COLOMBO, SRI LANKA – MARCH 13TH

We are very different world cruisers.  I talk to many passengers who absolutely fill their days with activities, from crafts aboard the ship, movies in the theatre, trivia sessions held morning, afternoon and evening, engage in board and card games (I seem to only play board games with my family), join the choir, or involve themselves in any of the myriad activities available.  We don’t fit in that category and enjoy just being here.  Michael enjoys his movies, I enjoy writing this blog, reading (I’ve read at least 15 books so far if not more), keeping up with the news online and through the newspaper onboard, but, while most passengers seem to be snug in their beds by 9 p.m., we’re out and about enjoying the music offered here on the Pacific Princess, the various acts in the theatre (remember, that we’re onboard for 111 days and there is a different act each and every night unless a performer is invited back for a second, completely different act), and, especially, dancing. 

So, when it comes to different ports we’re visiting, we never feel compelled to go on 5, 6, 7 or even 8- hour excursions just for the sake of seeing something.  We’d been to Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2016 and I only recognized the port when we arrived.  Last time, we visited the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and if you’re interested in our last adventure, you can read about it on our previous blog at teamsalazar2016.blogspot.com  Scroll to the bottom, look for March, and Colombo, Sri Lanka will be posted. 

The excursions offered including visits to the Elephant Orphanage which, I was told, took 3 hours there and 3 hours coming back on a bus this time.  City drives, visits to a tea factory and tea plantation and “beach escape” were also offered, none of which appealed to us. 

Colombo was a trading center for over 2,000 years and officially established by the British in 1796.  It is located on the west coast of Sri Lanka, perched on the shores of the Indian Ocean.  It has a population of approximately 750,000 people and is situated a little north of the Equator with a warm, tropical monsoon climate with an average year-round temperature of 80 F although it felt a lot hotter to me.  The local currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR).  

We were required to obtain visas from Sri Lanka if we intended to get off the ship.  We had applied for a received the visas on the internet in December (they couldn’t be obtained earlier than 90 days from our visit) and were free.  The “ETA” allowed us a visit of up to 48 hours I believe.  It was necessary for us to present the paperwork a couple of days before our arrival and we also had to complete a Sri Lankan arrival card.  Immigration officials were nearby to inspect our documentation on March 13^th.  So, once again, we not only had to apply for a visa, but we had to fill out an arrival card and would be subjected to further investigation from immigration authorities.  Why is that so difficult for some Americans to understand? 

I usually can remember the actual ports we visited but I got Colombo mixed up with our visit to Peru and only said, “oh, yeah, I remember this place,” when we docked.  There were lots of cargo containers on the pier, moving around as usual, and about a dozen or so little shops.  Like I said, most people got off the ship early to meet their groups for their excursions but we had a leisurely morning in the cabin, left around 10 or 11 and visited the various shops on the pier.  

The prices were incredibly cheap and I bought the pair of my highly unattractive elephant pants which our destination lecturer, Deb, says makes everyone look like elephants.  Many of the ladies onboard seem to have bought these pants in Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand, and I have to admit, Deb is right.  They’re incredibly light weight and comfortable but extremely unattractive.  I remember I bought a couple of pair the last time I was here and they somehow got recycled to Goodwill since 2016.  I’m sure my current purchase for the amazingly low price of $5.00 will find its way to Goodwill at some point.  I did find a cloth shoulder purse for $4.00, five boxes of Ceylon tea (Ceylon was the previous name of Sri Lanka) for $10.00 and a magnet for $1.00.  The lady who sold me the pants and tea was gracious enough to allow her picture taken with me.  (We always ask someone if we can take their pictures; most people are very happy to do so but some others not so much.)  One of the shops we visited had the exact same patterned blouses that I saw and purchased in 2016.  Again, that top went the same way as the elephant pants so I didn’t buy another one even the pattern was great.  

An odd-looking little doggie appeared out of nowhere on the pier when we were heading back to the ship and she seemed to follow me and stood still while I snapped her photo. 

A very good day in Colombo with lots of dancing that evening.  Life doesn’t get better than this;  maybe different, but not better. 

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:   Sri Lanka is home to some of the finest sapphires in the world.  For the last 20 years, gemology has been a hobby of mine and, thanks to my friend, Ted Irwin, a true gemologist, I have learned a great deal about these remarkably colored stones.  Just on the dock, were a number of gem dealers who had a variety of stones which gave me an opportunity to test my knowledge.  Many people don’t know that a true, untreated blue sapphire, the size of a thumbnail, can cost between $40-60,000.00.  In fact, because of this incredible cost, tanzanite gained popularity because of its lower price.  I spent the morning talking with gem dealers and looking at some of their stones but, as it is my custom of being a window shopper, I didn’t buy any.  My lovely wife, Leona, is not a big fan of colored stones but rather prefers diamonds.  Still, it was fun to speak with the dealers and look at their wares that varied in both color and quality.