A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

Actually, I’m a bit late. It’s almost Sunday morning. It seems that most flights from Sri Lanka leave at night. In our case, we’re leaving at 2:15. It’s not a direct flight to Hong Kong as we stop first in Bangkok. Just as when coming, we will not leave the plane.

Saturday was a calm day. It was a day for the virtual transition. Long before one heads out on a long flight, there’s the time one gets one’s head there. This effect is more pronounced on the flight itself. Life on one side of the departure gate is completed but life on the other side of the arrival section hasn’t begun.

It was sad saying goodbye to everybody. Since there’s a great distance, it’s always harder than leaving friends or family in a place where a person could, in theory, visit in only 4 or 5 hours. It was very comfortable staying and uncomfortable leaving.

Still, Hong Kong beckons. That’ll be something new and new is good. There seems to be unlimited space in my head for the internal map of additional cities. Tomorrow, I’m ready to process new geographic data. Cool.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

I’m sitting in front of the television with most everybody. The top video countdown is on Sirasa TV. Now that I’m up on which Sinhala songs are hot, it’s time to leave. The program is hosted by a guy that looks about 15. He’s probably older but it’s obvious his most loyal fans are the girls of about that age. There’s a number to text message greetings which appear on screen for everybody to see. Here’s an example: “I love you chami. I dedicate dis to u dear. Tharindu.”

As this is my twentieth anniversary visit, some people have asked for my views of what has changed the most. The increase in landline and cell telephones strikes me an important change. Wider adoption means convenience for both businesses and individuals. For example, we travelled to Colombo in 1986 in order to reconfirm flights. Today, we simply called.

Most probably, I’d say the electrification of rural areas is another important change. It has brought convenience and a huge change in lifestyle to many. It’s also had side effects such as an increase in private television channels, changes in diet due to refrigeration, and the proliferation of household appliances.

In addition as mentioned previously, private vehicles have choked the developing road system. In turn, this caused a more polluted environment, at least along roadways. In theory the improved highway system should allow for increased movement of goods and people. In actuality, it now takes longer to get from point A to point B. It’s also dirtier and more stressful.

As a conclusion, I should warn that it’s always tricky looking back to make comparisons with the present. The observer undoubtedly undergoes many changes during the same period. I’m a lot happier and more satisfied with my life nowadays. Somewhat contrary to the opinion of others, I’d like to think I’m a lot wiser now too.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006, television

Today, we came in a hired van to Minuwangoda and arrived at 1:00 pm. It should’ve been a bit longer than the time it took. We did stop to pick up lunches to go. We also stopped to do a bit of grocery shopping. Still, it would’ve taken longer than two hours, had our driver been a bit more cautious. He admitted to liking to get out of Colombo to drive fast. I noticed with clocked 90 kph on the Colombo-Negombo road. I don’t think on any of our road trips on this journey did we exceeded 70 kph.

It is really nice to sit on the back step and watch the feeder. Birds of all sorts came in order to welcome me back. It’s cooler here in the trees. I could wear several shirts here a day. I am still not used to sweating every time I go outside. So, there were lots of clothes to wash in the afternoon.



It’s hard to believe our remaining time is so short. A month of vacation time here has gone much too quickly. Although it will be exciting to explore Hong Kong from Sunday, it’ll be very sad saying goodbye here.

I have a few resolutions to accomplish before the next visit:

Reduce my body weight.

It has been so long in coming that it seems hard to believe I would do well to lose 50 lbs. I haven’t been physically unable to climb the mountains or any tasks. Yet Sri Lankans are generally smaller people. I would like to get my ass to a size that would better fit into a bus seat for my next visit.

Get serious about learning more of the Sinhala language.

I recognized only the most basic communication such as ‘good’ and ‘okay’. Other words like ‘beautiful’ and some numbers were familiar. Of course, ‘drink’ and ‘eat’. Yet it’s odd that that I recall more Arabic for my years in the Gulf. Jay is too fluent to be a great teacher, but what a resource I have! I figure that this island will play an important part in the rest of my future, so I really have a sound reason for studying.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006, weight loss

Posted by: Dennis S Hurd / 8:29 PM 0 comments

This was our last day in Nugegoda.

We decided that I could pick up a few Sri Lankan souvenirs from Laksala. I’ve discussed the government-run handicraft sales organisation before. It’s still the easiest place to do complete souvenir shopping. It’s also nice to know that some of the funds will actually benefit the people who made them. I wanted to pick up something for my secretary at work. After all she is ‘fish-sitting’ for five weeks. We also needed to buy something to give ex-colleagues from Dubai. Bill and Leone left a decade ago when we did. They’ve been raising the kids in Hong Kong. Since we’re spending a week there .. yikes .. next week, we plan on seeing them. Even though the coconut shell monkeys were sold out, there was a cute, fat coconut elephant that needed a home. We have enough travel junk but at $1.60 it was one of those things I couldn’t afford not to buy.

When in the Fort area, we developed some digital photos. Earlier in the morning, we sat and looked though the directory on the Gateway and found 78 ‘people pictures’ to give to folks here. I burned them to a little CD for transport. The prints were SR 15 each and they were ready to pick up after Laksala and lunch.

We ate at the Pagoda restaurant which is something of an institution here. It has been there for quite a while. It’s not the cheapest but is reasonably priced so office workers eat there. Duran Duran (Do you remember them?) filmed part of a music video inside in the 1980’s when on location in Sri Lanka. Mongolian grill was a speciality today and I’m sure I smelled like it on the way back to Nugegoda in Bus 137. We hit the roads just when some schools let out; therefore, the trip took over an hour.

It’s warmer here than out among the coconut trees in Minuwangoda. I’m typing this in the yard. Jay’s showing a DVD of last year’s Euro-trip to the others. Lal’s house presently has one floor, so the sun bakes the roof/ceiling. Jay’s eldest sister, though, has created a living space that looks like an art gallery. It is beautiful.

Labels: monkeys, Q3_2006, souvenirs, Sri Lanka 2006

Today was first dedicated to hitting the stores. It’s tradition that Jay takes his sisters shopping when back. We hit all the traditional places: House of Fashion, Fashion Bug, No Limit (formerly, French Corner) as well as a number of smaller places.

I once thought that brand-name clothes were cheap here due to the garment factories in the free trade zone. Yet, the BOSS, DIESEL, and CK fashions are imported. Still it’s interesting that a Calvin Kline shirt sells for less than $8.00.

We’ve discovered it’s easy to spend on plastic in Lanka. The point-of-sales terminals seem able to process a Mastercard in no time flat. Credit cards can be use used at supermarkets here too. It seems as if all the banks have really been pushing the use of them. This will definitely change how we travel here in the future. Even with the ease of transactions, nobody bought very much today.

Although close to sections of Colombo, it is still tough getting around. The busses and roads can be extremely crowded. There are some very nice wide, tree-lined avenues. When schools get out they are all chocker-block-full of cars, vans, busses, and tuk tuks.

Eventually after getting back and a little rest, Jay and I walked out to the closest junction. Lal’s place is directly in back of the police station here. The closest area has a suitable supermarket, video stores, and lots of restaurants. Life here is a little less bucolic than at the house in Minuwangoda, but it’s a great deal more convenient. I went to an Internet café with DSL. The access was fairly quick. I uploaded a few Flickr photos and added a few blog entries. I hope Google’s spiders haven’t abandoned checking me due to my recent inactivity!

In the evening we had more short eats, drinks, and quite a bit of the six Dominos pizzas that Lal bought. I’ve never been so stuffed! I was seriously thinking of doing something about my weight. After this vacation, I will doubly need to.

Labels: credit card, money, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

There was no rush. In fact, getting to Nugegoda is quicker if you miss the morning rush hour. We got on the a/c in Minuwangoda at 9:25 but it didn’t actually get enough passengers to leave until 9:45.

We got to Lal’s house at about noon. It is a pleasure to stay here as Lal is the ultimate host. He’s a guy who can understand the importance of sausages and all those other things which are typically frowned upon.

We brought the DVD player I’d picked up at my computer store in Canada. It is multi-system and multi-voltage and should play just about anything on a disc. We hitched the audio to the big Sansui stereo system to ensure better sound than from teeny-tiny, tinny television speakers. It works well and we tested by watching some of the discs we brought along. Maybe we can check for video discs to copy and bring back home.

I am so full. We ate a lot of food just with drinks. Here, I’m referring to Lal and me only. Then a huge dinner after a short map means I won’t need to eat for a week.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Reading the Sunday Times took most of the afternoon. Why am I so interested in the real estate section of the classified ads?



Now that I am an age where I can actually envision retirement, I have started thinking seriously about where I wish to divide up those years. I’m not talking about the partial, part-time retirement I’ve been enjoying for that last ten years. I mean sometime after 2014 when I hit 55. Spending six months a year here and the remaining six in Canada is beginning to sound like a possible proposition.

We could easily scrape up the funds to buy something. Housing is fairly expensive here. Oh, I’d venture it is only one third to a half of Canadian prices, but by local standards that’s very expensive. The problem would lie not in the price though, but in the selection. I absolutely love the geographic variety that Sri Lanka offers. Most probably, to every place I’ve ever travelled, I’ve briefly considered owning property. Yet, here I’d be hard pressed to choose.

Owning a house such as this one would be restful. I can remember trying to draw coconut trees before I learned my alphabet. A yearly escape to a big yard and garden would be refreshing. It’d be hard to argue with tropical fruit juices freshly squeezed from one’s own trees. As well, the poor infrastructure of most Sri Lankan big towns makes them really rather ugly. Still, I would find it hard after a while to live without the amenities of urban life. Some of the most jaw dropping scenery is hours and hours away from a DSL connection or the airport. I think that a $70,000 apartment on the eighth floor of one of those new, urban Colombo residential buildings might be more practical.

An additional hindrance is the distance involved. This is quite literally half the world away and therefore one of the most expensive air tickets one can buy. Brochure type information for large projects is available on the Internet. Yet, I would be hard pressed to actually purchase anything sight unseen. Trying to arrange all the details for the purchase of property on a short vacation would be a stressful experience too.

I believe there’s a 100% tax on foreign ownership in Sri Lanka. That’s no problem, however, as it could just be put completely in Jay’s name.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Jay’s brother is working in New York City. He has been away about three years. A prior trip t9 visit him is documented in this blog. Palitha is sending money to his family and having a house built here. The new house adjoins this property and it’s nearly finished. I’ve taken lots of photos and will send a DVD of the images to him when we get back to Canada. His wife and two daughters will move into the two-storey building this fall. Palitha may return at the end of the year.

Today, we visited the wife and girls. We met in Negombo and went to the beach. The daughters are wild about swimming. A municipal beach opened in 2000. It’s a lovely place and I can only imagine how popular it must be in the evenings. Today, we went there at about 11:30 am.

The younger daughter probably would have enjoyed staying there for the rest of the day but we stayed only about an hour and a half. We crossed the road for lunch at a Silva’s Beach Resort. The meal was good but the service not so great. It was also not a very good value. Still, it was pleasant enough sitting with the warm wind off the ocean.



Negombo is probably about 18 kilometres from the house with the international airport in between. It really is quite a mature resort. This is off season at present as European tourists generally head here during their winter. Still, rather than the struggle of getting to the southern beaches, if a seaside holiday is the desire, one couldn’t do better than Negombo. There’s white beach as far as the eye can see, plenty of large hotels, lots of small guest houses, a variety of restaurants, and all the other prerequisites for a tropical beach holiday.

We had the same driver and van which have taken us around so much of Sri Lanka during this trip. After dropping Darmika and the girls off at their apartment in Ja-Ela, we got home at about 4:00 pm. I was happy to wash the sea salt off my entire body.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

You might recognize the title from the game of Monopoly. Lest I later sound as if I’m complaining; I’m not. I am enjoying my vacation immensely. In fact, it is with sadness that I realize we’ll be leaving in only a bit more than a week.

Today was fairly restful. Lal and elder sister returned to Nugegoda. They left about 10:00 am.

As soon as the tuk tuk and driver returned, Jay and I went to Minuwangoda to cash a few traveller’s cheques. It is a habit that is diminishing in importance. In our past, it was imperative to rely on Thomas Cook or American Express when travelling overseas. In Sri Lanka, for some reason, the rates on traveller’s cheques are even a bit better than cash. Yet, I must try an ATM to make a withdrawal directly from my account in Canada. All the banks’ automated tellers show they are tied to the standard, global networks. All large businesses accept credit cards now too. If we find these methods work well, then perhaps we’ll have to say goodbye to the time-tested tradition of practicing one’s signature over and over.

There is a new Sampath Bank branch in Minuwangoda. We stopped there. The environment was very nice. Clean, colourful walls and air conditioning welcomed us. Computerization has made banking in Sri Lanka easier in the last few decades. Still, there is a clear, class system to the way employees are organized. Bank staff still shuffle paperwork to a superior in order to get a signature and authorization even for the simplest tasks. This was never surprising to me as even wealthy Middle East banks implemented hierarchical systems that seemed archaic. The rub was several people repeatedly miscounted Jay’s $200 as $150. There were two fifties and a single one hundred but they assumed all were fifties. Jay figured that he’d made an error back at home. Without reading glasses, he is a bit blind! When our tuk tuk pulled up to the driveway at home, we discovered the bank had called and found the error. Jay had to turn around and return for the additional 5,000 Sri Lankan Rupees owed him.

Sometimes on a journey it’s the little things don’t go smoothly that are most remembered. I’d like to suggest, therefore, we should look forward to them in anticipation.

Labels: money, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

The morning started at around the correct time for travelling. The three rooms we rented were a floor down from the main road. Yet to the back of the building, we must have been an apparent 6 floors high looking still further down to a valley. The panorama from the outside corridors was a nice way to wake up. We got ready, had tea, checked out, and first drove into Bandarawala for breakfast. We found a Muslim bakery that was perfect. Whereas most had bread and curry, Jay and I ate short eats.

The weather was perfect. Although sunny in the city, we could still see the mist rolling along the peaks of the higher mountains. I think I’ve now replaced Ratnapura as my favourite Sri Lankan city. Bandarawela was larger than I might have expected by the size of the letters on our map. The city itself sports a very large clean mall-type shopping center. Also, in this country if there’s a Cargill’s Food City and a clothing store called Fashion Bug, then one knows it meets a certain level of sophistication. Bandarawela had both. Additionally, the views are great coming into or leaving the city. I loved the fact it was downright cold at night. This was only the second time, I’ve not awoken with a sweaty face since arriving on the island. The first time was the prior night in Nuwaraeliya.

Then the rest of the day was spent heading down from the mountains towards home.

The road through the mountains offered stunning views although it was under major construction. I would venture we passed 30 or 40 kilometres of road work. Although that may not sound like much to some of you, by Sri Lankan standards, it’s a major project!

I’m not sure if the road work is coming from government funds or under foreign aid. I think I may have seen Korean faces among the supervisors. Regardless, it is an absolute necessity in order to get this country moving. We spent the better part of yesterday passing cultivated areas in the mountains where most of Sri Lanka’s vegetables are grown. The majority of this produce must head to the tables of people in the capital area. It’s imperative that roads are improved not only Wfor the flow of people but for products. In West, we don’t spend lots of time thinking of infrastructure projects. We’ve had literally generations of spending on developments that are new to many countries such as Sri Lanka. I had never heard to the term carpeted road until this trip. What it means is a highway with a proper foundation. The roads that are being carpeted must have formerly been merely trails were patched with successive coats of asphalt and tar. That was every road in Sri Lanka when I visited in the 1980’s. Transport has changed a lot since then. Twenty years ago, private transport wasn’t prevalent, so there were few private busses or tuk tuks. Over the years there’s been an additional explosion of motorcycles and private autos.

The headaches which the West still encounters are more pronounced here. Many roads cannot handle the sheer volume of traffic and improvements will only guarantee the addition of future vehicles. Unfortunately, safety and environmental standards are lax in Sri Lanka. People who live in the North America's "Land of the Free" seldom stop to think how extremely regulated they really are. Whether it’s zoning rules, or federally mandated auto-glass regulations, people in developed countries have regulated themselves a safe and reasonably pleasing environment. This is not the case in places which cannot afford spending on such luxury.

As a final note, I’m pleased to have been able to see the sights I did today. Returning through Ratnapura meant lunch at our guest house. The same steward set the table for our group of eight as did for Jay and I two years ago.

We got home at about 5:30. I couldn’t wait to have a shower!

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

We were up with the birds. Well, not exactly as there don’t seem to be the same types up here in the hills. Jay and I thought we were late when getting up at 6:30 but nobody was ready at that time. We were eventually ready to hit the road by eight. Unfortunately, the driver was unable to start the vehicle. After unsuccessful pushing for a jump start, he went to a garage and somehow, as if by magic, we sped away at 9:00 am.

This morning we were on the Badulla Road. Yet, it wasn’t long before we stopped at Hakgala Botanical Gardens. A huge bus-full of young monks were almost ready to depart. They’d obviously started on their journey, earlier than we did. Although probably not the most prolific time of the year, there were enough blossoms in the garden to keep everyone happy. The roots of huge trees from California and Japan must have been planted a very long time ago. In addition, lots of small flowers were budding and there was an exceptionally large rose garden. As we walked about, I couldn’t help but think of the numerous old movie songs that must’ve been filmed here.



This reason for our current trip is mostly for the thrill of the scenery. It is surely in abundance! We’d left jungle but now were in areas of difficult yet determined farming. All types of vegetables can be grown in the cold air here. We passed terraced fields of carrots, potatoes, leeks, lettuce, cabbage, beans, and beets. Jay and I both love taking road trips. The major goal is not the destination but in the getting there. Not all people share our love of the highway.

In today’s case the first major, urban center along the path was Badulla. We stopped at a famous temple in the city. It is relatively well-known here because the Buddha, on the way to Kalenyia, stopped here and meditated.

Later in the afternoon, we took a hike to Dunhinda Falls. The path was relatively flat during the first half but we started climbing down during the rest of the hour. The falls were impressive although the water wasn’t at its highest volume at this time of the year. The hike back was a lot harder.

Next, on the way to our eventual place for the night, we decided to take a five kilometre side-trip to Ella Falls. The town of Ella is Sri Lanka’s highest. It is 1041 metres above mean sea level. The falls required a few kilometres of travel on a very dangerous road. I peeked from the van’s window and, on occasion, looked down at nothing but air for thousands of feet.

It was getting dark by the time we found a rest house on the way out of Bandarawella.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006, temple

It was not nearly as difficult as I had expected for everybody to be in the van at 7:00. We left without breakfast and later stopped along the way. Our destination for today was Nuwaraeliya, but we went back roads so as to avoid the traffic of Kandy. Actually the short-cut took quite a bit of time. It was a winding switchback road. You know the type I mean, I’m sure. Being an old and narrow road it had to have hairpin curves in order to make the ascent at a descent grade. I’m used to these. Even British Columbia’s Crow’s Highway has a few such sections, but most definitely without this jungle flora.



You can keep your tropical beach vacation for I’d rather see the mountains. We passed the filming area for The Bridge Over the River Kwai. After a few hours and a few dozen kilometres of rice paddies, and rubber trees, we started driving past the tea plantations with hundreds of acres of tea bushes. It was growing on the steep inclines right to the road’s edge. It really afforded some amazing views. A bit before Horton, we started seeing the tea ladies plucking leaves to add to the baskets on their backs. We saw places where they turned in their collection. Also, there were several amazing waterfalls we saw from the highway although we expect to see others up close tomorrow.

Upon arriving, we went to Victoria Park here. This altitude is so high that it seems very cool here. Being ever prepared, I have an Eddie Bauer flannel shirt in the travel bag. We ate lunch in the rather nice Milano Restaurant in downtown Nuwaraeliya. Next, we found the Pedro Tea Factory and paid the fifty cent admission. One tour has taking place, so we sat in a beautiful reception area and were served … well … tea! After putting on green smocks, we were accompanied through the factory to see the different drying and sorting stages. There were bags and bags ready for shipment worldwide. I found it interesting that the Middle East, Europe, and Russia all like tea of different grades and processed differently.

After a few different false starts, we ended up checking into the Keena Guest House. It was simple but nice enough. The restaurant later served us a great dinner. Before that we again walked downtown. The kilometre and a half there was easier going than after the 6:30 pm sunset. We walked back in the dark. I am luck I packed my flannel shirt. There’s no sweat here!

Lal and I finished a bottle of arrak before and during dinner much to the annoyance of all others. Bed came early at about 9:45. Will we have an early start tomorrow?

Labels: mountains, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Today is the half way point of our stay in Sri Lanka. We’ve been here for two weeks with two remaining. I’m sure of an undocumented rift in the space/time continuum which causes time to actually move faster during vacations. I have empirical evidence. This subatomic quark only comes into play for those enjoying time away. I am still waiting for the discovery of its negative quark which kicks in once one is back at work. Its affect is to actually lengthen each hour on the job for a few weeks.

I went for a walk in this neighbourhood this afternoon. Some beach areas and upcountry towns are used to foreign tourists. Minuwangoda is not. I am sure I was the talk of the neighbourhood walking around with my camera. Jay doesn’t just walk around. He maintains that people here only only walk if they have a real errand. I couldn’t convince him that he could pretend there was some important reason to be about.



I’d been down the same road a few years ago and not a lot had changed. I did run into a guy near the edge of his driveway and we started a quick conversation. His name was Roy. His English was really good and I had the feeling he wanted to chat just to keep from getting rusty. We talked about the ethnic trouble and agreed on the hopeful outcome of the present war. I learned how he is the brother-in-law of another neighbour who often drives this family’s tuk tuk to town. I met his wife and six month old girl. He said they are able to often sleep through the night now. I learned that he used to drive an airport taxi here but because of the schedule quit now to have more time with his new family. I know he is 38 years old.

These are things I didn’t really need to know. I have neighbours who have lived on my floor in the apartment building in Vancouver for years. I say hello to them but don’t even know their names. Jay is sometimes annoyed because he says Sri Lankans constantly gossip. I suppose this is probably truer of the village folk. People in small towns everywhere probably know each other’s business. From what I’ve seen here, many do not hesitate to ask questions that I’d consider personal. I’d probably not ask about marital status or age during an initial conversation in Canada. Here those questions are sure to come up. It seems as if it doesn’t bother most people here as I’ve not heard anybody say, “It’s none of your concern.”

Who am I to judge about the sharing of personal information? I write an Internet blog.

Tomorrow at 7:00 am our usual gang is off on a three-day upcountry trip.

Labels: digital camera, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

One of the historical legacies of British imperialism means that the English language pops up all over Sri Lanka. You’ll find English on road signs, at many state institutions, and even mixed in with the everyday language of the urban crowd. Surely, it makes getting around the country easy for foreigners. On a short stay, learning Sinhala or Tamil scripts really wouldn’t be an option.

Just a few years back, the number of speakers of English as a Second Language surpassed that of those to whom it’s their native tongue. This should position countries like India or Sri Lanka at a head start over many other developing countries in global business. If you’re like me, you may have already encountered the voice of a South Asian on the other end of a call centre conversation. Many large North American companies outsource technical assistance support centres to these countries.



Today was Sunday market in Minuwangoda. There were crowds of people shopping at tarp-covered, open-air stalls. As well as lots of vegetables we picked up a variety of newspapers. The English language newspapers in Sri Lanka are the best on weekends. They are fat, cheap, and have lots of interesting articles. The papers also have more general interest and speciality sections than the weekend Vancouver Sun back in Canada. I like looking at everything including the classified advertisements. Occasionally the contents surprise me though. The following is a verbatim copy from the Sunday Observer Magazine:

"A house and a chicken are playing in a meadow. The horse falls in a mud hole and is stinking. He calls to the chicken to go and get the farmer to help pull him out to safety. The chicken runs to the farm but the farmer can’t be found. So he drove the farmer’s Mercedes back to the mud hole and ties some rope around the bumper. He then throws the other end of the rope to his friend, the hourse, and drive the car forward saving him from sinking! A few days later, the chicken and horse were playing in the meadow again and the chicken fell into the mud hole. The chicken yelled to the horse to go and get some help from the farmer. The horse said, “I think I can stand over the hole!” So he stretched over the width of the hole and said, “Grab for my ‘thingy’ and pull yourself up.” And the chicken did and pulled himself to safety.

The moral of the story: If you are hung like a horse, you don’t need a Mercedes to pick up chicks."

Labels: humour, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Whatever did I used to do on my PCs in those ten or so years before the Internet? I am sitting at the jungle in Minuwangoda. This is one of the very few places my notebook has ever been where it cannot receive a wireless signal. I’ve been in plenty of places where I couldn’t use an encrypted secure connection, but there were some there. Right now, the list is empty. Does this increase my ability to rest? Each time I start up Windows, I get warnings that McAfee hasn’t been able to connect and may be out of date. It maintains that my laptop is in danger. It must be about equal to the risk of catching a STD when working alone.

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Today I welcomed the chance to rest. I stayed at home and watched the coconuts in the trees, petted the silly family dog, and typed this. In the afternoon, Jay and his younger sister did go to visit their mother’s sister and her granddaughter.

Things get complicated in relationships here as it’s rather important in social interaction. Family members seldom refer to each other by given name; rather, it’s always the name of the relationship. For example, Jay calls for small sister or big sister when around the house. A more obvious example is the lady who came to help during the long illness of Jay’s mother. She had once left a drunken husband and had no kids. She isn’t really a direct family member. She has stayed on in the house and is now surely part of the family. Jay’s dad refers to her as sister and the Jay and siblings call her auntie. Relationship names are so important that the Sinhalese language has more names for them than English, I think. What is one’s mother’s sister’s granddaughter? Is that what we’d call a second cousin?

I was going to write more, but this is enough for today. It still seems weird that these are just sitting on my local disk rather than at my eJournal and images. I rest assured that eventually these keystrokes will end up there. Maybe I can create a list of possible future topics over the next few weeks. That is, if Jay gives us some more days off. I hear tell of plans to do an upcountry trip for three days next week.

In my remaining days here, I can write about:

The changes I can see in Sri Lanka during visits over twenty years.

Describe why Sri Lanka is similar to Canada in the way both live near a huge neighbour with well-developed media industry.

Examine how prices for various products differ.

The fact the Middle East creates wealth above many developed country’s standards, yet they are able to tap the labour pool of Sri Lanka to get workers for $3 per day.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Just because it’s possible to go from Tissamahara to Minuwangoda in one day, doesn’t mean one ought to. We said goodbye to Dhamith at the Kadupul Guest House at 8:15 am and got home at around 6:15 pm. We first took a tuk tuk to the old town of Tissamahara and the bus stop. Then we took a government bus to Matara. From there, we connected to a private a/c bus to Colombo. Then, we found an a/c coach heading to Minuwangoda. Finally, from there, we took a tuk tuk home. The total cost was about $3.90 each, the total kilometers were around 300, but the total travel time nearly ten hours! Gosh travel in Sri Lanka can test one’s fortitude if not one’s pocketbook.

This trip did include some of the same areas as 1987 journey. Most all was along the coast. The southern coast was affected by the tsunami. We saw some evidence of the destruction and talked to people who’d seen the wave describe as telephone-pole height. Frankly though, for many areas, it was hard to tell. Much of the new road seemed nice. Things grow quickly in a tropical country. Yet many unaffected buildings in this country look as though they’d been through a flood and often worse.

It’s nice to be home and typing this in front of TV. I’m addicted to extremely silly, Indian-imported, evening soap opera named, Praveena.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

We started the day by running out to the junction to get ‘short eats’ food for breakfast. It was cheap and greasy which hit most of the merits I look for in a morning meal. We then walked to see if the other guest house had a room for tonight. We found that it did, so we walked back to our ‘old’ place and carried the bags to the ‘new’ one.

Then we took a tuk tuk about two kilometers to the Tissa bus stand. There was a government bus to Katragama waiting. It was the typical, old-style, Lankan government bus. The seats were mostly broken and squashed very closely together. I requested an aisle seat which really means I made Jay sit near the window. I could stretch my legs that way.

The bus only took a half hour to get to Katragama. Let me discuss a bit about what it is. It’s a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists and Hindus as well. Lots of folks take the trip in special busses. There are lots of ‘stays’ there which are extremely cheap digs without any of the comforts of a regular hotel. Some also just ‘camp out’. They cook their meals outside and wash up in the river.



It encompasses a very large area. It’s also sort of a religious marketplace with a mosque, kovil, and temple. We made it plenty early enough to walk to the stuppa and bo tree. We walked back to the temple area for the 11:00 am service. The god of Katragama is celebrated in a service that mostly consists of noise. There’s a drummer who starts, stops, and keeps up a tempo. Numerous bells hang around the edges of a fairly small chamber. When the drummer drums, people keep the bells ringing. A few words are said. Water and white chalk is applied to one’s forehead. When people leave after 15 to 20 minutes later, they take a handful of rice to eat. Most offer fruit to the god through the priest. What is not selected in now blended into juice to quench the thirsts of thirsty pilgrims.

On the bus returning to Tissimaharama, we stopped at a famous, Buddhist temple of its namesake.

It was time for a nap and then we stayed around and chatted with the proprietor of the guesthouse, Dhamith. He was an instantly likeable chap. He is 38 and is in the middle of constructing a second floor with eight additional guestrooms and a third floor with banquet hall facilities. He’s taking risks but I had the impression he’ll be successful. He was especially interested in learning from foreigners although he hopes his business to be frequently by local tourists too. I found him very handsome, affectionate and kind. We left our address in Canada with him. When we print some of the digital photos, we’ll surely make sure he gets prints.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006, temple

I wasn’t bothered in the slightest by the crashing of the surf last night. Maybe those three big beer bottles that Lal bought did the trick.

We only did tea at the hotel because of the accompanying inflated prices for a complete breakfast. We had full intentions of finding a bakery in town. We turned right however to get to Mulkirigala. Since it wasn’t yet eight o’clock most shops weren’t opened. We kept driving and driving.

Since it was only 18 kilometers to the ‘rock’ we passed no good places to grab a breakfast. There are generally vendor stalls near points of interest but Mulkirigala gets most visitors on weekends, so no one was there. Then, someone pointed out the little shacks down the hill a bit. We ended up having our fill of hoppers cooks by two, tiny, ancient ladies. I think the total bill came to nearly a dollar.

The climb was steep but everyone did well. Even auntie took it in stride, so to speak. The mountain had about 3 stops on the way where cave temples contained Buddha images. Most were reclining and carved right from the stone of back of the cave walls. The entire inside was painted the wonderfully colourful scenes depicting the Buddha’s life. When we were finally on the top, the view was wonderful. The views from this sort of place are always wonderful. It sort of make one wonder why in our harried lives, we don’t take the time to have more personal reflection and mountaintop experiences.

The gang headed back with the exception of Jay and me. We let them drop us off at the Tangalle bus stop. We found a bus headed for Tissimaharama. We’d half considered going to Kindra but heard after the Tsunami there’s not much there except a lighthouse and the beach.

I’m typing this at the Regina Holiday Home. The quick tour guides spotted us at the bus stand and quickly whisked us to back to the ‘new town’. We ate a late lunch here and went for a walk to see an old reservoir. Rain hit when walking back and we avoided it by taking refuge at another guest house along the way. They are constructing new rooms. The proprietor was very interesting and Jay chatted for quite a while. Since we’re heading to Kataragama tomorrow and need another night in this area, maybe we’ll switch.

Labels: mountains, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

It took nearly two hours to get to Lal’s. The roads to Colombo are swamped 8:00 in the morning. Jay’s dad stayed at home this time but Auntie and younger sister, joined Lal and elder sister.

We headed south down the Sri Lankan west coast. The last time I went in the direction down the Galle Road must’ve been in the late 1980’s. I’ll mention some of my impressions in a later entry.

We stopped at the roadside Kalutara Buddhist temple. It spans both sides of the highway on the edge of a large river. It’s famous for the ancient bo tree. I especially like the system where visitors can pour water into side funnels in the protecting walls and it eventually runs to nourish it. There is a very impressing dagaba that is constructed as hollow. On the second floor there are windows looking out 360 degrees. The center had the temple area. One could look up probably four of five stories to the top.



Also, after a ‘buffet lunch’, we stopped at Matara Verahena. The five storey Buddha image may be surpassed. In fact we saw the future successor earlier in the day. Most importantly to me, it was hard to believe I’d been in this exact stop in the late 80’s. I’m so much older as well as wiser now!

We pulled into Tangalle just before dark. This, incidentally, is around 6:30 here. It’s around 6:30 year round which is a bit different than for those who reside at a larger longitude. Jay is the expert planner and had a few names of places to stay that he’d scrounged from travel books. We ended up on the right road and quickly found one not listed --- Wavy Sea Hotel and Restaurant. It was perfect. Although they had no family rooms, we stayed in three separate ones. Lal insisted on buying me three beers which will ensure that I sleep well tonight. Fears of a reoccurring tsunami will be far away.

Labels: beer and wine, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006, temple

We didn’t arrange for the lift to Minuwangoda in the family’s 3-wheel until 9:15 am. Although back at 4:25 pm, it was quite an exhausting day.

Perhaps in contrast to the solitude of yesterday, we chose to go to Colombo just for the heck of it. We walked around the Fort, cashed a few traveller’s cheques, and strolled through the main Cargill’s as well as Laksala. There was no real reason for the trip other than for diversion. We walked down Galle Face. The grass area is all blocked off for the third phase of improvements. We had thought it was something to do with the military! This clearly is the reason for no Kite Festival this year.

I hadn’t been to the Vihara Maha Davi Park since it was called Victoria Park. It’s still just as impossible as in the mid-80’s to get a good photo of City Hall’s white dome from halfway down the center of the park.

We tried an Internet business. I had all of these text files as well as my “Daily Picture Parade” photos on my camera’s memory card. They had the necessary USB connector on the PC, but the computer and connection was horribly slow. After ten minutes a single photo hadn’t completed uploading; however, the average photo from my present camera is about one and a half megabytes. While trying to upload, I opened several other Windows and was able to check my gmail. There were mostly unimportant messages. There was a nice email from a woman in Kuwait. She had seen the class photos from the Al-Bayan School in 1982. A while back I scanned them and put them on Flickr. In fact, more than seeing them; she was in one of them! I just emailed that I’d received the message and would answer more next month after getting back in Canada. So, there were no updates to my eJournal and images or Flickr today. I am starting to wonder when this will actually sit on my domain!

We at lunch at a modern-style, food court offering “village-like” food. Jay just told me the name but I didn’t catch the spelling. We started back after finding the private busses to Minuwangoda. The bus area is now huge and chaotic. It seems like there is no one who is willing to take the responsibility for the mess. We finally started back at about 3:00 pm.

I feel so sorry for those who must work downtown. It’s probably only a 35 kilometers (21 mile) trip from here. Yet, it took nearly an hour and a half each way. It is little wonder that most government and some business just don’t get work done promptly. It’s not just due to institutional lethargy although that may play a part. People must be too damned tired by the time they get there to finish anything. I have to admit to taking private, a/c coaches too. I don’t know what a government bus would have been like. For then we’d have had to breathe more of the polluted air and hear the ear-piercing noises more loudly. Why do vehicles that don’t have working taillights or even bumper seem to sport upgraded horns?

There were some upsides to the trip. First, since it was not an urgent trip, we avoided rush hours. In addition, parts of Colombo 2 are quite pretty. Lastly, even with lunch for two, the purchase of a baseball cap, and two tuk-tuk rides as well as bus fares, we spent less than $10 in total.

Labels: digital camera, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Today was low key. We didn’t have any trips. We didn’t even go to Minuwangoda’s Sunday Fair. Lots of vendors come to sell food and products in temporary stalls each Sunday. We had no need to go, as we’re planning to be gone for some of next week and there’s already enough food in the house.

As I’m typing this, it’s only a few hours short of our arrival a week ago. It surely doesn’t seem as if so much time has passed. Maybe this seems more obvious due to the fact we’re only to be here for four weeks!

I spent a lot of time today just doing the things that make up life. I washed a number of clothes by hand and hanged them out to dry. It takes things an incredibly long time to dry naturally here because of the humidity. Personal shaving and washing take time. Preparing food and snacks occupied a large part of the day too. It seems possible to get into true vacation mode here.

The benefits of an authentic vacation is one has to get back to basics. When hunting first for shelter and then for food, people are forced out of the routine of their normal lives. That is what makes these times extremely important. I will remember this evening, typing in front of music from the recent Sri Lankan Idol, longer than many of the other nights of 2006.

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On another train of thought, I considered I was quite kind on the environment today. You have to remember I have grown up with criticism of North American energy use. I have always maintained that a little waste can keep things rolling. Furthermore, habits change quickest when they come up against economic realities. The most effective long-term changes will occur not through the signing of an international protocol, but from the point at which economics forces people to do things differently.

I could have used fewer calories of energy had I not frozen my freshly-pulped beli juice today. I would have not put it into the freezer had it been too great an economic cost. It wasn’t, so I enjoyed the luxury of using more energy than necessary. Maybe it’s the manipulation of the environment in pursuit of personal pleasure that separates us from the animals.

Labels: food, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

The van came at 8:00 and we were there by 11:00. What a set of steps! Out of a crew of eight if we count the driver, only three made it to the top. Of course, I was amongst the special few. Right near the top of the second flight, Jay’s elder sister fell. She felt dizzy, but thankfully it was near at the top of the stairs. Auntie too gave up at this point, fearing that it would be even harder from this point. It was.

Jay, his younger sister, and I continued. Unlike, Sigriyia, the trail up the rock here was not well marked nor well worn. I found the climb fairly easy as there were plenty of trees to grab on to. In one place, handrails had been installed.





This place dates from the 13th century. It’s near the towns of Daladagama and Maho. The tooth relic of the Buddha that now resides in Kandy has had a long history on the island. Different kings were always fighting and it often had to be hidden. Yapahuwa was such a place. We saw the remains of a dagaba on the top.

The ruins were the only thing we saw at the top. We had the mountain to ourselves. Coming down took just as long as climbing up. But going both ways only took an hour. At the bottom there is a Buddhist temple that housed a wooden Buddha image. It was sort of a cave temple.

We stopped in a Holiday Inn Rest House on the way back. It wasn’t the famous Holiday Inn chain but it certainly did have lots of rooms. Being near a junction means it probably was busy with product sales representatives and officials on a trip. We had rice and fish and chicken curry. I left very full but we paid $15 to feed all eight people. Had we not had the three, vastly-overpriced bottles of water at a dollar each, we’d have had a better deal.

We got home at 5:00 pm. I was happy to get into the shower. It’s 7:00 now. Tomorrow we’ll be able to rest. The next trip / pilgrimage is not until next Tuesday.

Labels: mountains, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006, temple

I started the day by saying “Happy Birthday” to Jay. Again that was about 6 o’clock in the morning and now fourteen hours ago.

In the interim, we had a lot of food and cake. It has been rainy off and on today in a tropical sort of way. Lal returned today from looking out for the house and seeing that the cats are okay.

In the kitchen all sorts of food was put together. There was a huge buriani and one could tell it was a special occasion as it was made with fancy, basmati rice. There was enough chicken to have come from an entire flock. Cooking here looks like so much of an art. At home, for many, it’s been reduced to opening this package or can, or microwaving something frozen.

There are always quite a few people around. Today Damika, Jay’s sister-in-law, and her two kids were here for most of the afternoon.

In the traditional Sri Lankan way, the guy first sat and shared a bottle. Today it was one of the Red Labels we’d got in duty free after going through passport control. We had sufficient “eats” to go with it. I was particularly pleased with the mini-sausages even though they were chicken rather than pork. Damn the world for trying to make me healthier. The weird thing is the separation of the sexes during drinking which is considered a “man thing” although I saw video proof that the gals in the kitchen also passed about a bottle of beer. Still, no matter how many times I’ve visited, I still can’t get used to the idea that the meal can’t start until the guys drinking ends. Who I am to fight culture? Well, I should add that Jay never drinks at all!

I’m full and can’t quite imagine eating more today. It’s dinner time which usually comes quite late. I suppose that’s a reason that breakfast don’t arrive right after getting up. Actually, tomorrow we won’t dally. We’ve again got a van coming. Taking trips here take quite a while but there seems to be strong precedence and preference for taking them, especially to religious or cultural sites. We’re going to Yapahuwa tomorrow.

Labels: beer and wine, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Today started at 6:00 and actually I was again awoken by the coho bird’s morning serenade. The closest one started first. Others answered. For all I know, the calls continued to be telegraphed down the south coast.

Lal left to spend the night in Nugegoda. He can feed the cats and check up on the house. He’ll return tomorrow for Jay’s birthday. His sisters are making a big deal about it. Actually, his younger sister’s birthday was last month, so they’re sort of combining the events. It might means the opportunity for a few more drinks although Jay, himself, doesn’t partake in that vice.

After, the tuktuk arrived back. Younger sister, Jay, and I went to town to the Food City. They are a huge chain of small, super-efficient grocery stores run by Cargill’s. They are a very old name in trade here. The incarnation of Food City shops are just a sign of the times. All stock is computerized, which I’m sure helps them be quite efficient. They carry those things that people used to expect as gifts from overseas family members.

Since Middle East days in the 1980’s Jay’s always made a big deal about purchasing things for any trip home. All Sri Lankans did. It wasn’t just big ticket items like televisions and video decks. Lots of consumer items would be shipped or come as accompanied baggage too. In some cases the imported product probably WAS of superior quality. I’m sure Cadbury chocolates probably were better than those from Kandos. The people of many countries associate particular products as being the best from specific countries. So Swiss watches carry panache. However, Sri Lankans took this to the extreme. The assumption was, and to a small extent still is, if it comes from somewhere else it is probably better.

The Food City chain is probably reflecting the realities of the global market place rather than catering the whims of local consumers. Yes, the frozen, uncooked French fries came directly from the USA as did the fresh poultry. My deodorant stick came from the Philippines but the sponge wipes from Germany. Still there are lots of manufactured food products from right on island.

The thing that really shows economic change is now the closest Food City is about a kilometer and a half away. Being able to find a can of Quaker Oats on a shelf so close is undoubtedly development. Isn’t it?

Labels: food, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Today, hardly feeling dehydrated, I got up before six. The house awoke, including elder sister and Lal who had come yesterday from Nugegoda. Our planned driver arrived promptly before 8:00 am with a different fellow. The original van driver that the family often uses, had a breakdown. He showed a substitute friend the way to the house.

We boarded and were off to visit our sponsored World Vision kid. The 'we' included the driver, Jay's dad, both sisters, brother-in-law, auntie, Jay and I. We thought we could make a day out of it and our sponsored kid would feel happier with lots of Singhalese speakers around. He lives in a dry-zone area which is day-and-night different from here.

The road up to Chillaw is quite good where it not for all, not in any particular order, people, dogs, 3-wheelers, trucks, busses, bicycles, vans, and motorcycles. It's clearly size which determines who has the right of way. Luckily, being in a 10-12 passenger van meant there was a lot of pecking order under us. Distances are deceiving here. On the map it doesn't look very far. When you see the sign says it's only 80 kilometers, I doesn't appear very far. Yet during the heat of battle, the truth comes out.

We had no trouble getting to the Anamaduwa World Vision Office. We had made the appointment for 11:00 but arrived at 10:45. The office doesn't receive that may sponsor visits. In fact, they said perhaps only ten per year stop. So, it was quite an occasion for celebration. First we were brought to an a/c room where three staff attended a PowerPoint overview of the project. I am now even more impressed with the World Vision organization. Implementation of the particular project started in 1996 and has an exact end-date. They coordinate with government and outside organizations. The project people were truly helping individuals interested in the lives of the people from the area.

Then, we went to see Isuru. Although it was only 20 kilometers from the project office the journey seemed like much more. We exited the tar roads onto the red, dusty dirt of the area. Many parts of the project area are not only dry but the water is saline making it impossible to raise much in the way of crops. The landscape seemed so different from what we left in the morning. That is something I feel with reoccurring amazement each time I come back to visit; namely, how much geographical differences there can be in this island country. We pulled into the yard. Clearly Isuru has on his best clothes. He was as cute as a little seven-year old boy can be. He was respectful but quiet. He spoke softly. People prompted some response by asking about school and his mom.



It seems his dad had drinking problems and abandoned the family. His mother had a job in the Middle East. Although back now, she was in training to go back to the Gulf for a housemaid job. The Sri Lankan government has instituted training schemes for women such as this. They need to know how to operate a dishwasher or vacuum cleaner.

He lived with his aunt and there was an uncle around the area too. The coordination by the World Vision people was superb. They organized a simple, but huge meal of rice, local vegetables, and fresh-water fish

Trying to irrigate the area is another scheme in the World Vision project. As well as providing ample water for irrigation in dry years, the water reservoirs can act as habitat for fish farming. I guess it has been a particularly important project. When leaving, it was nice to run past the man-made lake to see several kids swimming in an otherwise nearly desert environment. Unfortunately the night before, villagers from a neighbouring area came to steal the fish and a fight broke out and a policeman was injured.

It was a very pleasant time. Our main guide (and occasional translator) was Ruvani. To me, she embodied the helping professions. She was keenly interested in all the people involved although surely it can be trying work at times. We left Isuru's by a patchwork of back roads. This is how we saw the above-mentioned reservoir. In addition we stopped at a cashew factory. Another World Vision project, it assured farmers fair prices for the cashews. It also provided casual labour for dozens of local women who'd have no other employment possibilities. Cargill's a local but global company is involved extensively in food products and has agreements to purchase. This in another example of the 'strings' that World Vision 'can pull' because of its clout. A final example of that would be the individual accounts for the sponsored children. The Bank of Ceylon in the closest large city has set up accounts of the 3000 sponsored children of that project. There are all sorts of matching schemes to get parents involved in saving for their children. But in the end, at the end of their schooling, they have a fund. It's enough for the talents to be able to count on continuing education further afield. Or it might be used as means to secure a loan to buy a tractor of other means of support.

Huge grand schemes garner the attention but the real benefits can come from continued small actions.

We didn't get back til after six o'clock. I was happy to be back. I admit feeling a bit guilty taking a ten minute shower, after seeing old men on bicycles hauling the pots of water they needed.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006, World Vision

The day started early. The whoop-whoop-whoop of the Coha birds woke me up at about 4:30. Unlike a New Westminster morning, where train whistles or a boat horn may get me up before I'm ready, here it's nature. Damn the wilds. Jungles can have a downside, I guess.

We're not too far from the airport. This means we can hear the comings and goings of military jets. It must be fun flying around the island at such speeds. When flying in the other night, we came in from Bangkok right in over the east coast. We needed to start our descent for the Colombo airport as soon as we were over the opposite coastline. Life at home, however, continues as normal.

The day was cut rather short because of being hit with a bottle of arrak for lunch which I hardly got around to eating. Perhaps dancing with Lal tired me out. Or it could be that my body is still in the wrong time zone. I went to take a nap at 3:00, got up at 8:00, took a shower, and went back to bed for the night. Even without the magical properties of nearly-hangoverless arrak, I wouldn't have felt poorly after being in bed for fifteen hours.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Today we actually arrived. Well, that is to say, it was a bit after midnight when the aiport van pulled into the driveway. We ended up talking a bit before we made it to bed. I was beyond being tired. We'd called when at the Vancouver airport and it was nine on Saturday evening here. We got here 27 hours later. I don't think I was able to nap but an hour and a half on the flights. I was beyond tired, so it took a while to enter a fitfull sleep.

It was only in the seeming blink of an eye that morning was here. We started by doing the way usual days get started. First, it was up for a walk around the property just for the fun of seeing if any fruits were ready for eating. After, we shaved at the outside well rather than in the bathroom. It's easier to splash around outside with a basin of hot water.



I was still in a bit of a daze. It seemed to take a long time to get moving. Breakfast wasn't until quite late.

There was no need to rush lunch. In fact Jay's dad and I settled on the lowest-priced, 100% coconut arrak for our before lunch drinks. A little soda water too.

It wasn't long after lunch that something prompted our bodies to know that it was really 2 o'clock in the morning Vancouver time. So, a little nap was in order. The littleness ended at 5:30.

Still it was a relaxing afternoon watching the current Singhala teledramas on the TV stations. They all put the completing ones on at the same time, so the remote gets a work out. I have to remind myself to tell more about the imported, dubbed Indian programming in another entry.

Bed near eleven means my eyes are a little glassed over by the time I'm hitting the mattress.

Labels: Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

Due to a cramped airplane seat and the International Date Line, I didn’t really have a day today. We got on the airplane yesterday in Vancouver and off at 3:10 pm in Hong Kong. The actual flight time was something over thirteen hours. It was a leisurely connection, so we had three hours to walk around the airport. The connecting flight went to Bangkok first. There was a whole group of well-behaved, Chinese youth on that three-hour sector. They were oodles easier than the previous screaming toddler on the previous flight.

We stayed in the plane, on the ground. The cleaning staff between flights is very efficient. Usually their work goes unseen by passengers.

The final flight was only two hours in the air. Few passengers got on in Bangkok, meaning that our section of the plane was about 5% full. Jay and I each moved to window seats. I was able to stretch out a bit.

Cathay Pacific had good food, I have to admit. And lots. Of course, I only have North American domestics as recent comparisons. When we went from Seattle to San Diego in the spring, I got a packet of pretzels and a half glass of 7-Up. Yet on these sectors, the airline offered good meals. When leaving Vancouver, the first meal ended with a nice Saskatoon-berry mousse. Everything went smoothly aboard. Of course, it should as I estimate that this was the most expensive ticket I have ever paid for in my life. I've done quite a bit of flying over the years.

A bit before the day ended, we finally landed. The airport expansion is very nice with beautiful white tiles and a long, long section of new gates. One pops right out of immigration into duty free. We each got two bottles of whiskey as gifts. The bags arrived quickly and we just walked through the green line declaring nothing. I'm sure that as visitors we were probably not supposed to have our bags full of gifts. How many tourists bring along a new DVD player?

Out into the main hall and to the banks. I went to Bank of Ceylon. Jay cashed some old Euro traveller's cheques from last year. Then, we went to the airport taxi service. Minuwangoda is only about twenty minutes away. I am sure that when our driver received his ticket, he must have been a bit disappointed. Some arrivals want to take a more costly, long-distance trip.

Labels: flying, Q3_2006, Sri Lanka 2006

We are off to the airport this morning. We spend the rest of September in Sri Lanka and then a week in Hong Kong on the return trip . Our flight departs at 10:15 am but we can easily get there in time by taking public tranit. We'll SkyTrain to 22nd station and then get the first #100 bus. It goes directly to YVR in Richmond.

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Over the next five weeks, my postings will be erratic. I shall continue to create an entry each day, but I may only be able to publish occasionally. I know there'll be no wireless at Jay's house. When we're out and about, I may have the chance to connect.

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To prove the point, our plane's leaving this morning but we won't arrive in Colombo until nearly Monday! We're in the air to Hong Kong for 13 hrs and 44 mins. Then, after a four-hour stopover, we'll fly another 7 hrs and 25 min. We stop in Bangkok but won't disembark. What this shows is there will surely be no entry posted tomorrow! Therefore, I'll leave you with a few related links:

Colombo Weather

43,700 Photos of Sri Lanka

Official Sri Lankan Tourist Board

Daily News (English Newspaper)

The Island (English Newspaper)

Online Shopping for Lanka Products

Blogged Account of Our 2-Month Trip in 2004

Labels: Q3_2006, travel planning

I was inspired by this morning's inclusion of a viewing box. As well as a graphic, one can hold a piece of text too. I have decided to add a story that has helped to define me. I loved science fiction, even as a kid. I struggled with Asimov, but found Ray Bradbury's writing style approachable. We used to have Prize Speaking when I was in high school. I don't think I ever did especially well but when learning something by heart, it stays there. To be more accurate, it stays in one's head, I guess.

I have already placed one of these memorized stories in this blog. It is Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. I recall trashing an entire section of that wonderful tale while in front of an audience. I'm sure I could do much better nowadays!

Now, I'd like to add this Bradbury classic.



Use the scrollbar in order to see the entire text.

Labels: literature, Q3_2006, sci-fi