Birthday Blues

Trip Start Aug 01, 2008

125

150

Trip End Dec 20, 2008

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Where I stayed

MV Aenne

(Colombo hotels)

Flag of Sri Lanka Colombo, Sri Lanka
Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Wednesday 26 November

Colombo N 06� 57.2' E 79� 46.3'

The usual juddering marked anchoring at 04:30, about five miles south of Colombo. (The captain tells me this was third attempt, having been re-directed by Colombo Port Authority twice.) We upped anchor at about 08:30 and are expecting the pilot at around 10:00, so were alongside before lunch.

This may be the last blog entry for a while, as what I read about Damietta is not encouraging, so it may well be La Spezia (10 December) before I hit another internet cafe.

Although I thought she'd decided not to go ashore in Colombo, Nadja turned up at breakfast for the first time on the trip - she evidently hadn't read the message in the vibrations

Colombo

. She later again decided not to go, because the time appeared too limited. (In the end we were alongside from 11:00 until nearly 18:00, so that shows the inefficiency of this type of travel, for passengers.)

After the agent and six variously-uniformed officials had been aboard for a while, stamped and copied forms and received the customary presents, I got an official shore pass at about 12:15. As sailing was scheduled for 16:00, shore leave expired at 14:00 but the captain gave me an informal extension, so I decided still to go. I had discussed options with the agent, and decided that the best was to walk to the gate and get a taxi - I couldn't afford to wait an hour for the port bus as in Singapore, nor did I want to pay $50 for a car that could come to the ship (the passengers' note in the lounge indicated $10 or $20 for return taxi tours.)

Having heard this, the agent offered me a lift instead, which was much better. Although it meant I didn't see much of Colombo because we returned to the ship before 14:00, it also meant I got very quickly through several security checks going into and out of the port, didn't get lost, and was taken to the seaman's mission (Flying Angel) which had an excellent internet connection. Going by myself, I would have had an hour longer but spent it all in one hassle or another

Harbour Entrance

.

Everywhere in Colombo is guarded. The port gates and various internal points have soldiers and police; the harbour has small gunboats patrolling inside and somewhat larger ones outside; and there are armed soldiers at many street corners, checkpoints, and simply patrolling the streets. In a way it's reminiscent of 'Derry in the 1980s, only more so.

The seaman's mission is at the back of a church just next to the police station. The driver warned me not to take photos, and I made my way past a gaggle of guards and along a passageway between the church and the police station gates. The magic words "seaman's mission" go me past the checks, where they were searching men openly and women in little booths, so I got all the way through carrying a black back-pack without hindrance. (I suppose I don't look much like a Tamil Tiger, but even so it was odd, given how thorough they were being with everyone else.)

The internet connection worked about as well as any I've used. Emails shot off, and I got the details of Boro 1 Bolton 3 without delay. I didn't quite get the blog right - something went awry with the pictures and I didn't have time to fix it up

Mixed Architectures

. I had a bottle of excellent fiery ginger beer (good for the throat, allegedly) and a chat with the Chaplain who runs the mission, Capt Payne. Then whisked away through various bits of the port (it's like a town within a town) and a short insight into the life of a port agent and back to the ship, having seen about 1% of Colombo and forgotten the post cards.

The agent gave me a present of a selection of Ceylon teas - the only present I got, this birthday, so I was doubly grateful. He also had on board a group of men selling gold and jewellery - the crew rec room was set up with display trays and many cries of "welcome, sir". I'd have liked to photograph it, but couldn't face the sales pitches that would have involved. I wonder if they sold any? We got underway during dinner, accompanied by a crowd of exotic crows who had colonised one of the containers. We're still very lightly loaded - we picked up only 5 containers in Singapore and maybe a couple of dozen at Colombo, by appearances.

[Later]: It's my birthday! I had thought to celebrate, but with less than two hours shore leave in Colombo, it is confined to a very gingery ginger beer at the Seaman's Club! (To whom much thanks.)