Colombo, SriLanka

 This is Saturday morning and we are in the process of docking in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

For us this port has sort of been a comedy of errors. First in June Canada was advising against travel to Columbo. So we were hesitant to book tours here. Then we thought about it and decided that Princess would not dock here if there was a lot of political unrest so we booked a tour.

Then in the late fall when the advisory was still in place I cancelled our tour. This is one of the spots where you require a landing visa so we did not apply for one.

Then when we were on the ship and learned that most people were going ashore we began to doubt our decision. We went back and forth on this and then a week ago we decided we had made a mistake and we should get that entry permit. When I inquired at Customer Service I was told it was too late to apply. 

So we decided that staying aboard would not be all that bad because of the intense heat in this area. To make the day special we decided to order Champagne breakfast. This is always something special so we could enjoy breakfast on our balcony and enjoy the view of the city.

We are here and there are dozens of buses lined up to take passengers to the gate of the port. Because this is a working container port they do not want people roaming around the dock. We were up early because we hoped to see a lighthouse here. Unfortunately it is not in view from here. Ken did go top side early and he says the big one he was looking for cannot be seen from the ship.

I believed that not going into the city would mean I would not be able to get a Xmas tree ornament, so I asked Julia to pick one up for me.

Much to our surprise as the ship slid into place we saw dozens of stalls being set up. It appears as if they are selling almost everything. So does that mean we are going to be permitted to leave the ship and shop at this pop up market? If we are not allowed to shop why are those sellers busily setting up? 

Do we need a special permit to just shop and then return to the ship?

How long will the sellers be there?

Then suddenly a dance troop began to perform. They were in elegant costumes, there were men and women and there were drummers. It was sensational.

 In the midst of all of this our breakfast arrived. It was even more special than we remembered.

We will have to be certain to keep all of our food trays covered because there are lots of crows around.

Our amazing view is of a crane. Perhaps we should have chosen a different day to have our Champagne Breakfast . But it is not raining, at least not yet. The humidity is very high and so far it is a comfortable temperature.

The first course was a quiche and greens, the next was smoked salmon and capers, the third course was fresh fruit, including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, melon and clotted cream and the finale was a tray of assorted pastries. The beverages were champagne and coffee and juice. 

We enjoyed the first course and had some champagne and some coffee and a muffin. The rest will wait till later in the day. We brought everything into the room because we did not want a balcony full of crows and pigeons. Mid way in the feast I left our room and went to deck seven to get better photos of the dancers.

While there I spoke with an officer and he assured me that we could disembark and shop or we could take the free shuttle into the city. There were no restrictions. 

So now our plans have changed we will be going ashore to shop. I will be able to get my own tree decoration. This day will be a lot more interesting than we planned.

Ken of Ken and Julia phoned and said that they had a look on shore and that there were lots of tree decoration types of items that I could buy so that cemented my decision. Ken was not interested in shopping so I went off on my own.

I was on shore a little less than an hour and I did enjoy myself. I got 2 different items for the tree, One is a resin magnet and the other is a wooden carving of the mask used by medicine men to cure a fever. This mask was worn by one of the dancers that we saw earlier.

I also purchased some Ceylon Tea and some ground cinnamon. The good find was a new belt for Ken. I was assured that it was made from a cow and it seems to be very well made. Altogether I spent only 23.00 US so that was not bad at all.

On my return I went through the atrium to look for a place to hide a duck. This is Saturday and a duck day.

I discovered that the Sri Lanka tourist bureau had set up a table of information. They were selling post cards and they had a post box for mailing them. They also had a currency exchange there so you could get local currency.

The reception and service here was exceptional.  A welcoming dance troop, free transportation into town, souvenir sellers, a currency exchange and tourist information right on the ship. They could give lessons to every port we have been too and a very special educational session to Singapore should be their first contract.

I purchased a post card and wrote it to Emmitt for a birthday greeting. They stamped the card and mailed it for me. The entire cost of the card and their service was only 1 dollar US.

I exchanged one dollar US for their currency so I could show it to Leo and Emmy.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the left overs from breakfast, the warm air, having a nap and of course appreciating the view of our very own loading crane.

Thursday March 9th

 Today we are in Malaysia on the island of Phuket ( pronounced POO Ket). The city rests near the Bay of Phuket and the island is in the Andaman Sea . The population is around half a million. Originally it was settled because of the presence of tin. Tin miners were the original inhabitants.

The climate is warm year round with temperatures ranging from 77 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit. It seemed a lot hotter yesterday . Fortunately the bus and the shops were air conditioned.

The language is Thai, some English was spoken. The written language does not use the same symbols that we do .

The day began with a very rough sea. Looking out from the balcony we watched one of the tenders bounce around like a cork. Much to my relief another larger vessel appeared. It resembled a passenger ferry. I decided to take a Gravol just in case I ended up on the tender. To shorten the story... it was 2 hours before we were able to get off of the ship. The ferry had strange seats, on the back of the seats were directions for what to do at take off and landing. Apparently these were airplane seats . But the ride was quite smooth regardless of the seats. The ride was about 20 minutes . When we arrived the directions to the buses were clear, and well marked. The bus was another beauty with excellent air conditioning.

Our guide was named POP. He spoke English with a very heavy accent. You could understand his information and instructions only if you listened carefully. He was very eager to make certain that everyone was clear on what was happening. We were about 2 hours later beginning our tour but we were pleased to know that we would get all of the tour and that sail away would not be until around seven instead of the planned five o'clock.

Our first stop was at Promthep Cape on the southern most tip of Phuket. Here was a shrine to the Hindu deity Brahma. To see it was had to climb a long staircase. The stairs were wide and flat and had a railing on one side. The heat was an issue, it was VERY Hot. At this shrine the elephant is very special. If a person has a wish answered they often leave a statue of an elephant. As a result there were hundreds of elephants of all shapes and sizes.

There was a lighthouse and museum here much to our surprise. It was quite an ornate structure. Ken peaked inside but as with all of these tours time was limited. 

This was also the site of breathtaking sunsets and views.

 

On my way back to the bus I stopped in a small shop and here I found a decoration which will be a suitable ornament for our "Around the World Cruise Xmas Tree"

Our next stop was a visit to the Wat Chalong Buddhist temple. Wat Chalong is the biggest and most ornate of Buddhist monasteries. To enter here you had to remove your shoes. I removed mine but I put them in my bag, I did not want to leave them outside in the sun. Stepping from where I removed my shoes to the shaded entrance meant walking on VERY HOT tiles. I hurried to be sure. Inside was amazing, there were three Buddha statues covered with gold leaf. You could see where the bits of leaf were attached to the statue by rubbing. 

There was much to see here but as usual time was an issue and for us heat was also an issue. We bought a coconut and the sales lady cut it and poured the coconut water in a glass and then added some of the pulp to the water. I was amused because when I first asked the cost the younger lady said one US dollar and the older lady quickly corrected her and said it was 2 dollars.  With an exchange of 30 to one that coconut was 60 Thai Bahts

Next we drove around Old Phuket to see some of the old Colonial Phuket's architecture. These buildings are elegant and beautiful when restored. A lot of them have been restored to their original beauty.

Our next stop was what was said to be a souvenir shop. It was not what we would call a souvenir shop. There was not one tee shirt or key chain or magnet to be seen. It was a high end shop that specialized in jewelry and hand bags and golden trinkets. We were not allowed to take photos and the path you took was strictly curtailed. The clerks wore very formal uniforms and it was in every aspect a surprise. 

Our last stop was at a local shopping mall. It was different that the malls we are accustomed to. The bottom level is mainly a food court. You cannot use cash or credit cards here. You must purchase a special card and put an amount of money on it and then you use this card to pay for your food. So if we as tourists bought a 50 dollar card and our lunch was only 40 dollars there was no way to get your money back. There was a grocery store that took credit cards but they did not have a deli. 

Finally we did find an eatery that took credit cards.Since we had not eaten since breakfast and it was now after three we decided we should get something. At this point we were not sure of the exchange and the value of their funds. They took US funds NOWHERE. So we went into this lovely air conditioned establishment and we ordered a meal. At this point we had no idea what the cost was. We believed the exchange was 3 to 1 . When the bill arrived the total was 680 somethings. Just how much had we paid for a pat tie and a rice dish and a beer and a fruit drink?? What ever it was it was. When we got back to the ship I asked Mr Google. Their currency is the Thai Baht , so 680 Thai Bhats was equal to $26.69 Cdn or $19.37 US. We got a bargain!! Who knew??  The fruit drink that was part of my meal was absolutely delicious. The noodles and shrimp were tasty enough but I would not order them again. Ken had a rice dish and he enjoyed it . The cold beer was a great finishing touch.

Our tour had come to an end and the bus returned us to the ship. By now the sea had calmed down and we were taken back to the ship using the regular tender.  Again we were late for dinner and we had eaten only recently so we skipped dinner.

My scientist husband was completely amazed by their system of electrical wiring. There were dozens of wires at every power pole. He asked our guide about them and he seemed to be sure that they were still being used. But how do they find a specific wire when a repair must be made??

Another unusual thing for us was the presence of household shrines. They were in the front of both homes and businesses. Some were simple and small , some were large and ornate . They were common but not universal.

The streets were narrow and only an expert driver could maneuver those sharp turns with the big bus. Our driver was definitely up to the task.

We really enjoyed our day but both of us are finding that the heat really takes its toll on us.  We were so tired that we skipped the show and called it a night around eight. This was Wednesday and the duck did not get hidden ... that would have to wait until tomorrow. We have 2 sea days coming up. 

The duck was hidden this morning and I just checked, it has not been found.

The next port is Columbo and the city of Sri Lanka,