Beautiful Sri Lanka

One of the many perks of this job is that he has to attend trainings in his field, and they just so happen to be in various countries around the world.  Since we're currently in Southeast Asia, they tend to limit him to that area - but that's ok by us!  So this past week he had a training in Colombo, Sri Lanka and I decided to join him for vacation - a great perk for me!

The flights to and from Dhaka are always quite interesting.  And by interesting I mean frustrating.  Most of the passengers tend to be flying to the Middle East for work or traveling for the Hajj; therefore they're usually not accustomed to flying in an airplane (i.e. talking loudly amongst themselves, hitting the seats in front of them, yelling from one end of the plane to the other, horrible bathroom etiquette, and so on).  Therefore I've learned to use the bathroom in the beginning of the flight, bring my iPhone and headphones, and request the window seat of the exit row.

So our first couple of days in Sri Lanka were spent on the beautiful beach in Unawatuna.  On our drive south, we stopped in Galle to look around and get some lunch.  Galle used to be the main port city on the island, and when the Portuguese arrived they built Galle Fort, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Although the Portuguese originally built the fort, it was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century, and is also referred to as the Dutch Fort.

A view of the Indian Ocean from Galle Fort

The lighthouse in Galle

After a quick stop in Galle, we continued to Unawatuna.  The beach was beautiful, the food was great, and the locals were wonderful. One thing we noticed was how many locals were on the beach and in the water - and specifically how much fun they were having.  After being in Bangladesh for 3 months, we hadn't realized how hard-working and reserved the locals are until we arrived in Sri Lanka. It was such a great feeling to see the locals playing and laughing and just having a good time.  It was incredibly refreshing.

The sunset from our guest house in Unawatuna

Sri Lankan tea as we enjoyed the beautiful sunset over the Indian Ocean

We only stayed in Unawatuna for one night since we had to be back to Colombo for the training.  While we were only there for 24 hours, we were able to get on a boat and go snorkeling, have some drinks on the beach, and relax.  We were a bit disappointed by the snorkeling as we forgot that the tsunami in 2004 would have wiped out the coral.  Even so, it was still great being on the water, and the boat owners were wonderful.  We left Unawatuna relaxed and very sunburned (actually, I was the only one sunburned - my stupid husband and his Asian-ness!)  :)

While staying at our hotel in Colombo, I notice the hotel staff rolling out a red carpet from the entrance to the elevators.  I think nothing of it as I head out for my exciting day of, no, not sightseeing, but going to the movies!  Yes, I know I am in Sri Lanka, so "why are you going to the cinema?  There are so many beautiful things to see in Colombo!"  I swear every tuk tuk driver asked me why I was going to the cinema.  They just don't understand - I haven't been to a movie since Bangkok, and the new Twilight movie is out!  There are no movie theaters in Dhaka, so when I saw a big sign for the movie as we drove past, I was determined to go see it.  And I did.  And it was awesome.  At least the experience was awesome.  The trailers were so strange and foreign, and I had to close my ears during them as they were so unbearably loud.  Also, halfway through the film it just stopped; and then comes blaring techno music.  So strange. Turns out they have intermissions at their theaters.  I was not expecting that!

So back to the red carpet.  When I returned from the cinema to my hotel, there was a huge metal detector in the entrance.  I was a bit confused as it wasn't there before.  Then I notice these guys in the lobby:

Turns out the Prime Minister of Qatar was coming, and this was his welcoming party.  I just had to take a photo.  We didn't stay for the big arrival, but I heard it was quite a show.

One of my favorite parts of Colombo was having drinks at the Galle Face Hotel overlooking the ocean.  I wish I had pictures - a friend of ours took some good ones, so when I get them I'll share.  We walked along Galle Face Green which is a big open area of grass along the coast in Colombo.  I read that the Dutch wanted a clear path for their cannons at the time, and therefore nothing was developed - whatever the reason, it's a beautiful stretch of green (and I really miss big, green areas!).  Along the walk we encountered some locals playing in the water.

There were dozens of vendors selling food and drinks along Galle Face Green.  Below is a picture of the common food for sale: 3 shrimp on some sort of cake thing.  I didn't ask what it was, and we weren't adventurous enough to try one. ;)

The Sri Lankan Flag at Galle Face Hotel - what a cool flag

One thing I really like to do when in a foreign country is go to their local grocery store (if they have one).  One western supermarket there is called Keells, and the one we went to was enormous!  It had such a huge selection.  I actually bought some cheese to bring back with me :)  So in the store, they had these Christmas gift packages that were hilarious.  See below.  There were many combinations, but I thought this one was the funniest.

Would you like some ketchup and Pringles with your Red Label Johnnie Walker?  No?  How about some Austrian Processed Cheese?

The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists, followed by Hindus, Muslims and Christians.  Even though 70% are Buddhist, the government celebrates the holidays of all 4 religions.  Talk about a lot of days off work!  So this means that everyone celebrates Christmas, therefore Christmas songs and decorations were everywhere.  It really helped me get into the Christmas spirit as there is nothing here in Dhaka (except at the expats' homes).  It also made me miss home - but then again lots of things make me miss home.

Below are photos from Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo

This elephant was chained at the temple.  He kept rocking back and forth, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.  This is one of the many reasons why I won't visit zoos in developing countries.

Below is Sima Malaka Meditation Centre on Beira Lake in Colombo

Boys carrying colorful umbrellas for some ceremony at the meditation centre

While in Colombo, I did a lot of walking around.  I visited a couple parks - Viharamahadevi Park where I got lost (the signs in the park are false!) and this park below near the meditation centre.  One thing I noticed in Colombo was the massive amount of couples snuggling.  At every park, basically every place where there was a bench or a place to sit down, there were couples cuddling and snogging (yes, Harry Potter reference!)  I felt funny taking photos of them, but I was able to get this photo with two couples in each corner.  Some couples had an umbrella for the sun and would put it in front of them to block what they were doing.  I'm not sure why they were just sitting around - don't they have work or school to go to? :)

Paddle boats in Beira Lake

I took a lot of tuk tuks around, and I felt very comfortable.  Even though they wanted to take me to the fake elephant festival, they were genuinely nice, friendly people.  They would ask once, and if I said no, they wouldn't pester me.  They all asked me where I was from, and when I said America, they would turn around with a big smile and say, "America!?".  They were very excited.  One driver told me that out of 10 foreigners, it would be "1 American, 9 English and Australian".  And I definitely got that impression.  America is a far way away! There were also some locals who would proudly announce, "Barack Obama!!" after I would say I'm American.  A couple even gave a thumbs up.

My time in Sri Lanka was great, and I definitely want to go back.  I didn't make it to the Cultural Triangle, Kandy, or the north (mainly because I didn't want to go alone and didn't have much time).  But hopefully we will have a chance to go back and visit more of Sri Lanka!