‘Acadia‘ has the WONDERFUL, FREE, ‘Island Explorer‘ bus service — part funded by Park Entrance Fees.
Providing a bus service to the summit of ‘Cadillac‘ — should be THEIR EXCLUSIVE prerogative. This shuttle to Cadillac does NOT have to be FREE. People will gladly pay.
It is wrong that a private company is allowed to profit from this.
This should be a Park Service initiative — that they get money for.
This makes me mad & sad.
Looks like there was some ‘insider’ trading — if you know what I mean.
What the protestors, irresponsibly led by Buddhist monks, set fire to on Saturday was the Sri Lankan Prime Ministers OFFICIAL RESIDENCE, viz., ‘Temple Trees‘, rather than, per ignorant media reports, his private residence. Monumental Difference.
The Official Residence, Temple Trees, is the PEOPLE’S HOUSE! Belongs to the COUNTRY — to its people — than the Prime Minister. Much of what would have been inside would also not have been his. At most, at the time, he would have had some of his clothes. He will make sure he gets reimbursed for that! So, no skin off the PM’s nose.
The idiotic protestors were hurting themselves. Their property. The country’s heritage.
STUPID. But, then again, that is US (& I, alas, have to include myself with them given my birth). We, as a nation, are not very smart. These protests just highlighted it.
I will also admit that I have a rather soft spot for Temple Trees. In the 1960s, when I was growing up there, it was a BEAUTIFUL place. You approached it via a long drive lined, on both sides, with flowering (mainly white) Temple Trees. Hence, the name.
White ‘Temple Tree’ flowers. Image from ‘Wikipedia’
It was, as now, painted white. I remember going there a few times, possibly around four. This was during (one of) Aunty Bandaranaike’s terms as Prime Minister. (Given that I left Ceylon in 1969, this had to have been during her 1960 – 1965 term.) My father was one of her closest collaborators at the time & there was a period of about 9 months (during what was the height of the so called ‘Schools Takeover’) when she called our house, first thing every morning & I would rush to answer the phone. Nothing like starting your day wishing good morning to your country’s PM. I had lunch there once. I still remember that vividly. My father had a meeting with her & he had picked me up from school & didn’t have time to drop me off at home or with one of other aunties. Instead he had arranged for me to have lunch there. I ate alone. It was in a long, very shaded (meaning it was sheltered from sunshine), dark wood paneled dinning room with a very long table made from dark wood. Very solemn room. I was served by two white-dressed servants. That part was not new to I. Was used to being served at meals. Well … So, Temple Trees is not just a name to I.
That said I have never been inside the President’s Official Residence — the Governor General’s in my day. I have sat outside, in the car, while my father went inside. But, I was never taken in. My father was not as close to the then Governor General’s as he was to Mrs. Bandaranaike. (My father had also been her husband’s Private Secretary when HE was PM.)
So, yes, I have a personal take on this.
Aggravates me that the media gets this SO, SO WRONG.
