Blogs from Kapparathota, Weligama, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, Asia

Our last few days in Sri Lanka went by very quickly. Once we decided to move on we were anxious to get going but Kantha made us promise to stay for his birthday party, on the 8th of January. The party was a perfect excuse to wear the saree his wife Kanthi had gifted me the week before. The day after she gave it to me, I asked Vajira to help me find a fabric store and then a women's tailor to have the blouse and underskirt made. He did and also gave me suggestions for the style of blouse I should choose. Afterward we went to the men's tailor to have Matt's sarong sewed up. Dressing in a saree sounds very simple - all you have to do is tuck a long piece of fabric ... read more

Matt and I ran some errands in Weligama yesterday. We needed to buy and mail a birthday card, pick up some electrician's tape, and find a couple of gifts and wrapping paper. Easy, right? Well, surprisingly, it was. On our way out of the last shop, bags in hand, gifts pre-wrapped per our request, we laughed as we recalled a similar outing, undertaken our first week in Sri Lanka. The list that day was short: tape, thread and needle, and postcards. We asked many people for help but the directions were difficult for us to understand and if we were able to find the right place, it was closed or didn't have what we needed. After 2 hours of wandering around we left completely defeated. I guess we have adapted. Yesterday, with our list completed after ... read more

Here we go! It took us a long time to get here but the adventure has finally begun. We were originally drawn to Sri Lanka by the quintessential symbols of kindly intelligence - elephants. The country hosts the largest herds of wild Asian Elephants found anywhere in the world. But it turns out they are also the perfect ambassadors for the Sri Lankan people. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and all around friendliness we have been met with in the South. Many of the people we have spoken with have told us that we are the first Canadian and American they have met, as the majority of travelers to this part of the country are either Russian, German or other Europeans. We haven't encountered anyone from the Americas since we've arrived. We'll see what ... read more