Colombo day 1

We did not have much of a plan for the day going in. Our arrival at Colombo was not until noon and we had not scheduled any of the ship’s excursions, so we were just going to play it by ear. We spent the morning around the pool, reading and swimming. While lunching at Waves we bumped into Dr Sherry, who told us about a few sites in the city close to the port gate. The port is enormous, by the way; it’s a 3-mile drive from our docking point to the exit gate. Taking her points into consideration, Liz and I came up with a set of sites we’d like to see as part of a bit of a recon trip. We gave the boys the afternoon at leisure.

We got off the ship and talked to a taxi driver who was among a group right on the dock. The options were to either hire a taxi right there or take the port shuttle to the gate and find a taxi or tuk-tuk outside the port. The latter would certainly have been cheaper, but the offered price of $30 for our little tour seemed worth it to avoid the extra steps and any waiting in the heat.

So we hopped in the minivan with our guide and driver. First stop was Sri Kaileswaram Temple, an old Hindu temple tucked away among the railroad tracks. It was absolutely incredible. It was covered with statues and carvings painted every imaginable color. We walked around the outside and saw a huge cart that is pulled around the city once a year, which must be quite a scene as it was truly enormous. We were dumbfounded by the sheer volume of the adornments.

After marveling at the temple for a while we piled back into the minivan and headed off to the Buddhist Gangaramaya Temple. While not as spectacular on the outside as the Hindu temple – but still quite beautiful – the experience was outstanding. We were lucky enough to be there in the afternoon of Madin Full Moon Poya Day, a Buddhist observance celebrating the day when Buddha visited his father King Suddodhana for the first time as the “Samma Sambuddha” (Fully Enlightened One). This meant that the temple was busy with people coming for the holiday observance. There was no set time for this; people just show up when they want to or can and go through the various rites. Our guide, who was Buddhist, told us to feel free to take pictures and wander around, so we did. It was really beautiful and so wonderful to be with the local people. The highlight was when our guide encouraged us to join a line of people getting a string tied around their wrist by a monk, a ritual that conveys a blessing for good fortune. When it was out turn we just copied what the person ahead of us did and got a string tied around our wrists. The monk had a bit of a smile on his face that seemed to say “it’s clear you have no idea what you’re doing, but that’s cool with me, you are welcome.” It was really great.

After the temple we went a short way away to Gangaramaya Seema Malaka, another Buddhist temple that is built out over a lake. It was built in an indoor/outdoor style that was very fitting for the overwater location. In general the Buddhist temples seem to be done in an open and inviting style. They don’t have gates or fences, they have multiple entrances, there don’t seem to be rigid times for events or observances, they don’t care if you’re a lifelong adherent or a casual tourist, you’re welcome either way. It feels like a very large inclusive tent, and that felt really good given the fractured and combative state of the world. The whole experience was a real boost.Baca lagi