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If you want to make loved ones worry about you, go to the paradise of Sri Lanka! Sun, sand, coconuts, wildlife, rainforests, culture, parties, great food... and of course great friends. Did I forget to mention a civil war?
We needed to go to Sri Lanka to renew our Indian Visa as they only last for 6 months from the time you get granted them (not when you enter the country like other Visa's). Mendo's friend Rafael and his cousin's brother-in-law, Pete AKA Sneaky were meeting us there. I love flying and airports and all that goes along with them so I was disappointed that the flight was less than an hour, but we arrived safely and happily and caught the bus to Negombo, a coastal touristy town close to the airport to await the arrival of Raf and Sneaky. At midnight we tuk-tuk'd it to the airport - we were stopped 3 times by armed military men to show our passports and passed huge security efforts including machine guns in bunkers and towers. We also passed a very long queue of trucks being unloaded and searched by big men with guns. Raf and Sneaky brought presents - alcohol and CHOCOLATE! We all sampled both - Raf, Mendo and the toilet bowl approved of the alcohol and I approved of the chocolate - and I mean REAL chocolate, not the stuff which barely passes for chocolate in India. We then ventured into Colombo - Mendo and I set out at 6am on the train and managed to be smack bang in the middle of peak hour. It was interesting though, as one of the locals put it to be part of the Sri Lankan sardine trains. Had an interesting conversation with a local who questioned me, as an ex-government worker, why our native people, the aborigines were not being looked after... then we joined the queue at the Indian Consulate to lodge our form for the Indian Visa - what a mission! Lined up for 2 hours in the sun, then in all the shoving and pushing to get through the doors, Mendo got in but I didn't, then we didn't have our photo's glued on correctly so I had to go and beg the coffee shop next door to lend us some glue, then I had to get in to try to find Mendo who was still in the long, snaking line inside the consulate but they wouldn't let me in because I had camera's and I didn't have my passport (Mendo had it with our forms)... it probably sounds like I'm being a drama queen but it really was a horrible experience for us both. Once the forms are in and paid for, we then had to wait 4 days to return, line up again to lodge our passports in the morning and then line up again to pick up our passports and Visa's in the afternoon.
Meanwhile Raf and Sneaky found a great deal in hiring an air-conditioned van and driver, Newton for 8 days. So away we went to Kitugale where we bunked up together in an interesting rainforest hotel. Rafy found out what it was like to wake up with dread-locks in your face as him and Mendo bunked together whilst Sneaky got the doube I got the camping cot. Then a little adrenalin rush as we went white-water rafter on grade 3 rapids (easy-peasy). It was so calm, lush and serene in places it made me truly appreciate how fortunate I was to be gliding down a river in the middle of a friendly, beautiful country with my soul mate next to me (not you Rafy!). Sneaky made an excellent tour guide since he'd been in Sri Lanka on a tour only a year before. We passed beautiful flowing waterwalls, lush vivid tea-covered hills, streaky brown rubber plantations and mountains covered in interesting wide trees and dotted with vibrant orange or purple blossoms. For a break we toured a tea factory then sampled it with our pinky's high in the air and devoured the yummy chocolate cake. We made our way to Kandy on their holiest day, the first full-moon of the year. The major religion in Sri Lanka is Buddhism and since we were there, we visited the 'Temple of the sacred Tooth Relic', supposidly the most venerated place of worship for Buddhists throughout the world. It is reported to house a tooth of Buddha, however it is locked away in an inner shrine, so not open to the public. Despite this it was a beautiful temple full of carvings and followers giving offerings of bright purple and pink lotus flowers. We then visited the incredible Kandy Royal Botanical Gardens, the highlight of which were the side-slanted pines, the 100 year old fig, the orchids and the bamboo. Then on to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage to witness 40ish elephants bathe in a river. Watching a 'herd' of elephants walk from the orphanage to the river town a small road was impressive since it was on a hill and you could watch them appear slowly from the tip of their heads and as they got closer you would witness their whole bulk. Truly a beautiful sight, we loved it.
Our next destination was the beach! Hikkaduwa proved to be a challenge - a challenge to leave it anyway. The recipe for a brilliant time was set: sand, sun, glistening ocean, beautiful marine life, delicious food, fantabulous friends, fun parties etc etc. We were supposed to stay for 2 days but instead stayed for almost 2 weeks. With our driver, we ventured up to Colombo to change our flights and to pick up our Indian Visa. From Colombo we caught a train back to Hikkaduwa (the train station was bombed a couple of days later) - I really love catching trains in India and Sri Lanka, sitting in doorway, legs dangling out into the gushing, rushing air. Sri Lankan life passing by, peering into the back yards of people houses and in this case witnessing the devastation of the Tsunami which hit 4 years earlier. There are still many ruined houses, looking like big ugly cement scars on the face of such a beautiful island. As the evening came it was beautiful to experience the people on the train singing folk songs, the wind galloping through my hair and gorgeous little fire-fly's lighting the trees which passed by. Life in Hikkaduwa was easy. Filled with lounging on the beach, window-shopping, relaxing, getting massages, swimming etc. We went snorkelling, delighted in the underwater world of silence and beauty and witnessed a huge, graceful turtle gliding along. We found a local man who cooked us dinners at our request - brilliant home cooking, the best we've eaten on our whole holiday. We also celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary on the 5th February and it was spent in excellent company and in perfect surrounds. Lounging on the sand, listening to music, having good conversations with Rafy, Sneaky and Andy, eating yummy rotti's and swimming in the crystal clear ocean. The weather is amazing how it changes the mood - at one point it was sunny and picture perfect, Mendo said the ocean was the exact colour of my eyes... then an hour later it was raining, still beautiful but brooding. The family who was cooking us dinners put on a special feast and even gave us flowers - it was a beautiful, memorable day. Then sadly it was time to return to India... We miss Rafy and Sneaky, two brilliant friends and are so happy we had this opportunity of precious time with them. We made some new friends - Andy the surfing instructor, Koko and Kevin the wandering English/Sth African couple and Liza and her brother who teach English in Asia. Sri Lanka's close proximity to India would lead you to believe they are similar, but really they are not. Sri Lanka is so modern and friendly, a real paradise... a country we will happily return to one day in the not too distant future.
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