Colombo Sri Lanka

This is a think a fun video I shot this morning while eating breakfast with Cathy. I love the way the guy climbs up the palm tree, barefoot and barehanded, with his machete tucked in his shorts. No OSHA here, only one fall and it is all overClick the arrow below to watch the short video.

Happy Bride and Groom in typical outfit 

Giant Buddha Statue, Check out Cathy for size comparison

Location for Wedding Ceremony

Elephant getting his feet washed

An Army of Buddhas

             First things first, Colombo, the capital of the Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, name does not derive from Christopher Columbus. It is believed to derive from an old Sinhalese word meaning “port on the river Kelani”. If I was studying its meaning, I would look for a derivation from some words meaning, island with very hot humid weather!  Boy is it hot here. We are drenched. I don’t know how people survived here pre air-conditioning.

Sri Lanka became an independent nation in 1948. It has a Socialist Government (free medicine, School, etc.). It seems to have a very close relationship with China, with many projects funded by the Chinese Government. We started with a breakfast buffet, on the long veranda overlooking the Indian Ocean. This hotel is old. In fact it is the oldest hotel east of the Suez! It was built in 1860 by the British and has the feel of an old Graham Greene novel. It has rather gone down hill since its halcyon days, but it is slowly being rehabilitated. It does supply the 4 requisites of a hotel for us: A clean Bathroom, Wifi, Air Conditioning, and a bar. This is the hotel where, Arthur C. Clarke wrote the book, The Sentinel, which was the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey. The whole hotel has the musty feeling of English Writer’s and Gin.

The city of Colombo, with Chinese money and legal gambling is quickly transforming itself into a South East Asia modern city with tall skyscrapers being built all over. Sri Lanka is a primarily Buddhist Country with a Socialist Government (rather like Burma) with a strong capitalist component. There are definitely rich people here.

The key cultural site we saw was a Buddhist Temple, Gangaramaya. The active temple has room after room filled with donations. Coins, old watchs, every thing from a real Rolls Royce to tiny statues. It was very strange.

It was ungodly hot. We didn’t know what to do so we went back to our hotel room. As soon as the sun set it turned out to be nice outside. Tropical and no humidity. We had drinks overlooking the ocean watching the sunset, then had dinner at the hotel. Lobster once again!

We had drinks at sunset overlooking the Indian Ocean and ate at the Hotel.  Tomorrow we leave for Anuradhapura. Hope they have internet therel