Singapore: Day 3

Take the integrated public transit to explore Singapore.

Singapore: Day 2

Take the discounted fare if you fly Singapore Air.

Singapore: Day 1

Flying Away from Sri Lanka!

I cannot believe we will be leaving this evening. Things have gone much too quickly. I had thought that two months would be a sufficient amount of time, but it just isn't.

Parting Thoughts on Dad

This is Jay's father. Although retired, he does provide medicinal treatment for alopecia and over the time we visited we witnessed many satisfied patients. He has some characteristics which may seem annoying but they are mostly born out of the effects of his generation and situation. Here are three reasons why I have come to respect him.

First, he has always been keenly interested in the welfare of the family. This can come across as him being too interested in money and the need to always get a bargain. He worked hard during his life but he was not always able to provide all he would have wanted. This fact only speaks to the shortcomings of the economy under which he has lived. If one wanted to prosper then it required dogged determination.

Next, although he probably ruled his house with a heavy hand, nobody suffered trauma or abuse. Being uncompromising can be a bad trait but can sometimes be attributed to a lack of knowing any other way. Again, this might be the fault of a socialization rather than a personal shortcoming.

Lastly, life has not been easy for his generation. He's lived long enough to see the departure of the British for Ceylon. The country has encountered its share of difficulties and troubles. He has worked within a system which unfortunately has included political instability and corruption in everyday life.

Tree Cutting and Power Cuts

This afternoon, so guys came to cut down some tallk but 'unproductive' coconut trees. It's better to clear them and allow new ones to grow. One guy shimmies up, cuts the top off, and a group pull the branches in an appropriate direction.

During the very first tree . . . a storm blew up. It got very dark and the wind increased. A few random leaves started blowing around. When the rain came, it was steady and hard. For the past week, evening rains kept coming a bit earlier each day.

The power stopped flowing. It's now 8:50 pm and I'm writing by the light of a kerosene lamp. The ice cream the the refrigerator is melting but I can't eat anymore! The poor dog is shivering by the front door.

Winding Down

Lal and elder sister left later this morning to go back to Negegoda. During last night's bottle, Lal did decide that they'll come back on Sunday for our last evening here. The day was uneventful and it seemed very nice to have things get back to normal. Auntie's niece did stop for a visit. She'd had a leg removed at the knee due to diabetic complications. We're beginning to think about the four nights in Singapore now. Jay was checking the tourist board information that we picked up when coming through. That was back at the beginning of September! That sounds so long ago but feels so recent. We even reconfirmed our air tickets today. I'm going to miss the views here.

Almsgiving

Jay's mother died exactly one year ago. Some arose from bed at 5:00 am but most food had to be made right before being consumed; for example, the fruit salad, and fried fish.

By 11:00 am everything was ready and the monks arrived exactly on time at 11:30 am. The big Monk and his understudy spoke a bit, but mostly they'd come to be served lunch. There seemed to be fairly elaborate etiquette. The order and progression of the food was served by the family members:

• soup
• boiled vegetables
• rice and curries
• choice of dessert
• king coconut water
• coffee
• araka nuts & beetle leaves

A relic from the temple was a representative for the Buddha and was given an offering of food. After the occasion, this uneaten food can be given away to beggars or provided to animals. Additionally, packets had been bought and wrapped for the monks. They contained sheets, towels, soap, toothpaste, toothbushes, sugar, milk powder, and tea. The head Monk received a purchased packet which cost around $US 25 and included the complete set of orange-coloured robes.



There was a time for all of us to eat when the monks had departed. They had come and gone in a van which Jay's dad had arranged for. We cleaned up a bit and the same van came back at 3:00 pm to take us to the mother's gravesite. The family has just had some tile work done for the headstone. They burned incense and lite oil lamps. We stayed only for a brief time. At the cemetery, there was a funeral going on for a 26-year-old railroad worker who'd been hit and killed by a train.

The house is getting all back to word as I am writing this . . .

The Evening Sermon

Lal arrived while preparations were ongoing. As well as food, the living room had to be rearranged. The furniture was temporarily stored in dad's room. A chair and table covered with white linen was prepared for the Monk. Mats were placed on the floor so we'd have a place to sit.

The Monk arrived after dark. He spoke in English for a few minutes as I was there. He's translated message was about 'merit' and Buddhism. It also contained reasons not to be sad for the loss of Jay's mother. The talk lasted on hour. A big dinner for family started after he'd left. A whole bottle of Arak was drunk too. I slid into bed late but the sisters were up til after 2:00 am getting food ready.

The Neighbourhood

They're at it again -- making food that is! Jay's making a fuitcake. His sisters are preparing pickles, and a type of sweet dessert. This time the preparation is for tomorrow's dinner and Thursday's lunch. The one-year memorial for Jay's mother will take place here. There was a similar 3-month occasion that was very elaborate. This one will be smaller with just family members and a few neighbours.

Tomorrow, in preparation, a monk will come in the evening for a sermon. Then on Thursday's lunch, seven monks will come for a big almsgiving. I don't feel out-of-place here but these days promise to be a new experience. I hadn't seen Jay's mom since my 1991 visit.

On a completely different note: I walked 5.7 kilometers around the neighbourhood here. Without my GPS, I'd have been royally lost. We're only about ten miles from the international airport but the roads and paths to home are pure jungle! Once I was only 570 meters from the house but walked a way which was impossible to traverse. I had to reverse back to another road. I saw, among other things: rice paddies, a swimming hole, a temple, and a school where little kids were anxious to try out their English lessons. The shouted, "What's your name?"

Receptions

Earlier in the day, tuktuk driver, Lal and a neighbour came to help put up a new television antenna. Jay and his sister picked up one yesterday. The current antenna booster requires wiggling and cajoling very often now. What good is a remote control, if one has to constantly get up to adjust the booster? Jay bought it when he worked in Saudi, so it has given sufficient service.

Later in the afternoon, the family planned a huge shopping list. They will need to make a very, special meal on Thursday. Although, it could have taken place at the temple, they've decided to host the one year memorial of Jay's mother's death in the house.

Taking the Time . . .

Many hours today were spent buying and preparing food. Jay and younger sister went to the Sunday Market this morning.



This afternoon everyone was cooking. Lots of food is needed as Jay's sister-in-law is going to work in Cyprus. This was a sudden opportunity and was not being considered even back when we all travelled to the elephant sanctuary. She is coming from Nugegoda and this house is directly on the way to the airport. Other in-laws will be coming, so there will be twelve plus the five of us.

The availability of convenience foods has exploded here since my last visit. There are individual packets and innovative packaging. I never realized the actual work involved between the tree and coconut milk for a curry! Now, however, there is instant powder that comes in boxes. Just like the allure of homemade food, doing it by hand takes a long time but is still considered the 'real way'.

As a general rule, if we spent less time saving time, we might enjoy the experiences of living life. Who wants to eat products that are untouched by human hands?

Jungle Ducks & Other Fowl Things

When was the last time you had a complete day where you didn't have to do anything? No, I'm not talking about a day when you didn't accomplish anything. We most always have a to-do list secretly squirreled away in our minds. That list unobtrusively resides there behind all of one's thoughts.

Yet today, I had absolutely no obligations. Jay and his dad arranged for a rented van to go visit various relatives. It would be an all day affair, so I declined the offer to come along.

Instead, I enjoyed life while sitting looking at the jungle. At one point, there were at least a dozen birds with which I am not familiar. We don't have them in North America, so I cannot relay their real, English names. I will, however, describe my pet names for a few. There were black and white jungle ducks, brown and white speckled starlings, the funny birds with cowlicks, and my favourite . . . the multi-coloured, upside-down woodpecker.

Perhaps this tropical diversity is driven by the massive amount of energy that the tropics receive from sunshine.


The Doorway to Jay's Dad's Prayer Room

An Urban Outing

One major advantage of the location of Jay's house is the proximity to the international airport. It's also important to remember that it's within commuting distance to Colombo, the capital.

A day downtown did seeme like a lot of work although we opted to travel by luxury a/c bus. The cost was $0.35 for the 75-minute trip. Colombo is crowded but fun. It's also really big, so we stayed close to the Fort area. We bought several Singhala DVD's. We tried hard to ignore the shouting street vendors. Later, we had a quick lunch at a Moslem restaurant, took a few photos, checked email, and brought a few gifts at Laksala.

Laksala is the Sri Lankan Handicraft Store which was founded on a good idea. It was formed as a clearing house for native products. The government-owned company buys items and resells to tourists. Yet, in traditional bureaucratic style, there were twelve workers mostly doing nothing at each cash register.

We got back to Minuwangoda at 4:00 pm. Phew!