You could buy anything for the typical household that you would need — vegetables, linen, clothing, shoes and guns.
And in direct contrast to yesterday's ‘monks experience’, today's adventure started off with an early lunch at the ‘Galle Face Hotel’.
The hotel reclines in elegant repose on the waterfront in Colombo, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, previously known to the world as ‘Ceylon’.
Situated alongside a large park called The Galle, it had originally lain here on its own, a low, white, stark edifice contrasting against the Ceylonese sun and the deep blue Laccadive Sea. A last vestige from the days of the Raj, it opened in 1864 duplicating the elegance of ‘Raffles Singapore’, but on steroids. Once it had stood alone at the edge of the Galle, today it is surrounded by the louche new stars of hospitality, brash in their presentation and servility; the Intercontinental Hotel, the Shangri-La and others too numerous to count — but there will always only be one Galle Face Hotel.
Access to the hotel is via its long colonnaded terraces cooled by ceiling fans sucking in the ocean air and circulating it through the marbled rooms and breezeways to drift aimlessly over relaxed residents reclining on comfortable couches within the arches.
White-gloved and uniformed staff move seamlessly amongst the diners and residents. I had last dined at the hotel in 2016 and had told everyone on board that if there was one thing that they must do on this exotic island, it was to have lunch here.
We enjoyed a top-class lunch and service against the backdrop of excellence, Sri Lankan beers, Coca-cola and mineral water and a magnificent buffet. The cost for five star luxury? $US19.
Priceless.
I tried to convince my travelling companions Gabbie and Jutta into a Tuk Tuk for the afternoon. Those little buzzy bee transporters that seem to thrive in third world countries, but they would not budge and no amount of my begging or conniving could convince them otherwise. Their Germanic arguments of concerns for safety opposing my Kiwi taste for adventure was too strong and, so, reluctantly, I was beaten into submission.
Our driver Piu Mall and his rather large powerful Mercedes, picked us up for an after lunch city tour of exotic temples, set on dark green lakes and luscious lawns overlooking the new architecture of the city.
Afterwards, I insisted that we travel into the city so that I could show the girls the real Colombo, not the tourist one with its flash hotels and its Louis Vuitton stores, but the old market and the everyday stores that the locals use. We pulled up at the railway station to find the Riot Police, the Army and the Navy all lined up in formation behind a phalanx of vehicles and guns, a large crowd of monks in their orange robes standing in a group staring back at them looking very angry.
On seeing this, the girls refused to get out of our chariot, but I was opening the door and sending the driver off before their retreating protests had even reached my ears.
This is life! This is an adventure!
“Farewell Girls! I'll see you back at the ship.” (Hopefully.)
As they disappeared in a cloud of exhaust and frantic tooting, their two concerned faces peered back at me through the glass. I did, however, take the precaution of asking one of the official looking officers if I, as a tourist, was safe. "Of course,” he said, "they are Buddhists, there will be no violence.”
When further questioned, it turned out that the security forces were there in case the monks themselves were the targets. Here a flashpoint can pop up with the slightest provocation and you never know. As for the monks? They were protesting poverty. What else would you expect a monk to do?
I wandered around quite happily thinking of what the girls were missing. The market was untouristy, it was full of locals in saris and sarongs, you could buy anything for the typical household that you would need — vegetables, linen, clothing, shoes and guns...wait...guns? Luckily they were toys supposedly but, I have to say, pretty realistic. I wouldn’t like to risk taking one back through our security. I’ve already seen the brig on board and it isn’t that luxurious.
I was leaning over the balcony with Gabbie and Jutta enjoying a cocktail whilst watching our ship being prepared for departure, when an ambulance pulled up and two passengers emerged looking shaken and very stirred. Both of them had arms in slings.
Apparently the results of an errant trip in a Tuk Tuk.
The girls can be smug when they are right. (ROSS THORBY)
#ponsonbynews #iloveponsonby #loveponsonby #ponsonby #auckland #aucklandshippestrip #onlyponsonby #ponsonbyroad #Greylynn #freemansbay #westmere #ponsonby #hernebay #stmarysbay #archhill #coxsbay @followers #followers @everyone #everyone #waitematalocalboard @highlight
