Independence Celebrations from Galle Face Hotel
Published on Indulge - the weekend supplement of the Nation newspaper on 17th February, 2008
On 3rd February evening, on the spur of the moment we checked into Galle Face Hotel, so that we can watch the Independence parade live. It must be the best decision of the year! The parade couldn’t get livelier than that. From the hotel’s veranda, the parade was just 10 or so feet away. The entire parade assembled and marched right passed us. The vibrancy and the echoes of the fired cannons can never be experienced fully on TV. When it was time for the air force to make their appearance, hotel guests ran out to get a better glimpse. It was a fabulous experience.
All the hotel guests, almost all foreign nationals, loved the parade. Many had never seen anything like that before. Some of them were to check out from the hotel that morning, but couldn’t due to the roads been closed. Yet, far from taking it as an inconvenience they all thought it was a lucky chance and definitely the highlight of their holiday. Interestingly, most of them didn’t know of the parade until they were caught up in it.
Of course the security was very tight. Guests checking into the hotel were escorted into the rooms by security personnel and the luggage was thoroughly checked. Still, the experience was not uncomfortable for both the security personnel and the hotel staff was very courteous, even apologetic and as discreet as possible. After rummaging through the luggage, they put it exactly in the same order it was. There were strict orders not to take any photographs or peep through the windows, but that was as far as it went as to restrictions.
While we enjoyed the parade and would definitely continue as a tradition in the years to come, it is sad that the tourist sector has not made better use of this event. It is not only the Independence celebrations that go un-noted. There are so many cultural events that take place in Sri Lanka that goes by unnoticed.
The procession preceding the great ‘katina’ deed in November, where priests conclude their 3-month seclusion brought on by the rainy season is another case in point. This procession comprise of hundreds of dancers, drummers, lantern bearers, stilt-walkers and many more artists from the traditional dancing arena. The dancing groups itself varies from one to the other and some of these traditional dancing is very hip. Yet, these are things we’ve witnessed by chance than by planning.
If it is during the course of 30 years that we’ve accidentally come across these fantastic events, what hope is there for a foreigner who comes on a 3-week vacation? We have all these fabulous things that are happening in the Island - at any given time - that no one is bothered to highlight. We are so comfortable selling Sri Lanka as a cheap beach destination. Sad!
Even Galle Face Hotel, with its warm and friendly service, was a disappointment. We checked into a suit in the old wing for we wanted to be close to the parade as possible. The carpet leading to the room was threadbare. The suit, though large, was in dire state. Minimum required furniture was haphazardly chucked in and the bathroom with its cracked bathtub looked really, really old. It was not the experience of a plush city hotel - and a hotel of historic significance for that matter, but that of a seedy motel.
One thing I’m grateful to Galle Face Hotel is they helped me achieve something that was very difficult for me. You see, I love lamb and can never resist it and have been trying very hard to. The lamb chops ordered into the room that night was so bad that it really put me off lamb for a very long time. I was really surprised by the poor quality of food that was brought into the room. Though not a regular visitor, the number of times I’ve been before had not been disappointing. In fact, their breakfast buffet was good - nothing extraordinary, but not terrible as the dinner we ordered through room service.
At the breakfast buffet I witnessed something really strange that I must share with you. There was this foreign gentleman who had served milk-rice into a cereal bowl that already had cereals in it and was pouring milk on top! I wanted to him why, but since he didn’t look like he fancied a chat I left him alone. Perhaps hotels should take note of what I witnessed and have flashcards recommending the accompaniments that goes with our local food.
Next year, I’d be checking into the new wing for I’ve seen the brochures and the rooms do look lovely. The photographer had better not be playing any tricks!!!
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