March 21st has come and gone back in Canada so Spring has officially started… I’m not sure Spring is such a big thing in a tropical climate when the seasons seem to look the same but alas, Spring…new growth, love….
Very early in our visit to the island, Mark and I went for a walk along the Galle Face Green ‘boardwalk’, a wide cement sidewalk and huge wall separating the ocean waves from the ‘green’. I remembered Mark saying, “Oh ya, there they are, the “Umbrella Lovers”. He had read about this phenomen of couples meeting on the Galle Face Green and using umbrellas to not only block themselves from the sun but also from prying eyes.
This was a typical scene back then…
These days, there is major construction work on the Galle Face Green so it is all fenced off. But the lovers are still congregating:
We were heading to or returning from someplace else when the taxi turned out of a busy roundabout - suddenly several city-blocks of art appeared on a Park fence – I could barely contain myself as I asked the driver to stop and let us out!
We found out that every weekend students from a few college/university art programmes set up their work along the fence and hope for the best. They arelocated at relatively central part of the city in Viharamaha Devi Park (Victoria Park for those of us who get tongue-tied – it is walking distance to ODEL, the Museum, & the Town Hall).
The student prices are very reasonable and despite the occasional bird-dropping or attempt to ‘cover-up’ an error, the art work is well worth viewing.
Mark and I ended up purchasing several pieces from the students - We’ve put them up in our apartment at Global Towers (using heavy-duty velcro so that we don’t wreck the walls). It’s really helped to make our place feel like a home and I think, with the two of us being teachers, it feels good to be surrounded by such excellent student work!
A group of friends were out on the lawn at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo enjoying the setting sun when a storm seemed to blow up from nowhere! Luckily we got under the veranda before the heavy rains hit…
A video of the action:
I changed my camera to capture video at 640 pixels rather than the 160 it came set at - I’m not too sure I’ll keep it there though, the files are just too huge - I’m thinking for what I’m using the video for, its not really worth the extra downloading time!
Here a few shots from around the Lighthouse Hotel (a Geoffrey Bawa designed hotel) which is just 10 minutes or so from Galle. I took them while Brenda and I were on a reconaisance mission assessing nice hotels close to Colombo that Mark and I might want to stay at. The Lighthouse is definitely one I wish to return to!
One afternoon when Brenda and I were staying at the Lighthouse Hotel, I decided to hire a driver and scoot about Galle to take photographs. I thoroughly enjoyed myself! The driver was great - he not only went where I wanted to but also suggested a few places that were perfectly visually appealing (not your typical gem or souvenir shops!).
Brenda and I went down to Hiccaduwa on another one of our ‘crazy woman weekends’ last fall. Across from our hotel was a private school. I met the owner who walked me around the premises and allowed me to take photos. He explained that after the Tsunami, his school was lucky enough to receive some sponsorship
He explained how the tsunami washed across the road and right into the class rooms - there were visible signs of structural damage but he explained things were pretty much back to normal.
A few Saturdays ago I got a rare chance just to go out and take photographs. It was a Poya Day so most of the stores were closed but as usual, the Flower STalls outside one of the Hindu Temples in the Wellawatta area along Galle St. were open for business.
The fragrance is wonderful as you walk by and the colours magnificent. Thankfully, these guys were fine with me taking their photo as they worked. There was much comraderie among the various stalls and a bit of competition as one group put white jasmine flowers around my neck so another group added purple flowers.
There’s a definite technique to tying the flowers onto the strings - these guys were really fast!
BOMBAY SWEETS on COLOMBO STREETS
I heard the bell ringing first - it seemed far away but close enough to peak my interest. The streets of Colombo have many different mobile street vendors, some sell their wares from baskets atop their heads, others push two-wheel carts, while some have tuk-tuks or bicycles. Every morning I hear the pineapple sales men going buy the hotel - he yells, “Anansi” or something like that - I’m not sure how he’s carrying the pineapple, I’ve only heard him - and friends have told me what he does.
So who was ringing the bell…and what was he or she selling? Luckily, the sound got louder as I entered the cross street I wanted to use to get up to Galle Road from our hotel. I caught a glimpse of a man with a square container wearing a hat and swinging his hand back and forth before he turned into an alley half way down the street. The ringing continued and a man’s voice called out..I could not make out what he was saying. I waited for him to come out of the alleyway, he seemed to circling a large apartment building - he must have something people from the building would want…I mused to myself.
As he approached, I asked him, “What is it? What are you selling?” - “Bombay Sweets!” He replied with a toothless smile. “Can you show me?” I queried motioning towards the can. He opened it up and grabbed a small handful of stringy stuff using a piece of recycled paper as a barrier between his dirty hands and the food. Just as he handed me the mound of string, a group of Sri Lankans passed, looking wantingly at the yellow stringy stuff - “Mmmm, bombay sweets, GOOD!” There was a little boy with the group so I asked if he could have the man’s sample. “Sure!” they replied. I just couldn’t see myself taking a chance on this street food. The little boy smiled as he took the mound from me.
I asked the vendor how much I owed… He stopped pensively, looked at me and then said, 100 rupees. “What?!!” That’s too much! I exclaimed - that little bit of sweet did not equate to the price of a chocolate bar in my mind… I gave the man 20 rupees - thanked him and continued on my way.
As I walked I thought that maybe he had misunderstood me - Perhaps he thought I didn’t want to just pay for the sample he gave me but rather a regular amount…
Sometimes the language barrier really gets in the way.
Now that’s quite a switch - This vendor was selling utility bags that had a “Made In Canada” stamp on it. The bags were made of a strong woven plastic that came from Alberta (from what I could tell) and cost about 40 cents Canadian (40 Rupees).
We drove the short distance from the Street Pola to the Fish Market which we were told would be quiet because it was Sunday. Once there, we saw fish drying EVERYWHERE! across the wide expanse of beach. Mike wasn’t satisfied to just view from the van so he asked if we could go and check it out - next thing we know we’re shuffling through the sand, nothing but the stench of fish filling the air. We also received a warning to watch where we walk because the fishermen do not have washrooms (get my drift?…!!).
We found out that it takes about 2 days for the fish to dry and then it is sold right from the beach. Desima said the Fish Market is usually a crazy place - packed with people buying and vendors yelling out the prices for their catch. When we passed through There were a few stalls selling a meagre catch - I found it quite serene and civil.
One vendor had some fun with Mike, suggesting he not be such a wimp by holding up dead fish and squid… be a real man and hold up a CRAB!!…or so she seemed to be saying in her native tongue. Of course, it snapped him!!
The Negombo Sunday Pola was loud, crowded, fragrant, HOT!, colourful, a cultural experience… I loved it!!
This guy was selling fresh fruit drinks (from what I could tell). He was quite the showman - a crowd pleaser, I believe, by the number of people standing around watching him. He wanted me to pay him for his picture but I don’t like to get into that kind of thing. Unfortunately, I don’t think my immmune system could survive a drink from him either.
Here’s a 1 minute video from my digital-still camera to help you get a better idea of the Pola:
March 12, 2007 at 9:12 am
· Filed under Uncategorized
I liked all the ingenius ways of selling things I saw at the Pola in Negombo. Desima explained that the Pola inhibited what was a street from Monday to Saturday so everything we saw, the booths, the display racks, the stalls would be dismantled at the close of the day and removed. Notice the way of maximizing space by using the vertical is common in the smaller shops around Sri Lanka - I should not have been surprised to see it at the Pola.
These guys had a great way of selling - just plop yourself in the middle of your wares and sell!
There was a real variety of goods to sell - It always amazes me how much care some of the vendors put into the display of their goods.
On Sunday March 4th, we got a special treat of a trip to Negombo with Desima. Being her ancestoral home, we were able to visit Desima’s old homestead which included her second house that was changed into a two-level dwelling in miraculous style. We also met her in-laws, long-time Negombo friends and had lunch at Brown’s Beach Hotel where my mother and I had stayed briefly before heading to Kandalama on a trip 4 years ago.
Mark was still sick with a cold so he opted out but Mike came and seemed to really enjoy himself.
Negombo is only 30 kilometres or so from the centre of the city. With all the traffic these days, Desima said it sometimes takes two hours to get there. On Sunday, with the roads relatively clear, it took us about an hour of stop and go travelling.
On the way, Mike was entertaining us with elephant trivia and stories when we came up beside this….
Mike took these shots - He was in the front of the van so only he had access to a window that opened.
Desima pretty much had the day planned out for interesting things to see - I love visiting a place with a local since you definitely see a different side. She was happy to inform me that every Sunday there is a Pola - I had earlier said that I love to go to markets…so a Pola (something akin to a flea-market) was going to be great by me!
Continuing on with the “Designs I like” series, Mark and I came across these built-in shelves in the Inside-Out Cafe out by the Parliament. The cafe was quaint with a nice court yard and gift shop. The food was delicious but seemed a little high priced for our liking.
Mark figures it wouldn’t be much to create shelves like this in the wall, at the same depth as a stud… I guess I better start planning what we will put on them!
