Blogs from Polonnaruwa , North Central Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 3

by Polona After purchasing yet another pair of flip flops for me (I do blame the moving bus and me not being able to keep my balance with my huge backpack, but mostly the fact that the bus began moving while I was in the middle of getting off ) we arrived to one of the many bus stations in Kandy. As we were in no hurry, we went to one of the local eateries, had our “usual” platter of quick eats and I had my first experience with the Sri Lankan public toilets (ayayay, well, it's OK, as long as you close your eyes, hold your breath and think happy thoughts), and by then it was about time to had on back to the chaos that was the bus station and find the bus to ... read more

The first thing I saw this morning was the smiling face of a monkey. And no, 'monkey' is not a pet name for my wife or kids. Our day started as most visitors to Kandalama begin their day, with a troop of monkeys playing on our balcony. Mother and father look on while the monkey-kids swing from tree vine to vine, pulling each others tails, scratching and spitting, and generally doing the same things my kids do. It a breathtaking site, enhanced greatly by the fact that it takes place right beside your bed. The glass-faced rooms of Kandalama that open directly on to the jungle are indeed an experience to be enjoyed. And the glass extends everywhere, including the bathroom. Our kids enjoyed splashing in the bath tub while macak monkeys played a meter away ... read more

We encountered hectic traffic as we try to get out of Kandy, we are driving towards Dambulla, took us couple hours, we got pulled over by the cops for crossing the line, the driver, Mr. T gave them 500 rupees bribe just to let us go. Another stop we made was to a small shop where we had tea. Arriving in Dambulla, it was cloudy but not raining yet. The Golden temple was impressive, there were mannequin monks that line an elevated path going towards the Golden temple. Then we climbed up to see the Rock temple, we met Sylvie from Malaysia, she was ahead of me but stopped and waited for me and asked if she could walk up with me, she does not want to do it alone, we hiked up and Nish and ... read more

This is just my last blog from Sri Lanka, just to say thank you to all my friends and family back home, for all their help over the past few years and for making this trip possible, there are too many people to list but you know who you are. I am just going to put a few photos together and a few words. Sri Lanka is a beautiful island and I would recommend anyone to visit it, but one month is probably long enough, particularly if you are situated up north, where I am. There is very little to do once you have seen all the major attractions unless you want to travel for 4 or 5 hours to get to a major city! Although I have loved my time here, my new family, and ... read more

This why I came to Sri Lanka to offer a "Hand of Hope". I arrived in Sri Lanka on the 31st of August - it was a hard decision for me giving everying up to come over here and try and help out in some of the orphanages here. It has been quite an experience, back home I dont think any of us have much idea about how these children actually live. In the first orphanage, it was Gillian McAlister, Katie Chester, Hannah K and myself, that went to Pollonaruwa, their days were always the same, up at the same each day to prepare for school, come home at the same time and have lunch, then.......what do we do until bed time, other than do our homework and play? play with what is the question, they ... read more