Trincomalee | Shiva and Whales

I arrived by the red bus numbered 931. The white clock tower in front of the station pointed to twelve o'clock.🍚🍚 🌮I negotiated the price with a tricycle driver, ready to head to Uppuveli Beach. As I got into the tricycle, in the left rearview mirror, there appeared the back of an Eastern man, who was quickly crossing the road. But it was just a fleeting glimpse in the corner of my eye. The vehicle started immediately, and the scenery in the mirror began to flow.🌻 🌸Trincomalee is a famous whale-watching spot in Sri Lanka, but September is not the season for whales to appear. 🍁 However, dolphins are numerous. They leap out of the sea and chase the boats. 🚢 About an hour later, the speedboat driver entered the peninsula area where Fort Frederick is located.🌾🌾 🙉It is a cliff towering above the ocean. In the rocks near the top of the cape, there stands a Hindu deity statue, which, from a distance, looks like the realm of gods.👉👈 🍐🎼When approaching, looking up along the crack between the cliffs, there was the colorful fence of the viewing platform, and there seemed to be a figure of an Eastern man passing by. But it was too far to be sure. After returning to the hostel, I checked the photo taken at that moment, but there was only the deep crack occupying the center of the view, like the third eye of the cliff above the sea.🏖️🏖️ In the morning⛅⛅, I went to Fort Frederick that I passed by yesterday. It was built by the Portuguese in the 17th century, then taken over by the Dutch and the British, and now it is a famous attraction in Trincomalee.🍔 Going up from the fort area to the highest point, Swami Rock, the Kandaswamy Temple built here is one of the most important Hindu temples in Sri Lanka. 🌙 Outside the temple, there is a tall four-armed deity statue, which is "Lingam", the earthly manifestation of Shiva, symbolizing time without beginning or end.🏘️ 👣👣Walking along the steps inscribed with Tamil, I entered the viewing platform by the cliff. 🛶 In the distance, several whale-watching boats were passing by, their transparent trails like the hands of a clock, slowly disappearing into the vast ocean.🏖️🏖️ Under the dilapidated century-old city walls, I watched young boys practicing cricket. 👊 🍡🍡A man who might be their coach silently handed me a chair. A local friend drove me to the more distant Nilaveli Beach and treated me to a berry drink made by locals. 🥭Most of the time, I walked aimlessly on unnamed streets, letting the lives of the town's residents be reflected in me. 🍜 Among the brightly colored houses, there are Hindu temples, Christian churches, Buddhist monasteries, and Islamic mosques.🥝 Gods live together in this city, as if this place is a crossroads in the universe.🥩 💗 People of different faiths shuttle through it. Shiva, sitting on a whale, swims from the depths, while I am an outsider thrown in by time. I was going to Batticaloa. The tricycle driver dropped me off opposite the station. When crossing the road, I caught a glimpse of the time on the left white clock tower: twelve o'clock.💖 It's still early, I thought, and walked straight into the station. Beside the platform was the red bus numbered 931, which had probably just arrived.✨✨ #SriLanka #Whale #Trincomalee #TravelDiary #Hinduism