Trincomalee

Today we are moving into an area that was affected by the civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lanka government forces. It is peaceful now but we were told that people who went overseas on humanitarian visas kept their land. This means it cannot be developed by those that remained.

The scenery is similar to North Queensland don’t you think…. but there is a few large waterways that were created in ancient times. On route we stopped at a series of hot spring wells. Pour the water over you for a blessing. I didn’t do it and neither did you. Look at the young monks not only did they anoint themselves but one filled his bottle to share with his mates.

A quick trip now to our hotel on the coast…..think relaxing and avoiding the heat.

Around the town, there are lots of Hindu temples, with a smattering of Catholic and Buddhist buildings reflecting the historical changes over time. Houses use lots of concrete and galvanised iron. Older houses have wooden shutters with or without glass in the windows.

Day 2 in Trincomalee. I am finding it hot and it is only 8.00am. How are you coping? We are starting early to try and avoid the heat of the day as we are visiting a no shoe Hindu temple. It is called Koneswaram Temple.

When the Portuguese came and settled. They built a fort (Fort Frederick). The fort was later captured by the Dutch and then British. The temple was constructed within the fort when statues were rediscovered during an excavation. They had been buried during the Portuguese occupation.

In the centre of the temple is an area for high caste Hindu people. The priest will come out periodically and bless people from the lower castes.

More history….. I was only vaguely aware of the civil war in Sri Lanka. Did you know much about it? Well they have a maritime museum. No eye rolling please. In is located in an active naval training facility. Oops I think we are going to the naval maritime museum.

To get in… yes you do have to pay….. fill in a form…. produce a passport ……luckily you had brought yours on the bus ….. and be assigned a guard ..oops I mean guide and you are good to go. It has boats from the Tamil Tiger suicide army and some of the ships used to destroy them.

There is still suspicion that a war could happen again even after 25 years. There is still manned checkpoints although people don’t appear to be stopped. People are still trying to rebuild their lives.