I sent this to Karen to post because we could not get onto LCT, but now we can so I'll go ahead and post myself:

We had a very nice day at a resort in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We began early in the morning (about 8:30 AM) with a 20-mile drive from the pier through the city—our guide’s commentary indicated that we were going through a number of “zones” in Colombo and smaller cities as we headed to the Blue Water hotel, which was located in Wadduwa.

Traffic was heavy and it took about 90 minutes, but he did a pretty good job providing background and describing what we were seeing. There were no stops along the way, which was okay, but of course it made taking photos more challenging from a moving coach.

We were happy when we reached the resort, and we made a beeline for the chaises to avoid the difficulties we had at our previous resort excursion. Fortunately, there were only two buses on this excursion, and there were numerous chairs. Two other couples in our “group” were with us. The only tricky part was finding some shade because there were primarily coconut palms in the area—no artificial umbrellas or the like. We were fairly successful, though we had to keep moving our chaises to remain somewhat protected from the intense sun. There were wonderful breezes from the ocean. However, the beach itself was very quiet with few swimmers in it. We also learned there was a strong undertow, so only two our group actually went in the ocean. I wasn’t one of them as I was more than happy with the pool (described below).

The resort was really very beautiful, nestled among the coconut groves and tropical gardens. There were also pools and a small waterway just for design that were very attractive. The infinity swimming pull was extremely large and unusual--divided into two sections, and one could swim from one to the other through a relatively narrow channel and under a bridge. There was a huge area in which I could swim laps undisturbed by the few swimmers, and the temperature of the water was perfect.

We brought some snacks and even little sandwiches because we have been reluctant to eat the local food. here was a huge buffet lunch included, but I have no first-hand knowledge of how it was. The service of the “pool attendants” in providing mats and towels was cordial. There was also the opportunity to schedule spa treatments, which were less expensive than the ship, but significantly more than in Bangkok or Cambodia.

We spent less than four hours at Blue Water because the ship was sailing for Cochin at about 4 PM, and we had the long drive back. During return trip, we saw a few more of the important sights around the center of Colombo.

Upon returning to the Voyager, I quickly showered and went to trivia, where I am happy to report that our team finally won. One of the questions was: Which “broad” became a Dame alongside of Julie Andrews. There were guesses of Shirley Bassie and Judy Dench, but Andi Waterehouse insisted it was Elizabeth Taylor. (Who ever heard of Dame Elizabeth?) But we ended up humoring her, and changed it back to Liz, and she was right!

We had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner with the Simpsons and the lecturer onboard, Sandra Bowern. who they knew from previous cruises. I wasn’t crazy about my Venison, but the jovial conversation more than made up for it.

We are scheduled to arrive in Cochin, India at about noon today (Saturday), and we are taking a “Highlights” tour as we will be overnighting and have a longer tour scheduled for Sunday.

I sent a number of photos to Karen this morning (our time) so I hope you will see them soon.

We had a terrific guide this afternoon in Cochin, India, for our "Highlights" tour. Many of us are on the "Tranquil Backwaters" tour tomorrow.

Now we have to get going to meet Ngaire, Ken, Peggy, and Jerry for dinner.

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Eugene (and Gail)