Day 56 - I don't think I ever witnessed as good a solar eclipse as the one today. It wasn't complete in this part of Sri Lanka, but it got much fuller than when I took the picture. By the way, I didn't risk my eyesight; I took the photo through an old, medical X-ray as the image reflected off the clear surface of a tub of water. The peak occurred at 9:36 am. The sunlight which remained was eerie and the birds and wildlife, perhaps imagined, got a little confused by the event which lasted more than an hour and a half.
The dimming of the sun wasn't the main event of the day. Today we took a trip to the nearby city of Negombo. After being in Sri Lanka for close to two months already, we hadn't travelled the mere 12 kilometers to the famous coastal city sitting on the other side of the International airport. We arranged for a van and driver at 4:00 pm through Nazir and he came with all of us.
First, on the way into Negombo, we stopped at a church that was one of the sites of the horrific Easter bombings. The Katuapitiya church has been beautifully restored with one small reminder. A meter square piece of glass in the new floor looks down at on pot-marked original section marred by the blast.
St. Sebastian's Church, Katuwapitiya
We continued into the city proper. We'd chosen to come in the evening to avoid the hot sun. An advantage was all the fishing boats were in and parked. The main fish market area was closed but Jay's sisters did manage to buy an assortment of dried fish for making curries.
Negomobo and Fish Market
Next came a twist of fate as a car passed. In it was Sundari, a former colleague from Dubai days and a resident of Vancouver now. She and kids also arrived in Vancouver in 1996 when I left the Higher Colleges of Technology. In fact, I think we shared one of the very same Cathay Pacific flights to Canada. I know we used to share a desk at Dubai Men's College.I had heard that she might take a side trip here from India with some old friends. I didn't realize that their flight had arrived earlier here today. She happened to notice us as we were standing and halted a little tour of Negombo they were having. Our world is not really as big as some other folks imagine.
Our vehicle continued through Negomobo downtown and headed for Sea Street and a Rio Ice Cream shop. It seems there are only three in all of Sri Lanka and now I've been in two of them. Jay and his sister have hit all three! They went to the original one on a trip to Jaffna in the early spring. The sun was setting as we started to head to the city's main public beach.
It quickly became apparent that everyone had the same idea as the road was one large traffic jam. We got out of our vehicle and proceeded on foot.
Ice Cream and a Little Walk
The area was mobbed and the traffic cops did as best they could dealing with the onslaught. We walked around and then back out to the road where the van and driver had been waiting after they finally a bit past the beach turn-off.
We ended the evening with a drive around the city. Negombo puts up many colourful street lights at this time of year. We passed many 'nativity scenes' as many Christians live along the coast. Finally, we had a late dinner at Sameeha Family Restaurant. So much food! It even ended with Sri Lankan watalappan.
Late Dinner Time
