We did have to wait until after lunch today to find the get on the bus and get underway but eventually the people at the Sri Lanka customs service gave way and we were able to make our way to the dock and finally join JOIDES Resolution.  Not that we are actually able to leave the ship again at this point but at least there is some sense of accomplishment that we have reached our vessel and started to have our scientific meetings to get ready for the work that comes ahead. It was also fun to drive through the center of Colombo looking at some of the old buildings that lined the route including the ones in the picture that you see here.  With any luck we will get permission to go on shore tomorrow as we will not sail for a few days yet and I’m sure we will all get more than enough time in and around the ship over the next eight or nine weeks. Today we focused on introducing ourselves to the rest the scientific party and unpacking our stuff into the cabins. Everything seems new and exciting at the moment and there is a sense of something finally happening after such a long time of thinking and talking about this expedition.