Window Vignettes

Aqua blue or emerald green the colors of the sea at Unawatuna are the best Sri Lanka has to offer.

Still live, male imagery in Sri Lanka...

Lt. L. Roshan Peiris of Sri Lanka Army (Share & Bookmark) >>

So too are the images of the men one is sometimes lucky to catch. Best of all is when those images are frozen in pixels.

Sri Lanka offers a variety of venues for the traveller to enjoy both the natural and cultural scene.

For those who live on the island both rural and city life have their own charms.

Some of the best moments in Sri Lanka are spent on an open veranda, completely out in the open or even just taking in the sights and sounds from an open window.

These vignettes are an allusion to the magic of sitting by an open window while catching a glimpse of Sri Lanka's men in the natural, cultural, urban and rural settings which define their lives.

Grab a Chair, Set it by an Open Window Don't forget your camera.

culture at its finest
Share & Bookmark 

1. Peering out from the window of your hotel room that opens onto the courtyard in the center of the compound, you see them.
   
   You were awakened from your early evening doze by the sound of their drums and horns.
   
   There they are, just meters away from you, those glorious fixtures of Sri Lankan culture--the Kandyan drummers, dancers and performers.
   
   Red and white, bright and smiling, glittering and jangling, they and their costumes were unmistakable and ever so remarkable.
   
   
   the nature of youth
   Share & Bookmark
   
2. They stand out against the lush foliage.
   
   As rich and beautiful as the green canopy are their deep brown complexions.
   
   From the window of my guesthouse at the edge of the thick growth, the boys were there in their youth and playful innocence.
   
   "What are you looking at..." we each seemed to be wondering.
   
   Seems we were binded together by a mutual curiosity--a curiosity that might have been bridged through conversation, should we have shared a common language.
   
   
   velvet coats of armor
   Share & Bookmark
   
3. Never too close, I thought, as the van I rode in drove by the stately procession.
   
   With my camera set to focus at maximum zoom I got the closest image possible of the men of the guard.
   
   They looked magnificent in their finery. Perhaps I could keep my window rolled down long enough to view the entire procession.
   
   But it was not to be.
   
   We were whistled away by an approaching squadron, on horseback no less. Still, the images frozen at the speed of my shutter would linger with me... my thoughts on those honorable men.
   
   
   the ordinary world
   Share & Bookmark
   
4. As I try to make my way to the ordinary world, I will learn to survive. Da-dee-dee-dum-de-dum-de-dum...
   
   I sing along with the tune as the son of my host stands before me out the open window.
   
   "You know the song," I ask. He nods and echos the tune.
   
   "You on Facebook," he asks. It's everywhere, I think to myself.
   
   Why is everyone so interested in Facebook? I'm more interested in the handsome image of the young man and the breakfast of papaya, bananas and milk tea that awaits me.
   
   

   fishers Share & Bookmark

   
   
5. Maybe not a window view, but an image caught by an amateur photographer on a photo shoot... the hard lives of those who have to make a living at sea often looks poetic and sublime.
   
   

   of fathers and their sons Share & Bookmark

6. With blood and water, bricks and mortar
   he built for you a home. You're the son of your father...

   
   So sings Elton John with the words of Bernie Taupin, as I sit observing the scene from the window of a passing bus.
   
   In suburban and rural towns, the people build their own homes. You see them often half-built, taking years to finish. But what an achievement once the project is complete, without nary a 25 year suffocating mortgage to burden the soul.
   
   

   A Well-Known Gun Burdened by his rifle, the soldier unknowingly strikes a pose. Share & Bookmark

   Does it ever leave their grip? It's rare to see the soldier without his weapon. What must it be like to ever have in your grip an instrument that could in an instant steal the life of another human being? Knowing and hoping one will never need to use it... yet the rifle is always there. I admire the soldier for his fortitude in the face of the contradiction and irony of bearing arms. That weapon is not only a potential life-taker, but it makes its holder a target for the grim reaper as well.

   
   

   We're not in Kansas anymore. Share & Bookmark

   What does Colombo have in common with the Kansas of folklore--a safe, nostalgic but terribly dull place? The streets of Colombo are largely safe from crime--if not from traffic peril. It is perhaps the heavy presence of the police and the military that keeps the streets safe. The police in some countries are themselves notorious for exacting bribes from the public, but this is not so much the case in Sri Lanka. Whatever the reason, Sri Lanka, including its capital city, seem to be largely free of any criminal menace, excepting the occasional pickpocket, the overly-aggressive beggar or con-man cum tout. Muggings, armed-robbery and random acts of violence seem rare.

   These are ubiquitous sightings on the streets of downtown Colombo. Young officer on the street with gun and the ever waiting tuk-tuk men... (Share & Bookmark) >> Ok it isn't at all like Kansas, but it is a safe, olden time and terribly dull sort of place. Visitors are often advised in travel guides to bypass Colombo and head straight to the beach resorts. There is something for the visitor, however, in terms of some of the colonial architecture in the Fort, Slave Island and Town Center parts of the city. There is the calming tree cover in Viharamahadevi Park and the adjacent Cinnamon Gardens district of the city. If one can brave the traffic to reach and stroll around these environs, then Colombo doesn't have to be entirely dull. My personal favorite in Colombo is the Sovereign Hotel. It is in Rajagiriya--too far to walk to the places mentioned above, but a short tuk-tuk ride away (negotiate a low fare--Rs300 or less rather than the Rs 1000 you'll be quoted, or just hop on a bus for Rs10 or 15). Alternatively, you could journey in the opposite direction toward the grounds of the Sri Lankan parliament. The hotel is outside of the hustle and bustle of the city, away from the seacoast, and it has the best food, decor and staff you'll get for rates under $50. Whatever the traveller decides, he or she should take the time to get to meet some and talk with the friendly people you'll meet in all parts of Colombo. It could never be easier to strike a conversation with anyone you may choose, even the soldiers. Often it is they who will make the first initiative with a smile and a greeting.

   
   

   Colombo on parade... Something nice to happen upon if you've got a room with a view. Sri Lanka hosts two types of parades worth getting a view of. On 4 February it hosts Independence Day and as of 2009 an annual parade in May or June to celebrate the end of the long battle with the Tamil Tigers. In Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka there are religious pageants, the most impressive being those associated with Buddhist and Tamil festivals. These follow the cycles of the moon, the most notable being July and August pageants in Kandy and Kataragama and other locales, and in Colombo in January or February. Victory Celebration 2010 (They're Back in 2010) Independence Day Celebration 2010 (The Honorable) Victory Celebration 2009 (Sri Lankan Victory Celebration) Kandy Perahera 2007 (Perahera Re-examined)

   Colombo along Galle Face Green Share & Bookmark

Photos appearing in this SLM post are from various sources and have been digitally modified to complement the theme of the post. No claim of ownership on these images are indicated by their use in this post.

Email or share THIS POST with a friend:


← Blogger • Why Foreigners Like Sri Lankan Men →
Top  ↑ 

If prompted, become a follower--then REFRESH and vote.