Colombo

Our second cruise destination is Colombo. We last visited in 1980 - our first long haul trip - and were amazed to arrive in a land of palm trees and drive in darkness past low wooden houses lit by kerosene lamps. 

Unsurprisingly, things have changed phenomenally in terms of infrastructure, with high rise buildings  and the iconic landmark of the Lotus Tower. The old colonial buildings are still there - some in a very sad state of disrepair, and we actually have a bizarre morning afternoon tea in the Galle Face hotel - one of the few buildings that is really familiar from our visit all those years ago. 

Despite all of us saying we’re not hungry, we munch away on sandwiches and cake, drinking Ceylon tea while looking out over the palm tree fringed ocean. Later, exploration of the bar reveals black and white photographs of the many famous visitors who have stayed here over the years. 

There’s also a visit to the museum full of Interesting artefacts - or in some cases copies, as the originals are in the British Museum ……..

Finally, we visit a Buddhist temple  - Gangaramaya. In many ways it is indeed a very beautiful temple full of statues of Buddha in every size, colour and material imaginable. There are wonderful flower offerings - principally deep mauve and white water lilies and deep pink lotus flowers as well as jasmine and frangipani. The delicious scent combines with heady incense, smoke wafting catching the sunlight. There are also fabulous - literally - tableaux of figures representing different stories linked to Buddha’s life, gaudily painted in brilliant colours. Clearly this is an important place for devotees as well as tourists, and I watch as a young couple - recently married maybe - get blessed by a monk who holds a golden conical object over each of their heads in turn. 

There are so many areas and aspects to this amazing place. There’s an ancient  sacred fig tree surrounded by offerings, thanks in advance for its ability to cure diseases. There are seemingly hundreds of Buddha heads arranged to cover the sloping roof. But then, bizarrely, there are rooms full of items - only some religious, that apparently have been given to the priest over the years. They sit there gathering dust like items in an overfull  ‘antiques’ shop. Tat, as G calls it. Even more bizarre are several shiny motor vehicles which grace another area  - gifts again apparently. None of this seems to sit comfortably with the Buddhist idea of renouncing wealth. 

So we see a Colombia that’s changed in many ways. There seems little of the poverty of India, less of a gap between the rich and poor. But there are still narrow streets of shops where goods need to be transported on wooden trollies wheeled by porters. 

Back on the ship we stand on deck watching the lights come up as the ship sails out into the night. Next stop Hambantota….. 


My main depicts the temple blessing of the young couple; extras include objects from the museum, a temple statue, lotus flower, another temple statue and finally the museum.