Sri Lanka

I got back from Sri Lanka last night and thought it best to write everything down while it is fresh in my mind. Plus I woke up at 5:00 this morning with full fledged sun shining through my drawn shades. It IS the longest day of the year after all. Oh well. Hopefully it will be a productive day.

(this is Negumbo where we stayed. This would be the nicer part...)

If someone were to ask me if I had a good time I get a guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach because I know I am suppose to say an enthusiastic yes. But the truth of the matter is traveling there was really really hard. I am left with mostly warm fuzzy thoughts as the last few days there were really great, but the first three were pretty rough and are reason enough for me not to want to go back. Am I glad I went? Absolutely. Do it again? Nah. The resort we stayed in was just North of Colombo, the countries former capital. The resort itself was very nice. Picturesque beach surrounded by palm and coconut trees and the relaxed atmosphere we were hoping for. (I traveled with a girl friend from Uni called Kat).

(this is Wilma walking the border of our resort, asking us to buy something and if not now, maybe later? as soon as you left the resort boundaries you were jumped on by locals trying to sell you stuff. Wilma was a favorite)

When we got to the resort, Brown's Beach, I was very excited as I sat there waiting for my hotel key and sipping on some wonderful glass of juice that they brought to me straight away, already forgetting the throngs of people at the airport who were insistent they help me with my bag as to secure a tip, and the hundreds of people staring at the very white tourists. We spent most of the first day inside the resort, laying by the pool and dozing on the sand.

(one of the many beautiful beaches in Southern Sri Lanka)

The second day was more of a nightmare. We were in Negumbo which is a fishing village and supposedly had some sights of interest in the city centre. Kat and I decided to take a walk as we were told that it was only a couple of kilometers away. As soon as we stepped on the street we began to A) regret walking and B) become incredibly uncomfortable. Being white in Sri Lanka is one thing but when you are traveling with an attractive English blond, it becomes quite another. Walking down the street we were openly stared at and constantly being talked to. Tuk tuks, which are their version of taxis, consistently stopped to ask us if we wanted a ride, some offering to do it for free just for kicks. The street was lined with poorly built buildings and the street littered with trash. There was nothing pretty or charming about it. After walking for about 40 minutes we came to a T in the road and unsure where to go we looked around the stalls lined there, selling fruit, various beans and chickens. Pretty sure we no longer knew what we were doing we grabbed a tuk tuk and went on home. I know I am sounding pretty naive when writing this but it was a feeling I had never encountered before. I didn't feel threatened or scared. I knew I wasn't going to be hurt. I just felt really really uncomfortable and like I was some asshole at a zoo there to take in the misery of other people. They are obviously so poor and I felt really guilty for being there. It was a feeling I had never encountered before. I knew I was going to a third world country but a brief trip to Baja Mexico just hadn't prepared me for what that really meant.

(view from the window of our van driving into Columbo)

The next day we hired a driver to take us further south to Galle where the beaches are suppose to be amazing, taking a few sights in on the way. The driver we hired was used by a friend who had recently been there so we felt comfortable with him and knew we could trust him based on his recommendation. There are no highways in Sri Lanka but rather just roads that go on for miles and for about three hours it was full of cars and tuk tuks and lined with shacks housing businesses and homes. It was very very congested and honestly, a shit hole. We at one point saw a mountain of trash. It was huge. That was in Columbo where we had been advised not to go due to the war, but driving through was really no big deal. We first stopped at a spice garden which is really just a way to get tourists to spend money. This one was particularly bad. At the end of the tour, which is filled with random facts about spices that you are pretty sure he made up, they give you a neck and shoulder massage and then end with your feet. Hated it. I am usually all up for massages but this felt a little sleazy and I was kind of pissed at our driver for taking us there. We tipped the people there (you tip everyone for everything) and then got the hell out of there. We next went to the turtle farm which was a huge highlight.

(me holding a one day old turtle...they were surprisingly strong!)

There are a few turtle sanctuaries where they take the eggs laid on the beach by the endangered turtles and then bury them in a protective area until they hatch . Once they hatch they put them in tanks for three days until they are strong enough to go out in the ocean on their own, and then they swim away. The man working there said about 25% of them survive. We had so much fun playing with the baby turtles. They were so cute! There were also a couple of resident older turtles who had been injured and could no longer live in the wild. We really enjoyed our time there.

The next stop was Galle which is on the tip of the county and is a major city. On the way there the shacks and congestion cleared up and the road was now lined with the beautiful beaches we had heard so much about. And they were beautiful. Sadly, the tsunami damage is still very prevalent. Not much has been done to rebuild the coast and it was sad to see abandoned homes, bits of which had been washed away. Sri Lanka is still very much affected by the tsunami and we were frequently told about how the tourist industry is being used as a ways to rebuild. When we got to Galle it began to pour down rain. The kind of rain where you are wet in one second. We went to the Dutch fort there, which is also kind of a making out spot for young lovers, and went into an old church left by the Dutch. Had it been a nice day I think Galle would have been fun to walk around in, but as it was it was raining and after walking along the fort walls we decided to break for lunch and dry off had lunch in Hikkaduwa, a resort beach on the way back to Negumbo. Like all restaurants in Sri Lanka, the menu is huge but if you stick to the curry you are usually guaranteed a good meal. I actually think I had a sandwich but the scenery couldn't have been any nicer. We got back to Negumbo, ate dinner and went straight to bed. We were left feeling more of what we felt the previous day but glad we had gone on our little adventure.

(left over damage from tsunami)

The next couple of days we had booked a tour that took you up to the hill country, where you spend the night in Kandy. We went with four couples (barf) and after the day before we just didn't know what to expect. It was amazing from the get go. For starters, you don't have to go through Colombo to get to the hill country so we got to see a different part of Negumbo that was lush and green. Real houses lined the roads, the kind you and I see everyday, and it was the tropical Sri Lanka I had been hoping for. Malik (as I will call him as none of us were too sure what his name was) was our guide and he was great. Better than great. He had such a warm glow to him and he seemed genuinely pleased to show us his country. He told us how much tourism had suffered due to the recent troubles, and how much people are affected by it. It seemed very important to him that we learn about Sri Lanka as a country so we could go home and tell people about a beautiful country filled with amazing things. We stopped often on the way to whatever destination we were headed to, so he could tell us about coconut farms that are the major source of income for the island (rubber and tea being second and third). He let us get out at photo opportunity times and constantly provided us with tid bits of information. Our first stop was the elephant orphanage.

(me and Kat riding an elephant...very strange feeling)

I love elephants. When we got there I couldn't believe how accessible the elephants were to the people visiting. We got to give up a couple a bath in the river and then took a ride (a very short one) after. It was amazing. Next we went to where they get to run around and feed in wide open land and for a tip they will let you take a picture standing next to one. Ours didn't turn out but you can see how close you are to them. It was nuts! Next it was feeding time and they bring in the baby elephants into a shelter where they feed them milk. I actually didn't like this part. Part of me didn't like the Disneyland aspect of the whole thing where you can ride elephants and play with them, but I tried to keep in mind that the overall objective of the orphanage is a good one, saving a dying species, and that tourism help pays for this. It got a little excessive though with the feeding as it was purely for show and there was just something off about people watching these babies eat, who are chained to the floor. We left after a while and went over to the river to wait for the elephants to take their baths. This was much better. They walk all the elephants down the street into the river where they automatically lay down and act how you would imagine elephants would act. A couple of the larger ones were chained up so that people could touch them, but the rest were left free to roam around and have a snack that they carried along with them with their trunks. The best part was watching the baby elephants play. They were so cute! They were so playful and just bobbed around in the water, dunking each other and wading into the tide to see how far it would take them. I could have sat there are all day. Sadly I couldn't as Malik had much much more for us to see.

(elephants taking a bath)

Next was the tea plantation. I was less impressed with this but it was kind of cool to see how tea is made. This is the only factory they allow people to visit so I am sure real working conditions are more brutal. At the end they feed you a cup of tea and then you can buy some to take home. We spent too much money on tea. This is where we began to see a trend develop. Sri Lanka is suppose to be cheap. And for the most part it is. But going on these tours you get the very distinct impression that you are being taken to overpriced places to encourage you to spend money. The tea we bought at the plantation was significantly more expensive than anything we would buy in Britain, and this began to happen a lot. You don't have to buy anything but you do feel pressure to. I can't really blame them but I would have rathered spent more time with the elephants than some of these places we went to. However, there were people who dropped a load of cash at most of them so I guess it worked out well for them. The next place we went to was another spice garden. Kat and I were wary due to our previous experience but this place was great! Our guide seemed truly knowledgeable (didn't seem to have a memorised speech like the previous guide) and we got to see all sorts of cool plants. At the end he gave us a demonstration on different herbs and spices that are used to cure various ailments, as well as some tea and hot cocoa, and then we got another massage that wasn't creepy at all. In fact, I was well sleepy after and wanted to go straight to bed! The shop they had there was extremely over priced, but again, you didn't have to buy anything (I got some yummy spiced tea) and overall it was really enjoyable. After a trip to the botanical gardens and a quick check-in into our hotel to changed clothes, we headed to the Golden Temple which houses Buddhas tooth. (We first went to a cultural dance thing where they did some traditional dances for us and ate fire. It was cool but most people fell asleep as we had been up and going since 5:00) According to our guide this is the most holy place in all of Asia. (he had a lot of these broad generalizations. He really liked to boost up Sri Lanka) It was impressive.

(inside the Golden Temple)

You have to be covered to go in and take off your shoes. Inside the temple is like anything I have ever seen and I don't even know how to describe it. I believe I said it was one of the coolest places I had ever been (Cordoba and the Alhambra being the firsts maybe) It was such a good experience to see a non-Western religion being practiced. It gave me a whole new respect. This was sadly tainted by the line we had to wait in for a very long time to see the tooth, which is housed in what looks like a tabernacle and you are only allowed to walk by very quickly. I really enjoyed the experience though and felt I was in a sacred place. The next day of our trip we went to Sigiriya and Dambulla.

(our guide in front of Sigiriya)

Again, according to our guide Sigiriya is the eighth wonder of the world and is a huge rock that has a couple of cave drawings and then you can climb to the top for some very impressive views. I have to say it was beautiful and the views were amazing. The climb to the top wasn't nearly as bad as you would think it would be and the surrounding country is beautiful.

(view from top of Sigiriya)

Dambulla is a series of rocks caves that house numerous Buddhas and cave drawings. This dates back to 1 BC but you would never know they are that old as the colours are still alive and vibrant. Our guide then gave us a brief lesson on meditation which I could have done without but he was so nice you would do anything to make him happy. He is a Buddhist and told us much about his beliefs and way of life, which I found interesting.

(inside rock caves-no flash!)

We had a couple of other random stops but those were the biggies. We headed back to the hotel and on the way stopped for my new favorite fruit, mangosteems which are just a little slice of heaven on earth. You crack them open to reveal a soft white fruit inside that tastes like strawberry flavored candy. Yummy. The people we were on the tour with were really great and we all got along really well. A few of them were staying at our resort and it was nice to have people to hang out with in the evenings after we got back.

(fishing boats at the canal in Negumbo and an example of random Catholic imagery)

The next few days we didn't do much of anything. Some shopping in the more touristy part of Negumbo and a lot of lying by the beach. We finally ventured out of our hotel for meals and were rewarded with some great curries. On our last day we decided to brave the real Negumbo again and took a tuk tuk to the canal. We felt much more comfortable as we realized that people are just going to stare and you can either try to enjoy what Si Lanka has to offer and talk to the people or stay in the hotel. We went into a huge Catholic church (a lot of people are Catholic in Sri Lanka and it was very weird to see shrines of Jesus and Mary littering the streets) and walked about the real city centre that we couldn't find before. Had a blast inside "Lovers" which is a clothing shop and cheaper than anything I have ever encountered. Had our best dinner of the trip that night and then headed home.

I am very glad to be home. I was ready to go. I am really glad I went to Sri Lanka as I got to see so many incredible things and I feel I really learned a lot. About people and poverty and what it really means to be in a third world country and how not to take for granted everything I have and everything I get to do. Would I recommend Sri Lanka? If you are looking for a beach holiday and nothing else than no. The beaches are nice but you can find nice beaches anywhere. If you want to experience another culture and Asia than I would definitely recommend Sri Lanka, but I would stay in the hill country. It was amazing. A trip to the beach would of course be a must, but the people, the food, the scenery and the legacy there is so rich. I would also recommend going with someone you love. I had a lovely time with Kat but we were both a little sick of being the only single people there. Lots of honeymooners. Bluck.

I would hate to finish this post with such a negative word as bluck so how about another picture of an elephant!