Apartment Living

I asked about the many snakes I have heard about. "Oh yes" they say (OK right there when they said "Oh yes" I got worried) "Watch out there may be a cobra" I said "Where?" They say "Cobras everywhere" Great another reason to not leave the windows open (Here there is no such thing as a screen). Did I forget to mention I have no front door? The bedroom doors and all doors everywhere are cut really low to the ground to keep out any wandering cobras that might try to squeeze through.
My apartment is a penthouse on top of a large Garment factory owned by Habib. By the way there is confusion when it comes to talking about garment workers or the government officials. When they say government it sounds just like Garment, I never know if they are talking about the government workers or the garment workers. They sometimes complain that the garment workers are no good and lazy who start projects and never finish them. I said “Why don’t you fire them if they are no good” and everyone laughs, I said “what’s so funny? They say “But you cannot fire the Garment workers”. Then they say “If you need anything just tell the one of the garment workers they are very helpful.
My apartment is the entire 4th floor of Continental Garment factory that makes clothes for export to the west. There are over 100 seamstresses and hundreds of sewing machines. Imagine me, surrounded by over a hundred really nice looking native girls with great figures. The factory runs two shifts until about 8:30pm, sometimes I look down at the girls as the leave the main factory building, and sometimes they see me and laugh. I do not say anything to them because first of all they do not speak any English.

Here is a great boat made by BSM. I sold my first order to a charter service in Panama City, Panama. I have never has as much fun and enjoyment building a great boat in another land with new people.

About bats:

I remembered on my first visit in 2005 after arriving at the Galle Face Hotel I finally got good nights sleep after the 35 hour flight. That night I awoke at 5: am and opened he window to let in a nice breeze coming in off the sea. When suddenly a bat flew in and proceeded to fly in circles. If you come here do not open your window before the sun rises or a bat will fly in, I think to bats they think it is a high rise cave at tree top level, because this does not happen downstairs.
I let the bat fly around a while expecting him top find the open window again. But when he started dive bombing me and getting aggressive I had had enough. When I hit him with the broom he went smack against the wall, fell to the floor and began walking on his hind legs towards me then took off directly at me again. OK this was enough, I took the broom and this time swatted him as hard as I could and he was knocked out the window. I knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.
Now in my apt when I go to sleep at night I don't come out of my bedroom until the sunrises, because there is something that scratches around the floor early in the morning before the sun comes up and I think it is probably bats, or worse. The other day two blocks down I saw an old man poking a 6 foot monitor lizard with a stick trying to get the thing out of his yard. The monitor lizards are common here, this one climbed up a nearby tree to get away from the poking, and he was in no hurry. So in the morning I also remember there is a large tree with branches touching the open window in the kitchen and sometimes I do not remember if I closed it or not. The heck with the snakes, the lizards are enough to scare the crap out of anyone I know, they are black and have smooth scaly loose skin, and usually about 5 to 7 feet long.

Ajith and Acitah arriving at the factory by skiff

This is a view from the factory to the other side of the Dutch canal. It is easier to hop on a skiff to cross the canal to the factory than to rider=e the whole way around to the bridge. The dutch canal runs about 25 miles from the mouth of the river north of Colombo harbor and runs up to Negambo. It is about 4 feet deep and meant for barge traffic when the dutch ruled the island in the 1800s.

Now the Dutch canal is over grown as you get close to Negambo

Fernando and Asoka

On the left is Fernando. He is a general clean up guy. Many here have names of Fernando. This is from the Portuguese influence when they ruled the country until the 1800s. He is very good humored and always there for a laugh. Even the time after his mother recently passed away he still managed to keep a smile.

On the right is Asoka he brings my tea. Here they maintain British cuastoms of tea break in the morning and afternoon. Asoka also comes over to clean my apartment every few days.

They are friendly to me and always have a smile if I see them around wattala. Wattala is the sea side vilage where the boat factory is located.

My host

The next day Ishad and I stopped at the nearby Pegasus resort for lunch. Afterwards we talked about things in general. Everyone likes Obama and are glad George bush is gone. Some like him when you first talk about his presedency but later as the converstations go on you see GB is blammed for alienating the US from the rest of the world. He asked me “What do you think of George Bush?” I told him. He said he did not like GB because the trouble in Iraq.

I defended the USA by reviewing history telling him he would probably be speaking Japanese if it wasn't for the USA sacrifices, as Japan was not far away in WW2. I agreed Iraq was a bad idea.

After we talked I found Ishad to be understanding and not at all prejudice against the USA. He does not seam to hold an opinion against the USA; he says he loves going there. I see Ishad as smart young man who does not let politics or propaganda rule his thinking. He was more intent on convincing me that not all Muslims are bad like Bin Laden, and that he apologizes for the actions, he disagrees strongly with the Suni as he is Shiite Muslim. Also Ishad is living a wealthy life of privilege that is not to be confused with the jobless trouble makers in Europe who think the world owes them everything.

Ishad showed nothing but respect for all. He wishes he could go to college in the USA but there is too much hatred for the Muslims. Ishad asked my why all Americans hate Muslims. I answered it is because when talking politics Muslims say they do not like George Bush, so they are automatically identified with Bin Laden. This idea seamed to click with Ishad. I advised him that when he is in USA and someone brings up George Bush, tell them you like George Bush, and avoid politics. He agreed.

Later that day after Ishad dropped me off, he went to meet his father, I assume to discuss what he thought of me and what my thoughts of doing business with them were. The next morning Ishad and his father came to take me to Sam’s house for lunch then a road trip to Negambo, only 25 miles away but seamed like a hundred with the bad roads. One of the first things Habib said to me was that he liked George Bush, but then went on about the president's mistakes.

The roads here have not been maintained in 20 years. There is one north south road called Negambo Road. Other than that every road is very rough.

Drive South

This is one of the traditional multi day fishing boats at Blue Star Marine. More about this later after I study the design.
The beach is very nice with tall palm trees everywhere the only down side to the beach is that it is monsoon season and the surf is constant 4 to 6 foot chop morning noon and night, so enjoying the beach is not the best idea. Nearby on the beach is the Pegasus resort where there are Europeans, that is where I hang out when not working days.
Last Wednesday Ishad took me on a drive south of Colombo to Bentotta, this was familiar as Galle Road was the road I took back and fourth while visiting the minister. Near Bentotta there is a natural barrier to the sea a couple hundred yards off shore with inlets to the sea spaced about 1/8 mile apart, sort of an inter coastal waterway. On the barrier strip there are more Palm trees. Within the breaker islands it is nice and calm.

This is a post card setting; especially at sunset there is nothing more gorgeous on earth.
On the way we stopped for coconut water from one of the coconut and fruit stands, I had Palu, a delicious fruit looking like a cross between a plum and an apple with a skin twice as thick as an orange. You squeeze the fruit then peel the top half of f when the skin breaks from squeezing. The inside looks like garlic cloves, but is soft like jelly. You pluck out the lobes and eat, they taste like candy. But the broken lobes look like a broken egg, not appetizing, but you forget that because it tastes so good. Then we had a fruit called Rambutan that looks like a Kumquat covered in long rubber thorns, this too you tear open and the inside tastes like candy. I think I will smuggle some of these exotic fruits back to Miami and try to grow them, the climate here is identical to Miami.

New Years

Father Nihal from the Catholic Church near my apartment.
Sam the GM and a real friend who has really taken good care of me since I arrived. He is giving a moticational speach to the workers.
New years party at Blue Star had dancing girls, a speach from Sam the GM and a few words of wisdom from Father Nihal. The priest at the Catholic Church near my apartment.
I honestly can say I have never experienced a more enjoyable new years day in my life than the one I experienced here. Words cannot describe the joy and love in the air.
After I got up I looked out and saw all the girls downstairs in their best dressed saris gathered for the garment factory party. I had curry rice breakfast with them and most came up to say Happy New Year and we had fun. I have never experienced such joy in people’s lives as the garment workers. Most are very poor and very young. Some are a little older and a few are in their late 20’s and are managers.
I later went to BSM New Years Party where there were dancing girls whose style and grace is many times more sensual and desirable than the crap you get at the strip clubs. Very entertaining. When it comes to class this place has the US beat in the sensuality department.

About the lack of hot water. Actually there is very warm water as all houses and apartments have black PVC water tanks on the roof. Turn the tap on and a few minutes there will be warm water. Being near the equator means the temperature is always 85 degrees in the sun and 80 degrees in the shade.
365 days a year the sun rises at 6:45am and sets 6:45pm,there is no daylight savings time.

My Sri Lanka Apartment

I am staying in a 4th floor walk up apartment. The image is my view looking west towards the beach a couple blocks away. The apartment has no front door to keep out the rain or mosquitoes (there are really only a couple of mosquitoes once in a while and not bad at all, but the ones they have are big). I said to Sam there is no door; he replied yes no door good, no, yes? Then I found there to be no hot water. I said to Sam there is no hot water, Sam said, “Yes no hot water it has not worked for many years.” I waited for him to say he was going to put in hot water, but he said nothing more about it. I asked Sam, what about hot water? He said. “Yes no hot water.” I asked how about a door; Sam said “Yes no door, no hot water, you like? Very nice place, yes?” and laughed. He said "you talk to Habib about this." I called Habib who told me; yes the hot water had not worked for years. I saw this is getting nowhere so now I take cold showers, and when it rains the floor gets wet in the apartment. All things being equal, the entire 3 bedroom apartment is spacious and very nice they even put up new drapery, even drapes over the doors. My bedroom luckily has an air conditioner, the apt is modestly furnished. All the windows look out to the tops of countless coconut palm trees with a few rooftops seen below, as well as the cross atop the Catholic Church a block away near the beach.

Arrived 12,000 miles from home

I arrived at Colombo greeted by Ishad and Sam. Ishad is Habib’s son 18 yrs old intelligent well spoken and thoughtful. Habib is the owner of Emerald Seas Marine and my partner in developing boats for export. Sam is ESM general manager barley speaks a word of English but nods his head when you speak as if he understands, but actually does not fully comprehend more than a few words spoken in English. Sam is my contact with Habib when Ishad is not around as he has traveled away to Egypt for college, and not coming back until he graduates in two more years. Habib I have only seen rarely since I have been here.
Later I will meet with the Minister to go over his plans to build Tuna fishing boats. The Tuna boats they have here are not like what they have anywhere else. Here and in Maldives they call them Dhoni. They are 80 feet to 110 feet. Instead of spools or radio buoys they have a wide open deck low to the water line where fisherman stand and cast out fishing lines then reel in tuna one by and and throw them into a hold in the middle of the wide open deck.

So far they have been making them from timber. My job is to make them from Fiberglass using temporary molds. Here is a picture of a Dhoni in the upper left. More images are coming

Getting ready

I have a boat in Miami I took the motor off of and am shipping to Blue Star marine since I was told I could build my own boat for my own use. Looking forward to exploring Sri Lankan waters.

Move build boats in Sri Lanka

Being a second generation boat builder with a well know company I was asked by business men and members of Parliament to start a boat budding operation for both commercial tuna boats and pleasure boats for export. When I think about it my life is in a rut anyway. So why not make a move?
They are offering me room and board and a driver with an auto. Honestly I had no idea where Sri Lanka was until I looked it up on a map after they asked.
It started when I got a phone call from a business manager for a minister in parliament. His name was Mudthi ( they all have names we never heard of). He first asked if our company had any boat molds for sale that they could use to make commercial fishing boats with. My answer was sure we have all sorts of molds to build all sorts of boats from 18 to 54 feet.
The conversation went on for two hours until I realized this guy is either nuts or he will pay to get some help.
I cut the conversation by saying that in order to evaluate if our molds can be of use is to put my feet on the ground there in Sri Lanka and see what the situation was. He agreed and left it that he would send me a pane ticket.
Two days later I received a round trip ticket to Colombo.