Monday, October 25, 2010

Namala for sale


Six years ago, restless with a bulging bank balance, I invested in a small "eco-resort" in Dambulla, about a 3 hour drive from Colombo. Fawzia and I stayed a couple of nights there, were charmed by the quaint facilities and the friendly manager and staff, and ended up buying into a partnership. We didn't stop to check the accounts, the appliances, or the assets. An impulsive buy which never paid off . Sri Lanka's civil war was at a standstill then with another ceasefire, and tourism was limping along if not thriving. But, soon after we bought into the partnership, the ceasefire collapsed, bombs began to explode everywhere, and the few brave tourists who ventured into the Cultural Triangle virtually disappeared.

The manager Kanthi (not the one at Pondside with the same name) bravely kept the place going. None of the staff was fired, and when guests didn't show-up, the staff were diverted to cultivating vegetables and minor repairs of buildings. The Sri Lankan style curries were splendid as ever and we would visit for a few days each year, more to bolster the morale of the staff and to leave a generous tip which would be added to their service charge.


The civil war has now ended. Both the New York Times and the National Geographic gave Sri Lanka rave reviews in tourism earlier this year, and tourism is booming. In Kandy, above my house at Hantana, I visited a boutique hotel where rooms range from US$250 to $450 per night. Namala certainly isn't nowhere near that range but it needs a substantial investment in order to meet new demands and challenges. Having seen no returns in the past six years and needing to consolidate my assets now that I am retired, I realize that the only way to recover my investment is to sell Namala, and the other partners have agreed.

On a recent visit, I took these photos of Namala at dawn. There's 12 acres of land waiting for development and a great opportunity awaits the right investor. Running a tourist hotel is no easy task in Sri Lanka. The government imposes high taxes and tourist drivers and guides are abominable parasites, squeezing (small) hotel operators at every opportunity. But, at Namala, the pluses far outweigh the minuses. In Bali, I saw how charmingly small hotels could be run.

As for me, the lesson learned is that one does not have to buy a hotel to stay in it.


Three weeks in Sri Lanka



Pending retirement, I sent my furniture and appliances from Hong Kong to Pondside, and that was in February. The photo shows what the small living room in Pondside looks like, jammed with stuff. The two bedrooms, one recently built and with a floor area of 500+ sq. ft, haven't fared any better. So, works remains to be done.


My October stay at Pondside, except for some irritable developments, was pleasant. Rain had fallen ending an intense drought, so the land was green. The pond was filling up although it did not spill over. The effects of the drought could be seen on the cashew trees, where some buds and young leaves had dried up prematurely.


I slept in the large room built recently, often with the windows wide open. A breeze seemed to blow through constantly, and one moonlight night, I woke to find the garden bathed in light. At 5.30am sharp, prayers and hymns would blare thru loudspeakers, broadcast from the nearby St. Anne's Catholic church. My village is 90% Catholic but isn't particularly pious. At one time, it was infamous for moonshine production; burglaries, violent disputes over land ownership, spousal abuse, and drunkenness were common. I have met the parish priest, a youngish man who appeared to have some common sense. So the broadcasting of hymns and prayers comes as a surprise. Like me, many villagers probably wake up with a curse at the noise, and it certainly won't add to their religious fervor. The Buddhist temple, located on the fringe of the village, also began to broadcast chanting, but has been rather subdued recently, although I can hear the chants when the wind is blowing in my direction.

The church noise would stop about half an hour after it began but then my neighbors would begin their noise pollution, with amplifiers turned up at full volume going "dum, dum, dum ..." aimlessly. This is supposed to be music. Like in most places I visit (except Japan), noise at full volume appears to be part of life so my village hasn't escaped.


Because we would need more space after retirement, I extended a room and the kitchen at Pondside, while adding a small toilet and adding to the height of the water tank (to increase the water pressure. We pump from a well.) I now have a spacious bedroom with a nice deck where I sit, chatting with visitors, enjoying my breakfast, and doing nothing, especially late at night. An open deck is not a common concept in Sri Lanka, so I am never short of advice from visitors. Some insist that I put up a roof (to protect the wood), others advice me to concrete it over. After it's been there for nearly a year now, I think the idea that it's a place to relax is slowly dawning on the villagers.

The cost of renovation and construction has been staggering, coming to nearly US$20,000 (HK$160,000). This is an incredible amount in Sri Lanka, but not in my village. As I've written previously, many fellow villagers live and work in Italy, and like to flaunt their wealth by building mansions in Sri Lanka.



These are two examples of "Italian" houses in the village. First, a large parapet wall with an elaborately designed gate is built. A year or two pass by, and, as more cash is accumulated, the rest of the house comes into shape. These "Italians" are not in professional jobs, often working as housemaids, cooks, and caregivers to the elderly, and some even working as street vendors. Lacking intelligence or common sense, most of their earnings are dumped into building these mansions, which are, in the absence of owners and grown children (who reside in Italy), usually occupied by their elderly parents and spoiled children of school going age. Local contractors, masons, and carpenters are exploiting the situation to the full, overcharging for their work. Because they don't build according to architectural advice, the designs of these houses change according to the new styles that come along. (Bathroom fittings and other appliances are often brought from Italy.) So, as I learned, any type of building construction is extremely costly in my village, thanks to these "Italian" expats. Unfortunately, such houses are being build in other parts of Sri Lanka, too.


In retirement, I have decided to reduce the number of properties I won, so the house at Digana, 14 kms. from Kandy town, is on the market. Only Rs. 5.2 million, which translates to HK$360K. Any takers? (see below)


Kanthi, who takes care of Pondside, provided my meals. I went out and bought fresh fish and prawns from the beach, and she got the vegetables I like. For dinner, I walked over to cousin Marie's house, usually for a feed of hoppers, a thin, crispy, pancake like delicacy. The hoppers were not baked at home (the preparation is rather elaborate) but bought from a street vendor near the railway station. There's a saying in Sri Lanka which goes "selling like hot hoppers". I saw what that meant, with people lining up to buy the stuff every evening.

Hoppers. One is an egg hopper.

The street vendor. She was operating 4 burners, and may have cooked hundreds of hoppers every evening.


This is Tommy, the new dog at Pondside. Only 6 months old, and frisky. The senior dog, Tarzan, a born Romeo, had a habit of wandering off in search of female company, and would return after a couple of days sated but bruised from numerous fights with other male dogs. This time, two weeks after he left, Tarzan had not returned, so I may not see him again.


This is my cousin Chryshantha with his kids. He was in charge of my house renovation and construction. With his tall good looks, Chryshantha was chosen years ago to play the role of Christ in the Passion Play staged by villagers. The history of the village Passion Play needs to be told, but that'll have to be on another day.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sri Lanka's shame


Quoting from the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka, Oct. 3, 2010.

"It was close upon midnight Thursday [Sept. 30, 2010] when former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka was escorted into an isolated cell in Ward "S" at the high security Welikada Prison. Fonseka, now Prisoner No: 0/22032, changed from a national dress into an ill-fitting jumper, the regular attire for convicts and slept the night on a mat on the cement floor. He had only one pillow.

He was woken up at 5 a.m on Friday, like all other inmates in the block. His cell had a toilet but he complained the flush was not working. He had to walk to a water tank outside the ward. There, he had to use a bucket to draw water to wash or bathe. Later, with a metal jug on one hand and a metal plate on the other, he stood in the queue with other convicts to be served breakfast. It was rice and pol [coconut] sambol. As a prelude to Prison officials assigning him his daily chores, a doctor examined him. Tailors at the prison also took his correct measurements to provide him more jumpers to suit his size.

For lunch on Friday, he joined the queue again with the metal cup and plate. Lunch was rice, a watery cucumber curry, dhal, a vegetable Mellun (dry curry or condiment made of minced leaves or fruit and scraped coconut) with a small piece of fish and gravy. Immediately thereafter, he was back in his cell until 2 p.m. After a short break outside with more chores, he returned to the cell at 7 p.m. The lights go out at that time and he would have to sleep in the darkness until dawn next morning.

That will now be the daily routine for Fonseka, the former Commander of the Army, who led troops for the military defeat of Tiger guerrillas in May last year. Promoted to become the only serving General in the Army's 61 year history, he earned many plaudits from UPFA [government] leaders. He was dubbed the "best Army Commander in the world." Public ceremonies were held in temples and schools countrywide to felicitate him. There is little or no doubt, that Fonseka's rich military acumen contributed in no small measure to the victory. . .

Exactly two weeks after he was stripped of his rank, his titles, his medals of decoration and his pension forfeited, Fonseka was sentenced to two and half years of rigorous imprisonment. The first punishment came on September 17 after a General Court Martial (GCM) found him guilty of "dabbling in politics." A second GCM recommended the sentence of two and half year's rigorous imprisonment after he was found guilty of "disgraceful conduct" over military procurements." [end of quote]

Sri Lankans now enjoy peace after 30 years of a catastrophic civil war. There are no suicide bombers or massacres by "the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world", the LTTE. But, the man who commanded the army is now a prisoner, the victim of trumped-up charges and kangaroo courts. Shame on all of us for allowing this to happen.