Colombo, Sri Lanka

Monica - 40-year old Elephant

Several short updates for you. First, we visited Sri Lanka last year and participated in a full-day city tour. It was here we were exposed to heavily armed guards at every turn and made to feel more like trespassers instead of tourists. We were very uncomfortable and this year decided to stay fairly close to the ship and limit our sightseeing to areas adjacent to the pier. As we exited the ship, we were met by Monica, a 40-year-old elephant, and a group of dancers & rhythmists – very nice touch! We were docked this year at the container port because an Iranian military ship was occupying our berth at the passenger terminal – I don’t know the circumstances so I can’t make accurate comment, but we seemed to make the best of it, and tours were leaving & returning on schedule. According to passengers who were here last year and went on tours again, Colombo has cleaned up considerably and the presence of guards moderated. Folks seemed to have a good time and there were no incidents, with the exception of one man who fell on some steps and cut his face. We enjoy visiting the various markets in different cities - Sri Lanka among the most interesting - a very busy place - actually several blocks - full of activity. Great place to see the Sri Lankans in their everyday activities. Then we visited a Hindu Temple as we made our way to Kelaniya Buddhist Temple, a place where Buddha himself was believed to have visited over 2000 years ago. From there we worked our way back toward the cruise terminal and stopped by Beira Lake where we found the snake charmers by the Buddhist temple on the lake. What fun!

If you’d like photos from our visit here last March, or additional commentary, please CLICK HERE:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

        

   

   

        

        

   

   

   

        

        

        

   

   

        

        

        

        

        

   

   

   

   

   

   

We’re now on our way to Victoria, Seychelles - approximately 1,700 miles southwest, scheduled to arrive Thursday morning. Pre-arrival lectures on this destination have been very interesting – looking forward to our first visit! We have a full-day tour booked.

Razor Wire Installed

While in port and in preparation for crossing the Indian Ocean, our ship was shrouded with razor wire – several hundred feet of it! The Captain indicated the threat of a pirate attack was low, but nevertheless wanted to take precaution. In addition to razor wire, we picked up additional security guards in Sri Lanka who will be on a rotating 24-hour watch - we have 4 LRAD’s (Long Range Acoustic Devices) rigged, manned, & ready for immediate use - we have ‘charged’ water hoses ready for use on both sides of the Lower Promenade Deck - and the Captain also said we’ll be reporting regularly to the UKMTO in Dubai…UKMTO is the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization who coordinate all of the coalition warships in the area assigned to anti-piracy operations. Apparently, we are being tracked on radar during our entire 3-day transit of the area. We had a drill earlier this morning – once the alarm sounded, everyone had to vacate their staterooms and other public areas visible from the sea and sit on stairwells and in hallways, both of which are protected with steel. The Captain also practiced some evasive moves with the ship itself…nothing extreme because it was a drill, but you could definitely feel the ship heaving. All went well, & normal activity resumed after 20 minutes.

Update on our ‘Rummy’ games: Cheryl – 24, Bob – 21. We haven’t been playing as frequently, nor have I been sleeping on the couch as much.