The Wonders of Sri Lanka

My turn to discuss Sri LankaJ Oh how amazing it was.  I want to write about it before I forget.  I find myself writing blogs as I am experiencing the event and then once I get back from the adventure I am too tired.  I am going to push through and make it happen this time. 

Day 1: we arrive in Sri Lanka and the sun is setting.  I have convinced Josh that we needed to see elephants.  After lots of research with people that have been there and contacting different safari companies we decided to go to Yala National Park which was 6 hours from the airport after arriving at 6 pm Josh was not excited about this pipe dream of mine.  The journey was precarious to say the least the roads were one lane with traffic coming and going in both directions in the dark. We took turns sleeping and got to see the nightlife of small villages as we traveled along.  Eating the many snacks that we packed to sustain us until who knew when.  Our driver did not speak English and was quite pleasant because he played American tunes and let us sing and play name that tune.  After 6 hours of questioning if this was the right decision on my behalf we arrived at a rickety hotel at 1 AM.  I had heard from people this was the place we had to go to see animals in the wild, so here we were. 

Day 2: We woke up at 5 am after a nice little nap, with peacocks outside our door we were ready to go.  The driver was there on time and we bumped down the road to arrive at Yala National Park.  We saw two leopards; lots of peacocks, some wild bore that kind of looked like elephants, water buffalo, deer and some monkeys.  I began to have a mental questioning of the meaning of life because we hadn’t seen elephants and the day was nearing 9 am and they later it got the less our chances got.  We took a detour to see the Indian Ocean and I finally had come to terms with no elephants, because Josh told me that I needed to embrace the experience and let it be what it was.  I was forcing myself to believe this.  Then our driver runs over to us and says “LET’S GO!”  We eagerly jump into the jeep and race off.  It felt like the moments in the movie where you didn’t know what was going to happen but you hoped for the best.  We bounced around a corner and there they were a mama, baby and toddler sitting there eating from the tree.  Life made sense in that moment, the journey was all worth it and I was instantly feeling a lot less anxiety about the meaning of life.  We watched the elephants walk side by side and give each other love.  It made me feel tears in my eyes and really excited to be a mom.  The whole journey was so amazing, I felt like Josh really went outside of his comfort zone for me, and in the process we got to fall even more in love with each other.

After the Safari we picked up two packages of Pringles and some Cokes that really brought us back to life and ready for the seven-hour drive to Hikkaduwa Sri Lanka, which are where, our friends Ann and Jason were staying.  It was really neat to drive through each village and watch them go about there daily tasks.  Josh slept which I am sure was nice for him as well.  It was quite a feat to get through the first 24 hours in Sri Lanka, we were ready for some beach time!

Then we were off to town to shop and see how the hippies live in Hikkaduwa.  There were lots of crafts and message places, all of which brought me excitement.  We ate a nice meal for dinner, as we ate we stared at the calming water and talked about enlightening things like weaving your life by likes and dislikes and how that makes people angry.  All of which made total sense at the time and still makes sense to me but probably not everyone. 

Day 3: We woke up to some good Sri Lankan breakfast curry potatoes and tea. We went back to town (Hikkaduwa) to look at the shops and to eat lunch that consisted of a cheeseburger that was made by a Dutch expat and pretty amazing.  Once we returned from town it was time to put on our swimsuits and get ready for the parade.  We swam in the Indian Ocean while we waited for this infamous parade to begin for a town holiday.  Boys with flowers strapped to their bikes ran up and down the rode to inform us that the parade was beginning.  This is one of the best parades I have ever seen dancers of all sorts, brace bands and bull wipes.  The excitement and the talent was endless and so eclectic.  I took a ton of pictures and my favorite part was seeing the little girls smile in their dance costumes.  My least favorite part was seeing the chains hanging from the elephants necks, everyone tried to convince me that this was necessary because what if the elephants got out of line that would be dangerous.  I understand that but elephants don’t need to be in parades either.  It was fun to see a parade with talent and not candy just pure beauty.

Day 4: We hired a driver named Upali to take us around to some of the tourist attractions around the area.  Our first stop was a moon stones mine, which started with teaching us how to harvest cinnamon.  Then we got to see the entire process of getting the moonstone from the mine all the way to the store ready to sell.  We went from the miners that were working harder than I though humanly possible and ended in the shop that was pristine with men in suites selling gems from all over the world.  I of course bought something because they did a good job at selling me with all the different people having to shine and mine the stones just for one ring. 

Next stop a Buddhist Temple; this was one of the things I was most excited about!  We walked up what seemed like hundreds of stairs that seemed to lead nowhere and then we reached the top and found a Temple that didn’t seem that special.  After continuing to explore we came across an amazing view that overlooked a jungle.  If I was a Buddhist monk this is where I would like to call home.  We explored got to see a statue of Buddha lying down which is super amazing I am not sure why but we saw it.  As we were leaving I saw two monks sitting on the front porch and I tried to slyly walk past them hoping they would at least smile at me.  I got better than that; they invited us in to teach us about the four noble truths.  These are kind of like the ten commandments of Buddhism.  We sat down and were given all kinds of knowledge by the most peaceful man; he was absolutely inspiring and has driven me to meditate again.  There was also a 90-year-old monk sitting peacefully petting a cat.  This experience was absolutely unforgettable and is the entire reason people travel.  I will never forget him.

Next stop lunch we went and ate a cheeseburger again which was not very Buddhist of us but “baby needed food.”  We of course shopped a little bit and then we went back home to contemplate the day.

Day 5: At this point in the trip I was absolutely exhausted but we had paid Mr. Upali to take us to on a river cruise and to a turtle hatchery.  Both were nice I was a little detached at this point and not very interested.  We had our feet eaten by fish; there are these fish that will eat the dead skin off your feet.  I thought this was absolutely horrible and Josh loved it.  It was still a nice day with friends; I just wish I could have been a little less tired.  On the river cruise we got to see some really large lizard that I am sure is related to dinosaurs?  After our adventures we ate at a very sketchy Chinese food restaurant and none of us got sick.  Then we went home and rested because we were absolutely exhausted.

Day 6: To Colombo we went.  It was our friend Jason’s birthday and we woke up to breakfast and Mr. Upali brought a cake that his wife made.  It was such a sweet gesture and very unforgettable.   As you can see this was a pretty unforgettable trip, Sri Lanka is full of friendly people and a culture that needs to be discovered.  After a couple rounds of happy birthday we were off to the train station for Colombo where we would fly from the following day.  One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to stare out the window and watch and observe how people live around the world.  With the window open I stared and took as many pictures as I could.  Josh and I also discussed how to raise a child properly in the  first six weeks of life and a man stopped by to give us a three hundred year history of Sri Lanka, all of which were very interesting. 

Once we arrived in Colombo Ann and I decided to venture out to the market and see what it had to offer.  True to the Trip Advisor reviews it was dirty and very chaotic.  I bought some fabric for a baby blanket and two bouncy balls that had the world painted on them, after that we gladly left and got ready for Jason’s birthday dinner. 

After a night with our friends we were off to bed to wake up and head for the airport at 6 am.  The trip to Sri Lanka will be a memory that Josh and I will always have.  Thank you for coming on the journey with us in these three pages of stories and enlightenmentJ We miss you and love you all!  Now it is time to eat some lasagna and go to bed.  I have gone to bed between seven and eight every night since we have returned and this weekend my agenda is international movie day(s)!