Journal Entries : 1 | 2

Entry 1 - January 4, 2006

Walking to an ATM in Colombo is a little like dodging a parade of elephants, and I should know because I have now done both. Fortunately, our trusty guide Upali seems to navigate even the busiest streets to find us a working ATM so we can buy wonderful artifacts for everyone at home. Colombo is a busy city that reflects the juxtaposition of traditional Sri Lankan culture and Western influences. Traditional Buddhist and Hindu temples are scattered throughout the city, but Western architecture can be seen in the Colombo Town Hall which resembles the White House.

Today we also got to see the mixture of the two cultures in the home of Nihal and Shrima Senviratne. They treated us to a wonderful Mongolian stir fry lunch that ended with a delicious orange mousse with chocolate syrup. We spent most of our time in the indoor/outdoor sitting room talking to the couple. The room was part of the house but continued out into a semi-covered patio that was home to some plants, fish, and one very friendly turtle. There was no need for air conditioning because the open patio allowed a cool breeze to enter the home.

After lunch we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with the children from the orphanage. The young boys were extremely well behaved and didn't seem at all apprehensive about spending an entire afternoon with intelligent women. The rain didn't stop everyone from enjoying a rollercoaster ride or two. I did have a breakdown in communication when I tried to order two scoops of chocolate ice cream, but got two ice cream cones instead. After saying goodbye to the boys we enjoyed a chilly ride back to the hotel, but keep warm by singing old camp songs and anything else we could remember. Unfortunately we couldn't get our guide and bus drivers to return the favor by singing us a Sri Lankan tune, but maybe that will be our goodbye present tomorrow.