Hey everyone, here's another video for you all to see. It's of some Buddhist Drummers in a temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This temple, located next to Kandy's main lake is called the "Temple of the Tooth". Legend has it that after Gautama the Buddha was cremated, a spirit came and took his tooth before it was burnt. Through a series of politics, mythological legends, and outraged kings, the tooth ended up in this temple in Sri Lanka. It is now revered as one of Buddhism's holiest temples in all of Asia, and many pilgrims travel here to view the sight.
When I had a chance at prayer time to sit outside the door where the tooth is located, I was disappointed. The door opened, and at the end of a long hallway sat a silver, shiny statue. I imagine it was a statue of Buddha but it was too hard to discern from how far away I was. In side that, the tooth is supposedly located. Although this reminds me of Churches in Europe that supposedly house the wood from the very cross that Jesus was crucified on.
They all seem holy and important until I learned about this littler rumor: Apparently you could take all those "holy" pieces of wood and make enough church steeples to cover Rome. Or that's the rumor.
Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrJfkAsE29c
Here's also a small legend about the lake in Kandy. It is a man-made lake, dug hundreds of years ago either right before or while the British occupied Sri Lanka. During the time that the King in charge wanted the lake dug, politicians, noblemen and other people of influence in the area fervently argued the king to not construct the lake. What did he do? Right in the middle of the dig site he put a bunch of poles and put their heads on the poles to remind everyone of one thing: Don't. Mess. With. Me.
The lake is now the center point in the town of Kandy and many things revolve around the lake. Supposedly divers went down and the poles were still stuck in the mud.
Enjoy.
Showing posts with label Sri Lanka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sri Lanka. Show all posts
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Where we went
For those of you that might be looking at the pictures, I will write this in the order of them. Here's where we went:
The airport isn't actually in Colombo itself. Colombo is a half-hour south of the airport, and this small beach town is a half-hour north. Not wanting to struggle in finding a hotel at 10pm, Jodi had booked our hotel ahead of time, so we had a wonderful driver pick us up from the airport.
This was it ended up being after landing: Negombo-Unawatuna-Colombo-Kandy and back to the airport.
When we arrived at our hotel in Negombo, we immedieatly went out onto the beach. We thought it was beautiful and a wonderful place to be. The waves could be heard crashing against the beach and a gentle breeze blew across the sands. Equipped with a flashlight, I jumped the fence surrounding the hotel and walked down to the water. It seemed beautiful at the time, and there was something I didn't expect to see on the beach. Crabs. Lots of crabs. Crabs from 3 inches wide, to a staggering 7-10 inches (from longest leg to the opposite longest leg). And they were the cool crabs that hide in the sand with just their eyes poking out. Only since it was night, they were all out, running across the sands, running into the water when I got to close, and digging themselves under the sand to hide. It was an incredible sight.
The next morning I woke up to a cloudy day. Not to bad I figured, since we were spending the day in transit, it would cool us down. So we hopped on a local bus and made the journey down to the touristy-beach town of Unawatuna. The bus was supposed to take about 3-4 hours, but of course, being a local bus, it took closed to 5. Tired, dirty, and sweaty from the bus, we stepped down in the city of Galle, the major bus hub next to Unawatuna.
I thought Negombo was pretty and that there was a nice beach. (Again,) how wrong I was. Unawatuna has hotels and restaurants that literally touch the waves. The sand is warm, fine and of a wonderful color, and the ocean was calm, clear and warm. It was as close to heaven (in beach terms) as I had been to in a while.
Let me be an activist for a minute: having hotels so close to the beach is not a good thing. They ruin the wild life, leave no space for dunes or other natural flora, and the waves constantly hitting the foundation actually jeopardize the structural integrity of the whole building. These things SHOULDN'T be so close to the water.
Now let me be a snotty tourist: Being able to eat with your feet almost touching the water is one of the most pleasant feelings in the world. You could constantly hear the ocean, you could sip a cup of tea and literally jump from your seat into the ocean. It was, how to say this, wonderful.
But it's bad, all very bad.
In fact, remember that tsunami in 2004? Yeah, well this place was hit. HARD. But due to such fervent foreign aid, this tourist vista was the quickest place in Sri Lanka to be rebuilt. Strange how it's the most touristy place that gets rebuild the fastest. All for the pleasure of tourists. We saw a picture of one man's shop. This is what we saw: a picture of a broken building, literally with only a foundation left. It was dated 2004. When I asked the shop owner what we did when the tsunami came he said (with his fingers) that he ran. That just north of here was a big hill that everyone ran up to. The picture next to that was his shop. New, pristine, rebuilt. That one was dated "May 2005". Less than a year. Before I walked out of the shop he said: "No more tsunami's for a thousand years." Apparently, (as I heard this a couple times) in many oceanic cultures, tsunamis are not something to be talked about lightly or commonly. As if they were angry gods that come when we do the most damage to each other. At least that was my impression of how they thought of it.
Then we moved on from Unawatuna. Up north to Colombo. Taking a small A/C bus from Galle to Colombo, the ride was way smoother than when we came down to Galle. Then we reached Colombo. A bustling city with tons of small markets littering the sidewalks, tons of people, and constant horns, it was quite reminiscent of India. Jodi and I stepped off the bus, and opened our wallets. A dead fly, a paper clip, and ten Sri Lankan rupees. And if you paid attention in my last post, you'd know that ten rupees will get you a good chuckle from a local, but that's about it.
So with our backpacks on, we searched for an ATM. Up and down the busy Colombo streets, sweat poured down our faces. The foot traffic made things worse, I was hitting people left and right with my pack. First we found an ATM in a train station - nothing. Didn't work. We were told we had to cross the tracks and the ATM on the other side would work. So we went there, and to our fortune, it did work. To make a long story short, we got our money, got in a tuktuk, found the private bus stand, and made our way to Kandy. Up into the hills we went.
After some three or four hours on the bus, we made it to the hill city of Kandy. Actually, most of the descriptions of life and culture in Sri Lanka that I talked about in my previous post centers on this city. From Kalpetta, to Gangtok, to Kandy, every hill city I have so far visited in Asia has been amazing. When we arrived, I ordered a cup of filter coffee. That was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. I exaggerate, but Sri Lanka and coffee don't mix. Instead, try the tea. Sri Lanka has some of the most delicious tea in the world. And being situated in a hill station, the tea is even fresher and more appealing than at the beaches.
So we spent the next few days relaxing until we had to head back to the airport on Thursday. One day we went to the botanical garden. I could spend some time explaining, in long strenuous words the botanical gardens, but they would never do a justice. Instead, check out the pictures. We also went to a small tea shop that serves you samples (for a cost) of the tea they have. Delicious.
While there we also met an Englishman named Paddy. Only having started traveling 3 or 4 years ago (he is now 43) he seemed like a person who had been traveling his whole life. He was a source of innumerable moments of inspiration, taught me some guitar tricks, and was a great source of information. Besides, if we hadn't met him, Jodi and I most likely would have killed each other. Literally. So the three of us spent evenings on the balcony of the "Olde Empire Hotel", playing guitar, singing songs, and recounting and relating to experiences we've had. As well as giving each other support for future endeavors that have been in the back of our heads.
Or at least my head. Let's just say... remember all those blog posts from before I settled in Bangalore? When everything was exciting, constantly in motion?
The adventure is about to start again...
The airport isn't actually in Colombo itself. Colombo is a half-hour south of the airport, and this small beach town is a half-hour north. Not wanting to struggle in finding a hotel at 10pm, Jodi had booked our hotel ahead of time, so we had a wonderful driver pick us up from the airport.
This was it ended up being after landing: Negombo-Unawatuna-Colombo-Kandy and back to the airport.
When we arrived at our hotel in Negombo, we immedieatly went out onto the beach. We thought it was beautiful and a wonderful place to be. The waves could be heard crashing against the beach and a gentle breeze blew across the sands. Equipped with a flashlight, I jumped the fence surrounding the hotel and walked down to the water. It seemed beautiful at the time, and there was something I didn't expect to see on the beach. Crabs. Lots of crabs. Crabs from 3 inches wide, to a staggering 7-10 inches (from longest leg to the opposite longest leg). And they were the cool crabs that hide in the sand with just their eyes poking out. Only since it was night, they were all out, running across the sands, running into the water when I got to close, and digging themselves under the sand to hide. It was an incredible sight.
The next morning I woke up to a cloudy day. Not to bad I figured, since we were spending the day in transit, it would cool us down. So we hopped on a local bus and made the journey down to the touristy-beach town of Unawatuna. The bus was supposed to take about 3-4 hours, but of course, being a local bus, it took closed to 5. Tired, dirty, and sweaty from the bus, we stepped down in the city of Galle, the major bus hub next to Unawatuna.
I thought Negombo was pretty and that there was a nice beach. (Again,) how wrong I was. Unawatuna has hotels and restaurants that literally touch the waves. The sand is warm, fine and of a wonderful color, and the ocean was calm, clear and warm. It was as close to heaven (in beach terms) as I had been to in a while.
Let me be an activist for a minute: having hotels so close to the beach is not a good thing. They ruin the wild life, leave no space for dunes or other natural flora, and the waves constantly hitting the foundation actually jeopardize the structural integrity of the whole building. These things SHOULDN'T be so close to the water.
Now let me be a snotty tourist: Being able to eat with your feet almost touching the water is one of the most pleasant feelings in the world. You could constantly hear the ocean, you could sip a cup of tea and literally jump from your seat into the ocean. It was, how to say this, wonderful.
But it's bad, all very bad.
In fact, remember that tsunami in 2004? Yeah, well this place was hit. HARD. But due to such fervent foreign aid, this tourist vista was the quickest place in Sri Lanka to be rebuilt. Strange how it's the most touristy place that gets rebuild the fastest. All for the pleasure of tourists. We saw a picture of one man's shop. This is what we saw: a picture of a broken building, literally with only a foundation left. It was dated 2004. When I asked the shop owner what we did when the tsunami came he said (with his fingers) that he ran. That just north of here was a big hill that everyone ran up to. The picture next to that was his shop. New, pristine, rebuilt. That one was dated "May 2005". Less than a year. Before I walked out of the shop he said: "No more tsunami's for a thousand years." Apparently, (as I heard this a couple times) in many oceanic cultures, tsunamis are not something to be talked about lightly or commonly. As if they were angry gods that come when we do the most damage to each other. At least that was my impression of how they thought of it.
Then we moved on from Unawatuna. Up north to Colombo. Taking a small A/C bus from Galle to Colombo, the ride was way smoother than when we came down to Galle. Then we reached Colombo. A bustling city with tons of small markets littering the sidewalks, tons of people, and constant horns, it was quite reminiscent of India. Jodi and I stepped off the bus, and opened our wallets. A dead fly, a paper clip, and ten Sri Lankan rupees. And if you paid attention in my last post, you'd know that ten rupees will get you a good chuckle from a local, but that's about it.
So with our backpacks on, we searched for an ATM. Up and down the busy Colombo streets, sweat poured down our faces. The foot traffic made things worse, I was hitting people left and right with my pack. First we found an ATM in a train station - nothing. Didn't work. We were told we had to cross the tracks and the ATM on the other side would work. So we went there, and to our fortune, it did work. To make a long story short, we got our money, got in a tuktuk, found the private bus stand, and made our way to Kandy. Up into the hills we went.
After some three or four hours on the bus, we made it to the hill city of Kandy. Actually, most of the descriptions of life and culture in Sri Lanka that I talked about in my previous post centers on this city. From Kalpetta, to Gangtok, to Kandy, every hill city I have so far visited in Asia has been amazing. When we arrived, I ordered a cup of filter coffee. That was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. I exaggerate, but Sri Lanka and coffee don't mix. Instead, try the tea. Sri Lanka has some of the most delicious tea in the world. And being situated in a hill station, the tea is even fresher and more appealing than at the beaches.
So we spent the next few days relaxing until we had to head back to the airport on Thursday. One day we went to the botanical garden. I could spend some time explaining, in long strenuous words the botanical gardens, but they would never do a justice. Instead, check out the pictures. We also went to a small tea shop that serves you samples (for a cost) of the tea they have. Delicious.
While there we also met an Englishman named Paddy. Only having started traveling 3 or 4 years ago (he is now 43) he seemed like a person who had been traveling his whole life. He was a source of innumerable moments of inspiration, taught me some guitar tricks, and was a great source of information. Besides, if we hadn't met him, Jodi and I most likely would have killed each other. Literally. So the three of us spent evenings on the balcony of the "Olde Empire Hotel", playing guitar, singing songs, and recounting and relating to experiences we've had. As well as giving each other support for future endeavors that have been in the back of our heads.
Or at least my head. Let's just say... remember all those blog posts from before I settled in Bangalore? When everything was exciting, constantly in motion?
The adventure is about to start again...
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Part One: carribean-style beaches, 6 foot monitor lizards, and tourists
Part Two: Hills, Tea, and free women.
Where to begin....
Upon arriving in Sri Lanka around 10pm on December 10th, things looked quite similar to India. At night, with all the shops already closed, we drove past clothing stores, mobile phone stores, small restaurants, and everything had a very "India" feel to it. With a plane ride that lasted no more than one hour, I didn't expect a stark difference. Just some time away from work, the apartment, and a busy city.
Oh, how wrong I was.
Sri Lanka, once day broke, is a world away from India in terms of culture, government, and society.
Let's start with the government. Everywhere in Sri Lanka are pictures of the current president. A fair skinned man, he adorns himself with a burly, yet conservative mustache and has a wide smile. In many pictures he is wearing all white with a red scarf/shawl wrapped around his neck. For whatever reason, the more I see a politician on posters, the less I trust him. But I was too quick to judge this man - he's done a lot of good, but some bad comes along with it.
Let's start with the good. If he never became president, I would never have been able to visit Sri Lanka. One picture of him, decked out in military uniform, giving a salute, explains why. He was the president that increased the Sri Lankan army's morale and fighting power and put a stop to the Tamil Tigers. Apparently he just kept pressing, shooting and bombarding the last of the Tamil Tigers' strongholds until it fell. Now Sri Lanka lives in a peace where tourists and locals alike can roam the streets without any fear. Don't let the strong military presence in the streets put a stop to you feeling safe - if it weren't for those young men standing around with AKs, a bomb could have gone off anywhere.
As for the bad though, he's not very good with the economy. Before him, the Sri Lankan rupee was about equal to the Indian Rupee. As compared to the USD, they were almost even (between Rs. 40 and Rs. 50 to the dollar). Now however, one USD equals Rs. 112. Comparatively, that's pretty bad... he s made the Sri Lankan rupee terribly weak. So why did I end up spending so much money in a country where (technically) I'm so much richer?
Prices are extravagantly higher. Here in India, I can go out onto the street and pay between Rs. 5-10 for a cup of coffee or chai. When I asked the lady who exchanged the money what the value of the Sri Lankan rupee is (using that example) she simply laughed and said "this is not India". If I want a cup of tea at a small tea joint, I pay around Rs. 60. If I want a nice espresso at an upscale coffee shop, I pay Rs. 220. Sure, compared to a dollar its still nothing - but I've stopped thinking like that ages ago. I'm making rupees, and I have to think in rupees. Therefore, I'm spending a lot more money in Sri Lanka than I would for the same things in India.
When we reached the hill town of Kandy (which we were told is dirty and overcrowded) I had no idea what to expect. Instead, to my surprise, Kandy, another hill city was exquisite and beautiful. Somewhat crowded, but extremely worth it when it comes to the bustling markets all over the city. Was it dirty? I laugh in the face of the fool that tried to fool us. Kandy is beyond clean. At least compared to India it was closer to a New York than Bangalore. Everyday in the morning garbage trucks came and picked up the trash, street sweepers moved debris off the to side, and people used the appropriate receptacles (which speaks a lot for the culture/society as well!)
And not a pothole in the ground. Traffic ran smoothly, with equal honking as India, but with an efficiency that I have yet to see in any Indian city. There were lines on the road to designate lanes, crosswalks, and stop lights. How is this different from India? Well for one, you can have stop lights all over India, but you still better look both ways even if it's green - many, or most from what I've seen, simply don't pay attention to the stop lights. What about crosswalks? I'll illustrate this with a small example:
Let's say I'm in Bangalore and I want to cross a busy Indian street. I look both ways and wait for the first three feet or so to have no traffic. I step out and notice the next three feet has traffic, so I wait a distance (some inches) where I won't be clothes lined by a side-view mirror, and then when I have enough space again, I move into the next three feet. Think of it like a giant game of frogger where you are the frog. Only this time the cars are real. And if you get hit, you don't get to start on the side of the road again. When doing this, you aren't watching the cars or the drivers, but instead looking right behind the car about to pass you to see if you can walk as soon as it passes. Make sense?
Here's Sri Lanka: Look both ways. Walk out onto the street when it's somewhat clear. I see a car coming so I position myself just far enough away to not get clothes lined and look beyond the car to see if there are more behind it. Only this time something strange happens. I look beyond the car, but my view is blocked. By the car. The car that was coming stopped. I was so astounded, I actually stood in the middle of the street like a fool not really sure of what was going on. "Why would you stop?" I wanted to ask the driver. I was amazed, before my foot even touched the street, people began to stop to let pedestrians pass. As we traveled more and more, my opinion of Sri Lanka improved.
Society was just efficient there. I'm not sure where they put the garbage on such a small island, but when the ugly isn't as apparent (as it is in India) it's way more beautiful and appealing. Society worked, government was working (to my knowledge), and people were friendly. This all translated to the culture....
Sri Lankan culture. Nothing what I expected. No head-nods, no staring, and women didn't cast down their eyes when they saw you. It was again, a world away from India. The only thing that got annoying (as what I expect in any country where you stick out like a sore thumb) was the question, "your country?" I ended up saying India most of the time (being that I'm living here) and some people sort of accepted and walked away, others asked me again "no no, you're country" to which I repeated "India". Some people laughed and didn't believe me, to which I acted outraged, raising my voice saying, "What, India can't have any white residents? I was born in Bangalore!" etc, etc. If you aren't laughing, don't worry about it, it was funny in the moment.
Next having to do with culture that was a stark difference to me were the women. Women didn't all dress in sarees. They didn't cast down or cover their eyes when they saw me, and they openly embraced their significant others. One day, myself, Jodi, and a friend of ours that we met (Paddy Screech), went to visit a botanical garden. Quite possibly the most beautiful botanical garden I have ever seen, the area was huge, covered in trees, vines and places to hide. It was a common site to see young couples arm in arm, sneaking kisses behind trees or in the shadows. Something that you rarely see in most of India (I stress the most, it's not impossible to see, just no common practice).
Men and women walked hand in hand. Many, many women wore shirts that might be a little low-cut or showed their shoulders. Overall, when observing the way women acted in Sri Lanka, they just appeared.... happier, I suppose. But it's more than that. It's a combination of confidence, happiness, and feeling more free (I don't want to impose this feeling on them, but this is what I gathered from my trip). And it was a great thing to see. I can also understand why they might have felt more free. Even as tourists, the stares I received from people were mostly kept at a minimum. It's like people didn't really care if I was there or not - and that was a wonderful feeling. In India, even in my neighborhood where I am frequently seen, people still stare and gaze. In Sri Lanka - barely. I felt more free knowing that they really didn't care if I was there or not. What a wonderful country.
Next post, I'll post where we landed, where we started, where we ended up, and how we traveled. We went to three major places, and they were all wonderful. In the mean time, enjoy some pictures. Just click on the Sri Lanka album once you get to the page. The other pictures of India are from my last time (in 2008) and not my current trip in India.
Enjoy.
Part Two: Hills, Tea, and free women.
Where to begin....
Upon arriving in Sri Lanka around 10pm on December 10th, things looked quite similar to India. At night, with all the shops already closed, we drove past clothing stores, mobile phone stores, small restaurants, and everything had a very "India" feel to it. With a plane ride that lasted no more than one hour, I didn't expect a stark difference. Just some time away from work, the apartment, and a busy city.
Oh, how wrong I was.
Sri Lanka, once day broke, is a world away from India in terms of culture, government, and society.
Let's start with the government. Everywhere in Sri Lanka are pictures of the current president. A fair skinned man, he adorns himself with a burly, yet conservative mustache and has a wide smile. In many pictures he is wearing all white with a red scarf/shawl wrapped around his neck. For whatever reason, the more I see a politician on posters, the less I trust him. But I was too quick to judge this man - he's done a lot of good, but some bad comes along with it.
Let's start with the good. If he never became president, I would never have been able to visit Sri Lanka. One picture of him, decked out in military uniform, giving a salute, explains why. He was the president that increased the Sri Lankan army's morale and fighting power and put a stop to the Tamil Tigers. Apparently he just kept pressing, shooting and bombarding the last of the Tamil Tigers' strongholds until it fell. Now Sri Lanka lives in a peace where tourists and locals alike can roam the streets without any fear. Don't let the strong military presence in the streets put a stop to you feeling safe - if it weren't for those young men standing around with AKs, a bomb could have gone off anywhere.
As for the bad though, he's not very good with the economy. Before him, the Sri Lankan rupee was about equal to the Indian Rupee. As compared to the USD, they were almost even (between Rs. 40 and Rs. 50 to the dollar). Now however, one USD equals Rs. 112. Comparatively, that's pretty bad... he s made the Sri Lankan rupee terribly weak. So why did I end up spending so much money in a country where (technically) I'm so much richer?
Prices are extravagantly higher. Here in India, I can go out onto the street and pay between Rs. 5-10 for a cup of coffee or chai. When I asked the lady who exchanged the money what the value of the Sri Lankan rupee is (using that example) she simply laughed and said "this is not India". If I want a cup of tea at a small tea joint, I pay around Rs. 60. If I want a nice espresso at an upscale coffee shop, I pay Rs. 220. Sure, compared to a dollar its still nothing - but I've stopped thinking like that ages ago. I'm making rupees, and I have to think in rupees. Therefore, I'm spending a lot more money in Sri Lanka than I would for the same things in India.
When we reached the hill town of Kandy (which we were told is dirty and overcrowded) I had no idea what to expect. Instead, to my surprise, Kandy, another hill city was exquisite and beautiful. Somewhat crowded, but extremely worth it when it comes to the bustling markets all over the city. Was it dirty? I laugh in the face of the fool that tried to fool us. Kandy is beyond clean. At least compared to India it was closer to a New York than Bangalore. Everyday in the morning garbage trucks came and picked up the trash, street sweepers moved debris off the to side, and people used the appropriate receptacles (which speaks a lot for the culture/society as well!)
And not a pothole in the ground. Traffic ran smoothly, with equal honking as India, but with an efficiency that I have yet to see in any Indian city. There were lines on the road to designate lanes, crosswalks, and stop lights. How is this different from India? Well for one, you can have stop lights all over India, but you still better look both ways even if it's green - many, or most from what I've seen, simply don't pay attention to the stop lights. What about crosswalks? I'll illustrate this with a small example:
Let's say I'm in Bangalore and I want to cross a busy Indian street. I look both ways and wait for the first three feet or so to have no traffic. I step out and notice the next three feet has traffic, so I wait a distance (some inches) where I won't be clothes lined by a side-view mirror, and then when I have enough space again, I move into the next three feet. Think of it like a giant game of frogger where you are the frog. Only this time the cars are real. And if you get hit, you don't get to start on the side of the road again. When doing this, you aren't watching the cars or the drivers, but instead looking right behind the car about to pass you to see if you can walk as soon as it passes. Make sense?
Here's Sri Lanka: Look both ways. Walk out onto the street when it's somewhat clear. I see a car coming so I position myself just far enough away to not get clothes lined and look beyond the car to see if there are more behind it. Only this time something strange happens. I look beyond the car, but my view is blocked. By the car. The car that was coming stopped. I was so astounded, I actually stood in the middle of the street like a fool not really sure of what was going on. "Why would you stop?" I wanted to ask the driver. I was amazed, before my foot even touched the street, people began to stop to let pedestrians pass. As we traveled more and more, my opinion of Sri Lanka improved.
Society was just efficient there. I'm not sure where they put the garbage on such a small island, but when the ugly isn't as apparent (as it is in India) it's way more beautiful and appealing. Society worked, government was working (to my knowledge), and people were friendly. This all translated to the culture....
Sri Lankan culture. Nothing what I expected. No head-nods, no staring, and women didn't cast down their eyes when they saw you. It was again, a world away from India. The only thing that got annoying (as what I expect in any country where you stick out like a sore thumb) was the question, "your country?" I ended up saying India most of the time (being that I'm living here) and some people sort of accepted and walked away, others asked me again "no no, you're country" to which I repeated "India". Some people laughed and didn't believe me, to which I acted outraged, raising my voice saying, "What, India can't have any white residents? I was born in Bangalore!" etc, etc. If you aren't laughing, don't worry about it, it was funny in the moment.
Next having to do with culture that was a stark difference to me were the women. Women didn't all dress in sarees. They didn't cast down or cover their eyes when they saw me, and they openly embraced their significant others. One day, myself, Jodi, and a friend of ours that we met (Paddy Screech), went to visit a botanical garden. Quite possibly the most beautiful botanical garden I have ever seen, the area was huge, covered in trees, vines and places to hide. It was a common site to see young couples arm in arm, sneaking kisses behind trees or in the shadows. Something that you rarely see in most of India (I stress the most, it's not impossible to see, just no common practice).
Men and women walked hand in hand. Many, many women wore shirts that might be a little low-cut or showed their shoulders. Overall, when observing the way women acted in Sri Lanka, they just appeared.... happier, I suppose. But it's more than that. It's a combination of confidence, happiness, and feeling more free (I don't want to impose this feeling on them, but this is what I gathered from my trip). And it was a great thing to see. I can also understand why they might have felt more free. Even as tourists, the stares I received from people were mostly kept at a minimum. It's like people didn't really care if I was there or not - and that was a wonderful feeling. In India, even in my neighborhood where I am frequently seen, people still stare and gaze. In Sri Lanka - barely. I felt more free knowing that they really didn't care if I was there or not. What a wonderful country.
Next post, I'll post where we landed, where we started, where we ended up, and how we traveled. We went to three major places, and they were all wonderful. In the mean time, enjoy some pictures. Just click on the Sri Lanka album once you get to the page. The other pictures of India are from my last time (in 2008) and not my current trip in India.
Enjoy.
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