Day 43 - Colombo, Sri Lanka (Tour to Kandy)

 

Date:  Feb. 20, 2007

 

Location:  Colombo, Sri Lanka (Visit to Kandy)   

 

Next Port:  Singapore, Feb. 24

 

Quick Summary:  We enjoyed a full-day tour to scenic Kandy, the last stronghold of the Sinhala Kings, a three-hour ride from the port of Colombo.

 

Report:  We pulled into the very busy port of Colombo shortly after 6:00 a.m. We got on one of four new Toyota 16-passenger mini-vans for the three-hour ride to Kandy which is situated in a scenic hilly area in the middle of the island.

 

Many of you might remember Sri Lanka as Ceylon, which it was called until 1972. It sits 18-1/2 miles off the coast of India. Colonized by the Portuguese and the Dutch, it was ceded to the British in 1815. Independence from the Commonwealth was peacefully obtained through negotiation in 1948. The populations is about 22 million, with 74% being Sinhalese. The Tamils are the largest minority, 18%.

 

·        The Tamil Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE), located primarily in the northern and eastern parts of the island have been fighting the government since the 1980s) are called “Indian Origin Tamil” to differentiate them from the Tamils who have lived on the island since ancient times. The ancestors of the former were “newcomers” brought to the island as indentured laborers by British colonists to work the estate plantations.

 

Sri Lanka has been at the crossroads of the trade routes in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal since ancient times. Today, its main exports are tea, coffee, rubber and coconuts.

 

The Sinha royal dynasty ruled the island for more than 2,000 years. The destination of our tour was to see Kandy, the scenic city in the highlands of the island that was the last stronghold of these kings. The Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Tooth is among the most sacred sites for Buddhists worldwide. It enshrines in great splendor the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. Brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century A.D., this sacred relic has been the symbol of sovereignty for its rulers.

 

We enjoyed the long ride to Kandy more than we expected. The narrow road was filled with vehicles of all shapes and forms – from log-hauling trucks, to mini-buses, cars, scooter, countless tri-shaws (motorized three-wheel taxi scooters) to water buffalo. There were always at least three lanes of traffic competing for space on the two-lane road. 

 

We passed through villages that specialized in almonds, pineapples, cane-weaved goods, lumber products, and leather goods. Coconuts were everywhere. We enjoyed being out in the country and seeing how the Sri Lankans lived on the edge of the ever-present jungle. Highlights were the uniformed school children and peasant women with colorful umbrellas.

 

On the outskirts of Kandy, we had an escorted tour of the Royal Botanical Garden. The Orchid House and the variety of flowering vines and trees were the highlights.

 

At the Temple of the Tooth, we all had to remove our footwear and dress conservatively (for which we had been forewarned). It was a beautiful spot. (One doesn’t get to see the tooth relic…it is only unveiled to believers one day every 10 years.)

 

As part of the tour, we enjoyed a buffet luncheon of various local dishes at the Suisse Hotel located adjacent to Lake Kandy – a man-made lake in the middle of the city.

 

Then it was another 110km dash downhill to the ship. As we entered rush hour traffic approaching Colombo, we picked up an escort. Four guys (from the agency running our tour) in a new pickup truck ran interference for our four-mini-bus caravan. Two of the guys had on the large white policemen gloves and were cutting through and around traffic waving for vehicles on both sides of the road to squeeze over and let the mini-buses through. Karen said those last 40kms were like “an E-ticket ride at Disneyland.” If any of our readers have taken the road to Hana, Larry said that, “Just like that drive, this will give us something to talk about for years.”  We should have known something when our driver was introduced to us as, “Bullet.” In fact Larry said he picked up some pointers! (Karen is very glad he doesn’t drive much anymore!)

 

It was a great day. Now we have three sea days before arriving in Singapore where we will regret saying good-bye to some new friends.

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos from Sri Lanka have been added.