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Now where were we?
Sri Lanka
We sneakily got into the departures lounge, India side, about 12 hours before our early morning flight to avoid paying for a hotel. Lucky for us because our flight had actually been changed without us knowing so we would missed it otherwise. Quite an apt way for us to end our time in India. After not much sleep we boarded our second flight to Sri Lanka. Originally we were planning on taking a boat over from South India but due to
the civil war only recently being settled between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military, the only way to get to Sri Lanka remains by air.
Our first stop was Kandy, a modern highlands town with a large centre lake and valley views. Kandy is particularly famous for hosting Buddha's tooth relic. Yes you've guessed it, one of his very own teeth, snatched from his funeral pyre and now locked nice and safely in a big closed chest behind some metal railings, but it is in there, honest. All Sri Lankan Buddhists are required to go there at least once in their life time, and many more to Tally up their Karma. So for our own visit...
Karmic points to us = 1
Then we headed even further into the highlands to tackle Adam's peak, another Buddhist pilgrimage spot 2200 odd metres up a mountain. On the bus on the way there was a local guy who caught my eye and started to mime actions with his hands, asking us if we were
going up Adam's peak. Figuring that he was deaf mute, I spoke back to him in British Sign Language (what I remembered) and he was shocked and pretty delighted at my efforts. We had a little conversation and it was really interesting to think afterwards about communication crossing so many barriers in that situation:- language; cultural; physical. At 2am the next morning we started our climb for Adam's peak. 5000+ steps through torrential rain and darkness, to the top to watch a sun rise that was completely obstructed by clouds. We rang a bell, making Buddha fully aware of our efforts. Worth a few more karmic points if you ask me.
Karmic points = 3-4
Next stop, some southern beaches. On the bus on the way I made the mistake of going to sit in a seat next to a monk. He grabbed a man sitting near him to shield
himself from me. Ross described his horrified look the moment he realised my arse was heading for the space next to him. Later another monk made a young woman and her baby get up out of their seat so he could sit down, ...go figure the karma there?
So for shocking a monk and having a few angry thoughts towards another one
Karmic points = -1
We spent Ross's birthday in Mirissa, a quiet little beach town and were surprised to learn that we hadn't upset the Gods too much as the sun shone for the first time in a week. With limited resources I managed to muster up a birthday cake, consisting of a cracker and some cream cheese, and some birthday decorations, consisting of toilet paper. I don't think Ross noticed the difference.
The waves were pretty mental so we hired some body boards and got radical. Tried to ride the waves as best as unskilled people from inland England can, especially when the waves seemed so determined to rid us of our swim wear. The next day we went whale watching -5 hours of whale waiting is a better description. But after a long wait we spotted some blue whales and followed them about for a bit, blowing out air and fluking their tales. Brill
Then to Galle, a dutchesque colonial town, and Bentota, to see some turtle hatcheries. On the way to the turtle sanctuary the driver showed us where the railway had been obliterated by the tsunami and some of the railway debris was still visible. He explained that the train from Matara to Colombo was on the tracks when the tsunami hit, killing everyone on board. The water spread 2km inland 3m high. In the hatcheries there were a few pictures of how the place had been decimated by the tsunami, one snippet described how the worker there had gone back to try and save his favourite turtle. The guide there explained how they hadn't received any help from the government following the tsunami appeal - reiterating how it had gone into the pockets of the big man to build big hotels (Read the Shock Doctrine). He still managed to pocket the money we went to put in the donations box though - big men, small men?
All in all Sri Lanka was a beautiful place, with slow paced highlands and surfs up beaches. Apart from the inflated tourist prices, and the blatent obviousness of it (e.g. local menu and tourist menu), Sri Lanka was a lovely inviting breath of fresh air.
- comments
Mark Euuuggh, the government frauding is rather depressing! And stop pretending that man was horrified at you for sitting next to you because he was a monk...he just thought you was well ugs init! Should have worn your pineapple. Your toilet roll cake sounds D Lish! Take care guys! xx
Annabel Hey! Sri Lanka sounds like another great experience! I wonder what that monk thought you were going to do to him, and what would've happened if there hadn't been somewhere there to 'shield him from you'! Take care xxxxxxx