Bollywood Event to Help Autistic Children

Gentle Reader,

Are you going to be in Chiang Mai on Friday October 4, 2013?  Would you enjoy an evening of Indian Entertainment and Indian Food while supporting a most worthy cause; autistic children?   Read on.

My friend Frank from Fashion King of Chiang Mai is organizing the evening.  Frank is a guy who always supports others in their charity work. Now is the time to support him and his wife Vinata in their efforts to support the autistic children at the   CM Skill Centre and Thanua Withaya School.

The Empress hotel will host and they always do a great job.  The cost is only 1,000 baht per ticket.  Of course, larger sponsorship is requested and needed.  See Frank for details or call him at 081-928-4575  or 081-733-5914.

For only 1,000 baht you have the opportunity to help these children and enjoy an Indian Bazaar atmosphere will be enhanced by live Indian music and dance performed by professionals from Bangkok.  You will also enjoy a delicious Indian Buffet.  A drink or glass of wine will be provided on arrival. Door prizes, a silent auction and many stalls Will add to the excitement of the evening.  

6.30 – 7.15 pm. Registration

7.30 pm. Buffet opens

Followed by Music & dance

(Entertainment)

Tickets are available at Fashion King or directly from me (I'll have a book available by Saturday the 14th of September.

Abundant Blessings,

I married the same woman twice!

I’ve heard of people marrying the same person twice but that usually entails a divorce in the middle.  I’ve done it with no divorce in the middle.   Some may argue that it’s just one marriage accomplished in two different stages, by my explanation is more fun.

 

On the 23d of November we were married in Maliwan’s village in Nan Rong.   Then we got busy with life.  There were new volunteer opportunities and writing projects for me and a new job and at the same time going back to college for Maliwan.   We’ve been busy!   I just realized that though I posted pictures on face book, I never wrote a blog article.   Let’s back up a bit.

Some time ago we decided to marry.   We picked a time frame some 14 months in the future.  We discussed this with her family and in typical Thai fashion left the choice of an exact date up to her mother, who of course consulted monks and fortune tellers to find the most auspicious date.  23 November 2012 was chosen.

Photo is not good, the food and fellowship was! 

Maliwan and friends

I made it perfectly clear that I was not going to be a part of any drunken fiasco very common at Thai weddings, especially village weddings.  She needed to have some sort of a party or perhaps lose face.  I refused to pay for any alcohol.  The compromise was simple.  I increased the dowry and she paid for the party.  Trust me when I tell you she spent less that 10% of what they were expecting me to pay.   Everyone came away a winner except maybe a couple of neighbors who had planned on a free binge.  You've seen it before.  20 people show up for the ceremony and 100 find their way to the reception.

Relatives

Wedding Day, Maliwan's Father in foreground

The ceremony was simple, the people genuinely happy for Maliwan and me.   The next day we headed back to the North and resumed our busy lives.  Time has flown since.

Finally today, the 10^th of July we managed to finish.  It wasn’t difficult at all, just tedious.   First she had to secure a copy of her divorce certificate and her family registry.  In the meantime I needed to get a notarized document from the American consulate which attested to my status and then get a legal translation of that paper.  Armed with these documents, my passport and her ID card we arrived at he office about 9:30 this morning.

Just because there is no ceremony is reason not to get ready!

There was no ceremony. That was done the 23d of November, but as far as I could tell was totally irrelevant to the proceedings today. The nice lady at the counter gave Maliwan a couple forms to fill out, all in Thai of course.  Four trips down stairs to make copies of things later we had accomplished two things.  First her family paper has been registered here in Chiang Mai and then our marriage was registered.  Maliwan commented that the people were much nicer than the ones she dealt with registering her first marriage. No, I couldn't resist the opportunity to make a comment about when it's right it's easier. 

Here we are with the certificate! 

They gave us a lovely folder with two copies of the marriage certificate.  Why two?  I asked.  Apparently this is just the way it’s done, one for her and one for me.  At first it made no sense. After thinking about it I’m guessing the reason is because of the fact that married people often live apart for economic reasons. Living in two different parts of the country having your own copy of various documents makes total sense. ( I remember my old driver friend from Bangkok, who I’m sure I met more than 40 years ago, telling me he will be happy when the Federal hotel closes at the end of the year.  He will go and live with his wife in Lampang  See the article “All things are impermanent” below). 

.  

All Things are Impermanent!

My recent trip to Bangkok provided me with proof of this fact and once again reminded me of the Buddhist teaching that suffering is caused by trying to hold on to anything. After all, nothing really belongs to me and all things living and not are simply passing by.  Frankly I enjoy Bangkok a little bit less every time I visit though I do enjoy a couple days in the big city from time to time.  The main purpose of this trip was to visit the  JUSMAG Thai  compound so I could see the tri-care people and to register a better mailing address. After that, a relaxing hour in the pool at my favorite hotel, The Federal, and a meal at a great Italian restaurant called Limon Cello was also on the list. 

Three years ago when I started staying at the Federal there was a condo being constructed a couple hundred meters down the soi.  Last year a second one was erected. Perhaps I should have seen it coming.  When  I arrived to check in at the hotel I was immediately informed that the property has been sold to some big company from India.  

The Coffee Shop Front at the Federal Hotel

They will close the end of the year, knock down the structure and build yet another condominium on Sukimvit Soi 11.  My first reaction was an internal voice which screamed “No, you can’t do this to me”!  Fortunately a second later I recovered, mustered a smile and inquired what will you do when the hotel closes.   I’ll miss the Federal but hey, it isn't the only reasonably priced hotel in Bangkok.

Sukimvit Soi 11 with the Federal Hotel and Condo's behind

One of the drivers at the Federal is a fellow my age that used to work for various U.S. Army clubs during the Vietnam era.  Talking, we realized that he was at the NCO club in Lopburi at the same time I was stationed there.  Though neither of us are positive, we both suspect that we knew each other circa 1968 - 1969. Today we enjoy swapping stories about those times.   He actually remembers the amoebic dysentery outbreak though he wasn't one who was affected.  Let’s just say Charlie didn’t eat the lettuce and I did.

Old Guys, friends for a long time! 

Charlie took me to JUSMAG Thai and on the way he confided that when the hotel closes he will move to Lampang and spend his days help his wife with her small food stall, enjoy his time with family and not really miss much about Bangkok. Lampang is not far from Chiang Mai; we’ll see each other again.

The first thing I learned at JUSMAG was that my ID card, clearly marked ‘INDEFINATE’ actually expired (for the purposes of health care) on my 65^th birthday; so much for permanency. No problem I now have a new ID card, clearly marked 'INDEFINITE' on both sides.  After receiving my new and improved ID card, I was able to register my new mailing address.   This will perhaps ease insurance matters. We will see. 

Dinner at Lemon Cello was delightful, as always.  The changing times along Sukimvit seem to be good for their business.  I notice that almost all of their clientele are Thai though the food remains authentic Italian and the service is still excellent.  The sign says Pizzeria but they have a fairly extensive menu; I'm particularly fond of the mozzarella and tomato salad and of course the cannelloni.  

Just down a little lane off of Soi 11

Rungnapa at the Limon Cello

Three years I’ve been going to this place and now I’m wondering if there can be a fourth or fifth.  All I know is that all things are impermanent! 

A Totally Different Culture

Where to begin?  One of my mentors told me that if I didn't know where to begin then I should just start, so here we go.  The cultural differences between Thailand and other nations, especially those in the West are vast indeed.  One American friend who has lived and worked in Asia for most of his adult life commented that Thai culture is less similar to ours than other Asian cultures.  No wonder I didn't know where to begin.

Somewhere near my 3rd anniversary in Thailand I received an email from my son in which he used the phrase “A Totally Different Culture”.  It stuck.  Several mornings each month I walk down to Suan Buaak Haad park to meet with friends.  Recently I've started being more mindful of my surroundings and taking notice of things that we might not see elsewhere.  Tourists come here and snap thousands of pictures; we all know I still do the same thing.  But what are we actually seeing?  How deep are we looking?   Do we see what is important?  Important is, of course, a relative judgment made by each individual.  Perhaps this will become a series important to some and not to others. If that be the case, how best to organize the content and how deep to go will be the questions of the hour. For our purposes I will borrow a definition of culture from dictionary.com and modify it for focus. The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the Thai culture.  

No discussion of Thailand would be possible without mentioning Buddhism.  When I  try and make sense out of what’s available to read and observe what is actually practiced, the subject of Buddhism becomes over whelming.  For today, let’s just say that there are five precepts which constitute the minimum moral obligation of a practicing lay Buddhist. They are:
  1. abstaining from the destruction of life.
  2. abstaining from taking that which is not given.
  3. abstaining from sexual misconduct.
  4. abstaining from falsehood.
  5. abstaining from intoxicants that cloud the mind and cause carelessness.
There are good Buddhists and not so good Buddhists, just as there are good Christians and not so good Christians.

Wat Phathathariphunchai, Lamphun

Another cultural aspect is the constitutional monarchy and its effect on the belief system of the Thai people. In Thailand the watch word is respect. To say that the Thai people respect His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) would be a serious understatement. They revere him!  His reign began on 9 June 1946, making him the and the world’s longest serving head of state and longest reigning monarch.  Queen Elizabeth’s coronation was on 2 June 1953.

What about economic conditions in Thailand?  How do they affect the daily life of the people here?  We, the foreigner, see the surface but rarely do we see anything deeper.  I for one know that the tourist dollar has an impact on the people in my community.  Much discussion can be heard about the quality of the high season and differences in revenues during the low season. Three years ago much was written about the adverse effect of the political demonstrations on the tourism industry.  Two years ago it was the floods that seemed to divert the tourists and their money.   One personal observation:  Three years ago most of the tourists in Chiang Mai were English speaking white people.  Today they are Chinese.

Stalls at the Chiang Mai Night Market, hours before opening

As we go forward a few of the things we might want to address are:  The idea of saving or losing face, Thai style communication, the importance of family, Thai circles of friends and associates, ethnic minorities, regional differences, the Thai education system and much more.

Abundant Blessings,

Jerry

Lila Thai Massage - A good business

Gentle Reader,

As the title implies, I like Lila Thai Massage. I became interested when I read about them some time ago.  Let me begin  with a quote from their newly updated website:

     “ The Lila Thai Massage was established by Naowarat Thanasrisutharat, former Director of Chiang Mai Woman’ Prison (2011-2008), to help support the lives of newly released inmates in society. She has dedicated the greater part of her 40 year career understanding and bridging the gap  between a non accepting public, and the problems released inmates encounter adapting to a new community. Prior to their release, these carefully screened inmates go through an extensive training program which allows them to make a living and contribute to society.
       “Unfortunately these detainees often encounter discrimination from employers who refuse to hire these skilled therapists. Sadly, due to lack of employment opportunities some return to a cycle of crime, and find themselves back in prison. The Lila Thai Massage was established to help eliminate this pattern of crime and lack of apportunity.
       “The Chiang Mai Women’s Prison ang the Institute of Skill Development have designed a 180 hour massage training course for these inmates, which are endorsed and meet the requirements of the  Chiang Mai Public Health Department. Thus, we guarantee you will receive a fully trained professional massage therapist. It is our cherished hope that you will see these former inmates in a positive light, and your kind patronage will allow them to proudly start a new life and support themselves and their families.”

 Khun Naowarat Thanasrisutharat

This idea of building a business while helping recently released inmates intrigued me so I started to do a little research and eventually had an opportunity to meet Khun Naowarat Thanasrisutharat. I learned that in 2007 three women came to her stating that with all their training they could not get a job because they had been in prison.  She decided then to open Lila Thai Massage.  From that humble beginning the company has grown to five locations employing more than 90 massage therapists.  As of 14 November 2012 there were 15 working at location #1, 25 at location #2, 10 at location #3, 21 at location #4 and 20 at location #5.

Khun Naowarat Thanasrisutharat & a few staff at Location #4

When I spoke to Khun Naowarat I learned that, today, not all of her employees come from the prison.  Approximately 15% are friends and relatives of the former inmates who heard good things about the working conditions and asked to join the company.   I also learned that each new employee is mentored by the more senior employees to insure a consistent massage technique is used.  The system works.

Lila Thai Massage is a family business.  Khun Naowarat’s son-in-law Khun Piyapong Chutipangvivale handles most of the media requests and oversees locations #1,#2,#3 and #4.  #4 is also their main office. Her niece looks over location #5.

Speaking with Khun Piyapong about the drug factor and learned that 85% to 90% of the women in the prison are there on drug related charges; no surprise.  I was reminded that, unlike the United States and many other countries, simple possession demands a prison sentence in Thailand. When I asked about the recidivism factor I was told that the women at Lila Thai do much better than the average.  I haven’t verified it, but I’m told that on average about 50% of the women in the women’s prison are repeat offenders.  

In the last year three women were asked to leave because of drug activity. Two failed a random drug test and one was known to be associating with drug dealers from her past. They cannot refer their employees to a drug treatment center because the centers would be required to report them to the police. They would automatically be back in court and back to prison. Rather, they asked these two women to leave inviting them to solve their own drug problem with the understanding that they could be re-hired if clean.

Lila Thai’s massage therapists seem to range in age from their mid 20’s to their 50’s which could be related to the length of sentence served before coming to work. These women are well aware that their past is a huge part of Lila Thai’s marketing.  If asked polite questions their answers will be frank. For something like three years I’ve been receiving massage at their shops.  I often ask how long they have worked there, where were they before and then how long they were in prison and why.  To their credit, and I suspect to the credit of Khun Naowarat, they never try to hide the truth about their past.  I even interviewed two of the therapists for this article (see below). Of the several women I’ve spoken to over the past three years all were in prison for drug related offenses and all came to work at Lila Thai upon release. Their time in prison ranged from less than two years up. The first lady I asked these questions to responded with “8 year, 9 month – I never forget”.  A month ago I thought I was going to have an opportunity to interview a woman who had spent 25 years in prison, but when I pressed Khun Piyapong for a specific time it became obvious that he wasn't going to arrange it, perhaps she wasn't comfortable. I’ll never know for sure. This is Thailand and the culture features a lot of indirection.

When I asked Khun Piyapong about employee retention he told me that most of the older women tend to stay with the company while some of the younger ones go on to other opportunities.  That made sense to me.
    
From what I can tell, Lila Thai Massage is based on an excellent business model and does in fact provide a good value. A couple of years ago the tourist population was predominantly “farang”(white English speaking people).  Today there are a much higher percentage of Chinese tourists.  The Lila Thai Massage website was recently revamped and is now available in both English and Chinese, telling me they are keeping up with the times and business climate of Northern Thailand .

As you can see on their website, their prices are competitive.  I’ve done a bit of snooping and I can tell you that this company does pretty well while others are closing their doors.  I like to think it’s a combination of good karma and a good business plan.  Massage therapists are paid by the job.  The compensation at Lila Thai is certainly as good as other massage shops and better than many.  Yes I know the exact numbers and no I’m not going to publish them.

I interviewed Khun Pae and Khun Koi about a week ago.  Although I interviewed them separately I’ll present their comments as though they were together.  The interviews mostly featured the same questions.

Khun Pae and Khun Koi

JN:  Thank you agreeing to do this interview.  Please tell me your name and can you spell it for me?
P:  Pae, เป้
K:  Koi, ก็อย

JN: How long have you been working here?  
P: 8 months
K: About 3 years

JN: Where were you before you came here?  
P&K: prison

JN: Why were you in prison?
P: I used drugs.
K: Drugs. Methamphetamine, using and selling.

JN:How long were you in prison?
P: 1 year, 11 months and 15 days.  Very bad, I will always remember.
K: 2 years 8 months

JN: How many people go back to prison after being released?  What percentage?
P: Not sure, maybe many.
K: More than 50% go back, I think

JN:Do you think you will ever go back to prison?
P: No.
K: No!  Prison is "Mai Dee Mack" (very bad)

JN:Did you learn massage there?
P&K: Yes.

JN: Did you have a choice in training at prison?
P: Yes, many learning programs

JN: Why massage?  
P: My mother thought I should learn massage.

JN: Do you like massage?
P: At first I didn't but now I do like it.
K: Yes, maybe I stay a long time

JN: You know the prison moved, right?   Do they still have the massage program?
P: Not sure.
K: Don’t know.

JN: Do you like this job and this company?
P&K: Yes,

JN: Do you think you will stay here a long time?
P: Yes I want to stay a long time.
K: Yes, maybe 10 years or more.

JN: Is that because of Griang Jai or do you really love it here?
P: No, I like it here.  (She was a bit startled and confused when I mentioned the Thai way of Griang Jai)
K: No I really Iike it, I love it, real life. (She grinned at the question as if to say, oh, you aren’t totally stupid – it was an interesting moment).

JN: What do you think you would have done if the massage training wasn't offered?
P: Not sure, I'm glad I have massage.
K: I would sell things in my family shop.  My family has a furniture factory in Banklong, Handong.

JN: Does Lily Thai ask you to take drug test?
P: (Pae didn’t understand the question and went on to explain that all the new employees are tutored by one that have been here a while.  She mentioned Koi as an example.  The idea is that every customer should receive the same quality massage with generally the same technique).  
K: (Koi didn’t understand the question either.  Test means proficiency test to them).

JN: May I ask some personal questions?
P&K:  OK

JN:  Where are you from?  
P: Mae Rim.
K: Banklong, Hangdong

JN: May I ask your age now?
P:  30 years old
K:  I born 1976

JN:  What about your family?    Married?   Children?  Parents?
P:  Mother is in Japan with her Japanese husband.  They were married 28 years ago.  No siblings.
K:  I went to prison about 6 years ago in February 2007.  My baby was born there on November 2nd, 2007.  My marriage ended at that time too.

JN: Your baby was born in prison?   What happened to her?
K:  I kept her for about a month and then my mother kept her.  

JN: How much formal schooling have you had.  Your English is quite good.
P:  I went to many schools, maybe 8 of them after high school.  (She giggled and admitted that she was a 'bad girl', meaning she wasn't too serious.   Her warmth and openness was very refreshing).

JN: Where do you live now?  
P: Chiang Mai.  We (mother and I) own a house.
K: I live with my parents and my baby.

JN: What is your life dream?   (The answers reminded me that these women are Thai and Buddhist).
P:  Take care of my mother, she took good care of me in the past.   It's hard now because she can't come to Thailand and I can't go to Japan.
K:  Take care of my daughter, want her to have good job and good life

JN:  Last question, what would you tell young people about using drugs?
P:  Not tell them.  Parents should tell them  They must learn for their selves.
K:  Drugs not good.  Don’t do, don’t buy, don’t sell.

Many thanks to those who made this article possible.

Jerry

A Quick Trip to Sri Lanka

A quick trip to Sri Lanka

This article is longer than most I’ve written.  I actually shortened it quite a bit by moving a story about the 

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to Asian Elephant Stories.    All the photographs from this trip are at http://s935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/jnelson1944/Sri_Lanka_201210/

The driver who took me from the airport to the hotel in Kandy asked how long I would be in Sri Lanka. When I told him 5 nights he commented: “Not long enough sir, next year you stay one month”.  The man had a good point, but I get ahead of myself.  On the 13^th I flew from Chaing Mai to Bangkok and then on to Colombo Sri Lanka.  The first nice surprise; Thai Airways offered to check my heavy bag through to Colombo.  I accepted.   Thai Airways is always my first choice for domestic flights in Thailand.  Sri Lanka Airlines was really quite delightful.  The service was wonderful.   They provide a menu for the in flight meal which is then served with metal flatware, that’s right gentle reader, no plastic forks and I was in economy!  I asked to move because my original seat was crowded.  No problem.  Just as they opened the exit door, the instant my lens started to fog from the abrupt change from A/C to reality, I saw these two faces. Better to be lucky than smart sometimes, a second later and the fog would have been way too much.

The 2nd shot
I took three rapid fire shots, the fog was way too much on the 3rd

The passage through the Colombo airport was absolutely hassel free.  Visa on arrival ($25 USD), then on to immigration.  Not many westerners on the plane so the line was very short.  Figuring this trip was going to me a small vacation with “no purpose” (no agenda, no assignment, etc. I decided to have the hotel pick me up at the air-port in Colombo rather than try to spend my first hours learning local transportation systems.   It was a 3 ½ hour drive to Kandy.  My Driver Changdra is a nice fellow who has been driving for a very long time.  The drive was very interesting.  We went from one small populace to the next, each a bit different yet all with the same flavor.  We stopped for tea and a snack which was delightful and then stopped to enjoy a view.  The traffic in Kandy approaches unbearable; I’m told it is nothing compared to Colombo.   Changdra drives with his horn, using brakes and accelerator to guide him through the path magically cleared by the “ngit nit” sound of the van’s horn.   According to my trusted driver and guide there are two types of tuk tuk.  Petrol driven made in India and Diesel made in Italy.  I may not get around to a detailed study about these vehicles, but they are pretty interesting.

Paper napkins
newspaper that is

Changdra 

SriLankan Tuk-Tuk's have personality

The Kandy View Hotel, which I found on Booking.com was affordable.  The room provided a bit of a culture shock; it took hotel staff to show me how the electricity worked.  Fortunately they are very accommodating.  The roof top roof, where I found good wi-fi reception is a delight.  

Sunday the 14^th.  Changdra was my driver again.  Off we went to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.  (See Asian Elephant Stories) You can’t blame him, it’s his history with tourists and their expectations; he kept asking me if I wanted to ride an elephant.  No! The elephant orphanage is a sad deal. Yea they have lots of elephants but a few are really not looking good.  There are many young elephants.  Although I didn’t get a chance to see them, they have two babies that were allegedly rescued from some natural entrapment.  I think they were trying to tell me they were in a muddy area and could not get out of the water.  Like the mother and aunties would just walk off and leave them on their own.  I’m impressed but not in a favorable way.   I left there feeling an overwhelming sadness, it was just depressing

On their way to the elephant bathing
a tourist favorite

Next stop was an herbal garden.  They have guides who know these herbs and their uses. Mine told me he is a pharmacist working on natural curse for bad skin.  They show you all the benefits and explain they sell nothing.  Then, they escort you to the store where you can buy all this stuff.  Does this technique work?  You bet it does. I was concerned about getting my suitcase closed! The more time I spend in Asia the more I realize that natural herbs and spices can be effective remedies without side effects.

Herbal remedies

The place we visited is called The Island Spice Grove.  Turns out they have no website and it turns out that many tourist related businesses in Sri Lanka are without websites.  The reason is simple.  The Srilankan government taxes them and taxes them heavily.  Not a good business decision, not at all.

Although I had not mentioned it, Changdra took me to the War Memorial Cementary.  There interned are the remains of 209 young men who lost their lives in battle between 1939 and 1943.  Sri Lankan, Indian, British, Canadian.   The cemetery is maintained by Adit, my compliments and I’m sure the thanks of the families of those buried there, go to him.  The grounds are immaculate!  I was particularly taken by the tombstone of one young British.  He was only 21 years old when he gave his life.

Beautiful Grounds

R,I.P.

Adit, the grounds keeper
I truly admire him

Next stop the big Buddha.  Lovely   All white. This statue overlooks the city of Kandy, and as one might suspect climbing the stairs in the back of the structure gives one a marvelous view of the city.  On a hot sunny day compliance of the rule about removing shoes can cause one to walk rather briskly especially in areas in direct sunlight.  

View from the Big Buddha

The Big Buddha up close

The Big Buddha from the Temple of the Tooth Relic

Monday was a light day.  The only excursion I undertook was a trip to the Temple of the Tooth Relic.  It’s a beautiful complex.  Unfortunately I hadn’t done my homework and arrived later than might have been optimal.  They open the inner chambers of the temple for an hour and a half three times a day 05:00  09:30 & 18:00.  I was there in time to catch the ceremonious closing of the main chamber, where the casket containing the tooth relic is housed.  Next I return, I’ll plan a full day here.  The grounds contain the royal palace, places of worship for Hindi and Christian as well as Buddhist.  (Check this out before publishing)

Door Closing Ceremony

Meditation Hall

The King's Balcony

I spent 3 nights at the Kandy View Hotel.  It’s not modern plush and it’s not expensive.  My purposes were well served. I found the bed quite uncomfortable the first night.  Sunday morning the staff happily moved me to another room which I enjoyed.   The staff is delightful; the rooftop restaurant offers both a marvelous view and seriously excellent food.  The breakfast buffet is my favorite offering a variety of Sri Lankan food, fresh fruit, a coconut “sombon” which is a bit spicy, Indian foods and fresh pan fried Indian bread.  The Sri Lankan special lunch is also delightful .

While writing the start of this report, I was at the roof top restaurant and realized that it really is a special place.  Open air, great food and wonderful people.  Occasionally there is a little distraction like a torrential rain that might bother you even if you are in the center of the room.  That only happened once, other rains were gentle.  However, on Monday afternoon it rained a torrential down pour.  The little road behind the hotel leads to homes further up the hill.  It became a raging little river.  School children were gathered part way up waiting for the river to subside so they could continue their journey home.   An hour and a half later the river and the children were in their proper places.   At this time of year the best approach is to do the tourist visiting in the morning and mid-day.  Sure as the sun rises in the morning it rains in the mid to late afternoon.

Hotel Staff

In the Rain, the vines reminded me of elephants

School Children Wait for the Flooded Road to Dry

On Tuesday the 16^th, I went to Negombo.  I took the hotel owners advice and hired his driver for the trip.  Negombo is not far from the Colombo airport and right on the beach.  My travel options were: 

1.        Take a bus.  That wasn’t going to work because Sri Lankan buses are even less spacious than the 3^rd class busses in Thailand.  I just don’t fit.
2.        Take a train:  My early favorite until I found out that the train schedule would have included an all day journey on two commuter trains with doubtful good connections for the 2^nd leg of the journey.
3.        Take a tuk-tuk:  Sorry, it’s just too far to go in a tuk-tuk.  The tuk-tuk’s here in Sri Lanka are, in my opinion, more comfortable than the ones in Thailand, Laos or Cambodia.  Still not my cup of tea for a four hour journey. 
4.        Hire the driver from the hotel:  A bit more expensive, but I didn’t take this short vacation as an endurance contest.  The driver happened to be Rivi, the son of Changdra.  In my humble opinion he’s a better driver than his dad; much less horn action and seemingly more patient behind slow traffic.

Along the way from Kandy to Negombo I noticed a couple of signs which I thought were pretty cool.  Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to get a shot of the “Thirst Aid Station”.  Too bad it’s a great play on words.  The one I did manage to get was the Hotel Hilarious which boasts of special accommodations for foreigners, perhaps they have a special foreigner price as well.  Actually foreigners are charged more than locals.  Their logic is simple, foreigners have more money.  At least they are almost up front about it and it does leave some room for negation.  They would rather sell it to you for local price than give the opportunity to the stall next door.

Well it is in front of the hospital! 

I had book a room at the Golden Star Beach Hotel.  I seriously doubt that I could have made a better choice.  The rooms are lovely.  Somehow I ended up in a room with a balcony and a marvelous view of both the Indian Ocean and the hotel pool.  I had eaten a couple of Sri Lankan sandwiches on the road so I wasn’t too hungry at lunch time.  I did, however, try a shrimp appetizer.  It was both beautiful and delicious.  

The restaurant is a winner, but wait.  I ordered the Fajita’s for supper.  Bad mistake, they were somewhere between awful and terrible.  My best advice, eat there but avoid the Fajita offering.  Meat was burned and too tough to chew, what was supposed to be beans looked and tasted like bad ground meat which had been refried.  The rice was dry but almost passable.  Did I forget to mention the tortilla’s, not at all.  There were no tortilla’s.  Where I come from the tortilla is the bread in which you place the contents of the Fajita.   Sorry, Golden Star, I tell it like I see it, smell it and taste it.  The next day I went to talk with the chef about the last evening’s meal.  His explanation was that Australian beef is very expensive and local beef not very good.  I suggested he stop selling the stuff and gentle reader I recommend you stay at the Golden Star, eat in the restaurant and by all means avoid the beef!  In fact it’s likely a good idea to avoid the beef in all of Sri Lanka.  Yes, it was that bad.

The next evening, my last night in Negombo I decided to try the special “set menu”.  The price was 1,800 and I nearly balked until I realized this was a four course meal.  The salad was actually an aspic and it was wonderful!  The soup was carrot and orange; man was it delicious.  I chose the fish and am so glad I did.  It was delicious and perfectly prepared.  The desert was wonderful as well.  I love surprises and received a very nice one with the bill.  The 1,800 was inclusive of all taxes and gratuities.  This was a marvelous meal at a great price.   Golden Star: Like I said, I tell it like I taste it, smell it and see it.

Marvelous Shirmp Appetizer

The first afternoon in Negombo was spent largely on a quick tour of the city.  In all fairness I didn’t realize I was on a “tour” until I returned to the hotel and the tuk-tuk driver explained my charges.  We negotiated and were both happy at the end of the day.  Where did he take me?

First stop was the lagoon.  This is a marvelous photo opportunity especially for those who like rugged looking boats.  I learned that the Dutch had built a canal from Negombo to some point a 100 Kilometers away.  The early occupation of Ceylon (today known as Sri Lanka) by the Dutch had some long lasting impacts.  Negombo is predominately a Christian city, Sri Lanka.  There is still a sizable Dutch presence in this city.

Boats in the harbor

Dutch Canal

Our next stop was what the driver referred to as the old Dutch Fort.  According to signage it was originally built by the Portuguese in 1600, captured by the dutch in 1678  and then “snatched” by the British in 1796.  Today it is a prison.   Of the original structures only the old tower remains.

Old Dutch Fort

We went to a rather large Buddhist temple which I found fascinating.  A monk came to meet me and give me a tour.  His English was excellent.   All of the statues are cement painted with natural colors.  The monk pointed out the mythological dragon (I had seen this in Kandy as well).  It has the head of a elephant with the mouth of a crocodile, eye of a bird, ear of a pig, body of a fish, tail of a peacock, foot of a lion,

There was a very quick stop at a smaller temple because I wanted a photograph of the Chedi.

Next we went to a Catholic church.  I gather this is the driver’s parish church. He was quiet proud of it, as he should have been. There was a service on going when we arrived.  Three women were singing the reverence.  It was really amazing.  This Catholic Church is one of several in Negombo.

Inside the temple in Negumbo

Beautiful Voices, Marvelous Music

Srilankan Mythology

My last morning in Sri Lanka was spent relaxing and walking on the beach.  My thoughts are that I would like to return and when I do I’ll just hang out at the beach.

I Love This Beach! 

Abundant Blessings,