Shortly before 8am the Maasdam slipped into its berth next to the container terminal. Berthed across from us was the super yacht Vacca which I learned via google was owned by a Swiss billionaire. Behind us a large container slipped into its berth and began unloading containers.
Our little group of 10 met in the Ocean Bar and headed off the ship and met our guide and boarded our nice Toyota van. We toured throughout the city visiting an old temple, a new temple, a floating temple, a vintage Christian Reformed Church from the 1600's, The National Museum, a produce market, and a Sri Lankan buffet restaurant for lunch.
The temples were beautiful with lots of Buddha statutes and many worshippers. At the newer temple an elephant made an appearance which was a treat.
Traffic throughout the city was the worst so far this trip. There are thousands of Tuk Tuk's (3 wheeled scooters that serve as taxis and transport vehicles). They and the compliment of motorcycles and scooters dodge in and out of traffic. Compounding the traffic are the many vehicles parked on the streets which cause narrowing of the 'lanes'. Speaking of lanes, those are merely a suggestion. There were a few traffic lights but mainly the traffic danced it's way around roundabouts. Size seemed to be the determining factor in setting the right away. In the core of the city where there are little markets, an additional impediment were the dozens of two wheeled push carts.
But all was well and we made it back to the ship by 4:30pm where we did some final shopping before reboarding. After dinner we attended the evening show twice (7 & 9pm) which was Q, the daughter of our Sri Lankan lecturer. She sang blues and soul type songs. At 22 years old she has a bright future ahead of her. There was a game show of Call My Bluff which wasn't well attended.
We ended our evening by walking outside around the promenade deck and enjoyed a lengthy conversation with Florian, our hotel director. We've sailed with him several times, and he's very approachable and fun to talk with. He mentioned that we're delayed an hour waiting for something to be delivered (he didn't specify it). At 12 midnight we backed out of our berth, turned around and headed out to sea.
We lose a half hour tonight and now have 3 sea days ahead of us. Stay tuned.
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