Jaina Gazette 1927

Author(s): J L Jaini, Ajitprasad
Publisher: Jaina Gazettee Office

Page 38

OUR JAPAN LETTER
23
equally hot so we got our beds out and slept on the deck. I shall never forget my first night on sea for it was a unique experience for r.: ind my wife and child who were accompanying me.
We solved the food trouble and the Captain of the ship was pleased to allot a special place for us where we could cook our food in comfort and ease. We had brought with us from Bombay a sufficient quantity of all kinds of edibles and fresh vegetables etc. to last a week or so. We had therefore no anxiety about the meals which is a source of so much trouble to so many vegetarians and about which we were in great anxiety. We were quite pleased with our own arrangements. Later we understood from the other passengers that the food that was supplied to them by the boat was very inferior indeed.
Once the boat started it did not stop even for a minute. We were told that the boat would touch Colombo but for a few hours only. We were burning with desire to see the famous golden Lanka of Ravan and our wishes were about to be fulfilled. Three days after in the morning at about ten o'clock, the boat reached the break-water and as the waters in the port are very treacherous there are no jelties in Colombo. All the boats stop in mid stream, As soon as the boat arrived in the break-water the water police or what is called the Colombo harbour police came on board and examined the passports of all the passengers. That was something formal, but as the port of Bombay was declared an infected port, some of the passengers were not allowed to go on board. The boat was to stop in Colombɔ waters for few hours only, so we had to make the best of our time there. Hurriedly we got down and went ashore. Adjoining the wharf is the portion of the city known as the Fort. where there are all the principal shops of the town and any and everything can be procured there. With the help of the Parsee world tourist who already had seen Colombo some half a dozen times we were enabled to see the major portion of the port city in about hall a dozen hours. Colombo is one of the most importent coaling ports in the world, and one of the biggest. Most of the steamers pass through Colombo. The city more or less
depends upon tourists. Needless to say that we were quite Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat