Colombo style

There’s something different about living in this city- some would call it “exotic” other would say its “developing” while others again may simply say “chaotic”. Somehow you’ll have to agree with them all- Colombo sure holds a lot of different experiences within it's borders, which could easily fit into any of these categories. These days one other thing is that it is “restricted” as well. With the war effort probably growing closer to somewhat of a climax in the north, Colombo security is at peak level as well. Numerous international hotels are being considered out-of-bounds by most local people, due to being located in the “high security zone” which now spans large parts of the Fort area.

Still when already here, Colombo is in general a pleasant experience and even military personnel manning the various check-points are in general very professional, polite and friendly, at least to foreigners. Not the rag-tag army we used to see some few years back.

The restaurants can sometimes be hard to find, but ask a local or a Tuk driver, and you’ll be on your way to some of the best food experiences in South Asia. In for a seafood treat? Visit the Lagoon at Colombo Plaza where all ingredients are on iced-display and where you can pick your fish or lobster of choice J.

Torvøya-summer 2008

Summer just hasn't happend if there are no island parties! And so it was this year too as everybody scrambled for the cooling sea at Torvøya when heat struck at +30C - which isn't anything to take for granted in our country, but it is sure appreciated when it happens.

"the Big Thing" this year - literally - was something growing from within .. :)

As the Sun would set behind the trees on the ridge, we would all reluctantly return from waters edge, and start to recognize that growling feeling in the stomach- we need food!

A "touch of spice" is appreciated

Here all the young ones are gathered over Langhåra Bjørn's hot Thai soup and Bjørn L's great spaghetti which came with an awesome sauce it took all day to make!

Sea in motion

Nothing has quite the same effect on me as the sea.. the relaxing sound of crashing waves.. the sight of rolling waves in twilight.. or the sky mirroring even at night.. and here are some shots as the Indian ocean is breaking ashore at Galle in southern Sri Lanka..

Saturday was the time to challenge the Sigiriya Rock. We got a late start, and that means an extremely hot climb! We stopped to resupply water before we left the car.


Sigiriya stands a straight 300m out of the jungle, and was the fortress of a King 1500 years ago. Two brothers fought over power and the youngest who took power from his father by force, used Sigiriya to guard himself from the revenge of his brother. Eventually it came to a final showdown and the fortress of Sigiriya fell during an Elephant battle between the two..! Amazing!

Stairs leading onto the rock looks rather easy to negotiate from below.. :)

The heat starts to take its toll after only very few steps, and the water comes in veeery handy..! The heat of mid-day sun is somewhere in higher-thirties and humidity is jungle-style!

The old King was not without a sense for art - and women.. :)

As the jungle canopy is left below, the landscape opens up beautifully :)

Sigiriya is surrounded by an ancient park

Entering the final stage of the climb - in between the lion's paws!

At the top - after carrying sandbags to help work there

Kandelama... :)

Kandelama is just suddenly there. Out of nothing. Jungle. Kandelama is like arriving at some mystery fountain gardens.

Central Highlands

Friday morning we set out for the Central Highlands and Dambulla. We left at 7:30 am but got halted by an ATM machine which decided to chew Demians credit card. "Out-of-order, not able to return card!" was a lousy start on the day, but HSBC bank were sorry and ensured us we would get it back on Monday so we decided to move on.

Traffic in Sri Lanka is probably far more dangerous to ordinary tourists than the infamous military conflict, and travelling in Sri Lanka can be a challenge in general. Not so much due to the poor road standards as to the number of people, motobikes, tractors, trucks and other traffic coming at you from all sides and directions. A 30km/h is basically all what you can hope for travelling at daytime. And we hadn’t gone far as we came upon a young puppydog lying in the middle of the road, obviously been hit by a traveller and screaming in agony as life was running out. A motorcyclist lifted the poor puppy and laid it to rest roadside, but without relieving it from its misery. The smalltalk in our car basically closed down for the next few kilometres. Later we passed this mini-van which had had an encounter with the lorry i the background.

Winding roads, often with a steep drop on one side, lead us into the Dumbarra mountain range of central Sri Lanka.



And a break to enjoy the view was well deserved. Here we are half way from Colombo to Kandy (this is called Highway A1... :)


The Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage.


After a few hours on heavily congested and narrow roads, we made it to Pinnewale where the elephants were just having their morning bath in the river. A spectacular and enjoyable sight!

An elephant community is a very female-dominated world.. :) This Matriarch is the current ruler, she's probably in her 40's something, and holds a firm grip on everything that goes around in the elephant society.

The orphanage is designed to care for elephants that has been affected by war, either by loosing a leg to a mine, or other having sustained other injuries. But they also care for young elephants occasionally left by the mother (killed, or whatever the reason..).

Pinnewala is a must see when you come to Sri Lanka!

As we continued to gain altitude the heat was somewhat reduced and as we got to the Kandy at 850 metres above sea level, it was at a bearable 28C. Kandy is the old capital of the island, and where Kings used to reign. Nowadays it’s mostly famous for the Temple of the Tooth which presents itself with the Golden covering visible from afar, and said to be holding a relic tooth of Lord Buddha himself.

Most Sri Lankan towns and villages are made up by some main road passing through, with low-rise buildings and shops strewn along for a mile or so. Often the village is no more than a block or two wide on each side. Village life is centered along the road itself.

And finally -just as dusk set in - we arrived at wonderful Kandelama! Having started our 180km journey early that morning, we felt like some dusty travellers from ancient times, and a poolside Lion Lager was just what we had been longing for...!

Demian and Terje arrives in Sri Lanka

Lunch with Mano at the Cricket Club, Colombo

After all these years I finally got visitors! Okay, kidding:) but it's the first time I have Demian (right) visting, and he brought his friend Terje with him. Really nice to have these two young spirits here, and may I mention that a bit of politics is on the everyday agenda here now:)

Through the coming week I will try to update you all on our little tour of the island. Starting later this morning (it's 1:30 am here now) we will hit the road towards Pinnewala Elephant sanctuary, further on to the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, before we hope to reach Dambulla and Kandalama before evening. In kilometres we're not talking that much of a distance, maybe 150km all together, but it is a good six hours up winding mountain roads, along a few jungle stretches, and through numerous small but crowded villages.

The pool at Trans Asia by night:)