BootsnAll Travel Network



Archive for the 'Sri Lanka' Category

« Home

Sri Lanka – Final Thoughts

Saturday, May 6th, 2006

It’s easy to see why, in the past, so many nations fought to make Sri Lanka part of their empires. I’m not condoning colonialism or any of its implications; this, however, does have the air of an island blessed with precious things.

I can’t remember the last time I saw such astonishingly beautiful scenery. I know this has been a recurring theme throughout my Sri Lanka diaries, and it will be painfully obvious when I upload my photos, but I think pictures will be the only way of completely communicationg the beauty of this country. Peaks as seemingly high as those in, say, Switzerland or Austria, vegetation so lush the air must be the most oxygenated in the world, flowers every colour of the rainbow and more besides and, on the fringes, white beaches and clean, clean seas. I think if I was an explorer in years gone by, I’d have certainly settled here too, believing it to be paradise.

And yet, and yet. Every day you are reminded that it isn’t paradise, but something altogether more flawed. The tsunami devastated, utterly, parts of the south and east coasts. Talking to people who live there, they point out, almost nonchalantly, where walls were swept away, or the tree they climbed to save themselves, or the hotel a few doors away where people died. I hold my hands up and admit that, when I was in Mirissa on the coast, I didn’t sleep very soundly. Every big wave, every gust of wind, had me snapping into wakefulness, heart racing. I had to give myself a mental slap round the face and tell myself that not only would anything as devastating as that probably never happen again in my lifetime, but also I was being a real coward. I was there for a few days only, and yet I was surrounded by the people who had survived the disaster. and who were re-building their shattered lives on the same spot.

A combination of the tsunami and the political situation here seems to result in a lack of tourists. This then has the knock-on effect I described in an earlier entry, where tourists are either hassled a lot (in particular the women – men that I’ve spoken to have had nowhere near as much), or treated like the most honoured guests. A real paradox, and I hope that as more people visit, the super-nice Sri Lankans win out. Because they are very, very nice people indeed.

On the plane over here, I remember reading that one of Sri Lanka’s names is ‘Serendib’, from which the word ‘serendipity’ is derived. This is one of my most favourite words. Not only is it a treat to say out loud – try it, and feel it skipping from your tongue – but what a lovely meaning. A fortunate accident. Things going your way, unexpectedly. This made me smile on the way here but now, leaving, I’m smiling again because I have experienced some wonderful serendipity here. Mostly through the people I’ve met – Tina, Sarah, and especially Anna in Ella and Petra and Detlef – wonderful new friends. In addition, a few serendipitous , brief encounters with other people have really struck home, and will keep me thinking for a long time to come. And it is this serendipity that will be my lasting, happy, memory of Sri Lanka.

Mirissa – It’s a hard life

Thursday, May 4th, 2006

Bumper edition today, folks!  The reasons are threefold:

1. I’ve been lazy since I’ve got here and now I’ve found a good cheap internet cafe

2. It’s Friday and you wouldn’t be doing much work anyway – am I right or am I right?

3. I want to update all my Sri Lanka things before I get to China on Sunday and the only thing I will be allowed to write by the government firewalls is “China is a wonderful country, you should come now and spend all your capitalist dollars”.

Sooo… where was I?  Oh yes, in Ella.  The guy who ran my guesthouse, the wonderful, benevolent, rotund Mr J, was born in Mirissa, so he was really helpful in getting me down to the south coast.  I thought I’d have to take another epic journey and change buses many times over, but apparently not so.  There was one that stopped in Ella that went all the way down there.  I might have to stand for the first few miles, but once we got to the next town I would get a seat for sure.  This didn’t bother me – listen, I climbed Adam’s Peak yesterday!  Yes, the real one!

As I sat waiting for the bus (given a different time by everyone I asked, so I plonked myself by the roadside and played the waiting game), I chatted to various locals, bizarrely, about Princess Diana, or Lady Di as they call her here.  I tried to get onto my complex theories, developed over many hours discussion with my mum, about her state of mind and how innocent (or otherwise) she was, but it turns out this doesn’t translate well – all I got in response, every time, was a smile, a nod, and “She was beautiful lady.  Very good’.  Mum would love it here.  I also got chatting to a great German couple, Petra and Detlef, who were heading down in the same direction as me. 

The bus rolled in finally and it was the usual story – get yourself, and your huge bag, into any available space.  Detlef ended up hanging out of the door (he said he preferred it…), and Petra and I were clinging on for dear life inside, hoping that our bags were ok, jammed out of sight somewhere.  It got to the stage where I’d lost all feelings in my arm, was using the man in front of me as a brake, and felt like I was surfing on a bus.  The driver was of the kamikaze variety, and it was with no small amount of terror that we noticed he and another bus driver seemed to be having a race round Sri Lanka’s winding roads.  I was very glad I couldn’t see out of the front window.  Suddenly, we heard a metallic clang, and then a few minutes down the road, we got the strong smell of petrol.  Something definitely wasn’t right, and the bus soon pulled over.

As we were near the door, we jumped off to stretch our legs and see what was going on.  Detlef, an engineer, saw the diesel, saw the hole in the diesel tank, and delivered his verdict of “yes, it’s completely broken”.  I was thinking that myself, but when someone who knows what they’re talking about says it, somehow it becomes worse.  We were all completely incredulous when, the next minute, a French girl jumped off the bus and lit up a cigarette, a couple of yards from a huge pool of diesel.  We shouted over to her that there was diesel on the ground, and maybe she should get herself and the ciggie away from it. “Oh, I’ll be fine”, she said.  We took a couple of nervous steps away in the other direction.

One jammed bus pulled up, and some of the passengers got on, but it was too crowded to even contemplate.  We were deciding whether or ot we should flag down a taxi to take us further down south to a bus station, when luckily another bus came soaring down the road.  We flagged it, it screeched to a halt, and luckily it was going our way.  This time we soon got a seat, wedged on the back row like the troublemakers in school, occasionally flying up off the seat when we went over a bump, and making all the locals laugh with our shouts of surprise at the hairy moments.  Petra and Detlef got off before me, heading for a secluded bungalow near Tangalle, but they were following me to Mirissa in a couple of days, and we agreed to meet up there. 

As soon as I got to the tiny village of Mirissa, I dumped my bag in my room, ran the 10 steps down to the beach with its white sands, palm trees, and crystal clear turquoise water, and pretty much didn’t move from there for the next two days.  There’s not a lot to do in Mirissa, except relax with a book, chat with the other folk here (a particularly laid-back set of people), and get very, very brown indeed.  I set about it with gusto, and could have happily stayed there for a very long time.

Ella – Mind the gap

Thursday, May 4th, 2006
The train journey from Kandy to Ella, further East, is beautiful.  It's funny, you'd think after a while of being surrounded all the time be completely stunning scenery, the effect would wear off, but it just doesn't happen.  I took ... [Continue reading this entry]

Sigiriya – The Rock

Thursday, May 4th, 2006
My next day trip out from Kandy was to the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya.  This was built around 477AD - eat your heart out, Stratford Upon Avon!  It was the brainchild of King Kasyapa, who intended it as an ... [Continue reading this entry]

Pinnewala – Can I take one home please?

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2006
Kandy is well placed, pretty central in the country, so I decided to base myself there for a couple of days and take some day trips to outlying areas. And absolutely number one must see in my book, and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Kandy – sweet tooth

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006
I arrived in Kandy on Tuesday evening, tired after a long but very scenic route cross-country.  The views here are just spectacular - think Switzerland, but with tropical plants, and that's about as close a description as I can manage.  ... [Continue reading this entry]

Colombo – Not getting arrested

Thursday, April 27th, 2006
I arrived in a very warm and tropical Colombo at lunchtime on Monday 24th April, eyes all red and blurry from my emotional farewell to India.  I'd managed to meet my friend Dave at the airport (he was out at ... [Continue reading this entry]