Chiliana Jones
New member
Hi gang!
I came home from a ten-day trip to Sri Lanka a couple of days ago. And sure enough i have my story to tell to my fellow Indyfans.
Sit down, relax with a cup of coffee, snacks or whatever you like because here is my story:
After i spendt some days in Colombo i took the train to Kandy. From the trainstation i took a tuk-tuk to my hotel. On the way i noticed the Hotel Suisse. That's where Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy lived during the making of "Indiana Jones and the temple of doom" (Not sure if Harrison Ford lived there but my guess is that he did).
Hotel Suisse
I arrived the hotel and got to my room and layd down to rest a bit and looked through my Lonely Planet book. Not really interested in sightseeing on the regular tourist stuff i went up to the reception and with me i brought two picture, one with the Sivalinga Shrine and the other of Oodewella Top Division sign(both pictures taken by COWs one and only ijq8). I asked the receptionist if he knew where it was. He knew the sign but not the stone. I asked him if he knew a good driver who could take me there. He called someone and told me that there was someone on the way to have a chat with me.
Ten minutes later the driver arrived. We sat down and discussed. I mentioned The temple of doom film that was shot around this area. Driver had never heard of it. He'd even never heard of Indiana Jones, wich i found strange, but i told him that there are filmlocations around, one at the Hantana tea estate and one at the Victoria dam. I showed him pictures from the film on my phone.
Driver: "Yes that is victoria dam but that bridge is not there anymore sir"
Me: "That i know but the pillars are. They are on a restricted area but do you think it's possible to get there?"
Driver: "Yes that spot is restricted. I can take you to Victoria Dam but i can't promise you that you'll get to that aera. There are guards everywhere. You can ask them but i can't promise you that you can get in."
Me: "Just take me there and to the Hantana estate"
Driver: "Okay. We'll go tomorrow. First to Victoria Dam and then to the estate."
Me: "Deal."
Driver: "But you must know that that bridge is not there sir"
Me: :-s :roll:
The day after the driver picked me up at the hotel in the morning and we set of towards:
THE VICTORIA DAM
After driving for a while on a small road through a forest we arrived a gate. There were soldiers there talking to some other guy trying to get through.
Driver: "You just sit in the car. I'll go talk to them"
I sat there in the car and watched the other guy passing through the gate while my driver spoke to the soldiers. "This is heavy" i though to myself, thinking that we probably won't get further than this.
Then i saw my driver coming towards the car and noticed one of the guards were about to close the gate. "Sh**! We didn't get through" i thought but then my driver turned towards the soldier and said something and then they opened the gate again. "Phew!". Driver came in the car:
Driver: "Do you have any cigarettes?"
Me: "Uh no. I don't smoke"
Driver: "Oh well. Not a big deal. Just that it would be nice to give the soldiers a gift like that. They like it but we may pass"
Me: "I'll think about that the next time."
We passed the gate.
We came up to some kind of a "Welcome center", with a viewpoint and and cafeteria. My driver signed us in and then we walked out to the porch with the view over the dam.
Driver: "Wanna go down to the dam and get the view?"
Me: "wait"
I walked to the left of the porch and grabbed mi binoculars out from my satchel and started looking. There were trees in the way but i could see through the branches.
Driver: "what are you looking for sir?"
Me: "What do you think?"
Driver: "Sir, you won't find anything there. Let's just go down to the dam and.."
Me: "There they are."
Driver: "What?"
Me: "The pillars. They are right there. Have a look"
Driver: "What? They are there? (grabs the binoculars and looks) Oh sir you are right! I see them! I see them!"
Me: "What did i tell ya?"
Driver: "Wait here! I'll get us down there"
Driver ran off to speak with the boss, a man who has being working there for 33 years (and was present during the filming of Temple of doom. Driver told me to come and meet the boss. I did and the boss asked what film i was there for. I told him and he just looked at me and nodded a little and then Driver told me to wait outside at the porch again.
While they were discussing i tried to take a picture of the pillars from the viewpoint.
Driver came back and forth many times, telling how it is going. The boss was hard to bargain with. After the third 4th time Driver came back:
Driver: "This was hard. He is telling us to leave but i do see we have a chance to get down there"
Me: "Wich is?"
Driver: "about 20%"
While Driver and me dicussed the Boss came behind us, standing on the top of the stairs by the door.
Boss: "Gentlemen..(we turn towards him)...come with me."
Me and driver looked at each other, wondering what's going on.
Driver: "Come sir."
We followed the Boss. Driver spoke to the boss and then sendt me a little tumbs up. We sat in the car with the boss and drove down the road. We came to a post were there were soldiers but the Boss just waved at them and they let us through. We parked a little further down the road and the boss, who is an old man, started jumping and climbing up some rocks.
Boss: "Follow me. This way"
Me: (thinking) "Gee. For an old guy this guy is like a young monkey"
I came up and walked a little bit, following the boss until he turned towards me
Boss: "Recognize something?"
And there it was. The view towards victora dam and i saw the big berg of a rock were the bridge was attached to. The cliff i was standing on is now with a huge barb wired fence(but easy to see through). I saw the pillars on the other side
I walked a little further towards the forest and then i spotted:
I went to the pillars and had a look. One of them were broken (same thing on one of the pillars on the other side)
Pillars on the other side (notice that there a still some painting on them):
The boss showed me some of the steel cable that were used for the bridge:
and of course, some posing shots:
THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED WITH MORE STORIES AND PICTURES. STAY TUNED.
UNTIL THEN, HERE IS A SMALL TEASER ON WHAT'S TO COME:
CJ
I came home from a ten-day trip to Sri Lanka a couple of days ago. And sure enough i have my story to tell to my fellow Indyfans.
Sit down, relax with a cup of coffee, snacks or whatever you like because here is my story:
After i spendt some days in Colombo i took the train to Kandy. From the trainstation i took a tuk-tuk to my hotel. On the way i noticed the Hotel Suisse. That's where Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy lived during the making of "Indiana Jones and the temple of doom" (Not sure if Harrison Ford lived there but my guess is that he did).
Hotel Suisse
I arrived the hotel and got to my room and layd down to rest a bit and looked through my Lonely Planet book. Not really interested in sightseeing on the regular tourist stuff i went up to the reception and with me i brought two picture, one with the Sivalinga Shrine and the other of Oodewella Top Division sign(both pictures taken by COWs one and only ijq8). I asked the receptionist if he knew where it was. He knew the sign but not the stone. I asked him if he knew a good driver who could take me there. He called someone and told me that there was someone on the way to have a chat with me.
Ten minutes later the driver arrived. We sat down and discussed. I mentioned The temple of doom film that was shot around this area. Driver had never heard of it. He'd even never heard of Indiana Jones, wich i found strange, but i told him that there are filmlocations around, one at the Hantana tea estate and one at the Victoria dam. I showed him pictures from the film on my phone.
Driver: "Yes that is victoria dam but that bridge is not there anymore sir"
Me: "That i know but the pillars are. They are on a restricted area but do you think it's possible to get there?"
Driver: "Yes that spot is restricted. I can take you to Victoria Dam but i can't promise you that you'll get to that aera. There are guards everywhere. You can ask them but i can't promise you that you can get in."
Me: "Just take me there and to the Hantana estate"
Driver: "Okay. We'll go tomorrow. First to Victoria Dam and then to the estate."
Me: "Deal."
Driver: "But you must know that that bridge is not there sir"
Me: :-s :roll:
The day after the driver picked me up at the hotel in the morning and we set of towards:
THE VICTORIA DAM
After driving for a while on a small road through a forest we arrived a gate. There were soldiers there talking to some other guy trying to get through.
Driver: "You just sit in the car. I'll go talk to them"
I sat there in the car and watched the other guy passing through the gate while my driver spoke to the soldiers. "This is heavy" i though to myself, thinking that we probably won't get further than this.
Then i saw my driver coming towards the car and noticed one of the guards were about to close the gate. "Sh**! We didn't get through" i thought but then my driver turned towards the soldier and said something and then they opened the gate again. "Phew!". Driver came in the car:
Driver: "Do you have any cigarettes?"
Me: "Uh no. I don't smoke"
Driver: "Oh well. Not a big deal. Just that it would be nice to give the soldiers a gift like that. They like it but we may pass"
Me: "I'll think about that the next time."
We passed the gate.
We came up to some kind of a "Welcome center", with a viewpoint and and cafeteria. My driver signed us in and then we walked out to the porch with the view over the dam.
Driver: "Wanna go down to the dam and get the view?"
Me: "wait"
I walked to the left of the porch and grabbed mi binoculars out from my satchel and started looking. There were trees in the way but i could see through the branches.
Driver: "what are you looking for sir?"
Me: "What do you think?"
Driver: "Sir, you won't find anything there. Let's just go down to the dam and.."
Me: "There they are."
Driver: "What?"
Me: "The pillars. They are right there. Have a look"
Driver: "What? They are there? (grabs the binoculars and looks) Oh sir you are right! I see them! I see them!"
Me: "What did i tell ya?"
Driver: "Wait here! I'll get us down there"
Driver ran off to speak with the boss, a man who has being working there for 33 years (and was present during the filming of Temple of doom. Driver told me to come and meet the boss. I did and the boss asked what film i was there for. I told him and he just looked at me and nodded a little and then Driver told me to wait outside at the porch again.
While they were discussing i tried to take a picture of the pillars from the viewpoint.
Driver came back and forth many times, telling how it is going. The boss was hard to bargain with. After the third 4th time Driver came back:
Driver: "This was hard. He is telling us to leave but i do see we have a chance to get down there"
Me: "Wich is?"
Driver: "about 20%"
While Driver and me dicussed the Boss came behind us, standing on the top of the stairs by the door.
Boss: "Gentlemen..(we turn towards him)...come with me."
Me and driver looked at each other, wondering what's going on.
Driver: "Come sir."
We followed the Boss. Driver spoke to the boss and then sendt me a little tumbs up. We sat in the car with the boss and drove down the road. We came to a post were there were soldiers but the Boss just waved at them and they let us through. We parked a little further down the road and the boss, who is an old man, started jumping and climbing up some rocks.
Boss: "Follow me. This way"
Me: (thinking) "Gee. For an old guy this guy is like a young monkey"
I came up and walked a little bit, following the boss until he turned towards me
Boss: "Recognize something?"
And there it was. The view towards victora dam and i saw the big berg of a rock were the bridge was attached to. The cliff i was standing on is now with a huge barb wired fence(but easy to see through). I saw the pillars on the other side
I walked a little further towards the forest and then i spotted:
I went to the pillars and had a look. One of them were broken (same thing on one of the pillars on the other side)
Pillars on the other side (notice that there a still some painting on them):
The boss showed me some of the steel cable that were used for the bridge:
and of course, some posing shots:
THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED WITH MORE STORIES AND PICTURES. STAY TUNED.
UNTIL THEN, HERE IS A SMALL TEASER ON WHAT'S TO COME:
CJ