Blogs from Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 8

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing everyone an enjoyable day and delicious dinner! Our dinner was a veggi rice dish on a train to Northern Sri Lanka, and it was quite good! Sri Lanka - only our 3rd day here but already so many impressions. One thing for sure, it is not India. Due to the proximity and some reading, we thought it would be. And there is plenty of Indian influence, many of the women wear the beautiful saris, the men do the head waggle, but the country is a much quieter, friendlier country. Perhaps some of that is the difference of a country of 21 million vs a billion, but whatever it is - we really like Sri Lanka. First, it is much quieter. The traffic is still quite chaotic to our eyes, lots of tuk tuks, ... read more

As we prepared for our flight half way around the world, it dawned on me that this will be the longest flight in my life -- not in total time, but in flight time -- at 23 hours. I was just wondering how hangry(a combination of tired and hungry), as Shauna puts, she should get on a flight like this… We had a code-share flight with Air Canada and Sri Lankan Airlines, so logistically we were as well setup as any flight to Colombo from Canada could be with stopovers in Toronto and Paris between 3-5 hours. We were to even arrive in Colombo first thing in the morning. Note to self though… when flying overseas to a tropical destination during the winter make sure that any stopovers in northernly cities, like Paris, to make sure ... read more

A typical day in Sri Lanka: Having spent 11 weeks in many parts of Sri Lanka, I'd like to let you know what a typical day was like for us. There was no need to set an alarm because we would wake up at 5 or 6am to the sound of Buddhist chanting, which would go on for an hour, or the Muslim Call to Prayer, depending on where we were. Into the shower--nearly always the only option was COLD water--and I would stand still with my arms down and fingers outstretched feeling the warmed water running off my fingertips as the shower extracted the heat of the night from my neck, shoulders and back and left me refreshed for the new day. I would rummage through my suitcase looking for something acceptable to wear. I ... read more

After almost three weeks of traveling around the beautiful country of Sri Lanka, our trip is quickly coming to a close. Our final few stops included a night in the coastal city of Galle and then onto the capital city of Colombo for two nights. En route to Galle, we stopped at Milkirigala (a rock temple), a blow hole, and a coconut rope factory. All were very interesting. In Galle, we stayed at the Heritage Villa Hotel located within the walls of Fort Galle. This fort was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese and then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century. The fort was able to withstand the tsunami of December 2004, which killed countless people and destroyed many buildings and homes in this area. Along the coastal highway, signs of this ... read more

For years our visits to Sri Lanka were always an iffy proposition due to the civil war which plagued this country for the last several decades. The beautiful island is now enjoying relative peace and prosperity. Our first port of call was Trincomalee. Everywhere you travel in Sri Lanka you see remnants of the colonial times. The British, Dutch and Portuguese have left their marks with religion, the legal and educational systems and architecturally. There are hundreds of buildings that would make you swear you were in London. English gardens abound. Sir Thomas Lipton would still feel right at home in his beloved Ceylon. But interspersed with all that, there is a strong Tamil and Singhalese culture which is reemerging from under the cloud of war and the latest catastrophe to befall this small island. The ... read more