling South, the muslims dominate this region...on their national flag, the green part would represent their Muslim population, the orange, the Buddhists

This young man has parents and siblings and is training to be a monk, he was with his mentor at this monastery, chatting like friends...

Perched on a hill in Kandy is this monstrosity

The Independence Hall and Square in downtown Colombo - they are rather fond of this mythical lion which is on their national flag, the lion and sword, more often than not would represent authority and power in most countries' emblems

Colombo harbour below, and the surrounding business district is undergoing development by China - viewed from the hotel...

In nearby Negambo, this neo-gothic St Sebastian's Church below is quite nice - most old church buildings have character, are huge, ditto for modern churches like the monstrosities in Singapore, situated prominently at street intersections, as they all serve the same purpose - as mouse traps - do the followers ever realise they are financing the lifestyles of the church management committees? The same can be said of other organised religions...

Matakis clay wares - a common sight in India too. I lugged 2 items back, they survived the flight!

Those dangling dark shapes are flying foxes - there must be life in trees, it's unnatural not to - Singapore is too sanitised too sterile without this natural life, I've written about this more than once, perhaps it's time I wrote to the Parks people...granted they want to avoid overbreeding and the dangers of wild creatures in packs, but surely, people will forever than be ignorant and fearful - they've taken favorably to otters in their midst and to wild fowl, even boars (Post 175 Urban Jungle ) - creatures that hang out in tree tops can't pose that much danger save for their poop which is how plant species are propagated...sometimes I think it's the Parks folks who are ignorant...

At this spice garden these were the only things that caught my eye - a colorful cocoa pod that hung so very close to the ground...and some fig lookalike with a bitter taste that goes by the name of Namminon - Sri Lanka has an established Ayurveda/Panchakarma industry using plant products...

Such lifestyle bohemian little shops and cafes are the usual sights in hip lanes in happening towns, they give off a nice vibe...

My foot!

Bottle tree? :D !

Hillside hotel chalets

Vintage is what I like most about the towns I stopped at, there's a good many old things that are preserved - their old colonial buildings are solidly built and well maintained and put to good use as hotels, quaint shops and restaurants. Galle has some of the most glorious art deco buildings I've come across...

Another tribe who go fanatical over cricket. This cricket stadium is partially surrounded by a colonial era fort wall - during matches, the public would view for free from atop the wall while others pay to get into the stadium - everybody seems happy! Live and let live! Give and take!

The ride uphill to Kandy cuts through tea plantations, famed for producing Ceylon tea. Expect to see names like Pedro Estate and Edinburgh - when in Lanka, drink only tea, their Ceylon coffee is ghastly - literally ditch water! At a hotel, I spied on a table, locals with a bottle of instant coffee of a well-known make!

Tea for 3...

An aristocratic name like Edinburgh Tea Estate in a pitstop with down to earth prices...

That skirt looks good on you!

Dare I walk on fire? It's not the same as hugging a python...I feel safer with the latter...

From Kandy I took a local slow train to Nuwara Eliya...it's station Nanu-Oya sounds like someplace in Hawaii!

Their young people are rather reckless. There was no need to latch on or alight in this dangerous manner as there was no great big crowd but I suppose it's their culture and conditioning and free for all seems like an exciting thing to do. In the cattle class where it's free sitting this becomes inevitable and it happens in India and Pakistan as well. On the roads, drivers are reckless too and I can't believe the risks they take on those narrow countryside roads with oncoming traffic. Happens a lot in Indonesia too. The Indians on country roads and highways are more defensive drivers...

The train took the 'scenic route' passing the backsides of small towns and even smaller villages - for a glimpse of local life...

The tooth relic temple in Kandy - it's a well known tourists and pilgrims' stop but it did nothing to me...

Kandy was the only stop on this route with an abundance of monkeys. They move freely in the town - as with India, they are left alone to roam...in the morning, several were at the room window peeping in, tried hard to pry the sliding window open...

From pics one can't tell the difference between sunrise and sunsets - both equally calming to the soul...

Too bright to stare at, I peeped through the bamboo chicks and came nose to nose with a 8-legged critter...

Nuwara Eliya, being up in the hills, the weather's lovely and condusive for tea growing and farms. It's a cool respite for the colonials when they retreated here to escape the heat of the lowlands. They left behind some really nice buildings which are now hotel resorts and local government offices

A bank HQ

the local Post Office building...

The Yatagala Temple is newish or at least, what's added on to an original shrine may be newer and was so so...has a strong Hindu influence...as Buddhism is regarded as an offshoot of Hinduism...

The small dharma hall has a cosy ambience...

Without a doubt, Galle is my favourite place on this trip. It's full of old world charm with lots of charming art deco buildings, former homes now converted into chiefly guests houses and restaurants and watering holes but not those awful rowdy, noisy sort that's full of white middle age men. In between such establishments, are old homes of residents, so the lanes still have respectability and the noise level is kept low...overall, this place has 'class' but not in a snooty way. And without the sleaze...

Galle town, being by the Indian Ocean, is surrounded in most parts by the protective solidly built walls of Fort Galle. They can thank the colonial Portuguese for that, for it saved the town from being washed away by the 2004 Asian Tsunami. It's a typical self contained walled city, these days it's chiefly a muslim dominated town but their presence is not noticeable. They are a quiet unobtrusive people here and don't exert any religious influence on the tourist establishments...

The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch who fortified the wall and this town extensively...

Charming! They don't make lighthouses like these anymore with a lighthouse keeper on board! These days it's a shiny beacon atop rocks or atop an apartment block as is the case with Singapore's East Coast Marine Parade area...

Surf's up!

This former Dutch warehouse houses a maritime archaeology museum and it was odd to see this prison bus exiting from it unless the premises is also used by their prisons department! The bus picked up some young men from a police station across the road from this entrance and they boarded this bus unsecured, 2 by 2 holding hands like in a primary school, led by the guards! That too is quaint!

Sri Lanka has had a long history of civil unrest between their Tamils and Sinhalese speaking peoples. Just before my arrival, there was some political maneuvering within their parliament so it was with some surprise I noted the authorities were quite easy going with no tight security everywhere, at least, not from Colombo down to the South...there are hardly security cameras anywhere and tourists move around freely and safely at night. Coming in and leaving, Immigration and Customs was a breeze with a laissez faire attitude...

2 bladed fan! Didn't work so good but so quaint!

The Anglican All Saints Church...

and the Dutch Reformed Church - 2 notable buildings which caught my eye...

This was a former church now the Meeram Jumma Mosque

This was the former Dutch Hospital, now an arcade of quaint shops.

Have a break!

The most interesting thing for me is a walkabout of the lanes. In the case of Galle, their lovely old art deco houses are a feast for the eyes...many converted into motels and restaurants...with little or no changes to the buildings...

3 in 1 - a motel upstairs, a jewellery shop downstairs and a private residence next to it

For the MICE crowd...

The walls have their own statement to make...

This heritage hotel was like a furniture museum. The pieces were nice and the building had character and it was by the sea but a little away from the town where all the action is at night. Heritage hotels here seem to suffer from the same plight as those in India. There's a lack of patronage as they are up against competition from small homey establishments like the ones pictured above. Moreover, travellers' tastes have changed...

A cutlery box in the dining room!

Part of the furniture...

Christmas dinner was a quiet affair at said hotel with just a handful of diners, chiefly locals, but so peaceful and conducive to sparkling conversation and nursing a drink !

On the road, passed these folks hauling in their catch. So much energy and manpower for just a small haul - I fear it might be over fishing, I hope not, that it's just the season...

The one that got away - missed this - unique to Lanka...

....and on an earlier visit years back, I had climbed the stairs up Sigiriya for a view from the top...

and a stop at the Damballa Cave Temples nearby...a UNESCO site...