Steve – Page 32 – Project Salad

Steve January 5, 2020

English Blog

Pettah Market, Colombo

Sunday 5th January 2020

Rennie and I decided that we’d visit Pettah market; open every day of the week since time immemorial but with mid-afternoon on Sunday probably the optimum time for a first visit. Uncrowded rather than absolutely heaving so possible to see, learn and explore, and hot and sticky rather than sweltering and uncomfortable under the midday sun.

The market is dominated by Muslim traders selling everything under that sun, and Tamil gold and jewellery shops. It reminded me of one of the souks in Kuwait City when I lived there from 1982 to 1984; Islamic, smells both pleasant and not-so all melding together in one giant potpourri, vibrant colours, trades largely grouped together, hawkers trying to tempt you with their wares, the heat, and grimy old buildings that are worked hard with no pause for cleaning or maintenance or thought for health and safety.

Alighting from a taxi opposite the distinctive Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque from 1909, a few minutes later we went in to one of the stores, Maliban Traders on Main Street, where we found a grubby three floors of bags, cases, and belts piled from floor to ceiling and even up the edges of the staircase. What we also found was politeness and genuine customer service from the staff; wanting a school trouser belt for Míša, his waist size fell between the longest child belt and the shortest adult one. No problem; the latter was shortened to fit within minutes by trimming and remaking the clasp end. The price of the belt was 450 Rupees (£1.90) and when Rennie asked the shopkeeper to keep the change from a 500 Rupee note, she was politely but firmly rebuffed and told that it is in their teaching to give service and not to seek reward.

We also found plentiful fresh produce on sale – fresher in fact than is often found in the supermarkets, and certainly cheaper. The oranges you can see in a couple of the photos were grown in Merissa in the South of the island, kept fresh at the stall with regular sprinkling of water, and absolutely bursting with juicy flavour. Fabulous, at seven pence each. Look carefully at the photo above of Rennie being given her change and you will see the stall-keeper touching his upper arm with the forefinger of his free hand. This is in lieu of handing over the money with two hands, and so still treating it with reverence.

Rennie found the filthiness off-putting and Míša the smells and sticky heat unpleasant, but kept himself going with the hope of landing a great deal for a specific new mobile telephone he’d like to replace his old one. He was out of luck on this occasion, and in any case I told him that the way to buy is with a local and not with Daddy stood next to him with a camera slung round his neck.

Pettah is a very safe place to be even as a white teenage girl – you just have to filter-out being stared at – and Emi was quickly Emi; confidently out shopping and happy to take the lead in to any store and ask for what she wanted with a smile.

I will be back on a week-day in time for when the market opens and comes to life; soft lighting, and camera in hand to shoot the noisy hustle and bustle. I look forwards to this as I saw some great photographic opportunities today but where I needed morning rather than afternoon sun to avoid shadow.

Steve

Steve January 2, 2020

English Blog

Journey’s End

Some things I forgot to write previously; the proud owner-driver of our pimped Toyota KDH minivan was calm and infrequent-of-the-horn so relaxing to have at the wheel for so many hours. He also kept his vehicle spotlessly clean inside and out throughout the entire trip; clean foot mats every morning and Rennie spotted him washing the vehicle overnight on one occasion. He was also called Santa – on a Christmas trip! 🙂

Because of the forecast flooding he asked his good friend Selwa (“Silva”) to accompany him in case of issue. As it turned out, we didn’t even have rain never mind flooding but Selwa was great. A lovely man of mild manner and speaking much better English than Santa, he was like a father to Rennie and me and a grandfather to the children; each time we got in the van he’d check we had everything with us and all round he worked hard to ensure we had a trip that was memorable for the right reasons. In fact, the trip wouldn’t have been the same without him, and asking this double act to drive and take care of us next time will be our first port of call.

Santa is left of the above image and Selwa next to me.

Steve

Steve December 31, 2019

English Blog

Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

The final day of 2019 brought a visit to the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens in Kandy. We were recommended to leave a couple of hours for the visit but ended up spending far more than this; the gardens are extensive, well-kept, peaceful and ideal for a gentle stroll through the shade to avoid the scorching sun – as well as a little photography.

There are some amazing trees that together with diffused lighting lent themselves to creative shooting with the children; well worth lugging a heavy bag of gear around for.

I have no idea who the two Chinese girls are beyond that following sharing some advice to help them achieve what they were trying to achieve with one of their iPhones, I ended up taking their photograph with a promise that I will send them a copy. I’m pleased with the result and hope that they will be, too.

The peacefulness was broken at one point by a fearful screeching more akin to a horror movie than a genteel garden. The further we walked, the louder it got until we realised what it was; bats. Many hundreds, if not thousands of them!

Just beforehand, we found a couple of tall trees defying the laws of physics, and of course, monkeys.

Steve

Steve December 31, 2019

English Blog

The Skyloft

I closed off previously by saying that I would mention the journey from Dambulla to Kandy. This was entirely routine to Kandy itself, but turned in to a magical mystery tour trying to find the hotel! The reason for this is that we\’d purposely chosen a hotel out in the sticks atop one of the hills overlooking the town. Reviews commented on narrow roads and satnav issues – and they weren\’t wrong! The roads were barely the width of our vehicle in places, often extremely steep, and equally as often with multiple-bite hairpin bends. Add pitch darkness and a thick canopy of trees together with steep rock hillside blocking satellite signals and making GPS take on a mind of its own, and we had the recipe for one navigation error after another – all of which were tantalisingly close to our destination!

Eventually, we made it and found the modern, clean, comfortable, and welcoming small hotel that was exactly what we thought we\’d booked. It might well be out in the sticks but it is served by a very fast fibre internet connection so the kids are over the moon!

Steve

Steve December 30, 2019

English Blog

Heritance Kandalama Hotel

Rennie and I have happy memories of staying at the super Heritance Kandalama Hotel during a family holiday in 2011. Designed by Geoffrey Bawa, it was constructed close to Dambulla between 1992 and 1995 to a Bauhaus design that blends with the surrounding nature.

On leaving the cave temples all hot and sweaty, Rennie suggested that we ask our driver to take us the short drive to the hotel for a freshen up and lunch. Good call! We had a lovely time, a fabulous lunch, and left feeling refreshed for the drive to Kandy where we are now; more on that later!

Steve

Steve December 30, 2019

English Blog

Dambulla Cave Temples

Dambulla cave temples date back to the first century BC and are both another UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest and best-preserved cave temples in Sri Lanka. Accessed by a long flight of steps set in to the rock, and given an arrival under full sun after the drive from Polonnaruwa, it was hot and sweaty work making the ascent. With shoes and socks removed at the entrance, it was a matter of quite literally hot-footing it between patches of shaded stone paving in order to reach the first cave. Thereafter, each subsequent entrance was reached in shade but the air was still stifling hot – and even the caves weren’t much cooler.

The five caves contain 153 Buddha statues, 3 of Sri Lankan kings and 4 of gods and goddesses. The heat and humidity isn’t kind to painted plaster – untreated white walls don’t remain white for long before mildew sets in – but the paintings and statutes inside are in remarkable condition for their very substantial age.

The images belie the fact that the caves are very dark inside making photography a challenge, but some creativity saw me through.

Steve

Steve December 30, 2019

English Blog

Pothgul Viharaya

Almost directly outside the Hotel Sudu Araliya is the Pothgul Viharaya, “pothgul” meaning library. Built under the order of King Parakamabahu the Great who ruled from 1153 to 1185 AD, this is the oldest known library in Sri Lanka. No books today, but plenty of local residents!

Steve

Steve December 29, 2019

English Blog

Elephants

Elephant Number 1 surprised us as we were travelling to Habarana; the driver of a car heading the other way flashed his headlights – which in this neck of the woods means cops ahead, or elephants. Assuming the latter, I barely had time to get the lens cap off my pocket camera – and there indeed was an elephant, sauntering across the road. Having carefully passed, we stopped some distance up the road and I took some more images using my other camera and a long lens; one through the back window and another from the roadside.

Elephant Number 2 was meandering through the bush at the side of the road and hard to shoot, but I got one worthwhile image.

Elephants Number 3 and 4 were taking an evening stroll along the edge of a lake. By now it was nearly nightfall and photography was tricky, but using a lens that I normally use in low light for theatre and events photography I managed to record the occasion – much to Rennie’s delight as you can see!

Steve

Steve December 29, 2019

English Blog

Jaga Restaurant

On learning that we were to stay at Polonnaruwa, friends of ours recommended that we eat at the Jaga Restaurant. Today, we did – and we weren’t disappointed. Located down a bumpy track and surrounded by rice paddies, entering through the herb and spice garden reveals a quirky place with hardly a piece of wall, pillar or ceiling that isn’t adorned with visitors’ signatures.

The curried food is inexpensive and delicious, cooked with pride from fresh produce on open fires, and as mentioned with most of the herbs and spices grown on site. Plentiful birdlife graces the paddies, and Monitor Lizards keep you company just a few metres away.

A very different lunch and a lovely experience.

Steve

Steve December 29, 2019

English Blog

Sigiriya

With yesterday bringing my third visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sigiriya (Lion Rock), it is also brought to a conclusion my long-held wish to take Rennie and the children, too. One of the world’s best-preserved examples of ancient town planning and with the summit construction an incredible feat of engineering, it is best visited when the ticket office opens at 07:30am in order to complete the ascent in the sun’s shadow; it is then merely hot and sweaty work rather than being done in direct sunlight and fierce heat. Well-worth arising before 6am for!

As it turned out, there was another benefit of being sharp to start the day; beating the huge queues that can routinely happen – and which are all but guaranteed to happen on a Saturday during local holiday season. With only one way up that is often not only constrained to steep narrow walkways suspended on the rock-face but also shared in places with those making their descent, it quickly becomes log-jammed.

What chances though of queuing to descend (the steps were blocked with those now ascending en masse), and bumping in to a Sri Lanka colleague and his family making the climb!

With plenty of time spent at the summit, it took us four hours to make the combined ascent and descent. We were back at the hotel for the early afternoon and with it some shade and gadget time.

Steve