February 5th - Columbo, Sri Lanka

The weather has certainly changed in the last few days.  We had bright dry weather in the low 70’s in both Dubai and Muscat but today we are in Sri Lanka.  The high is projected to be in the low 90’s and it is very humid.

Sri Lanka has been called the tear drop of India.  We are directly under India and to the east.  Sri Lanka has been an independent country for many decades and Columbo is its capital.  The country had a very serious civil war in the past 20 years and just last year there were terrorist attacks on Catholic targets around the city.  We did see military and police presence everywhere, some of them with serious weaponry.  All was calm for our visit today; in fact, we just missed their Independence Day celebration yesterday.

We have been to Columbo before and at that time we took a city tour that looked at both the new and old sections of the city.  Truth be told there are not a lot of ‘must see’ sites in Columbo.  It’s an interesting city and there is a lot of development going on, especially in the port area.  The Chinese are investing lots of money into the cargo port and it’s slated to grow quite a bit in the next few years.  This is something you see all over Asia, as the U.S. reduces its foreign aid, the Chinese move in. 

Since we’ve been here before we didn’t go on an organized tour, we instead took the Cunard provided shuttle to the Laksala Handicraft Shop. This shop is sponsored by the government and gives the locals a chance to sell their wares in a nice environment.

The shuttle took about 30 minutes to get to the shop.  The bus would also drop you off at the port gate if you wanted to take a cab (tuk tuk) or arrange your own tour.  As you can see from this picture the QM2 was in the middle of nowhere.

We took the shuttle about 10AM and it was pretty packed, a number of people did get off at the gate and they were greeted by a phalanx of tuk tuk drivers waiting to take them anywhere in the city they wanted to go.  The picture below is of the tuk tuks waiting outside the handicraft shop but you get the idea.  Lots of cabs waiting for limited customers.  Other, more traditional taxis are allowed to wait near the ship.  We assume they pay for the privilege.

The shop was very nice.  The prices were good and the exchange rate right on the money (no pun intended).  It was funny to see everyone (including me) carrying around their phone with the calculator app open.  You could divide the Sri Lankan Rupee price by 180 and find out what it was in US dollars.  We bought a nice pewter bowl for our living room and I got a small handbag for use on the ship.  I also bought an Elephant Dung notebook.  Yes, they make paper out of elephant dung.  I’ve heard of it, but never saw it until today.  Of course, I had to buy it.

The shop itself was in a gated area and when we arrived there was a lot of tuk tuk drivers at the entrance, but they were not allowed in.  By the time we left, the police had organized them into two lines so that the tourists weren’t surrounded by guys wanting their business.  We haven’t talked to anyone today who took one but the last time we were here we knew several people who used the service and enjoyed themselves.  The price is good and as long as you occasionally close your eyes when they are going in and out of traffic…you’re okay.

Columbo is a lot like any other city, we went through some nice areas and some not so nice.  We were stuck in traffic for a while as parents lined the street in their cars waiting to pick up their kids from school…just like we’ve seen many times in the U.S.  Along the coast there is an esplanade along the beach.  It looked like a nice place to spend some time. 

Although the area immediately around the craft shop looked nice with some nearby parks, Fred and I decided to head back to the ship instead of walking around.  First, we had our purchases with us and we really didn’t want to lug them around as we walked and second the heat and humidity was really starting to get bad and we’re just not used to it.  That and Fred feels a cold coming on got us back to the ship in time for a late lunch.

At the ship, the usual makeshift shops had opened up and we took a look through them.  They had some fun stuff and people were buying but the quality of these items couldn’t compare with what we saw at the handicraft shop in town.  We looked but didn’t buy.

We now have three days at see before our next port in Thailand.  I’m sure it will continue to be hot and humid, but we should be used to it by then (I say hopefully).  We are aware of the two cruise ships in quarantine because of the Coronavirus.  It is worrisome especially as we’ve learned that Singapore has instituted a strict health screening before entry.  We’re not sure what that entails.  A few years ago, as we entered Japan we were checked for high temperature.  It was done as you passed through an area, invisible to all of us.  I’m not sure if that would be some sort of infrared device or not.  Again, we don’t know what Singapore has planned for us, hopefully we’ll get a heads up from the ship before arrival next Wednesday. In between then and now we have the stop in Thailand and then two in Malaysia.