Sri Lanka - Colombo, The City

It was delightful to be back in Colombo where we lived from 1990 to 1994. The city had changed for the better with greatly improved roads, modern stores and a vibrant economy. The country benefitted  with the end of the Tamil rebellion in 2005, ending almost 30 years of war.

It was Medi's idea to come up to the roof top of one of her favorite hotels and have a drink right before sunset.

The skyline had changed tremendously since we were last here.

The Bank of Ceylon building is new towering over the city. Funny how all the biggest and best buildings, anywhere you go in the world, are bank buildings.

This is a photo of the famous Galle Road, the main thoroughfare of Colombo. It did not look like this in 1994.

Some things remained the same such as this temple dome overlooking the Colombo fort area.

The "crane" could easily be the symbol of the new Colombo. The Chinese have invested billions in Sri Lanka. This Chinese project will reclaim part of the sea near the center of Colombo and then build shopping centers and (more) casino hotels.

Some of the finest buildings were in the old part of the city. The Cargill's building was probably built a century ago.

The buildings of the old city were a photographer's delight.

Some of the buildings were not majestic but did fill out the character of the city.

Motorcycle taxis move people around the city.

Motorcycles outnumbered cars about four  to one.

The lottery stands or shacks are everywhere in the city offering to make some lucky person a rupee millionaire.

Street vendors still sell everything everywhere.

Speaking of everywhere, US fast food chains have places all around the city. When we left in 1994 there was not a single fast food store.

They have even improved on the service by offering delivery !

Sri Lanka - Kalutura

The closest town to our beach resort was called Kalutura. I thought it was very interesting for its architecture as well as its people.

This is the sign welcoming to the temple area.

This is the main temple for the area.

Most temples charge a fee, if not to local people,  certainly to foreigners.

The bodhi tree was the type of tree the Buddha sat under until he achieved enlightenment. It is sacred to Buddhists and, in this case, it was right across the street from the temple, something I had never seen before.

Fishermen:  I was shooting early in the morning so there was a subtle light. These fishermen are getting their nets ready.

Sandmen:  These men are not fishermen but use the river for another purpose. They dreg up sand  from the river and sell it later to builders.

Sandmen:  It is tough work. The sand has to be carried off one basket at a time. This work  has been done here for many generations.

Flower sellers.

Shoe repair man.

Garland seller.

This nun was happy to have her picture taken but she wanted her photo right on the spot.

Sri Lanka - The Beaches

We spent half our trip to Sri Lanka at the beach and surrounding areas.

This was our view each morning and the beach below was also our walking path.

The resort was spacious and relaxing.

We had a chance to wear our Pepper Team shirts.

The pool was warm and inviting.

The ladies took advantage of the pool every chance they got.

These ladies enjoyed both the beach and the pool.

Sri Lanka - Galle

Galle () is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the district capital of Galle District. Galle is the fourth largest city in Sri Lanka after the capital Colombo, Kandyand Jaffna.

Galle  was the main port on the island when the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, during the Dutch colonial period. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by the Portuguese in South and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between Portuguese architectural styles and native traditions. The city was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers.

The Clock Tower

The Gun Ports.

Ships had to navigate the many rocks that also guarded the harbor.

The old lighthouse helped ships avoid the rocks.

Galle was easy to walk around with a limited number of tourists and many family and friends out for the day.

Kids seem to have the most fun.

Friends along the shore.

Muslims comprise about fifteen percent of the population. Here they are enjoying the sea.

Of course, tourists were well taken care of and there were many Western style restaurants and cafes.

These tourists were in search of a restaurant.

Here we catch a tourist mailing picture post cards home.

Sri Lanka - Elephant Orphanage

We landed in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Dec.27 and headed for the Elephant Orphanage two days later.  The trip was three hours up and five hours back, longer than usia, made so by rain and road construction seemingly everywhere.

We were fortunate that the only time the rain stopped was when we entered the Elephant Orphanage and stayed that way until we left. The orphanage is officially named the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, established in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife.  It was originally set up to protect the many orphaned elephants in that area but it is now also a nursery and captive breeding ground. With 88 elephants,  it has the largest herd in the world.

Although the sign cautions people about getting close to the animals, the handlers make it safe to approach them and to suggest a generous tip for the service provided.

Not just Bella but Medi and Ally joined in. ( The camera man of course did not as he needed to take the pictures)

These elephants enjoyed the downtime away from the crowds.

The sign encourages feedback but I don't understand why it used monkey characters to do so.

At first I didn't understand why people would need internet in the middle of an elephant herd but then realized it enabled them to immediately post their "jungle" photos.

People did not read this sign so I wonder if they read the signs above in this blog. While I was there, I saw a handler go down the road three times to retrieve (save) people who wandered down, oblivious that they were approaching the untamed monsters.