One Day In Sri Lanka

If you’re ever out in Colombo around 11:30am, you will be witness to a colourful transformation – brightly painted sun umbrellas pop up like mushrooms at many a street corner. Day after day, these urban flowers bloom again and again – announcing the lunch packet brigade. Then, around 1:30pm or when the lunch packets are all sold, the streets wilt back to their dreary city-grey to anxiously await another noon hour of brilliant colours.

A lunch packet is basically a mound of rice wrapped in newsprint about 2 inches high and 5 inches square. From what I can see, they come in all flavours of curry – fish, vegetable, and chicken – and sell for about 60 cents Canadian – a cheap, healthy meal.

Mark has had lunch packets at some of his training workshops. He described the lunch feast as a version of biryani rice with a spicy piece of meat included. Depending on what you order, you get a different kind of ‘hot paste’ (Mark says it ranges from ‘very spicy’ to ‘very, very’ spicy!!) and in his experience you always get a boiled egg at the bottom of the rice.

Just a few more scenes to share from the beautiful Kandy Botanical Garden….

Parts of the garden are jungle-like… tall condensed trees, vines everywhere and very narrow pathways…..

While other parts of garden are beautifully manicured open spaces….

Yet other places seem to be a mix of both….

The garden is massive! I only saw a small part of them so I look forward to going back again – hopefully, the next time, Mark will have the day off as well!

You may think that is fruit hanging in those trees but it’s not!! I have never seen such large bats in my life!! It’s not a bit of wonder they call these things flying foxes!! They are the colour of a fox and almost as big!

I spent most of my time marvelling at the sight of them hanging in trees….

Flying around in daylight!!

“Pssst”

I thought I heard something from the bushes but I was totally engrossed in shooting video and capturing photos of these critters to take any notice….

“Pssst!”, it came again a few seconds later… I just ignored it….

“Hey! Over here!” The perfect english had me curious so I looked up from my camera and peered into the bushes where the voice was coming from. There, a blue clad worker was playing with a bat…

“Oh that is GROSS!!” I said out loud!! A little embarassed how quickly I had reverted to ’school girl fears’ and a school-girl phrase….
“Take a picture!” the man said with a beckoning mention.

Still disgusted by being so close to the creature, I said to the guy, “No! – shouldn’t you be working?!” and started to walk away hoping the creepy feeling of the hanging rodent would leave me but the guy followed along from the bushes…

“It’s okay, he won’t hurt – take a picture!” – Now, I was starting to get annoyed. I was quite content taking photos of the bats in the trees, not from some guy’s stick but in order to get him off my back, I snapped a shot….

I should have known – once the click was sounded – the guy was begging me to pay him for the picture….ugh.

The co-worker in the background sure looks like he just wants his partner to get working…while the bat displayer seems to be checking out for his boss. Later on, in the day, I saw a man in a shirt and tie talking to the guy, arms flailing, fingers pointing – moments later, it was down to work for the bat boy in blue.

Those bats are noisy- too!! Watch this short video (2:16) I created for proof…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFKBE4muKBs with a park cleaner providing the sweeping background music.

Mark and I went to Kandy on the train for an overnight on Monday.  While Mark went off to do a distance learning workshop with Peradeniya University, I got to check out the Botanical Garden. I didn’t get very far through the gates of this fantastic garden when a huge tree spread out on one of the lawns before me.

Going underneath its spreading branches was like visiting the underside of a spider….

And looking up made me think I was caught in the largest spider’s web!

More to come from the garden….

Yesterday Mark’s project had a major event at the BMICH Conference Centre in Colombo. Besides having tea with the Minister of Education other highlights included, being part of the opening procession complete with Kandy Dancers and Drums and lighting of the ceremonial oil lamp. No photos yet from the actual event – just these from the advertisements in the paper….

Recognize this good lookin’ fellow?

I have to admit, it wasn’t until I saw this full page ad. that I realized how big a deal the launch was!! Here’s the ad….

A close up of the top half of the ad:

At the risk of it seeming like we are eating our way around Colombo… I present another series of pics from a dinner out. This time we went to Mount Lavinia’s Seafood Cove and ate dinner with “our feet in the sand”. The dinner was FANTASTIC… vegetables exactly how I like them (al dente), cuddle fish like I’ve never tasted before and great prawns! The meal ended up costing us $15 Canadian which included tip and two large beers (hey, that’s the only way they come !)

The table of fresh pickings that we had choose from…..

Checkout the menu of all the offerings behind our industrous sous chef:

Last weekend, Mark and I had the omnipresent list in our hand and struck out to get some provisions.  As usual we deviated from the list but with worthwhile results!  We were surprised to find one of many “Fashion Bugs” (a store that has amazing low prices on clothing – but not as low as the House of Fashion) on a street we often travel, Duplication Road.  I bought a blouse and Mark discovered good quality short-sleeved shirts at an excellent price ~8.00 Canadian.  Perhaps I’ll grab a shot of him in one!

After shopping we went scavenging for food and ended up at the Cricket Club which sounds a bit pretentious but neither the price nor the setting was that way…it was more like an english pub – quaint and sports-oriented.  On the day we visited, many families surrounded the tables with very few empty chairs in the entire multi-roomed place.

With something in our bellies, a sign, kitty-corner to the cricket club caught our eye… “The Gallery Cafe” – We felt a little odd going from one eatery to another but the word “Gallery” got the better of me…and hey, you know it must have been unique since Mark was even anxious to check it out!  There were playful abstract oil paintings by one artist throughout the open-air gallery shown below -but I’m a bit embarassed to say that I spent more time in the gift shop than the Gallery though!  We purchased banana-date chutney, a sandle-wood candle and of all things, boxer-shorts!! No, the boxer shorts did not have the “Gallery Cafe” branded all over them…they were just regular ones at a good price!

In the entrance way of the Cafe these floating “shivering flowers” wanted their picture taken….

Today, another treat … We have a photo from a co-worker in Mark’s office – Jamie Rossiter. He hails from Ottawa and just arrived in Colombo three weeks ago to work on the Distance Education Modernization Project.

Guest Photographer: Jamie

Guest Photographer: Mark

This photo is taken from our balcony at the Global Towers Hotel in Colombo. You can easily see how the vibrant colours would draw anyone out onto the balcony for an after-dinner glass of wine. Sitting on our balcony after supper, and enjoying the cool breeze of the ocean air, and the breathtaking colours the sky has to offer, provides a surreal end to each day. We wake up the next morning looking forward to this experience repeating itself.

Another shot from the neighbourhood.  I’ve passed this house several times but today, the sun was just hitting it perfectly…making it beam at me.  I should have waited until the cleaner vacated the front area but I was too anxious and the building just seem to be beckoning me….

I really like where we’re living – there are so many side streets to take up to Galle, the main street and each one seems to have its own character…whether it be the trees that align it, the quaint houses hiding behind the varied walls or just the street life.

I felt like a stalker one day when I turned papparazzi as this lady crossed the road ahead of me and then sauntered up one of the side roads….effortlessly.

I got used to calling them tuk-tuks from my trips to Thailand but I’ve discovered the locals call these prominent taxis either three wheelers or tri-shaws.  I like driving in them – they are fast in busy traffic since most drivers are adept at using the ‘imaginary’ third lane and the ride is usually quite cool with the open seat but don’t expect your hair to look pristine after a three-wheeler ride!

Below, you see them in the ready position outside of Majestic City which is the biggest mall in our area.

This week, when a Sri Lankan friend hailed a ride for us, we made it clear across town on 100 rupees (approximately 1.00 Canadian -taxes included) while the same trip, had we arranged the ride, would have cost around 300 rupees or more…so we’ve started to get tougher with our three-wheeler rates. We now don’t expect a ride to Majestic City to cost more than 100 rupees from Global Towers (where we live) – whereas, when we first arrived we were paying 200-300.

Today, when the sun got the better of us on our walk, we decided to hail a three-wheeler. Knowing the ride should not cost more than 40 rupees…we started bargaining – the first driver countered with 60 rupees but we said “Too Much!” and continued walking…within seconds a second driver stopped but he didn’t accept our rate either…. AT FIRST!!….we started walking again and a few seconds later, the second driver was beckoning us into his taxi – perhaps 40 rupees was acceptable but out of sight of the first driver who did not accept??

Street commerce, perhaps I’ll come to understand it within our year here!

There’s a small restaurant just down the street from us – I’m sure you’ll be seeing many more photos of this location as I just love the simplicity and colour combination!