We arrived in this little port just before 8am. The Maasdam sailed by a large collection of flour silos and berthed at an empty and plain dock that it shared with a small tanker vessel. Our group of 18 gathered in the Ocean Bar and exited the ship and boarded our shuttle buses that took us several kilometers to the entry gate and by a guard donned with an automatic rifle. At the gate we waited for a few minutes for our guide and the tour buses to arrive. While waiting I observed a significant number of tuk tuks which are little 3 wheeled motorcycles used to transport up to 2 adults. Many of the independent travelers used them to get to nearby attractions based on my observations.
As for our group of 3 vans from the Jungle Beach Resort and our guide Robert Gray, we first drove to a Temple but it was not yet open. So we continued on to a local fish market where we observed all manner of fish, shrimp, & squid displayed on tarps on a covered concrete slab. It was surprisingly free of fish orders and the products looked very fresh.
And as we left, there was an adorable little puppy sleeping on the stairs. Puppy stories are always good press! We headed on to Fort Fredrick which was originally built by the Portuguese in 1623 and later the British. The vans were parked and we continued our walk up the crowded roadway to the Koneshwaram Temple with vendors lining each side of the roadway. There were spotted deer grazing the hillsides and monkeys swiftly traversing the tree canopies. Near the temple we had to store our footwear and walk the rest of the way barefoot or in socks. At the very top we toured the temple which was very ornate. All of the statuary seemed to be telling a story but none of it was in English. We then got a look over the cliff at Swamy Rock where temple objects were tossed into the sea. We made our way back to our van and continued on to the Golden temple.
At the very large Golden Temple we males had a strange requirement to enter: shirtless and shoeless. And there was a guard to enforce the requirement! While we were in the temple there was a worship time going on with a nan leading a series of chants in a language I didn't understand.
Leaving the Golden Temple we went back to the first temple and then to the Uga Escapes Jungle Beach Resort for lunch and a chance to use good WIFI. The lunch was spectacular. Angela had a fish curry dish while I had the best fish quesadillas I've ever had. The cost including drinks in US dollars was $31 and worth every penny. We then drove to the Trincomalee War Cemetery where I observed two graves of British sailors who died the day I was born. It was sobering. From there we made our way back to the port gate dodging numerous wandering cows and goats and an occasional tuk tuk or dog! We arrived at 3:30pm.
Back onboard, I showered and did final preparations for leading the interdenominational service at 5pm which went well despite two interruptions for ship announcements. The most important one was that we have the opportunity to see blue whales around 6am tomorrow on our way to Hambatota, our next port.
We skipped dinner because of the nice lunch we enjoyed, and attended the 8pm Showroom at Sea performance by Andy Bünger which classical rock music played on the marimba and handpipe.
The Super Bowl coverage will begin around 7am local time. But whale watching is higher on my priority.
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