It was Labour day in 2009, a very sultry evening, which made a few of us cranky and lazy. The solitary four year old amidst us was the only one energized enough to want to play hide and seek. But the females in this group (mother included) didnt find his proposition too cute. We now had a mission in our hands. We needed a thirst quencher preferably accompanied with sea breeze and lots of sand to keep a four year old occupied till his bed time.
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Mount Lavinia beach which is dotted with a host of little restaurants, is a favourite haunt of Colombo dwellers with these kinds of missions and so that's where our road ended. A long walk on the beach led us to a colourfully lit up bar cum restaurant on the Mount beach. Its tongue twisting French name 'Le Voile Blanche' translated to something like ' the white club'. The name did justice to the club as everything starting from the tables, chairs, marquees, wooden planked walls to roof were a pristine shade of white. Sunburntservice staff with dazzling white smiles greeted us, clad in beach- friendly, white linen garb. The surrounding whiteness with its many symbolic associations, from purity, innocence, mourning, calm and peace, not to put aside the possibilty of a blinding headache during daylight, fortunatley or not, had no impact on us. The whiteness only beckoned at us as it stood out from the rest of the beach restaurants. The friendly staff come packed with a service excellence that would easily put to shame any English Butler. Every little detail is looked after in terms of service. Not to mention the fact that this is a very kid- friendly atmosphere. In the event your child gets tired of the sand the kids menu comes to your rescue with a picture on the flipside accompanied with a box of crayons. It also has an outdoorsy shower to get the sand off any sand obsessed kids.
The highlight of this club is its signature cocktails. Their Tamarind Margherita is just what a thirst quencher should be on a humid evening. It is as tangy as Tamarind spells, with a creamy sweetness coupled with a generous ounce of tequila that practically picks you up. Although coming from a margherita bum, this may be a very biased view, this deliciously devine Margherita topped my list of nectars of the godly level, and instantly hit 'ambrosia' rank. The cocktails including the margherita come at regular prices quoted at most bars and restaurants in Colombo, but well worth its price and is reccommended to all margherita/cocktail fans.
The downside is that although the menu boasts of exotic sounding dinner options, it failed to make a splash with the members in my group. But dont forget that anything that followed the exotic tamarind margherita paled in comparison!
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Sitting Pretty
This Glassy Blue Tiger belonging to the nymphalidae group, was seen in a garden in Colombo, sitting pretty with it's wings spanned. It was feeding on the nectar of a near-withered white orchid.
The butterfly was captured with a Sony Cybershot DSC-H10 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom.
Innocence of childhood
Most schools in Sri lanka do not allow leave to students without reasonable cause. Usually a reasonable cause is falling sick, which children in tropical countries such as ours, do, on frequent intervals. Travelling abroad on holiday however does not fall within this definition of 'reasonable cause'.
My colleague's six year old was offered the prospect of touring abroad with her parents over a long weekend. However, one day's leave had to be obtained and the child would have to obviously put a 'sickie' on that day, as was intimated to her by her elders and betters. This six year old mind was suddenly burdened with a choice that would constitute a breach of honesty and having to live with a guilt - ridden conscience for the rest of her life in exchange for four days of rollercoaster rides and entertainment parks.
After mulling over it, the child declined the trip, on grounds that she did not want to tell an untruth to the school by saying she was unwell, when in fact she was going to be abroad. This was the obvious decision that didnt cross the adult mind.
Infact it had escaped my mind, how sweet and innocent childhood can be, to such an appalling extent, that it was almost unreal, a choice for me.
My colleague's six year old was offered the prospect of touring abroad with her parents over a long weekend. However, one day's leave had to be obtained and the child would have to obviously put a 'sickie' on that day, as was intimated to her by her elders and betters. This six year old mind was suddenly burdened with a choice that would constitute a breach of honesty and having to live with a guilt - ridden conscience for the rest of her life in exchange for four days of rollercoaster rides and entertainment parks.
After mulling over it, the child declined the trip, on grounds that she did not want to tell an untruth to the school by saying she was unwell, when in fact she was going to be abroad. This was the obvious decision that didnt cross the adult mind.
Infact it had escaped my mind, how sweet and innocent childhood can be, to such an appalling extent, that it was almost unreal, a choice for me.
Internally Displaced SRI LANKANS
The air is full of promise of new beginnings and hopes for Sri Lankans, worst affected by the civil war; A war that has spelled destruction, disruption and death to many and most. Being at the brink of its culmination, war brings with it, humanitarian effects. Effects of newly displaced civilians.
We can only witness the effects of the war as footage on TV, and even that is heart wrenching. Camps that are bursting at the seams with men women and children, infants. These are people who have fled their homes with no belongings that they can call their own except may be the clothes on their back. Some have been lucky enough to have their loved ones intact, others not. These are countless thousands glad to be salvaged, each one, a Sri Lankan with every right to live, a decent life. These are Sri Lankans crying for help.
It is heartening to note that Sri Lankans know not any differneces in race, religion, creed or caste when it comes to lending a hand. many individuals in their private capacities have got together with Government Agencies like the Peace Secretariat, The Ministry of Defence, NGOs, INGOs, Universities and media organisations to collect essentials that are needed to make life marginally tolerable for these displaced people.
It's a time of need, it's time to help!
We can only witness the effects of the war as footage on TV, and even that is heart wrenching. Camps that are bursting at the seams with men women and children, infants. These are people who have fled their homes with no belongings that they can call their own except may be the clothes on their back. Some have been lucky enough to have their loved ones intact, others not. These are countless thousands glad to be salvaged, each one, a Sri Lankan with every right to live, a decent life. These are Sri Lankans crying for help.
It is heartening to note that Sri Lankans know not any differneces in race, religion, creed or caste when it comes to lending a hand. many individuals in their private capacities have got together with Government Agencies like the Peace Secretariat, The Ministry of Defence, NGOs, INGOs, Universities and media organisations to collect essentials that are needed to make life marginally tolerable for these displaced people.
It's a time of need, it's time to help!
The Leopard's Whiskers
A Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) stalks an unseen prey while flaunting its whiskers.Captured on 23rd August 2008 using a Canon EOS 30D (EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 III and Kenko 2X Teleplus Pro 300 teleconverter) on aperture priority (f/5.6) and ISO 1600. The lens was zoomed at 250mm giving an effective focal length of 500mm. This would be equivalent to 800mm in a 35mm camera due to the 1.6X field of view crop on the 30D.
More interesting photos and articles at the Circus
The bitter-sweet Fortress
The paved stone pathway, leading to a giant heavy wooden gate with studded iron bars, and surrounded with sturdy fortification gives you a feeling ‘almost’ like Julius Ceasar entering the Roman empire. You ‘almost’ expect the sentries on duty to open the great barred doors and usher your horse-ridden carriage, past the great fortified barriers.Read More >>
But you instantly snap out of your Ceasar like majestic feeling at the entrance itself. The sentries on duty take one look at your skin colour and let you carry your own luggage to the reception where you are ‘almost’ greeted welcomingly. Apartheid lives in this resort hotel, where locals are met with a certain arrogance, surprisingly by the very same coloured skin.
You have just stepped into the Fortress, a luxury boutique hotel located on the sunny, sandy beaches of Koggala, Sri Lanka, and behind its giant doors is an experience that would be ‘almost’ amazing.So let’s not get bogged down by racist notions.
If you are willing and able to let go of that hint of the colour-bar that lingers in the air in and about the Fortress, it is an experience well worth living.
The stone paved road way extends beyond the great barricade and leads you to a very open verandah, where black marble floors gleaming under yellow lights merge your view with the glistening waters of the swimming pool yonder.
The Fortress, with its Dutch style architecture blended tastefully with Sri Lankan themes is built around a great courtyard overlooking luscious green grass and Araliya trees.Its long stretches of corridors with slanting white barred roofs and cut cement floors take you back in history, to buildings influenced by the Dutch and Portugese.
There is a choice of dining experiences at this resort hotel. The mouthwatering fares that are whipped up by the chef are exotically in line with the prevalent ambience. Special mention is worthy of the array of mocktails which does wonders to your thirst quenched soul, after a stroll on the sun- kissed beaches just beyond the hotel. The colourful bar is designed in a retro- techno style. Sitting on the see through bubble swings chairs sipping a devillish brew concocted by the barmen is recommended for utmost relaxation.The pristine white stretches of beach around the Fortress beckons you to dig your toes into the sand, moist with waves that just crashed in. Stilt-poled fishermen dot the horizon, in hope of the catch of the day, ranging from crustaceans and little silver fish that abound the reef.
The reef inhibits the rough tide to reach the shore. As a result of which the sea right beyond the hotel is calm and just right for a dip, under the vigilant scrutiny of the life guard cum pool boy who incidentally is the only non-believer of the prevailing colour-bar.
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The Morris Minor
The Morris Minor, first sold in England around about 1948, is still widely used in Sri Lanka. Before the new age call-a-cab cars started serving the cities in Sri Lanka the Morris Minor used to be the popular choice of cars for taxi operators due their durability. You can still see a few on the roads throughout the country. The car is particularly popular in Jaffna where roads and infrastructure is particular poor after years of civil war.Read More >>
While there is believed to be about a million of these models in use around the world, spare parts for approximately half of these are now produced in Sri Lanka.
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