Robin's Adventures

There are a variety of religions practiced throughout Sri Lanka, although a majority of the population is Buddhist. We couldn't help but notice as we traveled from one town to the next, however, that there were a large number of temples, shrines, and churches throughout the country.

In addition to larger buildings, there were an abundance of small shrines on random street corners where people stopped to partake in a personal spiritual moment before going about their daily business.

We made a stop at Saint Sebastian's Church just as a wedding was ending. The church, which is designed to look like the cathedral in Reims, France, is dedicated to the patron saint of Negombo.

The bride and groom were dressed in a traditional white gown and tux, but many of the women attending the wedding were wearing colorful saris.

Fruit stands were ubiquitous throughout Sri Lanka. Everywhere we went there was another fruit stand selling coconuts, pineapple, bananas, and a variety of other interesting fruits.

We noticed many small shops as well as little roadside stalls where most anything that people might want or need was available for purchase.

Everything is wet... and smells like fish. All kinds of fish, shrimp, squid, and other varieties of seafood are spread out across makeshift tables and men and women sitting on small plastic stools are hawking their wares.

Fish is being cut, sliced, wrapped up, and carted away by the locals who want fresh fish for lunch or dinner. The morning provided an interesting look at the local lifestyle in Negombo.

Lots of fish are lined up in nice neat rows on top of mats made from coconut fiber that are spread out carefully along the beach near the fish market. After a few hours of drying in the hot sun, the fish will be flipped over to let the other side dry. The fishermen are stationed nearby because the egrets are always looking for an easy snack.

Once the fish is dried and salted, it is shipped all over the island. Dried fish is often added to the rice and curry dish that is a main staple throughout Sri Lanka.

A young man with an entrepreneurial spirit and a cobra was waiting for us by the bus as we were leaving the fish market. He wanted to show us, for a fee, how his snake danced as he played a small bamboo flute.

As our day came to an end, we took a stroll along the white sandy beach by our hotel and watched the sun slowly set across the blue waters of the Indian Ocean.

Our day began early so we could arrive by 6:00 am at the Negombo fish market, which is the second largest fish market in Sri Lanka. We saw lots of fishing boats unloading their hauls. Fish was laid out everywhere and large quantities were purchased by restaurant owners and wholesale vendors.

There were copious amounts of seafood in every imaginable size, shape, color, and variety. There was lots of lively banter as the vendors and the buyers negotiated prices.

Some fish left the fish market in trucks that hauled them off for distribution across the country. Some of the fish was purchased by small time entrepreneurs who had plastic bins attached to the back of their bicycle so they could sell the fish locally in town.

The sights, sounds, and smells of this lively fish market were all very interesting and very intense.

Our next stop was at a colorful Hindu temple that is dedicated to the God of wisdom, Ganesha. There is a golden statue in the temple that is made in the likeness of Ganesha, a man with the head of an elephant. The upper portion of the temple exterior is composed of colorful bas relief sculptures of different deities.