Clarence K Bronson (DD 668) - Naval Cruise Book

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On entering the liarbor at Colombo, we were impressed by the large, varied amount of ship- ping present. Although the harbor is relatively small, it accommodates quite a number of ships by the expedient of mooring them in lines, with one buoy serving to hold the bow of one ship and the stern of the next. Thus, our entrance resembled that of a car cautiously threading its way through a parking lot. On om- trips around the town to the color- ful market areas, the cinnamon gardens, the cocoanut groves and the Hindu Temples we saw many a skeptical group of sailors watching a turbanned Hindu with his pipe trying to stir a sluggish king cobra into life. The zoo at Colombo is one of the loveliest we had seen. It is located in a beautiful park filled with many specimens of native flora. When we had become accustomed to the many priests in their brilliant yellow saris and the women who wore jewels in their noses we spent some time watching the many animals and brightly-hued birds of the jungle, and saw the elephant dance in a natural open amphitheater. There was also a full day trip to Khondi, and on it we saw impressive jungle scenery and many wild beasts in their natural habitat. The wild game hunters returned to the ship somewhat sooner than expected, their tour having come to an untimely end when the state game warden gave an unceremonious negative to their appeal for permission to hunt rogue elephants. Two unforgettable memories remain with us: the permeating and inescapable odor of Indian incense and the vision of the exotic Egyptian Ecdictjst (uh— belly dancer). We left Colombo after a three-day visit tak- ing with us a substantial part of Colombo ' s pith helmets, star sapphires, and carved ebony elephants. 67

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Bduin, ȣf ; ' %m. i!iSiti Then through the Suez Canal, with a stop at Port Said, and on into the wintry Mediterranean 69