Kandyan Dancing Photos

Just a few photos of the traditional dancing costumes. I usually see the dancing at night as part of a procession or at an event so often difficult to get a good photo.

Kovil Lamp lighting and speeches

The lighting of the lamp, all the important guests get to do it, then the speech. I did ask Vithy, the guy on my left if he had any trouble translating my speech and if I paused often enough. His answer led me to believe that he just said what he thought i should say....Sri Lanka!

Kovil opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the new Kovil in Kalmunai. It isn't finished yet but the ceremony went ahead anyway. In fact I don't think I have been to, or heard of anything where total completion has been achieved before the opening ceremony. The banner is a must and in this case we had to walk down the road to the Kovil as part of the ceremony. The garland was the biggest yet and was nice and fresh, they are beautiful and smell lovely, the white flowers are Frangipani I think.
The audience started out as mainly children but finished up as mostly adults and as we left the music started.
The ceremony was late in the afternoon and I ended up driving 30km back to Ampara on my motorbike after dark. Not the best idea, as I came along the flat plain where all the paddy fields are you could see the insects in your headlight like snow in winter. Being on a bike you could also feel them hitting you and going down your shirt. Every now and then a big insect hits your helmet, like a small stone. I also experienced a frog being exploded on my foot, nice! Add to that cyclists without lights, cattle, dogs and goats to be negotiated.

Random Photos

Just some local kids watching us. I love the bicycles with their 'sit up and beg' handlebars and brakes operated by metal rods and levers, no cables here.

This is a Kovil we are rebuilding, the original was wiped out by the Tsunami. Eventually it will be very colourful and intricately painted. However it obviously needs a good orange undercoat to get things started.
When you get a few people arriving for tea you need to get a bucket on the boil. This is a common way of boiling water here, there are electric kettles but they are not always first choice.

Colours of Kalmunai 3

Every time I visit Kalmunai and drive through the narrow streets I admire the occasional very colourful house and always plan to go back and take a photo. I have been planning for best part of a year, anyway made a special trip and spent an hour riding round on my motorbike. Taking the photos wasn't that easy as every time I stopped I got a crowd of children or adults coming to see what I was doing. I am sure there are plenty more houses but these give you a good idea.

Colours of Kalmunai 2

Colours of Kalmunai 1

Muslim Children

These photos were taken when the film crew was at the Mosque, the above boys are in cultural dress and attend a religeous school.

Karativu Beach

Found myself with another film crew, this time two girls making a film on post Tsunami construction work. Took them round the same religeous sites as the previous crew. They just turned up in the office at 9am and had to leave Ampara at 1.30pm! so did a quick trip. It is the dry season at the moment so baking hot, you burn your feet on the sand. Had a chat to some local fishermen so took some shots of them sorting their nets.

Film crews

A film crew arrived to make a documentary about the work done rebuilding religeous buildings by FCE. We took them to three sites, this one a Mosque, then a Hindu Kovil and lastly an Anglican Church.

Youth Day

Lego towers again, these cross the gender divide ok and seem to be enjoyed by all. Interesting the way planning time is used and the cultural design choices which can be seen.

Youth Day

Scissors, paper, stone going down well. The old ones often work best.

Walking planks at youth forum

Leading from the front? Alas not we were coming second.

Not everyone took part, not a game for the Muslim ladies, but I didn't really have much warning for this forum.

Listen to their voices

Sri Lanka's Tom Jones alias Amal, singing a song at the end of the concert.