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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Further thoughts on my experiences in Sri Lanka
After the shock of returning to a freezing UK, I am just about thawed out, ready to assess my experiences in Sri Lanka.
I am a differnt person for having been there, that is for sure. What matters in life has taken on a differnt meaning. I did find the heat overwhelming and the mosquitoes very difficult, but much was made up for by the warmth and respect of gthe people and the exotic places I saw. I do hope to return in due course once I can sort out the mosquito issue.
I was very grateful to the staff at the Rainbow Bridge , or the Village Academy for the experience of speaking English to Tamils and trying to get them to speak back. My attempts to get them further resources are still ongoing.
I was also very grateful to my host and his family for the 5 weeks I was in Batticaloa. I was able to relax completely in their company and share many ideas and laughs. On another occasion, I would try to stay with a local family, but the limitations of my mobility are considerable. I shall be older on my return and may find the ordeal of travelling across Sri Lanka even harder.
I was also very grateful to my host and his family for the 5 weeks I was in Batticaloa. I was able to relax completely in their company and share many ideas and laughs. On another occasion, I would try to stay with a local family, but the limitations of my mobility are considerable. I shall be older on my return and may find the ordeal of travelling across Sri Lanka even harder.
My last day in Sri Lanka was very special in that I experinced the Buddhist Temple of Kelaniya and the amazing atmosphere there. I also met the remarkable intellectual and radical Jesuit, Father Aloy Pereis, who supervised a friend's PhD amongst his many acievements, including a recent book on Vatican II.
I was then whisked off by Sister Christine Fernando to a social ashram with the poorest of the poor in the marshes north of Negombo. That was a truly moving and humbling experience. One grandmother had gone there as an outcast from Colombo with nowhere to live and set up a village of fisherwomen who worked phenomenal hours while their men drank. There is now some attempt to help these woman with the violence they are experiencing.
A Father Sarath (unsure of his surname) gave Sister Christine full support in this work. He told me that they supported 19 of these groups in the area. They have invited me back. Hopefully I shall be able to go back once I am more mosquito proof.
I was then whisked off by Sister Christine Fernando to a social ashram with the poorest of the poor in the marshes north of Negombo. That was a truly moving and humbling experience. One grandmother had gone there as an outcast from Colombo with nowhere to live and set up a village of fisherwomen who worked phenomenal hours while their men drank. There is now some attempt to help these woman with the violence they are experiencing.
A Father Sarath (unsure of his surname) gave Sister Christine full support in this work. He told me that they supported 19 of these groups in the area. They have invited me back. Hopefully I shall be able to go back once I am more mosquito proof.
Yes, I will go back to Sri Lanka, if I can be of use in any way.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
My Buddhist taxi driver who took me into the temple
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
At least on the buses I did see a great deal
My experience of public transport in Sri Lanka has been an adventure, to say the least. I booked two seats on the bus to Kandy because I knew it was going to be an arduous journey with steep inclines, and I did not feel that I could cope with someone almost sitting on top of me for 5 hours (it actually turned out to be 6 hours) as I had experienced on the journey to Trincomalee. On the Kandy bus, I was the only foreigner, so I felt even more guilt for taking up 2 seats when others were standing for hours. I did offer one of my seats to an elderly gentleman, but he declined.
Travelling by bus is definitely an ordeal, but the train I took from Colombo to Batticaloa at New Year was even more extreme. To start with, Colombo Fort station at 5 am is like going into Hades. There were hundreds of people getting off trains, even at that hour, and then many were simply crossing the lines. That did freak me out.
I thought it would be fine once I got on the train. Unfortunately, the train looked like it was over 100 years old and it jolted alarmingly all the way to Batticaloa for 8 and a half hours. I could not enjoy the scenery so shaken up as I was. Also, had I been planning a return journey, I would then have hadt to book anothrr ticket for the return journry. This happened to my host when he visted Colombo to meet hos mother. The first thing he did when he got off the train, was to queue to get a return. The only thing was that all the passengers on his train were doing exactly the same. Not efficient for anyone.
At least on the buses I did see a great deal as we travelled by various ancient as well as modern sights. People of all ages use both trains and buses here, but it is hard to adapt as a rather immobile foreigner.
Travelling by bus is definitely an ordeal, but the train I took from Colombo to Batticaloa at New Year was even more extreme. To start with, Colombo Fort station at 5 am is like going into Hades. There were hundreds of people getting off trains, even at that hour, and then many were simply crossing the lines. That did freak me out.
I thought it would be fine once I got on the train. Unfortunately, the train looked like it was over 100 years old and it jolted alarmingly all the way to Batticaloa for 8 and a half hours. I could not enjoy the scenery so shaken up as I was. Also, had I been planning a return journey, I would then have hadt to book anothrr ticket for the return journry. This happened to my host when he visted Colombo to meet hos mother. The first thing he did when he got off the train, was to queue to get a return. The only thing was that all the passengers on his train were doing exactly the same. Not efficient for anyone.
At least on the buses I did see a great deal as we travelled by various ancient as well as modern sights. People of all ages use both trains and buses here, but it is hard to adapt as a rather immobile foreigner.
Re: More elephants, including a baby.
It was interesting to see how well these elephants are treated. They are basically rescued animals from abuse or injury. There was also a great reverence given to cows and gots, in the Hindu areas at least. Cows and goats could be seen standing in the middle of the road, chewing the cud n public as well as private spaces. All very poetic, but a health hazard in a children's playground for instance. My Swiss-German host remonstrated with a cow's owner in one such playground where the owner replied that it was up to the government to clean everything up. Not a good reply for my host.
I also got quite distressed about the treatment of dogs, and even cats, in Sri Lanka. Many of the stray dogs are rabid so there is currently being planned a cull on stray dogs. Battersea Dog's Home does not feature here. I had to switch off from feeling for dogs or risk rabies myself. It was particularly distressing when we saw two puppies abandoned in the middle of the road one night as we were driving in the south over Christmas. All Steve could do was move them over to the side of the road as we drove in. All very sad.
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How elephant dung paper is made- in several languages.
How elephant dung paper is made- in several languages. I bought some for gifts for my card-making friends!
Outside the Queen's hotel in the centre of Kandy.
Outside the Queen's hotel in the centre of Kandy. The lake features behind. I missed an opportunity to take a spectacular view of the lake when I arrived at sunset in Kandy as flocks of white birds were flying over it - an unforgettable sight.
The mosque in the Muslim village of Kattankudy
The mosque in the Muslim village of Kattankudy where I boarded the bus to take me up into the Highlands. This was one of the smaller mosques to be seen in Sri Lanka.
Inside the empty bus
Inside the empty bus (rapidly to be filled to overflowing) on which I booked two seats for 3 pounds to take me from Batticaloa to Kandy. Note the Hindu gods flashing at the front.
A notice next to the Kallady Bridge
A notice next to the Kallady Bridge with one line in English expressing the need to conserve 'aquatic resources'. Certainly the aquatic environment of Batticaloa was both its strength and its threat.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The two sisters, Alishka and Joanna.
The two sisters, Alishka and Joanna, who are half Swiss-German, half czech. They speak both languages, and are learning some English now. Their czech mother, head of an NGO, bought them their dolwar chemises.
The largest Hindu temple in Batticaloa,
The largest Hindu temple in Batticaloa, currently under renovation which is why it was beautifully quiet.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
On the road to Trincomalee
I wanted to take photos on the road to Trincomalee because I saw many sights of staggering poverty on the way as well as sights of great beauty in the landscape. Unfortunately, the bus never stopped long enough to take proper photos so I shall have to try to paint word pictures.
After showing the beautiful hotel in which I indulged myself, I did feel guilt in passing scenes of such poverty, but wondering how I ,as a westerner, could do anything about it. One of the most upsetting sights was a group of women wearing dirty old clothes, sitting outside a very stark and inhospitable shack. They looked far poorer than anyone else I saw. Noticeably, a lack of men may have meant that they had very little money, vis-a-vis what I was saying about what women and men can earn. Is it the survival of the fittest here, or is there any helping out of each other? My respect goes out to those NGOs still working in this field, although many now are withdrawing.
I also saw some awful corrugated iron shacks which are the resettlement camps of the displaced refugees after the war. I know many now may have been properly housed, but many still remain in dreadful conditions. I saw women sweeping between this long shacks, in an attempt, obviously, to maintain some modicum of dignity.
This is the coolest time of year (still over 30C) so I cannot imagine what conditions must be like once the temperature soars. Let us hope they all will be rehoused very soon. For many, a house still seems to remain a corrugated shack, however. This is all in close proximity to the most beautiful landscape of Trincomalee bay, (not shown on my photos) with picturesque mountains behind. Perhaps these Tamils could teach many of us a different way of being content. I do not pretend to be able to live in difficult conditions at the age of 64 with leg problems, but I do wish there was some way of helping these people.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
This is my 3 wheeler driver
This is my 3 wheeler driver, Raj, repairing a puncture himself, the puncture probably having been caused by my bouncing around in the back too much!
This is just a comment about 3 wheeler drivers who can probably earn several thousand rupees in a day if they are kept. This seems to be in stark contrast to what most women can earn in a day.
The cleaner/cook/baby-sitter at the house where I am staying earns 700 rupees a day (about 4 pounds) and the women seamstresses who made or altered my clothes charged 200 rupees for several hours work.
They also would not take any more money when I tried to give them more. Life certainly seems rather unfair for women here.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A view of the Kallady bridge from the banks of the lagoon.
I cross this bridge every morning , so far by 3 wheeler and not under my own steam, to get to the Academy. The Chinese are building a bridge next to the old British railway bridge, but many of the locals prefer this ancient British bridge, in spite of traffic congestion, to the one the Chinese are laboriously constructing.
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A family whose daughters attend the English Academy.
This family invited me for lunch and would actually have liked me to stay with them.. They live some distance from the Academy, however, and in conditions, which as a spoilt Westerner, I would find difficult. I was able to talk to them about their aspirations, however. Their mother is a science teacher at the local catholic boys' college, and she brings the only income into the house, as the father is now too tired to work as a 3 wheeler driver. Also, his vehicle is not in a good state of repair, so he cannot compete with the younger drivers with newer vehicles. They also do not have money to repair their house, so when it rains heavily, as it certainly does in Batticaloa, they get wet.
All I can do for them is to send them English readers from the UK as they only have access to English fairy stories at present. All the books in the school library are in Tamil. The eldest girl would like to be a doctor, but she knows there us no money for that, so she is going to try to be an accountant, but she will still need English for university or college access.
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Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The beach adjacent to our hotel over Christmas. We went in the sea much ear
As I was saying, this is a view of the beach next to the hotel where we stayed over Christmas. We swam much earlier in the day than this, but I still got very burnt and had to be hauled back into my depth in the water.
The hotel was destroyed by the Tsunami, except for the pillars which were left standing and the hotel was rebuilt around these.
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