January 25, 2013

Moved into my house on January 22.  It is like camping.  All I have for furniture is a bed, 4 chairs and a small table.  Oh well, it gives me time to clean things up and get some things done before the furniture arrives in about a month.

The big news is that I have acquired a cat.  I knew all along that a cat would eventually find me.  On Tuesday afternoon, I was out at Peradeniya University for a lecture with a couple of friends.

This is me with Shaula, one of the friends.  We are an eclectic bunch.  Shaula is an Israeli taking her PhD in comparative Buddhist studies at Peradeniya.  We are on the main street in Kandy town.

The other friend, Lurlene, who is an Australian in Sri Lanka while her India visa is being renewed.  She has been volunteering with the Tibetan Buddhists in Dharamsala.  Lurlene wanted to have a cigarette.  A thoroughly disgusting habit that had a good outcome in this case.  We were standing while she smoked when this tiny, skin and bone cat wandered up to us.  Shaula had a snack bar that she crumbled up and gave to her.  The cat just gobbled it up.  Lurlene had a fruit drink that she wasn't very interested in and I gave her some water as it was clear that she was also extremely dehydrated.

We went into the lecture feeling very sorry for the cat.  The lecture was very interesting by an American monk who was talking about a form of meditation he has developed using smiling, laughing and relaxation of the mind as the primary tools.

Another friend, Indira who is the head of the Department of Veterinary Sciences at Peradeniya was also at the lecture.  I told her about the cat when we were done.  She said we could bring it to the teaching hospital if we could find her.  We went back to the smoking place and she came to us right away.  We took her to the vet hospital where they declared that she was about 2 or 3 months old, was malnourished and dehydrated.  They fed her and put her on a drip.  She is still there as I write, but should be coming home in a day or two.  Shaula asked that I name her Dharma, which is the teaching of the Buddha.  I decided that her full name will be Smiling Dharma as we found her as we were listening to the lecture on smiling meditation.  I have been trying it.  It is great.  Everyone should give it a try.

So here is my little Smiling Dharma:

Apart from cat rescue, I have been arranging the house, moving the coconut project along, and playing tourist.  The other day, I went on a 3 temple tour with a herd of monks mostly from Burma, with a smattering of Chinese, South Koreans and nuns thrown in for good measure.

We saw 3 lovely temples, all very close to Kandy.

The first was Degaldoruwa, built in 1771A.D.  It turns out that this is virtually my neighborhood temple.  It is beautiful.  Apparently, they have been asking my friends the Kawasakis for 7 years now to teach them English.  They have been refusing because they life too far away.  So once I am settled, I am going to volunteer and teach them English.

The second was Gadaladeniya, built in 1344A.D.  It is really showing its age and the fact that they have scaffolding all over it to begin a restoration didn't help.

The Buddha is particularly identified with the blue lotus.

The last was Lankatilaka built in the same year, 1344A.D.  It has been restored to a large extent.  It is quite beautiful and is in a particularly beautiful setting.  High on a hill with panoramic views.  I loved the symmetry of the building.

This is a Hindu shrine on the back of the Buddhist temple.  This is not unusual.  Gadaladeniya had one also.

Finally, we all went back to Kawasakis for juice.  It turned into dinner for me.  The monks managed to cram themselves into a very small space in front of their small shrine and chanted for a few minutes to bless the house.

Yesterday, I met an American monk, Ven. Upatissa.  We had a great chat for over 4 hours.  Very nice guy.  I know we will become friends.  It seems I am surrounding by either monks or wannabe monks.  What's up with that?

Yesterday, I also became a real Sri Lankan.  Ven. Upatissa has been telling me of 2 experiences that he had had which made him feel like he had really arrived.  Well, yesterday, I had mine.  I was so glad that I was able to share it with him.

After Upatissa and I had our chat, I went off to buy a mattress for my maid's bed and get some laundry drying racks.  I ended up with the double bed mattress, 2 laundry racks, a 3'x3' steel table, 2 chairs, a bunch of plumbing equipment and myself in a tuktuk.  It was too dark to get a picture.  I went back to Gunfire to show Amal, Upatissa was still there and so we had a great laugh.  Then to top it off, we dropped off the 2 chairs and added Shanti to the mix.  She is by no means a small woman, so we were crammed in with me half way under the mattress.  But we made it.  

Took my friend Lurlene to the Ayurvedic chemist yesterday.  They were very helpful.  Those place are very interesting with a doctor right on site for an immediate consult. 

I am finally getting to know the lay of the land, at least in Kandy town.  It is a lot easier to walk now that know where I am going than to sit in traffic for hours.  The town core is very congested with traffic since the road in front of the Malagawa (Temple of the Tooth) has been closed.

So life goes on.  Raining and foggy these days.  The sun doesn't seem to come out a whole lot here.  I think it is just the season.

January 17, 2013

I haven't blogged in a while as my dongle is now a FUgle. Finally, I went into the offices of the service provider where the lines are interminable. I demanded to see a manager and got immediate service. So miracle of miracles, she actually called me back but wanted me to bring in the machine. I have been trying to explain to these people that it is a 27" iMac that is heavy and expensive and that it just can't be packed around. They are a bit thick and don't know anything about Apple. It is a slow, lumbering PC world here. In the end, I demanded my money back and they agreed. Miracle number two!

Lots of things have been happening. I ordered all my furniture. I was getting desperate as the guy I had asked to quote on it has come back with a figure of US$13,500. I didn't know what to do as that amount is way beyond my budget when I spotted a new furniture store that I had not seen before. It turns that it is a temporary store set up by some carpenters from Morotuwa. Morotuwa is known for their furniture building. So I wandered in there with my friend Jayanthi and long story short, I ordered all the furniture I need for C$3500. All made to order out of mahogany. The only problem is that it will take a couple of months for them to make it as the wood has to be cured, but the good news is that they will lend me some furniture until mine is done, so I can move in later this week.

All the appliances have been bought. All the ceiling fans have been put in. The loaner furniture is there. I was out there yesterday with Jezeem, the third partner in our coconut project. He had some great ideas some of which are being put into place even now.

On the subject of Jez. He has a dog that he needs someone to take care of for a while until he can get a place to take her on a plantation. She is a lab/ridgeback cross. Just a puppy. How could I refuse? Right now she is cooped up in a second story flat. Plus, a dog would not be a bad idea for security. So I may have inherited a dog at least for a while.

I am rethinking the idea of buying a Tuktuk as well. It looks like I may have to be going out to the plantation on a regular basis which really can't be done with a Tuktuk. Also I can't drive one if an emergency arises. So now Jez is on the hunt for a car. Ironically, he says he may have a line on a Mitsubishi Lancer which what I owned when I lived here before. That lifetime Sri Lankan drivers lisence may come in handy yet.

I have been staying at Gunfire again for a couple of days. Amal is in India for a week and the Crazies are all in Colombo. Manil had been having blood pressure and sugar problems, so I have come to stay with her. Apart from the mosquitos, this place is great. I have had a couple of great sleeps. At the apartment, it is chorus of barking and howling dogs every night. The last night I spent there, it started at 10 and went on until 2:30. No wonder I am tired.

The male dog at Gunfire, Diego is in the hospital. Amal and I went to visit him the other night. If I get sick I want to be taken there. It is fantastic. It is the veterinary teaching hospital at Peradinya University. Clean, well equipped, professionally dressed staff and volunteers. Markedly different from the human hospital that Kumara was in when he had dengue.

So that is life here for the moment. All my friends are going to Colombo for weddings tomorrow. The 18th must be an auspicious day. I will run around and do more house work.

January 6, 2013

Off to sign the lease papers today.  Very exciting.

Went to the house yesterday with the whole Wijeratne gang.  The place is even better than I remember. Lots of space.  I will even have room for a small exercise area.

Niroshan and I went through the entire place measuring and talking about the furniture that will be needed.  It will be great.

Next steps are to get some painting done, build a servants room and a laundry drying area out back and get the electrician in.  There are no ceiling fans in this place but more importantly, there are not enough plug points.  I don't know where these guys plug in their electrical fixtures.  Maybe they have AC running through their veins and they plug into their arses.  In any event, I need a bunch of plug points.

After the marathon at the house, we went to a place called The Pub in Kandy town.  It is run by the Bake Shoppe, my favorite bakery.  It is nice, but not very Sri Lankan.  It was quite busy, but the only Sri Lankans in there were us.

All the foreign tourists look like hobos around here.  They remind me of my backpacking trip to Europe in 1971.  Maybe that's it.  They are doing the econo tour.  Anyway, The Pub was full of these types all sitting on the balcony.  Now normally, you would think that is smart.  Outdoors, nice view.  Not a chance.  The balcony overlooks the street that is busy, congested and polluted.  Plus it was right around dusk when murders of crows assemble.  You've never seen the like of it.  Maybe 100+ crows, all making the most ungodly racket.  You could not hear yourself think, let alone talk.  But the stupidest thing of all is that everyone knows that all those crows not only make noise, but they also shit.  All the locals have their umbrellas up at that time of day.  But there were the tourists soaking up the air pollution, the noise, and I would bet the odd plop plop.  We went inside!

Spent a bit of time at Gunfire yesterday just checking in on Manil.  That place is like a hotel.  2 new guests from Australia showed up.  Nice people.  The staff laid on lunch for 4 without skipping a beat.  That was in the dining room.  In the kitchen, they made lunch for 8, all the staff, Shanti, her daughter, boyfriend and his buddy/driver/peon.  Boy, is life ever different here.

January 5, 2012

Finally, I get to post this.  I started writing on January 3, but my dongle crapped out.  What do you expect from something that is called a dongle.  What a silly name.

Spent 2 days cooped up on the apartment.  Getting cabin fever.

Went out today.  Had to re-dong my dongle, get some food and try to find salt.  Yes, you read correctly, salt.  You would think that this being an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, there would be an overabundance of sea salt.  Wrongo rhino breath.  The Sri Lankan government, in their infinite wisdom has decreed that all salt has to iodized.  They used to sell sea salt in blocks, but you can't get it anymore.  So, I am saltless.  I even tried an ayurvedic chemist in the hopes that they would know about the health properties of sea salt, but no luck.

Here are some pictures of my apartment.  My driver and I gave it a good clean today.  I can't believe how dusty this place is.  I swept before Jayakodi came.  He then mopped and dried the floors.  Then he swept again and got a whole bunch more dust.  Where does all this stuff come from?  Especially when it is muggy on account of the monsoon.  I think that there are dust demons residing on this island.

Looking out from the entrance. 

Dining room

Living room

Kitchen which includes a washing machine

Bathroom.  Unusual to have a shower enclosure.  Usually, it is open so that the whole bathroom gets wet.

2nd bedroom/laundry drying area/storage room/servant's room.  The Sir Lankan version of a dryer is to hang things on a laundry rack and put it under a high speed fan.  Works pretty well.

My bedroom.  The mosquito net is my addition.  Actually, there are hardly any mosquitos here, but you can never be too safe.  I have discovered that if you close the windows before dusk and don't open them again until after dawn, you stay relatively mosquito free.  This is a technique they have not yet learned at Gunfire.  I was being devoured there.

Up until now, I have been on my own in the apartment apart from the occassional cockroach, centipede, and a whole army of ants with whom I share space.  I have turned into a regular Buddhist.  Instead of killing things, I liberate them.  All except the mosquitos, of course.

Off today to sign my lease agreement.  I get possession on January 7, but likely won't move in until January 21.  Have a slight problem of not having any furniture.  I am going over to the house today with Niroshan and Dinithi to see what furniture the house can actually hold.

I am excited.  Time to settle down.  Tired of roaming around.

Gotta go.  Have to liberate a centipede.

January 1, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

May this year bring everyone health, peace, joy, and prosperity.

Quiet New Years Eve. Amal and I saw in the new year on the phone. He at the monastery and me at the apartment. Good thing I stayed up as there were so many firecrackers going off that I thought I was in an artillery barrage.

I was woken up this morning by a text from the President. That is the President of Sri Lanka, wishing me Happy New Year. I have not been able to ascertain if anyone else got this message. I hope so. Either that or I am under surveillance. Anyway, I was having a nice sleep, so I didn't appreciate being woken up by the message.

However, the next event was a much better surprise. Shanti sent over a special new years breakfast of kiribath, which is coconut milk rice, sambal, jalebi, and some kind of sweet balls. This is what is eaten for breakfast on festive occasions. So nice of them. Shanti is in Colombo with her children, but the cook at Gunfire made it for me and sent it over with my driver.

I had some FaceTime with my friends Marg and Pamela and Brett. Skype and FaceTime are so amazing. You don't even feel like you are away.

Finally, here are some pictures.

We start with Gunfire.

This is Misty. She is a 13 year old Himalayan who was brought from Australia along with her brother.  She is deaf and blind, but otherwise seems to be in good shape. She is one of 3 cats and 2 dogs that officially reside at Gunfire. Unofficially, there are bats, monkeys, and lots of birds.

This is the entry to Gunfire with the hallway beyond. My phone does not take such good pictures, but you get the idea. It is a beautiful old house.

The hallway begins and ends with images of the Buddha.  The floor is Carrera marble.

This is the view from the small exercise area.  Not a great picture, but believe me, the view is sublime. 

 

This was my bedroom

This is Amal in his usual pose at his computer.

Manil's Birthday

These are the doves sitting in the bidet waiting for release.

This is Shanti standing beside the beautiful table she laid for Manil's birthday breakfast.

Centre piece of poinsettias that grow in the garden along with Manil's signature purple.

Manil receiving birthday wishes on the phone.

Shanti and Manil

Manil releasing the first dove.

Manil after releasing the second dove.

Kumara's (Gunfire's Butler) Birthday

Shanti, Kumara, and Manil

Kumara blowing out his candle with Shanti and Manil

The tradition is to feed cake to everyone at the party and then to feed the birthday boy.  Here Kumara is feeding Manil.

Manil feeding Kumara

Kumara feeding me

Kumara feeding Shanti