Sri Lanka December 2010

I wrote every day while I was there so I could post when I got back :) I am home now, and have the beginnings of a marvelous cold.

December 19 2010


We left last evening from the Dubai airport. It was a short four hour flight to Sri Lanka. I did not sleep a wink on the flight, so I was exhausted when we landed. It was completely dark, after midnight. We wisked our way through immigration and customs. A nice young man named Aruna was waiting for us with a sign with my friend’s name on it. We got our first taste of the Sri Lankan roads when, while waiting for our van, we saw one crash into another while trying to pull up at the curb at the airport. These people are honestly crazier than Dubai drivers. They constantly change lanes without signaling and often go barreling into oncoming traffic to pass whatever slow truck, van, or moped is in front of them. We whizzed through the darkness. There were a surprising number of people on the roads; Aruna told us that it was because of the Christmas lights in the park. Yes, it’s actually Christmas here. There are lights and decorations everywhere, although it’s still a little strange to see palm trees decked out. We passed many shops and stores, mostly made out of concrete, thatch, sheet metal, old rusted fencing, and lone shop windows often with only a few items on display. We arrived at our hotel, the Silver Sands, in Negambo. The manager was kind enough to meet us and show us to our rooms. Now, whatever you’re thinking of, get it out of your head. Picture a bare bones room, old decaying and decrepit furniture, grey dirty tiles in the bathroom, and mattresses flatter than last week’s pancakes. Since it was almost 2:30 in the AM, this looked fabulous. It was clean, I’ll give them that. There was baby blue mosquito netting over the bed, making it look like some bizarre bassinet. Both twin beds had been pushed together so both could be covered by the netting. Surprise! We’re sleeping all cozy tonight!

We were rather rudely awoken by what I can only describe as a howler monkey followed by cannon fire at about 4am. This sucked. Royally. I was so tired. But I was eager to see what the place looked like in the light. When we got up (finally), I crawled out of the bassinet and looked off the balcony. I could see the Indian Ocean from our window. Below, a young woman was sweeping the courtyard. It was going to be a good day.

You know how I’ve said that Dubai has this stray cat problem? Well, for Sri Lanka it’s dogs. They are everywhere. Some stray cats, but mostly dogs. Miscellaneous cows, goats, and chickens wander the streets. Little three wheeled cars called tuk tuks that look like someone stole them off the teacup ride at the state fair zip up and down the streets.

There are stray people, too. After we had breakfast and checked out, we drove down past the beach. At the far end, there is a collection of ramshackle slums. They are made of branches, bits of plastic, old fencing, and whatever bits people could find to give them some shelter. Sure, there are nice houses here and there with beautiful tiled roofs, elegant concrete walls, and nice cars. But the majority of the people here live in old buildings, sometimes with the entire front open to the world. Nature encroaches everywhere, crawling up broken walls and snaking though doorways and across paths. Palm, banana, coconut, and other trees are everywhere as well as huge ferns and other flora that I cannot name. There are lush flowers in reds, oranges, and whites everywhere. For all that these people live on what they can, they do it in a beautiful setting.

Our guide is a young man, and our driver, although he doesn’t speak much English, smiles and laughs often. Especially as we gasp for breath as we slog up some hill. We drove nearly two hours to our guide’s home town of Kurunegala. On the way, one of my friends had mentioned that she would like to try one of the king coconuts. This nice young man stopped the van and picked some up for us from a roadside stand. He then took us to his mother’s house on the outskirts of Kurunegala where our driver split them open for us to drink. They taste more like pumpkin or squash than coconuts.

We checked into our hotel in Kurunegala called the Kandyan Reaches. It’s definitely a step up. Much newer, only a few stains on the sheets and carpets, and the furniture only looks slightly water damaged. The ants were a bit of a bother.

We started off the day by seeing a Hindu Temple. Seems most of these places will let one in and take pictures for a donation. It was so interesting to see an actual Hindu temple in use. There were offerings in various places, incense burning here and there, and flower garlands around the various Hindu gods.

After that, we headed up into the mountains a ways to see a statue of Buddha in progress. It is being carved out of a mountainside. The Buddhist monks hold services on a table under a tent in front of it. It’s huge, has to be at least thirty feet tall. My guide mentioned that we should never take pictures of ourselves with our back to Buddha. It’s disrespectful.

We then went to another Buddhist temple. This one employed an elephant to help move trees and haul wood. As with most temples, we had to remove our shoes and walk barefoot on the gravel and paved stones. According to our guide, shoes interfere with our spiritual connection. We saw a large Buddha reclining. There was a smiling young Buddhist monk (hot young religious hottie) hanging out in one of the shrines. The temple itself is about 2500 years old and people still come to worship and ask advice of the monks. The ceilings are carved and painted in bright colors, with not much evidence of restoration. I find it astounding that after so many hundreds of years that the pictures are still so clear.

Toward the evening, we got a breathtaking view of Kurunegala from the mountaintop. We drove all the way to the top where a big twenty foot white Buddha overlooks Kurunegala. One can see the whole valley when standing next to Buddha. Mist hung over the mountains and wove in and out like an old man’s beard. A waxing moon was rising over the valley. Monkeys were spotted in the trees on the way up. Real ones. Just hanging out in branches. On the way down, we caught a family group moving down into the lower trees as the sun was setting. They were crossing the road and hanging out on the wall. Must have been twenty of them, all ages. We opened the door of the van so we could take pictures, but Aruna warned us that they were dangerous. They could attack and bite if they felt threatened (or thought you had food). Our guides seem to think its funny that we love Buddhas, monkeys, and elephants.

We are watching out for mosquitoes since these carry malaria. We can’t drink the water or even brush our teeth with it. We also have to avoid fresh unpeeled fruit and veggies and most dairy since the pasteurization is questionable. I already miss putting milk in my tea. We had an awesome first day. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.


December 20, 2010

So, we started off the day strangely as it is. Aruna came to the hotel and informed us that he is sick and won’t be seeing us again until we are taken to the airport at the end of the tour. He promised that Kumara, our driver, knew where to go and that guides would meet us at every site. So far, today has proven that to be true. We drove two and a half hours out to Pollenuruwa, which is a palatial complex dating back umpteen years. It was built by Sri Lankan kings. It’s something crazy like 30 hectares. I felt like I was on the Travel Channel! Because that is seriously the only place I have seen sights such as these. Buddhist monks, almost 2500 of them, used to worship and pray at Pollenuruwa. There was a palace with over 1000 rooms. In the museum are all kinds of images of Buddha, as well as some Hindu statues of Ganesha and Shiva. The palace grounds are overgrown in moss. The trees are twisted around stone walls and stares. Stupas bigger than most Catholic churches dot the grounds. The wonderful thing? Buddhists still worship here. On the far side of the complex are statues carved right into the mountainside depicting the four stages of Buddha: The Emancipation where he renounces his normal life to pursue enlightenment, his life as a teacher, when he attained enlightment, and finally his death. And I now can tell the difference between a reclining Buddha and a Buddha in death. All about the positioning of the hands and feet! Who knew?! Love this Buddhist stuff. I can see how conducive the place is to religious study and worship. If one stands at the bottom of any path or sits on the mossy wall, all you can hear is the sound of the wind, the soft whoosh of the trees, and the occasional chirp of a monkey and whistle of birds. I could have easily just sat on the wall for an hour and contemplated my being. However, that wasn’t an option so I made do by making note of the restfulness and ran to catch up with my group. I took off my shoes (as one does in a temple) and walked the path that many Buddhist monks and devotees had walked over a thousand years ago and still do today. I learned that my feet are very soft indeed. A Sri Lankan family was walking around, and they giggled at how daintily I was walking around. Can’t help it that my feet are soft, white, and perfect ;) We had a fabulous and knowledgeable guide named Prema who took us through the museum and complex. Covered in monkeys, dogs, and random cows. Got to hand feed a monkey, touch his little paw. When they started to swarm because they knew we had food, it was time to beat a hasty retreat back up the stairs to hide in the shadow of Buddha.

A word about people with no filters: Sri Lankans have no filter. I guess peoples who have always lived in close quarters and have no understanding of personal space also lack that filter that most Americans and Europeans value, especially when talking about a person’s weight. People will tell you right to your face that you are fat here. All the time. For a member of our group, this is very difficult. I honestly don’t think they are trying to be mean. It’s just that they say what they are thinking, and they talk about everything and don’t pussyfoot around. Their lives have been such that they have never been allowed the luxury of pussyfooting. Ergo, people ask if you like French fries and eat a whole lot of them, or offer you elixirs to make you thin. Things are like they are, and they figure that they are just saying it like it is. But an American woman and her weight are a delicate matter, so some people are going to get run over by an elephant with “karma” written across its butt. “Nuff said.

Kumara, our driver, has fabulous eyes. On the way home, we were driving down yet another long, dark, winding road with a veritable landmine of potholes when he pulled over suddenly. He shouted “Look look! Elephant!” And sure enough, there in the light of the van headlights were three wild Sri Lankan elephants grazing by the side of the road. Just hanging out, munching, watching cars and trucks go by. Granted, we couldn’t stay but for a minute because traffic was coming, but it was awesome and more than a little awe-inspiring to see these giants just hunkering down on the road for an evening munch. Bless Kumara and his keen eyes!

Our hotel today is the Grand Regent. When we arrived, we could hear a small child chanting through a loudspeaker some distance away. We were told by the hotel manager that tonight is a special night for Buddhists because it is the last full moon of the year. The chanting went on for over an hour, eventually led by an older man whom I can only assume is a Buddhist monk. It echoed through the jungle and into the night.The name "Grand Regent" is misleading, because it’s not the modern place that the name implies. It is set back off the road in the jungle. Winding stone paths led us back to our room which is simple, clean, and complete with sea foam green mosquito netting this time over the bed. Looks like a cupcake, it does. The restaurant is a tiled and stucco affair, open to the air on three sides. Dinner was typical Sri Lankan: rice, eggplant with chilli paste, coconut with tomatoes and onions, fish, pumpkin with a nice spicy sauce, and papadams which are kind of like a fried wonton wrapper. Finished off with fresh pineapple and papaya. Ever squeeze lime over papaya? Try it! Adds a nice citrus to it. Lovely.

Anyway, we head out to Sirigiya tomorrow morning EARLY to climb the Lion Rock. Some teachers here from Abu Dhabi said it took them about an hour. Yeah, so that means about two hours for me! Wish me luck!

December 21, 2010

There was a frog in our shower this morning. He very obligingly jumped into the waste basket for me. Not sure if he was some strange poison dart frog, but he was a cute fellow.

At six thirty we met in the hotel restaurant for tea. After that, Kumara drove us down winding dirt roads to Sigiriya, also known as the Lion Rock. I truly did not realize how tall it was until I walked down the long ancient dirt road and stared up at the colossal rock jutting up out of the jungle. Our guide for today, Suranga, told us how the young Sri Lankan king had murdered his father and taken the throne. He tried to kill his brothers, but they fled to India. He moved the capital from Anadhapura to Sigiriya and built huge fortifications around it. The two outer moats still contain crocodiles, hence the “No Swim” signs. The walls were built high, and the rock itself was darn near impregnable if the stairs were blocked off and the ladders pulled up. One could withstand a siege there for quite some time. However, it was more about the king’s pleasure than anything else. Water flowed downhill, into the lower gardens and powered the fountains and filled his pools. He had over 500 wives and concubines from all over Asia and Africa. He liked his women, wine, and music. When it actually came time to fight his brothers, he didn’t want to fight near his lovely palace with all of it’s hanging gardens, naked frescoes of his women, and dancers and musicians. No, he picked a spot a few miles away past Pollenuruwa. He brought all of his soldiers and elephants all geared up for war. Then, a key person fled with half of the army. The king knew he would lose, so he killed himself. The other brothers moved the capital back to Anadhapura. Monks came and inhabited the Lion Rock for awhile, but the isolation soon forced them to move to Pollenruwa. The jungle reclaimed the Lion Rock Palace and grounds until the British began to uncover and restore it. And there I stood, at the bottom of this ancient fortress amidst ancient gardens and fountains, wondering how the hell I was going to make it up all of those stairs.

The king was carried.

I soon wished someone would carry me!

It was…gods…a very long way up. Our guide Surengara was amazing. Never did he rush us, allowed us to take breaks when we needed. A few guys followed us up to help us and keep us from falling. Or rather, they were helping my friend who was afraid of heights and physically challenged in the manner of climbing. I refused help. For some reason, I felt it my mission, my person goal, to make it to the very top without aid. Perhaps it was because I failed to make it to the top of the sand dunes in Cairo a few years ago. I missed out on that view of the desert. And by golly I wasn’t going to miss anything else! I hauled my ass up those stairs, dragging my feet on the white marble and pulling myself up on the rusted steel stairs hewn into the rock. We had to go up some winding stairs to see the frescoes of the women; winding stairs suck when you are a couple hundred feet off the ground looking down off an open cliff face! Vertigo much? Um, yeah! Sheesh. Up, up, up, to the lion entrance we went. Slogging though the humidity and sweating up uneven stairs worn by over a thousand years of trodding feet. Holy cow. My friend quit over halfway up. She had made it even farther than she planned to go and God bless her for it! My friends were already heading up the last few steel staircases and marble steps. I resolved that I was going to make it even if I freaking died at the top! I was gasping, my chest hurt, and my thighs were burning. I kept stopping to catch my breath, but I kept going. Surengara sat at the top of the last set of stairs. He pointed out into the jungle to another large rock. He said “We going to climb this one this afternoon!” Schmuck. I slogged my way up the last marble steps to the highest veranda where the kings rooms used to be.

I made it.

There were two last steps, the highest point of the Lion Rock. I climbed those last two, and looked out over the jungle. I could see monkeys jumping from tree to tree, could hear birds singing in the branches far below. I could see all of Sigiriya and all the way out to Pollenuruva. It was when I was standing on the highest step that our guide told us how many steps we had climbed. 1202. One thousand, two hundred and two uneven, worn steps of stone, marble, and steel.

We saw the pools where the king used to bathe when he got tired of wine and music. The foundations for his women’s rooms are still there. We meandered past his throne where he used to meet with important people of his court. We passed through the second gate of rock and saw where the stone was hewn away where the ornate entrances used to hang suspended in the stone.

Let me tell you, going up is one thing. But heading down those slippery worn stairs when you are already beat is no picnic. It’s downright dangerous. Heehee, check out the pic of the sign at the top ;) But I made it down, too! Go, me!

Of all of the things we have done so far, this was the big physical challenge. And I made it. Probably lost two kilos in the process and gained some butt muscle ;) I was tired, but I felt like I had won a huge competition…with myself.

We came back to the hotel for breakfast and showers. These kind people knew we were coming back and had already set the table for us. Ever had a thin pancake with bananas in it with honey on top? Highly recommended. Roti is a little cake made of wheat flour, rice flour, coconut, and other things that I cannot name but also tastes lovely with honey. They also made us fresh papaya smoothies. Lovely. Absolutely lovely.

It rained this afternoon and the mud made the roads kind of hazardous so we did not get to go on our safari. Rats. That’s okay. We will see elephants at the Elephant Orphanage. We see monkeys EVERYWHERE. We sat in the hotel restaurant while the rain poured down, drank Ceylon tea, and talked about nothing and everything. That’s what people at loose ends do; relive parts of their lives so that they don’t forget. The hotel manager says we’re having noodles tonight. Yay! Thank goodness, because I have eaten more rice in the last few days that I have in a whole year combined. Enough with the rice!

December 22, 2010

Today, it rained still but we left the Grand Regent and headed out down the muddy roads toward the Gold Temple on the road to Kandy. And here I thought I was done with steps! Sheesh. The Gold Temple is exactly that. There is a huge gold Buddha seated at the top of the mountain. We perused the museum first, meandering over golden Buddha statues from all over the world, copper etchings depicting Buddha’s life, and a small scale replica of the huge procession that takes place in Kandy every year in August with one thousand dancers, elephants, fire eaters, and drummers. They accompany the reliquary that conceals the tooth of Buddha that resides in Kandy.

After we were done with the museum climbed another couple hundred uneven, worn, and sometimes non-existent steps up to the monastery. We explored manmade and natural caves that contained hundreds of images of Buddha in paintings and statuary. My friends don’t agree, but I rather like padding around on the old stone in my bare feet. I didn’t even mind doing it in the rain. I love seeing the lit candles in the shrines and seeing the Buddhists and Hindus (there’s actually a Hindu shrine there too) make their offerings. There’s something so peaceful in their worship.

And then we had to descend on the wet stone steps.

It wasn’t pretty.

My butt hurt.

‘Nuff said.

After the Golden Temple, we stopped at a spice garden. We were given a tour of all of the plants that they use in their Ayurvedic treatments. Have you ever smelled fresh jasmine? It’s heaven. Vanilla beans? Sumptuous. And fresh cinnamon is to die for. I got a short massage from a young man studying Ayurvedic medicine. Yeah, I nearly asked him to be my cabana boy and follow me around the world. We got a short demonstration from the Ayurvedic doctor about how the different spices and herbs can be used. They were all such very nice people. I bought some spiced tea with all natural pure vanilla extract. Cannot wait to sit back and have a cup of that! And have you ever thought of putting cocoa in tea? Awesome. Highly recommend it.

Once we got to Kandy, we checked into our hotel called the Senani. It was all the way up on the side of the mountain. And our room was on the first floor. We had to climb six flights of stairs to get to the lobby and restaurant. My glutes are going to be so tight after this trip! After lunch, we went to a cultural dance. It’s so interesting to see the men dance. Purportedly, their costumes contain over 67 pieces and are akin to decorative body armor. The ladies did a dance in honor of the peacock and bobbed their heads and dipped their bodies; it was so graceful. They also did firewalking, but I have seen that so many times that I did not run to see that.

Afterwards, we went to the Temple of the Tooth. We crossed the busy road in the dark and rain, led by an old man who also was missing some teeth. Maybe he donated them to the temple? He whisked us along the sidewalks and winding paths, telling us to hurry up. Apparently, the monks only open the chamber with the tooth’s casket three times a day, and if we didn’t move it we were going to miss it. A word about queues in Sri Lanka: only Americans and Europeans line up for anything. Everyone else pushes. The guide took our money, pushed his way through the ticket line and got our tickets. We stuck to him like white on rice as he wove his way through the crowds of Europeans, British, and Asian tourists. He pushed his way to the front of the line to see the casket and we followed. You literally only get two seconds to see it. The soldier and monk standing by the door ensure that everyone keeps moving. The old guide then rushed us over to see the library which holds books written by the monks, some of them hundreds of years old. That’s another spot where you have maybe two minutes to look. The rest of the tour was a bit of a blur; it was hard to hear because his English wasn’t that good and there were too many people. I heard the French lady cussing us out as he cut our group right in front hers quite plainly ;) We did see the dome that is used to carry the casket on the elephant in the procession in August. He also took us outside to see the last King of Kandy’s throne room and to see the spot where the tooth casket is loaded onto the elephant for the procession. All in all, it was a fantastic experience to see the temple all lit up at night and see such treasured religious objects. I only wish that we hadn’t had to run to see everything.

As we put our shoes on back inside, our guide told us of the bomb that went off back in the 90’s right at the entrance of the temple. It had been delivered in a truck and exploded, damaging the entrance and the front of the temple. That explains the soldiers and police everywhere. Some cute soldier boy who had obviously lost his bet with his other boy soldier friends asked us where we were from. He had his hands on his hips, trying to look important, as if to say “Hey, baby! You like my uniform?” Kids in uniform. Goodness gracious. Cute, though ;)

We went back to the hotel for dinner. I am greatly looking forward to seeing the elephants tomorrow and seeing the tea plantations. I do love me a cuppa. Definitely bringing some home!

It’s almost Christmas. Surrounded by palm trees and elephant ear plants with lizards on the ceilings and frogs in the shower, it certainly is different. Our driver Kumara found an English radio station that was playing Christmas music. It’s so out of place, but they celebrate Christmas here, too. It will be Christmas, just not Christmas as I know and love it. I’ll make the best of it, but a good part of me is far away at home.

 
December 23, 2010
 
So, Kumara informed us last night that it did not make sense to see the elephants this morning because they are on the road to Colombo. We argued with him for a bit, but in the end we decided that he knew what he was talking about. So, we hopped into the van once more. We went to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kandy. This place reminded me of the Botanical Gardens in Singapore, but less manicured and more wild. They did not have as many orchids as Singapore, but they were just as beautiful. There's something in the shape of an orchid, something divine that I can't quite put my finger on. It's amazing how one species can be so lush and diverse in color and shape. There were also trees from other parts of Asia. I love the tall twisted bodhi and banyan trees. They look like they have long fingers that just want to reach out and touch you. The long paths were lined with tall trees and huge groves of giant bamboo. I have never seen bamboo like this. My friend said she had seen it in China; this stuff had to be about twelve inches wide. Wowsers. After we wandered for a couple of hours in the flora, we made our way back to the van.
 
We said goodbye to Kandy and started down the winding roads that eventually led up into the moutains toward the tea plantations. Higher and higher we went, passing what seemed like endless fields of bright green tea plants. I often wondered if Kumara knew where he was going because we had passed so many. Finally, at the very top of the mountain, we stopped at Mackwoods. It was established by a British sea captain in 1841 and has seven locations throughout Sri Lanka. A very nice lady took us on a tour and showed us the plants. I had no idea that green, white, and black tea all came from the same plant, just different parts of it. She took us inside to the factory and showed us how the tea was processed. It smelled divine. I felt like I was inside a teapot surrounded by the scent of herbal goodness. After the tour, we were allowed to sample a pot of their wares. I was in awe of the Christmas tree in the lounge and actually of the lounge itself. It was as if someone had transplanted it from old England itself. The tree was festooned with red ribbons and old fashioned ornaments. It very much reminded me of that old Victorian style. The tea was delicious. They use real sugar here, not processed white sugar. Fresh tea. Nothing like it. Needless to say we lingered a bit over our tea before meandering over to the gift shop. Kumara was standing outside waiting, probably thinking to himself "What is so interesting to Westerners about tea?"

 
After our visit to the tea plantation, we headed down the other side of the mountain to our next hotel. This one was really odd considering its location. It's called the Alpine. It truly looks like an old ski lodge. There were cotton balls glued to every window pane to look like snow. The lobby, lounge, and reception area were all decorated for Christmas. The wood was a shiny golden color and there were fireplaces in every room. We had a little bit of a scare when they said that they didn't have a reservation for us, but they found a room for us eventually. Our room was rather neat because on one floor it had a fireplace and queen bed, but there was a ladder/ steps to a kind of loft where there was another bed. The ceiling slanted down, creating kind of a cozy feeling. By the time we got settled, it was raining rather hard. Kumara had wanted to take us out to a lake, but we told him we'd rather stay in that get all wet again. Now, here's the awkward bit. Remember how Kumara had told us that we would see the elephants tomorrow? Well, to make a long story short, Kumara had messed up the itinerary because he did not understand that we were supposed to have a full day of shopping in Colombo that day. He had thought he was just going to take us to our hotel after the elephants and that would be it for the day. We are going to have to back track up over that damn mountain three hours to get to the elephants, and from there it's another two hours to Colombo. We are going to lose almost half a day. Needless to say, this put a kind of sour twist on things. We made up for it by making up our own game of pool and sampling the bar's signature cocktails ;)
 
Another point of contention at this point is the lack of wifi. Granted, we are in Sri Lanka, not Paris. But so far, all of the hotels have either only had limited access or none at all. I want to be able to Skype Mom, but can't without my own computer. I've been lugging my laptop all through Sri Lanka so I can Skype on Christmas. My friend did the same. The idea of not being able to reach home is very upsetting, especially since it seems that up here in the mountains my phone cannot call out. Ah, well. It's going to be a very early day tomorrow.
 
December 24, 2010
 
We left at quarter of six this morning. The Alpine very kindly supplied us with breakfast to take with us. Kumara asked along the way if we wanted to stop and see this, that, or the other thing. Each time, we said "No, elephants." We were going to see the elephants come hell or high water! Back up over the mountain, down the winding roads to the other side and through the jungles we went. It was still a bit bitter, having to back track all of that way. I was starting to feel a bit sinusy, and the twisting and turning of the roads made me a bit sick. When we finally got to Pinnawela, it was still drizzling a bit. Kumara quick found us a guide who showed us where to get  tickets. Elephant baths were cancelled for the day because of the rain. The guard told us that we could not take video unless we paid extra. But since my little camera took video, who would ever know? ;)
 
We were kind of confused as to where to go, but we eventually found a barn where two babies were being fed. For a thousand rupees (about $10 USD), you could bottle feed one of them. This is where I felt a bit conflicted. The elephant orphanage had begun so it could care for orphaned elephants. Over the years, it had grown from a few to a whole herd. The government had taken it over. Sure, I would have liked to feed a baby elephant. But something about it being chained in front of a huge crowd of people clamoring to take pictures and get their turn feeding it turned me off about it. Seemed exploitative to me.
 
I wandered off on my own and up to where the rest of the herd was hanging around. None of them were chained. They were just meandering about their field. A huge bull was chained off to the side under an awning. From the size of those tusks, I could guess why! A mahut (guys who take care of elephants) talked me into walking into the herd to get my picture taken petting one of the elephants. Ever been face to trunk with one? Much taller than you think! Their hair feels like wire, and she was very muddy and gritty. The guy kept telling me to turn around, but I really didn't want to take my eyes off of her lest my demise by trampling be caught on film. Their eyes are almost on the sides of their heads, but you can tell when they fix their beady eyes on you. She was staring me in the face, but not agressively. I wandered around taking pictures of the herd. A ten day old baby was hiding under its mother. It was all legs, clumsy, but inquisitive. It kept trying to walk out into the crowd. The mahuts would tap on its feet with their sticks to tell it to go back. I was able to get close enough to get my picture taken with it. I kept expecting its mother to go berserk, but she was just like "Yeah, I know I have the cutest baby in the world so go on and take pictures!"

 
Now, our guide had told us before we went in to not give anyone else any money. We had bought tickets, so we did not have to pay for anything else. However, every time a mahut talked someone into getting their picture taken, he would ask them for money. I watched all of the mahuts as they fleeced the crowd. I refused to pay them. A pair of them even followed me for a bit after they took my picture. I flat out said no. I had bought a ticket, and wasn't going to take part in the little racket they had going. And they couldn't argue, because they knew they weren't supposed to be charging money for people to take pictures. Still, it's not like these people get paid a lot. Who could blame them for trying to make some extra cash? And although it seemed like the government had turned the orphanage into a cash cow, it could not be denied that the elephants were in good health, were well fed, and had lots of room to live. That cannot be said as much for the wild ones. Their habitat is disappearing; we had remarked how we had not expected habitation in every part of Sri Lanka, but indeed it seemed like there was very little of the jungle left uninhabited. I had to admit that the government is doing the best they can with what they have, and the people are trying to get on the best way they know how.
 
After Pinnawela, we started on the road back to Colombo to spend the afternoon shopping. The traffic was horrendous. Kumara pointed out that it was Christmas Eve; I had actually forgotten. We listened to Christmas music on the way to Colombo and wondered what kind of tour we would get in the city. Well, the answer to that was simple: none. The tour company had not planned for a guide for Colombo, which was ridiculous since we did not know one thing about getting around. Our driver did not know what we meant by shopping, so he took us to a mall. To which we objected; we can go to malls anywhere. We wanted to see one of the open markets, places to buy textiles, artwork, etc. He did not get it, and this is only because his English is limited. We stopped for lunch at a Pizza Hut, which tasted awesome after so much rice and curry. After lunch, we drove around some more. Kumara was a trooper, he drove us everywhere we wanted, even if it meant going in a circle! He tried to point things out to us as best he could, like the President's house, the Hall of Justice, and other big landmarks. We eventually did find a government owned store that specialized in Sri Lankan handicrafts. I spotted it and remembered reading about it. It had batik, woodwork, sculptures and engravings, and artwork. It was what we were looking for, but we only had about half an hour because they were closing early for Christmas. After we were done, Kumara said hopefully "We go to Negambo now?" Yes!
 
Traffic was horrible, but once we got away from Colombo it was better. We had told our guide via Kumara's cell phone that we did not want to go back to that very first hotel and that we wanted a place with wifi. We were desperate because it was Christmas Eve and we wanted to speak to our families. If we didn't get a place with wifi, I was going to cry. We drove up and down the streets of Negambo. Aruna had found us a place, but Kumara had no clue where it was. He eventually called the owners who were able to direct him. The Villa extra is small and only has a few rooms, but they are all clean with comfy mattresses and pillows. The couple that owns it is German. One of my friends speaks German, and as soon as the van stopped she jumped out to ask if they had wifi. When she came back all smiles, we knew all was good. The couple very kindly helped us upstairs then showed us to a nice seafood restaurant for dinner. We relaxed and enjoyed Christmas Eve. A bunch of Sri Lankan kids were running up and down the roads dressed as Santa and singing Christmas carols. A pair of lizards curled up around the light over our table. You know that feeling you get when a trip is starting to wind down? Yeah, it was like that. This was our last stop before going to the airport tomorrow night.
 
When we got back, I jumped on Skype to speak with my mother. That was what I was really looking forward to. It was so good to speak to her, and jeez I had so much to tell her about! Monkeys, lizards, Buddhas, elephants, temples, oh my! And I just wanted to see her face on Christmas. That's what I really wanted.
 
At midnight, Negambo has exploded with fireworks and firecrackers. We can hear carolers and people in a nearby church singing. Merry Christmas, everyone!
 
December 25, 2010
 
Finally, we were able to sleep in! The owners prepared a wonderful Christmas breakfast of fresh pineapple, papaya, toast, and tea for us. They even had little gifts of lovely smelling Ayurvedic soap for us! So sweet! After breakfast, we slathered on more bug spray (raining= lots of mosquitos) and headed out to the beach. We did not want to lay out, just to walk around and dip our toes into the Indian Ocean. Apparently, it's a Sri Lankan thing to go to the beach on Christmas because the beach was teeming with families picnicing, boating, and swimming. It was still grey out, so it wasn't a good day to tan but it was obviously a good day for everything else! We took a few pictures, and then wandered to the street to window shop. We had been told by other teachers that Sri Lanka was the place to shop for jewelry, and boy were they right! Every other store in Negambo is a jewelry store. Mostly silver, and all kinds of stones. And if you come in without a guide, they are more willing to haggle because then they don't have to pay the guide a commission. Yes, apparently if a guide brings you to a store, the store has to pay the guide a commission if you buy anything! Yeah, I learned that in Cairo because the guide openly told us that he would get a kickback for bringing us into certain stores. So, if you go shopping, don't bring your guide!
 
I have to say that Sri Lanka has some of the most beautiful stone jewelry that I have ever seen. All of the settings were very modern, which I did not particularly care for. But the stones were gorgeous! Blue topaz, pink sapphire, lemon quartz, amethyst, and peridot to name a few! I had already purchased an antique piece set with moonstones in Kandy and had thought that was good enough for me. But a silver ring set with a moonstone and peridots caught my eye. Merry Christmas to me!
 
We had lunch at a little German place where I tried schnitzel for the first time. Not too bad! We went back to the hotel for a little nap and to avoid what looked like an impending downpour. My one friend has been sick the entire trip, and I was beginning to feel more than a little rundown. We went to a great little Italian place for Christmas dinner. It was run by a family, and small boys were running food to tables while their older brothers and and their father took orders. If I could guess, their mother probably works in the kitchen :) They make great spinach gnocchi! Sure, the bruschetta was on plain white toast, but it's Sri Lanka, not Rome. Still tasted garlicky and wonderful. At dinner, we exchanged the little gifts we had gotten for each other. I had gotten them all these cute little wooden boxed of ceylon tea from Mackwoods tea plantation. One friend got me a nice scarf, and another gave me a carved seashell with elephants on it. It wasn't like Christmas at home, but we still had a nice Christmas. When we got back from dinner, I Skyped Mom again and wonder upon wonders, my little brother was there, too! Woohoo! Haven't seen his face in ages and it was so good to talk to him. With a healthy dose of home, I felt much better about Christmas :)
 
As we wait here at the hotel for our ride to the airport, I have to admit that it was an adventure. It was one of those vacations that was more about experiences and learning about other cultures. Sri Lanka is fascinating. I have learned more about Buddhism than I ever knew. Now that I have seen the cultural side, I am ready for a lazy vacation. Maybe next time I will go to one of the resort towns down south and spend my time relaxing on the beach. But now I have to catch a plane back to Dubai!
 
Merry Christmas!