An Island Life: Passing through Hamilton Canel

It s Saturday..Technically I supposed to be work at office.Instead of stopping near Slave island Railway Station I went towards Galle face green,Early morning enjoying the sea breeze ,I kept moving towards Mutwal.
End the end I was near Hamilton canal.
I was about six or seven years old when I first time saw this canal.Actually I did not notice the canal even.I went to Leprosy hospital with my Mother.
I was more exited about the hospital than this Canal.
Sometimes later I was passing through Hamilton canal,but road s were really we never tried going through the banks of the canal.
Actually Hamilton canal was not designed to be drive vehicles over the bank of it.The whole idea behind the Hamilton canal was use the canal it self as a way of transportation.
I got old picture of it...The Dutch designed it,definitely they influenced by their country.
unfortunately i did not have a picture how it look like in late 80's .

This is a very old photograph.I can t remember Hamilton canal like this.when i saw it those days it was not clean like this at all.

This is a place where majority of the people involved in fishing industry.Actually it is not supposed to be crystal clean water front retreat.

we have experienced different levels of urban retreats within past three four years. Hamilton canal also has developed as urban retreat area.

It was around 7 a.m .There were not much people as well dynamism of the fishing community seems dead.There were long line of fishing boats but there was no life in it.

Actually I was thinking should I go forward towards Uswata keiiaywa or should I take a u turns.

I m not a fan of U turn except the movie which Sean Penn and Jenifer Lopez appeared.

So why not Keep moving forward...

So I took the coastal line towards Negambo..

We Sri Lankans have a popular joke among friends,which is going to UK.It s that all Sri Lankan been to United Kingdom,but most of us been to UK,that is Uswata keiiaywa UK. Subtle beach which is really close to Colombo.There are people who brought lands and have their own beach villa Around Preethipura or UK.When we are passing through the beach road road elevation gives different social layers of Sri Lanka,

Beach Villas which were designed by eminent architects and also small shack dwellings.Some land owners have sold most of their land to an outsider now looking at the well designed boundary walls happily, Obviously they don' t enjoy beach or the sea breeze, may be looking at the sea for too long...

That is human nature we do get board on most romantic things very soon,and we are loosing it forever.

As well there are identical clone copies of beach Villas in Malibu,plus local interpretation of post modernism architecture with over decorated pediment and Corinthian , Doric columns and extravagant minimalist architecture..

Can we always agreed that Less Is More?

Hamilton Canal long time ago...Thanks to the google

Hamilton Canal now..

Its a common Sri Lankan style of urban retreat..Somewhere in future it may recognize as MR style or Ghota Style.What ever it s typical red color cement block pavings with concrete curb .