Our first day on arrival in Sri Lanka was a bit mixed as we were jet lagged tired and the heat was intense, but we managed to visit a few places off the tourist route. The first were the fishing beaches where various fish are caught in drag nets laid out in the sun to dry. Dried fish is a big industry here. A few pics One of the tourist beaches The fishing and drying beaches Carrying the fish from other beaches to the drying areas A young girl spontaneously posed for us on the way back to the hotel
Fabulous pictures, not something we ever expect to see on our beaches Terry, it's all very industrial ...can you imagine the hip young thangs with their Baywatch style swimmies and fake tans on those beaches.? LOL... I know it was your first day but any idea where all that fish goes to ..is there a local market where it's all sold?
Thanks Holly, yes there are two fish markets the largest in Sri Lanka, they trade from 6 to 8 am so a tad early for us to visit The Indian ocean can be pretty rough here, but Lisa managed some swimming on one of the tourist beaches which stretch for miles. Lot's of scuba diving places.
I've seen some pics of Sri Lankans fishing in the surf while standing on tall poles so I figured the surf must get pretty rough at times. what a sweet little girl posing for you. I love the palms and terra-cotta and turquoise colors
Watch out for the steps at Dambulla if you're heading there...masses of them, all at right angles to each other, so you end up thinking it will never end. No shoes allowed, either, so sizzled feet. My feet still protest even thinking about it.
I didn't know that Sri Lanka is a coastline country with fishing as an industry. This is the first time I've seen of a fish processing zone for dried fish. Someone told me that drying fish should be inside a screened structure similar to a green house so as to prevent the flies from infesting the fish for drying. By the way, Sri Lanka is noted for the tea plantation particularly the original ceylon tea of the olden times. Maybe they still have those plantation.
The second place we visited in Negombo was the local prison. A few pics: This is an inlet to the lagoon by the prison entrance, a lot of fishing boats and fishermen gather here. The tunnel entrance to the prison The prison is on the site of what was originally a Portuguese followed a Dutch fortresses. In February 1796 it was occupied by the British without opposition. In the late 1800s the British authorities decided to demolish the fort and build a prison in its place, constructed from the stones of the fort.Today all that remains is a section of the eastern rampart with mounds at its northern and Southern ends, where the previous bastions existed, and an recessed arched gateway. Above the gateway is a slab of granite, with the date 1678 inscribed, surmounted by a high decorative gable. The site is still used as a prison by the Department of Prisons A visitor at the gate Visitors mainly women waiting to visit The only remaining original part of the fort St Steven's Church nearby
Yes we visited the Dambulla Cave Temple when we arrived, as you say several hundred steps to climb up but ok with shoes on, the final cave section in bare feet was hot underfoot. Well worth the climb though
Some pics from the Dambulla Cave Temple The Dambulla cave monastery is still functional and remains the best-preserved ancient edifice in Sri Lanka. This complex dates from the third and second centuries BC, when it was already established as one of the largest and most important monasteries. Valagamba of Anuradhapura is traditionally thought to have converted the caves into a temple in the first century BC. Exiled from Anuradhapura, he sought refuge here from South Indian usurpers for 15 years. After reclaiming his capital, the King built a temple in thankful worship. Many other kings added to it later and by the 11th century, the caves had become a major religious centre and still are. Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa gilded the caves and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kingdom of Kandy. The giant Buddha statue at the bottom of the climb, presently being re-gilded Monkeys everywhere on the climb up The top where you have to go barefoot Inside the caves The view from the top
Don't know about you, Terry, but while I loved Sri Lanka, I did find that I was suffering from elephant and Buddha overload after a while...
I haven't been here long enough yet Tom, but I know what you mean, we were templed out in Cambodia and Vietnam and suffered from Hindi overload in India and of course are always rained out in the UK To be honest these days we never stay in hotels except for the airport nights, so tend to chill out and enjoy the family we are staying with. This one just a few hundred yards from the Cave Temple is one of the best we have stayed with. There are four generations and they cook some amazing food and an uncle takes us anywhere we want in his tuk tuk. Have only seen one elephant here so far but are going to a national park on Sunday.
We stayed in an eco-friendly hotel south of Colombo. It was excellent, as there were so many places to explore and watch birds, not to mention the other wildlife that appeared. The place had a canal running right through it and we encountered quite a few very large water monitors, including this one that was zonked out from eating a substantial snake.
A half hour ago we came back from a walk around the lanes where we are staying, these pics I took just before the sunset, it's pitch dark at 7:00 pm now The place we are staying in The Tuk Tuk Within ten minutes of arriving on Wednesday I was immediately adopted by the family cat Our quaint bedroom
By coincidence Tom we came across several of them on the drive today, they were by a road bridge and a local made a living by charging a few rupees for taking photos of them.
Whenever I go away, I always keep a diary and one thing I note is the birds that I've seen. The most I've seen during a holiday has been in Sri Lanka (I've seen more in African countries, but that was when I was working there for longer periods). I've just checked my notes and I recorded 82 definite sightings, with another few that were "maybes". Among all the birds were several species of kingfisher. Here's a couple, though they are a little distant.