"happiness is the galle face hotel"

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colombo does nothing for me. it is too chaotic, too loud and too depressing, the numerous checkpoints with young ak-47 equipped soldiers not really adding to a comfortable feeling. the galle face hotel in a certain way is a resort from reality, incompletely (and that is good) reviving colonial spirit. were it not for official appointments and meeting friends, i would not bother to come to colombo. the title of the blog entry is a quote from an overjoyous guest.

in a way beeing there is like this empty cup of espresso of the lead shot: convincing at the very moment, slowly disappearing in its apparition, inviting to be repeated in reasonable intervals. i am already longing for the east coast.

the headline is a quote of sadruddin aga khan after his visit to the galle face hotel.

this photo on flickr

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temple drummers in colombo

working through my archives i found this picture taken 2005 on a tsunami evaluation trip waiting in Colombo for the transfer to the east coast.

this photo on flickr.

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monsoon in colombo

the pouring rain and the humidity provided a natural soft focus effect. at times rain was so heavy that you just had to hide under a roof and wait.

galle face hotel was quite empty at that pre-monsoon time in colombo, in this way aggravating the feeling of lost former times and their glory.

this photo on flickr.

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