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Published: February 6th 2011
Before leaving Paris and heading back to Berkeley, California on March 1st for several months, I signed up with a French tour operator for a 2-week trip to Sri Lanka. The trip is called "Temples and Coconut Trees" and, in addition to a tour of the main tourist sites, it includes 5 days on a beach. Unfortunately,though, the tour operator forgot to mention that Sri Lanka has been having terrible storms, floods and mudslides and that close to a million people have had to flee their homes.
When I found out about this two weeks ago, after seeing some shocking photos on the BBC, I called up the agency and said: "Shouldn't tours be cancelled then?" They replied that the floods were on the eastern part of the island, so since we'd be on the western coast and in the mountains, the tour would go on! I'd have lost a lot of money in cancellation fees, so I'm going. But I have some apprehensions about this, especially since I don't want to be a "voyeur" who's having a holiday when people are destitute.
And so it's off on February 9th to the country that was formerly called Ceylon.
As I'm taking Gulf Air to get there, we'll be stopping over several hours in Bahrain, which, like Sri Lanka, is another island country. Located near the western shores of the Persian Gulf, it is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family.
Please look for future blog entries to see how the trip transpires. I may not have easy Internet access while out there, but if I don't, I promise to write about my "Sri Lanka Escapade" when I return.
In the meantime, I'd like to say that being "home" in Paris for the Christmas holidays and throughout January was fun. Although quite cold at one point, the weather turned warmer after New Year's. Of course, there have been the usual Parisian grey and dreary winter skies, but I was very busy visiting with my children (plus their partners and my baby granddaughter Elea), seeing friends, and doing all the other things I usually do when here (cultural events, author talks at the American Library and at bookshops, book club and other meetings of other clubs and associations , doctors' visits, etc., etc.) that the time just flew. To be
honest, apart from the weather, I actually quite like the life in Paris during the winter. It's bustling and "everyone" is around, unlike during the summer, when meetings and activities come to a halt and most of the people I know are off on holiday. And being back in my neighborhood is a bit like putting on old slippers again.
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Maureen Rabotin
non-member comment
you amaze me!
Between touring to Sri Lanka in rainy weather, visiting with family in France and friends in USA, I'd love to know how you do it all! Look forward to catching up and reading the details of your trips that I live vicariously! all the best, Maureen