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This beautiful island was formerly called Ceylon--the land of tea and cinnamon. Due to its shape and location, it has been referred to as "The Teardrop of India.” Many writers have sung the praises of this speck of land in the Indian Ocean. Anton Chekhov said of Ceylon, "It was paradise on earth-- an exotic fairytale setting.” Based on reports of his torrid love affair while visiting Ceylon, perhaps Chekhov meant erotic fairytale setting. But since the 1970s, Sri Lanka has been plagued with a civil war between the separatist Tamil Tigers and the Singhalese. We have been here on three previous visits only to see a country under siege where barbed wire, machine guns and sand bagged buildings were the most notable features of a war torn country. Fortunately the conflict finally ended two years ago.
We arrived at the northern port of Trincomalee, said to be one of the largest natural ports in the world. We were informed that the Voyager was the first passenger ship to call here in over thirty years. We felt very lucky to be able to see this part of the country and honored to be following in the wake of the likes
FISH DRYING
Hold your nose!of Marco Polo and the ancient Chinese sea traders. We took a short orientation tour and visited Ft Frederick and hiked up Swami Rock to the Koneshwaram Hindu Temple. Given that the temperature and humidity were both in the 90s--it was a pretty steamy uphill walk. But it was worth it just to see so many people making their pilgrimage to this holy spot. Koneshwaram is one of the most important and sacred Hindu temples in the world. Since it was Good Friday, we also visited St Mary's Cathedral which was filled with Lenten worshipers commemorating the Passion of Christ.
We spent the remainder of the day at the Chaaya Blu Resort where we swam in the tepid waters of the Indian Ocean and enjoyed a seafood and curry lunch.
Our next port of call was to be the historic city of Galle but due to rough seas we were not able to take tenders ashore. We were looking forward to seeing the largest remaining fortress in Asia which was built by Europeans. Thousands of people were killed here during the 2004 tsunami.
We instead sailed on to Colombo, the former capital of Sri Lanka. We went
with Suzanne for a private car tour of this interesting city. By this point in the cruise most people have become templed-out. A mantra can be heard around the ship…no more temples, no more mosques and no more churches! But in many places these shrines are some of the only remaining or best preserved pieces of history left. One of our favorites is Seema Malaka, which is a Buddhist temple built out over Lake Beira. It is such a tranquil and unexpected respite from the bustling city. Close by is the Gangaramaya temple which we have visited on previous trips. Over the years we have watched the resident elephant gradually aging. The last time we were here we were with the much beloved guitarist, Frankie Holiday. I an not sure if the old tusker remembered us but I know he would have recognized Frankie.
After a great Easter brunch at the Blue Water Resort, we went to a batik factory and watched the whole process from sketching, to waxing and dying and the final boiling process to remove the wax. We saw some beautiful batik here and have a greater appreciation for this intricate art form.
Colombo is
FORT FREDERICK
Early Portuguese fortification. a lovely city which retains some of its colonial heritage in the Galle Face Hotel and Fort Colombo alongside its Asian character. We are so happy that Sri Lanka is now at peace and the residents can go about rebuilding their lives and the country.
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