Blogs from Southern Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 15

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

A couple of days of lazing on Mirissa beach and it's the first time I've experienced proper heat since I've been here. It's very nice but it could be anywhere. I should have just chilled for my time here and read my book, but instead I made the huge mistake of going on a whale spotting tour you see advertised all over. Six hours on a little boat chasing after a whale, left and right, round and round, up and down - I was so sick! Eventually they gave me a mattress to lie down on and I slept through most of it. They did wake me up when the blue whale was spotted and I managed to force myself to the side of the boat to see its nose and a great spurt of water ... read more

Sooo - In my last blog - I mentioned that Barry wasn't feeling 100% and that he had a cough… Well I MADE him go see a Dr as it sounded like it was getting deeper into his lungs…. We asked the owner of our guesthouse, Arman- If he could recommend a good doctor in Galle… well not only did he recommend one, but he drove Barry to to the Dr. and waited for him! How is that for hospitality… We were hoping for just an address and we would catch a Tuk Tuk. The owner is Sri Lankan, but has a German wife, so they spend time between Sri Lanka and Germany. This is the third time that someone has gone above and beyond for us this trip… In our guesthouse in Bentota, they offered ... read more

We made it! First ride and 60Km out of the gate…. We started at 5:30am, using our headlamps and headed out for Bentota… Luckily for us, we were going against traffic… it was crazy, especially the busses,,, they don't stop for anything! Oh… and the cows… can't forget about the cows… Like India, cows have free reign and are EVERYWHERE! Randomly roaming the highway… I am thankful however, that we weren't riding INTO Colombo - that would have made me drink. The thing is, you just have to go in a straight line and everything will just go around you.. except for busses, these things are just insane. It really wasn't that bad, especially after about 25km or so south of Colombo - we still had to keep out heads up, but it was nothing that ... read more

Remembrance of things past: Sri Lanka has just emerged from decades of civil war, causing the deaths of 100,000 or more citizens. On top of that, the 2004 tsunami killed over 30,000 in one day. Wherever you look, there are reminders of the past and efforts underway for reconstruction. Near the sea end of Rumasalla Peninsula, where we have been staying in the Glass House, there is a large statue of Hanuman, the Hindu Monkey God, erected during the civil war and dedicated to the hope for ethnic harmony in Sri Lanka. Hanuman is connected to Rumasalla in the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Many different versions exist about what Hanuman did, but one is that when Lakshman is severely wounded in the battle of Lanka, Hanuman is asked to get the medicinal herbs to cure him. ... read more