The Captain's Message as we head to Sri Lanka.................

As we commenced the two day voyage from Malaysia to Sri Lanka, our Captain notified us of the Anti-Piracy Drill to be held the next morning. As we would be passing through the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, areas well documented for piracy, QE was required to take precautions.

We were assured that we'd be using an internationally approved transit corridor under the protection of an International Military Task Force, including the UK Royal Navy.

We did the drill, which included sitting on the floor of the internal corridors, and not in front of the closed cabin door......

...........and from then on things on board changed somewhat.

Bob on the promenade deck - high powered water 

hoses visible behind him.

• External promenade deck 3 (in above photo) was closed from dusk to dawn - being the lowest open deck where grappling ladders could be used by speeding pirate boats 
• Large fire hoses were at the ready on that same deck - apparently forceful enough to knock back pirates 
• During hours of darkness only essential open deck lights would be on as it was important to reduce the ship's external lighting
• Curtains of cabin/balcony windows were to be closed at night and cabin lights turned off when not required
• We attended an extremely enlightening lecture, with excellent videos, showing just how those Somali pirates work, given by a high profile Royal Navy Commander who was aboard to assist in setting up the safety system.  Fortunately no cruise ship has been taken hostage yet , only container ships and small private vessels which are easily  boarded
• The Commander stated that armed security agents had been brought on board for the duration of the journey to Dubai - they were trained to shoot to kill any pirates who tried to board the ship

This was the Queen Elizabeth's maiden call to Colombo, the largest city in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). The large harbor and strategic position along the East-West trade routes was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago.

Fast Facts

• Similar in size to Tasmania, Sri Lanka is half the area of England and slightly smaller than Ireland
• Approx. 70% of the population are Buddhists
• The classic film 'Bridge On The River Kwai' (1957) was shot on location here
• The horrific tsunami of Dec. 2004 devastated coastal communities and killed more than 30,000 people
• Sri Lanka is the world's fourth largest producer of tea after China, India and Kenya

Colorful musicians and dancers in national costume welcomed us to their country.

A tour around the city included a visit to the National Museum..........where a huge Banyan tree, also known as a 'strangler fig' stood guard......

........and was thankfully air conditioned inside for viewing more Buddhas and interesting artifacts.......

..........because it was unbearable outside where I stopped to view the prayer flags.

Hot and humid in the streets so we did very

little walking....

............these were actually 'lady monks' making good use of their umbrellas - sorry for blue tinge, our tour bus had dirty tinted windows and I got very few good images through them!

The taxi driver washed the dust off his little green auto rickshaw, a 3-wheeled tuk-tuk. This mode of transportation is definitely not for those of a nervous disposition as they weave in and out of traffic......apparently an unforgettable experience!

An elegant lady with the right idea for keeping 

cool in Colombo.

Next on the trip...........sailing to India. Thankfully, no visits from pirates!