4 calm sea days from Singapore - slow speed makes for a smoother journey. We are getting close to an area with heightened security levels so we had training today in procedures that would take place if pirates were to approach the ship. The strait of Malacca makes the region very accessible to piracy. The strait is on the route between Europe, the Suez canal and the busy ports of East Asia - it is the main shipping channel between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Captain assures us that there is not much pirate activity these days.
COLOMBO - day 52. Located on a small island on the west coast of Sri Lanka, off the coast of India in the Indian Ocean. Pop 753k made up mostly of people from Northern India. 80% speak English. A hot and humid day. There was not much of a choice in tours so we did a city tour - only 4 stops - a Hindu Temple, a museum built by the British over 100 years ago, a refreshment stop (and good restrooms) at a hotel and a short shopping stop. $1 US = 144 Sri Lanka rupees. The traffic was heavy and, if there are laws such as seat belts being used, we didn't see much inforcement. The cars are mostly small, there are a lot of motorcycles and the cabs are a combination motorcycle/golf cart. No one seems to have the right of way - it's whoever is the bravest and has the loudest horn.
We were in Colombo on a Saturday and got caught in a traffic jam with people celebrating a cricket match. The students were hanging out of their vehicles - sitting on the roof, sitting in the windows with their bodies outside the vehicle, sitting in the trunks - all a recipe for disaster but any police we saw just ignored them.
MANGALORE - DAY 54. Located on west coast of India. Pop 480k. Supposedly, the ninth cleanest city in India (we'd not like to see the 20th). We did a city tour with stops at a Hindu Temple, a Catholic church and college and a cashew factory. Women do the majority of the work at the factory and make from $3 - $4/day. They do have free child care but it's not a job I can imagine any of us doing. Women still wear saris but the modern dress of leggings and long top are becoming more popular. Traffic is similar to Colombo - cabs are the same and there are a lot of scooters. We were warned that beggars and street vendors would be abundant but we didn't find this to be the case. There is an 85% literacy rate in the area. US $ were widely accepted. Prices seemed to be better than Colombo.
Picture 1 - Sri Lankan cabs, 2 - statue inside the Hindu Temple, 3 - women at work in the cashew factory
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