Whale watching in Trincomalee

Early Friday morning I set out with Hanna (the Swedish girl I met in Columbo), Mary, and Racheal (Michael’s wife) for a whale watching tour.  Mary and Hanna were up to the Trincomalee hospital to do some work, but they took Friday morning off to play tourist with me.  We set sail on the Indian Ocean to see the biggest mammals ever to exist (including dinosaurs).  Our tour guide was a nice young Sri Lankan woman, who had studied marine biology in the UK.  She was very knowledgeable, which made for a great trip.  She gave us lots of tips on how to identify the whales, and other facts about fish and dolphins.  I was very impressed with her knowledge and it definitely made the trip so much more interesting.   

Our first animal spotting was a large group of spinner dolphins.  They came alongside the boat, jumping into the air, being very playful.  It was a really cool sight to see.  Our guide said there must have been a school of 250 dolphins, but we saw about 30 or 40.  The reason the dolphins are called spinner dolphins, is that they jump into the air, and spin around, sometimes spinning up to 7 times.  The best way to see how many times a dolphin spins is by filming them and playing it back in slow motion, as they move extremely fast.  We were told the dolphins jump for many reasons: one is that they are trying to knock off sucker fish.  By spinning around it knocks the sucker fish unconscious and they fall off.  The other reason is that it is fun. 

 After taking some photos and watching the dolphins we headed out to find some whales. We were told the most commonly seen whales include sperm whales and blue whales.  The blue whale is the largest and most commonly seen.   It is an average 30 meters long, weighs 140 tones, its heart is the size of a small car, a small child could crawl through its arteries, and its tail is about 3 meters wide.  The whales off the coast of Sri Lanka are unique to other whales found throughout the world, because they do not seem to migrate and scientists are not sure why (until recently, scientists have not been able to study these whales due to the civil war).  

We went out 20 km from the shore, and waited for the whales to appear.  Our guide and the boat man were very skilled in being able to spot the water spouting up from the ocean.  We saw one or perhaps two whales during our time out to sea.  Unfortunately we did not see one dive only swimming at the top layer of the waters, which means we did not see the tail above the water.  However we did have one swim beneath our boat.  It was pretty incredible.

 After the whale watching tour I spend the day at the fancy hotel the tour was based out of.  I worked on my tan and relaxed by the ocean.  In the later afternoon I started my walk back to my hotel (about 10 km away).  I met a lot of very friendly Sri Lankan men.  I am very much a celebrity here with my blonde hair and fair skin.  Everyone is my best friend and wants to speak English to me.   Children ran along the beach wanting to shake my hand and have their picture taken; men would shout at me s “hello, how are you? Were you from”?  

At the end of my walk I sat and watched a group of fishermen drag in their net.  It was not a very fruitful catch, they may have caught about 20 fish (at most).  One of the fishermen talked to me for a little while before I set off again.  

Green Park Hotel Trincomalee! My new home.

My first couple of days in Trincomalee have been fantastic.  I am thoroughly enjoying the area.  The beaches are so amazing, and virtually untouched by tourism.  I am living at the "Green Park Hotel", which is not a very fancy location, but it is on the beach so I am very content.  It is unfortunate that Sri Lankans do not know what Westerners are willing to pay money for, because they have totally set up the hotel in a very backwards fashion.  The main dinning area overlooks the street, which is not a visually appealing sight.  The view consists of some run down buildings and unkept houses.  In behind the dinning room is the kitchen and a storage area... which of course over looks the beach and water.  If you ask the hotel to sit at a table in the back, they say no, as that is where the hotel staff eat their meals and is not suitable for foreigners.  So crazy.  

Out the back of the hotel!  I love it here!

The design of the bedrooms is not much better.  Again, the most prized rooms overlook the street. My room does not even have a window!  It has a door made out of painted plywood, which can be opened.  It has a second story view of the street.  I open it in the morning for some fresh air (it is not cool, but airs out the room), but since it does not have a screen I do not like to leave it open too long.

The beach just outside of my hotel is used by fisher men to dock their boats.   At all times of the day they can be seen coming and going from the shore line. About 6 or 8 men will go out in the boat, cast out their nets and drag the net back into the boat.  I asked one of the hotel staff if a certain time of the day was the busiest for boat traffic, but they said it doesn't matter they fish at any time of the day.

After eating rice and white bread for several weeks, it was time I did a little exercise.  Last night I strapped on my running shoes and decided to go for a run.  It was both amazing and hell at the same time.  The breeze off the water made running bearable.  It was a great to be outside and getting some exercise. I had many men and women who were walking along the beach stop to watch me as I passed by.  Exercising is not something many people do in this country, as it is too hot.  A few of the fishermen had a good laugh, and rather plump looking man in his "bathing suit"(actually very tiny underwear with a giant rice belly hanging over top) mimicked me; he ran around in a circle, dramatically kicking his knees high up into the air so his friends near by could  have a good laugh.  Whatever rice boy!  I also had a stray dog briefly chase me down the beach for a little bit.... that was scary. You never know what disease they carry or if they have rabies.  Despite all this it felt so good to be exercising again.   Now the true sign of dedication is if I repeat it.

Tuesday March 27th.

I did another run along the beach and added some push ups and burpies to make things interesting. I even did some military presses with a log I found.  This time I had a whole crowd of men watching me from a short distance away.  Gross!!!  It was like I was a circus freak or something.  Whatever!  I feel better exercising, so I think I am going to have to develop a thick skin when it comes to men watching me.

Sneaking up on a fish.  You can see his stash of fresh fish hanging out of his left pocket, in a bag.

One dusty trip to Jaffna

 I woke up early Friday morning, and set out on a trip to the most northern part of the country, Jaffna.  It is also the area that had been most heavily affected by the destruction of the war.  I packed up my things and caught a local bus to Jaffna.  This sounds like an easy thing to do, but it is not when you have a large back pack that needs to be squeezed behind bus seats on a bus.  I was told the trip would take me 3 hours by bus on a bumpy and dusty road; not too bad considering it only cost 180rupees, which is about $1.50).  The bus was full, but at least everyone had seats.  I had sat beside a young mother and her 1.5 year old son.  For most of the trip he stuffed cookies into his mouth and starred at me with his giant brown eyes.  It was very cute. 

I was peacefully enjoying the scenery when the bus was stopped at a military check point, at the Jaffna border.  There were very stern looking military men walking around with machine guns and a large tent was being used as a passport and identification check point.  The check point was in the middle of nowhere; open dusty fields, a few trees spotted along the horizon, and nothing but a dusty red road ahead of us.    At the check point I was singled out and told to get off the bus; the bus driver said “You. Come. Now”.     I was escorted off the bus and handed to the military check point officer.   They asked for my passport.  Of course, I had packed the photocopy I was carrying with me at the bottom of my backpack.  I climbed back onto the bus and pried my bag out from behind the seats I had shoved it under (not easy, considering I had pushed and kicked the bag under the seats with all might earlier that morning).  Then I had to unpack the entire contents of my bag in front of the whole bus of onlookers.  I did not have my passport with me, only a copy as the passport office in Columbo required the original, in order to extend my visa.  There were lots of questions about why I did not have my passport with me, but fortunately for me they could not be bothered with trying to speak English.  There were some big sighs of frustration, but they took a copy of my photocopy and wrote some things down into an ancient-looking book.  I was rushed back onto the bus and we took off.  Fun and games of traveling in a postwar country.

On lookers of the baptism ceremony at Naguleswaram Kovil, a Hindu temple

I arrived in Jaffna just before noon.  I stepped off the bus at a “bus station”, and had to orient myself. I say “bus station” in quotations, because it was basically an abandoned parking lot with a makeshift shelter in one corner which was providing shade for those waiting.  A few trishaws (tuk tuks) were waiting around, so I approached them.  As soon as they saw a white person they all ran around, trying to find the one guy who could speak English.  I was dropped off at my hotel, and I showered the dirt off from the trip.  My face was so dirty I thought I was tanned, but no!  It was dust from the road.  My white towel was brown.  All the open windows and the dusty roads had left their mark. 

The remains of a home in Jaffna; deserted and left to ruin

With the assistance of the hotel manager I hired a trishaw and went to Casuarina beach.  I was told by the guys in Vavuniya it is the best beach in the area. The beach was quite a distance away so this gave me the opportunity to see the sights of the town and the country side of Jaffna.  The town is a bustling district with people everywhere. Outside of the main city center the terrain is very open and flat, with grassy fields and farming land shaded by a few palm trees.  Cows were in the city centers but also sitting or walking along the sides of the country roads, stray dogs wandered around, and goats were busy eating whatever foliage they could find.  It is a peninsula so it possesses a lot of coastal territory with not much for cows or goats to eat.  We passed a dump yard, and it was heavily populated with dogs, goats, and cows looking for things to eat.   As my crazy driver speed along the narrow roads, I hung on to the seat of the trishaw and noted the eerie landscape of bombed out buildings, both abandoned and inhabited.  In the past few years more and more tourist have been attracted to Jaffna, but it still remains a very untourististic place due to its location and history in the war.

The struggles overwhelmed Jaffna in the 1980s, and for two decades this city was a no-go war zone.  Variously besieged by Tamil guerrillas, SLA (Sri Lankan Army) troops and a so-called peacekeeping force, the city lost almost half of its population to emigration.  In 1990 the LTTE ordered Jaffna’s few remaining Sinhalese and all Muslim residents to leave.  Eventually the SLA recaptured Jaffna and imposed military rule, after a few battles in 1996 and 2005.  It took several years for the sense of occupation to be relaxed in the city.  The ban on domestic flights was lifted, mobile phone use was allowed, people returned to their home town, businesses re-opened, and reconstruction of the city began.   Jaffna still feels like an occupied territory.  There is still a heavy military presence, despite that I have been told this is a relaxed version of previous years.  The people of Jaffna seem relaxed and un-phased by random identification checks by the police.

A holy man handing out prayers and blessings to young children at a Hindu temple

Casuarina beach was a beautiful location; a desolated area with white sandy beaches, palm trees, and clear blue waters.  It was exactly what I needed after bumping along the roads for several hours that morning.  I met a nice man who was there with his two young daughters.  He told me he had lived in Mississauga for 15 years, and was proud to tell me he has a Canadian Citizenship.  He was very friendly, which I was later thankful for, as a large group of young men started to harass me when I went for a swim. They started swimming towards me and surrounding me.  The Sri Lankan man told me everything would be ok, he would watch out for me and I should enjoy the waters.  He kept his eye on the young men and made sure they stayed a safe distance away.  The entire afternoon as I tried to read my book on the beach, I had young men approaching me asking if they could take their picture with me.  I understand they were trying to be friendly, but it got very annoying after 2 hours.  Eventually I got rude and just ignored them as much as I could; not easy when someone is talking to you.

A bombed out building, but was being used for a resting place

The second day in Jaffna I decided to take in some culture.  I hired a trishaw and he took me around to some local Hindu temples.  We saw many temples along the way, but my destination and most spectacular of all the temples I had seen that day was Naguleswaram Kovil.  It was a beautifully ornate building that had been heavily bombed during the war.  A lot of it had been reconstructed and repainted.  The interior and exterior of the temple was coated in a vast array of all the colors, with loads of plaster Hindu statues and gods on the walls of the building. It was an architectural oasis built within rumble of the war.   While I was visiting ceremonies were being held inside in temple, which were fascinating to see.  There were men playing drums, guitars and clarinets; their music filled the air inside temple, as well as the air outside (it was being played over loudspeakers).  I believe a baptism ceremony was taking place, and buckets of water were being thrown over several men’s heads for everyone to see.  There were large crowds of women and men sitting cross legged on the floors of the temple watching the baptisms and saying prayers.  The burning incense filled all my senses as I sat and watched my surroundings. 

After a period of time I left the temple and ventured around the grounds.  My trishaw driver indicated the grounds were considered to be “most holy place”.   His English was very broken, but I understood what he meant.  I walked through shell blasted buildings towards the water and saw an outdoor temple (which I describe as a large ornate gazebo-like structure).  I took a few pictures of the area and then had to move on.

The busy streets of Jaffna

I left Jaffna at 1pm for Trincomalee ( which will be my home for the next 3 weeks).  I asked the driver how long my journey would be (thinking it was 4 or 5 hours); 7.5 hours! Holy Crap!!!  I think it was a good thing I did not have knowledge of this prior to my trip to Jaffna, otherwise I may not have gone. A young man sat beside me on my trip south.  He fell asleep and kept resting his head on my shoulder.  Agh. I thought this was awkward, but no… it was worse when he woke up; he introduced himself and asked if I could buy him a Canadian visa and bring him back to Canada with me.  When I turned him down he proceeded to ask me for my email address, facebook name, cell number, salary, etc.  I was glad when he finally got off the bus.   It was a long and awkward trek. 
I arrived in the dark in Trincomalee, grabbed a trishaw and made my way to my hotel.  When I got to my room I threw down my dusty bag (which the bus driver told me I could store in the underbelly locker of the bus) and headed straight for the shower.  I have never been so dusty in my life.  The yellow scarf I was wearing that day was brown from the dirt.  I am going to have to figure out a way to clean my poor backpack that was tussled around in the dirty luggage compartment of the bus.   

A brief look at Sri Lankan food

Pineapple Jam.  I could not resist.  I bought some to try with crackers.  It is so yummy. 

A side dish of fruit for breakfast; fresh pineapple, papaya, and bananas.  As I more to the northern part of the country I am not seeing so many fresh fruits and veggies.

Lunch time!  Rice with some veggies and BBQ chicken.  The little bag of red sauce on the upper left corner is a little bag of fire... aka, curry sauce.  The rice is already hot, so I only add a very little drizzle of the curry sauce.... and I mean VERY little

I had to try these.  Curry potato chips.  Can you believe it? They were actually very tasty.  Do you think they are available in Canada?

Another variation of rice and curry.   This is my typical lunch.  They put the rice on a piece of plastic, then wrap it up with newspaper.  Its fun to see all the funny writing on the paper.  A much more environmentally friendly solution to take-out compared to all the waste we produce in North America when we get a take-out meal. 

Nixon and life under the LTTE

Soon my time in Vavuniya will be over.  I have one more day at the hospital and then I will be moving onto Trincomalee.  I can hardly believe that I have been here for 2.5 weeks.  It was definitely an experience I will remember.   I met some lovely people.

One person special note is Nixon, he was such a welcoming and giving person.  I will have to remember this when I am in Canada and someone is new in town.  I can not explain how much I appreciated all his help and friendly personality;  he picked me up every morning to drive me to the hospital on his motorcycle, he would call me to make sure I was safe if he knew I was out alone,  he made sure I had a good deal on a hotel while staying in Vavuniya (before my arrival he went around to several  hotels and bargained a good price for me, $19/day compared to$30/day ... a big deal when you are traveling on a budget), he organized an amazing trip to his hometown on the weekend, he took me out for drinks one evening, gave me his personal computer to use since mine isn't working, gave me any tips or translation that I needed, etc.  Thank you Nixon!  

Nixon has a very interesting background.  He had previously worked for the Red Cross during the war against the LTTE in Sri Lanka (which had lasted 30 years, and was officially finished 3 years ago.  Almost his entire lifetime).  He was based on a ship that was anchored just off the coast.  Wounded soliders, civilians, and refugees were brought to the ship for treatment and refuge.  As far as I understand, his position was a coordinator, organizing the comings and goings of people as well as negotiations.  He told me that he had witnessed a great deal of horrible and inhumane things that had happened to people. I did not get any specific details, but he said when he left the job he had to go for post traumatic stress for over a year. 
I had asked Nixon if he had personally witnessed any traumatic events during the war.  He said only one,  for which he was extremely thankful.  He told me a story about an attack that had taken place in his hometown of Manner.  The LTTE had invaded the town and started attacking civilians, firing their guns into the village, throwing grenades into homes, etc.  As a way to escape the villagers ran to the local church,  hoping the thick walls of the building would protect them from the bullets and shell blasting.  Hundreds of people packed into the walls, until there was standing room only.  People were so tightly packed into the church their faces were inches apart of each other. Attempts were made to secure the building; doors were closed and locked, and the shutters of the windows were sealed.  As the last window was being closed two grenades were thrown into crowded church. Unfortunately, one person died, a few injured.  However, Nixon said it was miracle more people were not hurt or killed.  I cannot not imagine going through something like this.  The fear that these people must have experienced.  What a life experience to have survived!?

Trip to the Beach

Hanging Bridge

There were six of us who agreed to go to the beach on Saturday.  Nixon had planned the whole day; we would take 3 motorcycles and drive to Mannar; a small island just off the coast of Sri Lanka, connected to the mainland by a bridge.  It was his hometown and was anxious to show it off.

Nixon picked me up at 6:30 am on his motorcycle, and we drove off to meet the other boys at their home.  By 7:40 we set off on the bikes;  Kasun, Sophano, Saros, Ram, Nixon and myself.   The morning sunshine and the landscape was beautiful.  It was a real treat to be seeing this from a motorcycle.  Along the road side (and sometimes even on the road) there were goats and cattle wondering about.  The most spectacular of all the animals that we saw were the peacocks.  I regret not taking a single picture of one of these striking creatures.  At one point we stopped to admire this enormous male peakcock sitting up in a tree, with the largest and most colorful tail I have ever seen; the morning mist was rising behind him as he sat waiting for the day to start.  Truly a site to remember. 

 

Kasun, Nixon, and Saphanos

Our first stop was a hanging bridge. Apparently it had not been accessible to the public until recently, as the army had made it off limits.  Within the last half year they opened up the road for people to enjoy the bridge.  It was scenic little place; set off the main room about 10 km, with lots of lush green surroundings. The dirt road leading to the bridge was a bright deep red color from all the iron in the soil.  It reminded me of PEI.   Along the road, little metal and grass huts could be seen where people made their homes.   Spattering of color could be seen, as people had draped their clothes, saris, and blankets on trees and fences to air out in the sunshine.  I was tempted to snap a picture, but I decided that hanging onto Nixon might be a better idea as we bumped along the roads on the motorcycle. 

The bridge reminded me of a small version of the hanging bridge that you could be seen in the movie Indiana Jones, and the temple of doom (which was actually filmed in Sri Lanka; a little unknown film fact).  Nixon was rather scared of the bridge, and rightfully so… he slipped at one point, and fell onto his bottom… and the snack he was eating was sacrificed to the waters below.  Thinking about it now, I realize how close he could have come to falling off the bridge.  Yikes!  As we walked across the boys thought it would be great fun to jump up and down, to feel the bridge swing from side to side.   Lots of laughs and smiles were had by all.   

After we left the bridge we set out for a few different destinations.  The first stop was a Roman Catholic Church, called Our lady of Madhu.   This church is famous for the Madona and child statue, which was brought there in 1670 by Catholics fleeing Protestant Dutch persecution in Mannar. The statue quickly developed a reputation for miracles, notably as a protector against snake bites.   Madhu has been a pilgrimage site ever since.  Stations around the church were set up to light candles and say prayers. Since we came during the lent season, services were taking at the different stations of the cross.  As we walked around the grounds, Nixon told me, during the war Sri Lankans came to the church believing it as a safe haven from the shell blasting and mines.  However, the church was severely bombed by the LTTE and many people were injured and killed.  Today there isn’t any evidence of the damage, as the church had undergone extensive renovations to restore it to its former glory. 

  

I got many stares during my trip to the church, and many people asked Nixon where I was from.  One mother asked me if she could take a picture of me with her daughter.  I felt like a celebrity.  

Thirukketeeswaram Kovil, Hindu temple

Our next stop was a Thirukketeeswaram Kovil, it is one of the 5 historical Sri Lankan Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva.  It was established to protect the island from natural distasters. It is an imposing site, with a towering colorful gopuram (seen in my pictures).  Pujas (offerings) can be seen throughout the temple, as men and women kneel praying.  The temple was a glorious site of color and usual statues.  Nixon explained a few things about Hindu religion to me, but since he is a Christian he was only able to give me an overview.   I asked about the god with the elephant trunk and 5 arms, but Nixon did not know its significance.   We then asked two young hindu men, but they couldn’t explain it either.   It has something to do with each hand signifying a lesson like greed, generiousity, kindness, etc.

 As you enter the temple you are requested to remove your shoes, and men as asked to take off their shirts.  For someone like myself, who’s feet are used to the comforts and protection of sandals, the hot tiles outside the temple were torture.  I quickly hopped along the ground until I could find come cool shade.  In my defense, even Nixon said it was very hot!  The people praying the temple had a good laugh at my expense. 

 

We made it!  Sporting my helmet hair!

Fisher man seen along our travels

We then hopped onto our bikes and went for lunch in the town of Mannar.  Nixon picked out a nice little place, where we had rice and curry, BBQ chicken and fresh fish, and vegetables (which I haven’t seen in a long time).   One of the best meals I have had since I arrived in Sri Lanka.   It pays to know where the locals eat!!

With full bellies we headed off to meet Nixon’s family.  He introduced us to his mother and father and two of his brothers.  Nixon has 5 siblings in total.  His parents don’t speak English, but were happy to say hello and welcome us into their home.  We had some refreshments and got changed into our bathing suits. The house was under construction, an addition was being added to the side of the house.  House construction is very interesting here.  First, a slab of concrete is poured for a foundation; then many dozens of vertical and sturdy sticks are used as temporary support beams to hold up the second floor until the cement has hardened within the wooden planks and side walls.  I will have to remember to take a picture of a construction site to show everyone.

Women cleaning fish to be dried

Finally the beach!  We parked the bikes and walked to the sandy shores.  The sand along the immediate shore was a beautiful white color, but further back towards the tree line it darkened to a black color.  The beach was totally deserted… which we soon found out why.   As we all walked towards the clear blue waters, happy to have reached our destination we were greeted by a solider dressed in fatigues and carrying a machine gun.  Nixon explained to the man we were here to swim and would be leaving in an hour.  The solider and Nixon talked for several minutes, and then Nixon said everything was ok.  We quickly set about to enjoy the water.  The water was incredibly hot.   I have been to many tropical countries, but this was the warmest water I have ever swam in.  It was like swimming in very warm bath water.  Everyone commented on the temperature, we laughed and splashed away in the water.  After about 15 minutes of lovely swimming, another solider came over, and the next thing I knew, we being told to get out of the water and leave: We did not have permission to be here.  Nixon and Kasun had a lengthy conversation with the soldiers about this matter; it was decided they would leave the 3 foreigners (myself, Saros and Saphanos) with Ram (a Sri Lankan), while they went to ask for permission from the army.  Ram doesn’t speak that much English, so he sat off to the side and proceeded to have a lengthy and heated conversation with his girlfriend. I sat with the two Cambodians to wait for Nixon and Kasun to return.   About 20 meters away the two soliders with their machine guns stood and watched us.  I was nervous, but knew nothing would happen.  Nixon and Kasun returned and said we had to leave.  Apparently, since we did not have life jackets we were not allowed in the water.  Nixon was very upset, and kept apologizing for the situation.  I told him it was ok, and it wasn’t his fault.  He felt embarrassed and apologized a million times more.   I was just happy nothing bad happened, and that we got to enjoy the water for a brief period. 

After our experience at the beach we decided to make a detour;  we took the bikes and drove to see the fishermen bringing in their catch for the day.  This was a highlight of the trip for me. Nixon knew many of the people we saw at the beach because his father was a fisherman.  They all greeted us with smiles and curious stares.  A lot of the men and women stared at me, and giggled. 

Rising fish in the ocean before weighing

 Against the backdrop of the crystal clear blue waters men were busy docking their boats; people were folding up and repairing nets; large buckets of fish were being weighed on large hooks with a scale attached;  men were carrying fish off to coolers by feeding a large stick between the handles of the bucket and hoisting it onto their shoulders; groups of women were sitting  on the sands preparing the fish to be dried; small fish were laid out on blankets to be dried in the sunshine; dead and discarded fish could be seen floating along the shore lines;  both men and women were laughing and staring at the foreigners… mostly me.  One man came up to me and said “you are the same, but different color, see?” and put his arm up beside mine.  I smiled and we both laughed.  It was a busy site with lots to see.

It was a great and very memorable day, and I am very thankful that Nixon organized such a wonderful adventure.  Thank you Nixon!  

Fish drying in the sunshine

Weighing today's catch

Every day life observations ... so far

I thought I would write about some small observations about life in Sri Lanka.
Sorry no pictures tonight, the internet is too slow.  Downloading pictures would take a million years. 

1. The head wobble;
When people are listening to you they wobble their head from side to side.  As far as I can tell, its a sign they are listening to you, or saying yes, yes.  Its really quite funny.  It reminds me of a bobble head doll that sits on the dash board of your car.  They do it A LOT.  I noticed that some of the ex-pal ts and white people who have been here a long time have adopted this body language.  It still makes me smile when I see it. Sometimes the person who is listening will do it the entire conversion. 

2. Crazy road traffic
I still can't get over the traffic here.  It seems like total madness; motorcycles flying past, buses driving down the center of the road honking for other vehicles to get out of their way (even on-coming traffic),  cyclists weaving in and out, pedestrians walking between the cars.  Don't get me wrong the traffic in Bangkok was much more congested, but it seemed to have more rules.  Here, anything goes.  As I am mostly a pedestrian, walking home from the hospital in the evenings, I need to pay attention to my surroundings.  Pedestrians do not have the right of way, and vehicles will just honk at you to get out of their way. Watch out!  I tired walking with my headphones on one evening, but quickly decided that was not a good idea.

3. Shall I have rice and curry for dinner... or curry and rice?
What do you mean you want something other than rice?  This is the look I get from people when I ask restaurants if they have something other than rice on their menu.   I can not understand how people do not get tired of eating the same meal everyday?!  Most Sri Lankans eat rice 3 meals a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Typically a meal is ordered something like this: you choose meat or fish, the amount of spice, and they add a "few" (and I mean a few vegetables; usually one small carrot or potato is grated into the rice, other times its just an onion).  Variety of the meal consists of the sauce they use to cook to cook the meat with.  If you order noodles instead of rice, they are usually cooked with the same spice and flavoring as the rice.  According to my taste buds its just another form of rice.... its not like you are getting something different.  The noodles they use are the ones you get from a Mr.Noodles package and are therefore not very tasty.  When you ask for extra vegetables they give you one more grated carrot.   Lately I have been going to the grocery store after work to buy some fruits to make life a little more interesting.  I usually bring home a pineapple, which I cut up and add to my rice.  This has made things much more appealing. 
The grocery store is not what you seen in North America.  Its more like a large convenience store, that has the basics.  Again, there is not much variety to the fruit and vegetables.  Some days they don't have my prized pineapple, only a few sad looking bananas and apples. The vegetables are not fresh looking.  Since I cannot peel most of them or have assess a stove to cook them, I avoid them all together.  I don't need to catch a parasite.  

4.  Coffee
Once again, this country is not known for their barista skills.  This morning I swear I could see the bottom of my coffee cup; the coffee was so weak.  It was even lighter than some tea I have had!  When I asked for extra strong coffee in the afternoon, it wasn't any different.  Sigh.  I guess good coffee will have to wait until I return to Canada.

5. Being a minority... big time!
I am one of the VERY few white people in this area (perhaps only one).  I am possibly the only blonde.  When I walk home from the hospital, or take a walk in the evenings a lot of heads turn and look at me.  I have seen a few motorcycles serve, as the drivers rubber-neck to check me out.  I very often get men yelling "hello Madame! Where are you from?  What country?"  Or I just get laughs and stares.  I know they are not trying to be rude, its just curiosity.  Even at the hospital, as I am going down the corridors I get long stares and I can feel people talking about me.

6. Geckos
I have 3 geckos who live in my hotel room. They hang around the window and when I move the curtain usually one scurries away, which gives me a little fright.  At first they freaked me out a little bit.  I told guys at the hotel about them; they simply suggested I change rooms.  However, when I did this, there were just as many in the next room. So I have kept my original room (I has a window, the alternate room did not).  I have given up on trying to live without the geckos.  Instead I see them as a way to control the mosquitoes.  I figure, if they leave me alone, I will leave them.  I asked one of the clinicians at the hospital if geckos bite; he said no,  they usually stay away from you.  However, he did mention their saliva is poisonous if they lick your food or water.  He suggested to leave all food in zip lock bags or leave out some water for them to use, that way they wont be attracted to my stuff.

7. Mosquito's
 I am not sure what it is about this area of this country, but Vavuniya has some wicked mosquitoes. Initially I had tired to stay out in the evenings, to enjoy the last few hours of daylight, but that quickly stopped.  I was eaten a live by the bugs! They even bit through my clothes.  One night I had a tone of bites on my butt!  Can you imagine?  Tasty! Since I do not relish the idea of being infected by malaria or dengue fever I have committed to staying in my hotel room during dusk and dawn.  The most maddening thing, is that the native Sri Lankans do not seem be bothered by the bugs.  Its just the foreigners.  I talked to Michael (an Irish man living here) about this, and he found the same problems with the bugs. At least its not just me.  He told me he stays in doors until about 7 or 8 pm, then the bugs die down. 
At night I plug in my mosquito repellant machine.  Its a small electrical device that heats up a pellet of mosquito prallethrin.  It is deters mostiquos for about 12 hours in a room. I find that it works surprisingly well.  I also purchased a spray can of industrial strength bug repellent.  I spray down the cracks of the windows and doors every other day... just as an added precaution.  The construction here is not that good, and so there are very large cracks between the windows and the window frames. Same goes for the doors and the door frames.

These are just a few observations.  I will likely add some more as I stay here longer.    

Bus trip to Sigiriya and Dambulla

Sunday March 11

I decided I wanted a weekend adventure out of town.  I was told to make a day trip to the ancient cities in the north central area of the country. I invited the guys from the hospital to join me, and I got one taker; Saros.  He is a man from Cambodia who has been working at the hospital for 5 months, but hadn’t done much sight seeing since his arrival.

We headed out bright and early Sunday morning.  We met at the bus station in Vavuniya at 6:30 am.  In true Sri Lankan style, we had to wait until the bus was full before leaving.  So we actually left at 7:30 am.  We bumped our way along the road, changed buses once, and ended at our destination in Dambulla.  We hopped off the bus and I quickly consulted the Lonely Planet about what I should do next.  We must have looked lost because a friendly tuk tuk driver came to our rescue.  He offered to take us around to Sigiriya and Dambulla, and all sorts of shops in between for $30.  Since my friend Saros has lower extremity weaknesses I thought it would be good to have someone to drive us around (he was affected by polio as a child).  Our first stop was at Sigiriya. 

Sigiriya Rock

Sigiriya (meaning lion rock) is an amazing archeological site, with beautiful sights and views.  The magma formation, from an extinct volcano looks like a lion lying, and has 2 paws carved into its rock face.  At one time a gigantic brick lion sat at the end of the rock, and the final ascent to the top commenced with a stairway that leg between the lions paws and into its mouth.  The lion symbolism serves as a reminder to devotees that ascending the rock is like the truths Buddha spoke and are as powerful as a lion’s roar.  Sigiriya has many natural cave shelters and overhangs, which contain many paintings on the rock face. It is thought that the rock had been inhabited during prehistoric times.  The summit covers 1.6 hectares, and is covered with foundations of ancient buildings. Initially the site was believed to function as a palace during King Kassapa (AD 477-495), with extensive gardens and grounds.  However, recent discoveries say the rock served at a monastery in the 10^th century AD… the jury is still out.  Regardless, Sigiriya was declared a world heritage site in 1982. 

Climbing to the summit of Sigiriya

The climb to the top of Sigiriya was very warm… to say the least.  Saros chose to wait for me in the tuk tuk, as I made the ascent.  I climbed with thousands of Sri Lankan’s, all dressed in white for Sunday (a holy day).   The white was such a remarkable contrast to the surroundings, making things seem even more precious. 

As I climbed to the top of Sigiriya, I began to question the safety of the railings and metal steps attached to the rock face. Everything seemed very corroded, rusty and not well kept.  It made me very nervous! I don’t normally think about these things.  I decided that thinking about this half way up was not very productive; I should just pray for the best and don’t look down.  It crossed my mind I should have brought the paper work for my health insurance with me, rather than leaving it in my hotel room.  Hum.  

View at the top of Sigiriya

After soaking in the amazing views of Sigiriya, Saros and I made our way back to Dambulla.  We stopped at a few shops on the way.  I bought a hand painting from a man on the side of the road.  As I was waiting for him to wrap up my purchase, we saw an elephant taking tourists for a ride down the road.  It was pretty amazing to see.  Definitely not something you see in Canada. The elephant kept trying to snack on the trees hanging over the roads.   

Elephant ride anyone?

The next destination on our tour was the Royal rock temples of Dambulla.  It is a series of 5 caves filled with over 150 Buddha images, including a 15 m long reclining Buddha statue.  Most of the paintings date from the 19^th century. The caves are considered as a place of worship and are dated from around the 1^st century BC. The caves are situated 150 m above the road.   There were many stairs to climb and Saros bravely made his way to the top.  It was a difficult path for someone with his disabilities, but he made it, and we were both very proud of his accomplishment. 

Along the path we met many monkeys.  One even attacked us when we were snacking on some nuts. It was actually very scary.  Saros came to my defense and chased the monkey off.  They were very ferocious animals and I didn’t care too much for them.  

Dambulla Rock Temples

The temple caves were amazing.  The ceilings were covered with the most beautiful and intricate paintings. It was a very serene place.  I couldn’t get over the number of Buddha’s.  I also appreciated the amount of work it would have taken to create these temples thousands of years ago. 

Even Buddha was tired after climbing to the top! He needed to rest

Inside one of the caves; you can see the paintings on the ceiling

When all our sight seeing was finished we grabbed local bus transportation home.  That was an adventure in itself!  Saros and I befriended a helpful young man who told us which bus to take (not everyone speaks English here).  He said he was traveling in the same direction and would help us out.  It was a good thing he took us under his wings, because I would have been lost. The bus we ended up taking was what I considered to be full.  However, our helpful samaritan ensured us we would fit; People pushed and shoved to make room for us.  I was standing on the stairs of the bus for 20 minutes, and there were others hanging onto the railing behind me. The driver didn’t seem to mind that we were packed in like sardines, he kept his break-neck speed; honking at cars and tuk tuks to get out of our way.  At times we hit bumps so quickly that I was suspended in mid air, defying gravity.   Slowly the bus became less packed as people got off.  We arrived home after 2.5 hours on the bus, at about 8 pm.  

Nixon, the manager of the P & O department was very worried about us during our trip.  He called several times during the day to make sure we were ok.   At one point he called Saros during our ascent to the caves.  Saros answered out of breath and said he would have to call back later.  Nixon later told me he wasn’t sure if things were ok, because Saros sounded so fatigued.  It was very nice of Nixon to be keeping an eye on us.  Saros was very tired from our outing, but he ensured me he was glad that he came.  He feel asleep on the bus ride home. 

Don't you just love the decorations on this bus?  An inflatable saw and disco hindu lights.