The following image was taken from the sliding door of our stateroom. The second image was taken earlier in the morning from one of the upper decks. Not exactly the most scenic view from either our room or the starboard side, but then this is a working port. The three white boats have been ridden hard and put to bed wet frequently.
As always, the images and any videos in this posting are best viewed on the web page. View the complete set of blog posts here.
The first event of the day was an outing with Kara and Greg Cornelius. The plan was to hire tuk-tuks to take us to the market. We walked outside the port office and negotiated a two-vehicle caravan. We snagged the green unit, and Greg and Kara took the black one (I am not sure I would have gotten in if Greg had remained the driver….). As you can see from the middle images, our tuk-tuk was very tricked out: a combination of BMW and Audi; a ‘Royal Saloon’ ride indeed.
Bob: We asked them to take us to the market. Our driver kept telling us it was closed. We were suspicious. We then arrived at the street and found that, yes indeed, almost everything was closed.
Cheryl: Because it was Ramadan, the market vendors opened later than normal, and most were not open when we arrived. So the drivers offered to take us to a few businesses to taste local products. (Note that Cornelia, our Cruise Director, had mentioned that this was a common thing whereby Tuk Tuk drivers will take you to shops where they get a commission of some sort. At least we were forewarned!)
First stop was a Tea Room that showcased Ceylon tea, which we were told was the best in the world. The shop had a wide variety of green and black teas, pure and flavored. We tried several, and Bob bought a few of his favorites. They had a wonderful selection of spices as well, but I found them to be rather expensive and in really large packages. So, passed on that.
Bob: This turned out to be a really fun place. The server really knew his product; the sampling was quite the spread, the tea was great, and our drivers (whom I was getting to know) received their well-earned benefit: a free hot cup and a small bag of strong black tea.
Cheryl: Next, we went to a “neighborhood spice shop”, our driver said. Well, it really was another tourist shop, but the prices were more reasonable – The Zylen Spice Shop. The staff was friendly and helpful, and we bought several spices and more tea. (Don’t know what the commission was for the drivers at this stop.) Bob: Likely more tea.
Bob: I tried some really strong tea. The shopkeeper was a bit reluctant to even let me try it. He told me it had to be served with milk and sugar. I asked the drivers about it, and they confirmed it was what they drank. Nothing like local knowledge. None of the other three in our group liked it, which confirmed that I had to get some.
Bob: After the spice shop, we went to a jewelry store. Our drivers told us that if we went there, even for 15 minutes, they would both get a voucher for 2 liters of gasoline (petrol). At this point, they had become our buddies, so we quickly agreed.
We entered the store and immediately spotted our shipmates Greg and Christina from Las Vegas. Their tuk-tuk driver also wanted free gas. They actually ended up buying some costume jewelry for friends.
Cheryl browsed around a bit, and her salesperson started to sell hard. Little did he know that Greg owns a jewelry store in Alabama. He asked who was doing their certifications, and the salesperson quickly brought in the big guns, going through a series of middle managers, ending with who we thought was the owner. Cheryl did not buy anything, and I think they were just a little relieved when we left. Regardless of the outcome, it was a fun/interesting experience; our drivers received vouchers for fuel, and we ended up with a great story.
Main Street Shopping District.
Bob: The drivers dropped us off at the market street we initially planned to start out on. We even trusted them to hold our bag of tea and spices for a few hours and scheduled a pickup time.
The streets were very, very busy. It was difficult to walk from point A to B. The density is hard to describe. There were people everywhere buying everything. It reminded me of markets I visited years ago in India. The four of us were greatly outnumbered by locals; we were definitely in the minority by far. It is rare to go anywhere on shore and not see other Viking Sky passengers; we saw nobody from the ship while in the marketplace. We had been looking for a new backpack and found one. I scored a tuk-tuk t-shirt and found some shaving cream. We did a lot of window shopping.
We tried to walk through the Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque; we saw it from the bus the day before. It was closed to non-Muslim visitors because of Ramadan. The second image shows a store specializing in Western brands (we did not stop in). Much of each store’s merchandise is delivered by hand (likely because of all the foot traffic). Images 3-7 show how the delivery people weave through a sea of humanity and tuk-tuks to get the product where it belongs. Image 8 shows some of the largest screw-in bulbs I have ever seen in my life – huge!
After we were shopped out and hot (it is always hot), we looked for something to eat. We had been warned not to consume any street food. Cheryl found a hotel on the map (established hotels are typically safe for dining), and after a quick walk, we found it. Suffice it to say, Hotels.com will not be listing these accommodations any time soon. No one, smartly, was willing to brave the offerings, so we settled on a snack of packaged and sealed crackers and bottled fluids. Our drivers then picked us up exactly where they said they would and right on time.
I added three videos from our day. The first was made during one of our many tuk-tuk rides. The traffic is unbelievable and so very close. We never really felt at risk, but watching the video now, maybe we should have. If you listen to the audio closely, you can hear Cheryl and the driver chatting. The second was made while walking through a covered open-air market. The third was taken while walking down a retail street.
Video of us going down the road (delete this line).
Video of us going down the road (delete this line).
Video of the market (delete this line).
Video of the market (delete this line).
Video walking down street showing shops (delete this line).
Video walking down street showing shops (delete this line).
After the crackers and drinks, we headed back to the ship. We asked our drivers to pose with us, which they quickly agreed to. They were two really great guys, and we were happy to have spent a big part of the day with them.
Postscript: I had not noticed the automobile brand emblems on our tuk-tuk until Greg pointed out that their vehicle was an ‘Audi‘. I then found the BMW sticker and countered that ours was a Beemer. Greg jokingly accused me of ‘tuk-tuk envy’; mine is better than yours… Pretty sure that term will be used frequently until the end of the cruise.
Random images from the day: the first is of a retaining wall we noticed leaving the port. I have never seen interlocking concrete forms like those. The last four images were all taken while at the spice store. Cool views of some Buddhas and buildings on the other side of an urban lake called Beira Lake, in the heart of Colombo.
Enrichment – “Sri Lanka in Your Wake— An Island’s Rebrand Since 2010.” Consider and ponder the broader trends and daunting challenges of today’s Sri Lanka – Hugh Neighbour, a new speaker.
This presentation covered much of the same material as the presentation on Sri Lanka given on March 8, but from a political point of view. The population is growing; however, 1 in 5 children is malnourished, and the infant mortality rate is somewhat high. The primary religion is Buddhism, and the primary language is Sinhala.
He reviewed the early history and colonial period, covering much of the same ground as the presentation noted above. He discussed the 26-year civil war period in detail, noting atrocities committed by both sides.
Hugh then discussed the corrupt leaders who ruled after the Civil War. A continuous flow of authoritarian, nepotistic leaders led the country to near economic collapse. Sri Lanka still suffers greatly from decades of government mismanagement and must balance the demands of India, China, and the rest of the world.
Enrichment – “Sri Lanka Makes its Way Between Giants.” Learn how Sri Lanka has overcome recent challenges to remain a player in Asian politics – Ed Lynch, another new speaker
Ed often opens his talks by discussing a prominent flag. He really likes the Sri Lankan flag, and in all fairness, it is pretty cool.
He briefly reviewed island history up to about 2020. He discussed how Sri Lanka, while it has many issues, has a great deal to offer the rest of the world. They are centrally located in the northern Indian Ocean. The country leads the region in some important categories. Sri Lanka also has resources that the rest of the world wants. The giant balancing act is how the government can continue relationships with multiple countries, many of which do not get along very well: the United States and China, India and Pakistan, all while trying to recover from the recent, self-created, near-catastrophic economic crisis.
End of Post.