• Melons and White Bread .. Smiles and Tea •
Can one Survive on melons and white bread?
Probably, for a short amount of time anyway..
We found this out on the unanticipated extended travel to Sri Lanka . Leaving Campbell River we hopped on a plane 4 hours early as a storm was to roll in. This left 7+ hours in the Vancouver airport prior to departure - but nothing an evening at the gym and eating Pho can't fix! Flying to Shanghai was the easy part.. Actually landing in Shanghai was the hardest. After attempting to land we were rerouted to an airport 30 min away due to fog..
We sat on the tar mac for over 6 hours.. no one told us anything, but finally fed us - melons and white bread - after 5.5 hours of sitting idle hoping the fog would clear. Once in Shanghai we'd missed our connector and were put on a new flight soon after landing. The day was looking up. We should make our next connector to Sri Lanka.
Once boarding the plane (after a second delay) we again sat on the tar mac for another 1.5 hours. This meant - we had now missed our second connector. After luggage pick up in Bangkok we paid for a new flight and had only 1 hour to check in, clear security and customs, and board if we wanted to get to Sri Lanka that night. By the grace of god and the kindness of Thai hearts, we made it!!!!
We landed in Sri Lanka {Colombo} in one piece, but tired. Outside the airport we tried to find our pre arranged transport with no luck. With our bewildered, sleepless faces we stood out I'm sure.. As locals tried to help us we begrudgingly accepted - assuming there was a catch and someone would want money afterward(too much corrupted tourism travel history for us)... We couldn't have been more wrong. Kindness, and more kindness is all we experienced here.. We arrived at our accommodation around 1 am, after over 40 hours of travel, and slept a quick 4 hours before hopping on a rickety train to Kandy!
The train was comfortable and clean and we were served tea and snacks. Tea .. a way of life here. A country truly after my own heart. The train swayed and clanged on its 150 year old tracks as it made its way through lush green rainforests along steep cliff edges. {This made it very risky to drink a hot cup of tea}
When the stunning views parted and the sun came out we hopped off in Kandy and made our way to Camarin Guesthouse ..
We were treated so incredibly by everyone we encountered and the guest house was even more pleasant than we could have ever guessed. Again greeted with tea, our host Kuma helped arrange our plans for the day, driver for the next day, and even walked us to town and tried to pay for our bus fare.
Kandy was a busy bustling city, similar to smaller cities I've visited while in India. The sounds, smells and food reminded me so much of India .. However, Sri Lanka is much cleaner and all the locals make you feel safe and at home. After a day of touring the streets and visiting hilltop temples we watched a traditional Kandy Dance and Fire performance.
After Kandy we spent a day travelling through Dambulla and Sigirya with a final destination of polonnaruwa. To start by early day {5:30am pick up} I made the fatal mistake of leaving my cellphone on top of the car at Dambullas Golden Temple. By time I realized this the driver had pulled away and parked waiting for our return. I couldn't find him. I also didn't find any remnants of my phone on the ground of the red dusty parking lot. What a fool. I had no hopes of seeing it ever again, so I said hello to some stray puppies to boost my spirits and continued on with my first adventure of the day through the stone cave temples of Dambulla. Again, to speak to the pure genuine character of Sri Lankans as I returned to the car, there was the driver, and there was my cellphone he'd found on top of the car, and chosen to return.
Second on our Tuesday bucket list was Sigirya's lion rock deep in central Sri Lanka. We arrived at the ancient ruins of a once standing fortress around 9 am. Well, let me tell you, when people say arrive "arrive early" they mean 7:30am, not 9am. We were at a standstill about 5 minutes into our trek of 1,200 steps to the top. There were so many people that we took on average 3 steps at a time before waiting another 2 minutes to take 3 more. When we reached the top, the stunning panoramic view was all worth it. Surrounded by jungle as far as the eye can see, crumbling red ruins, and hazzy mountains in the distance, it's an overwhelming feeling of realizing how small you are in the world, and how peaceful that feeling really is.
On the road to Polonnaruwa we saw monkeys and deer as we passed national parks. As well as learned about Ayurvedics and traditional oils and all their fascinating healing properties at a spice and herb garden. Once we arrived at Man Guesthouse, we were tired and feeling a bit sluggish .. the beautiful patio and adorable rooms called to us for an afternoon of relaxation and trip planning. Next on our list is the Polonnaruwa ruins then off to Adams Peak !!!
Kandy was a busy bustling city, similar to smaller cities I've visited while in India. The sounds, smells and food reminded me so much of India .. However, Sri Lanka is much cleaner and all the locals make you feel safe and at home. After a day of touring the streets and visiting hilltop temples we watched a traditional Kandy Dance and Fire performance.
After Kandy we spent a day travelling through Dambulla and Sigirya with a final destination of polonnaruwa. To start by early day {5:30am pick up} I made the fatal mistake of leaving my cellphone on top of the car at Dambullas Golden Temple. By time I realized this the driver had pulled away and parked waiting for our return. I couldn't find him. I also didn't find any remnants of my phone on the ground of the red dusty parking lot. What a fool. I had no hopes of seeing it ever again, so I said hello to some stray puppies to boost my spirits and continued on with my first adventure of the day through the stone cave temples of Dambulla. Again, to speak to the pure genuine character of Sri Lankans as I returned to the car, there was the driver, and there was my cellphone he'd found on top of the car, and chosen to return.
Second on our Tuesday bucket list was Sigirya's lion rock deep in central Sri Lanka. We arrived at the ancient ruins of a once standing fortress around 9 am. Well, let me tell you, when people say arrive "arrive early" they mean 7:30am, not 9am. We were at a standstill about 5 minutes into our trek of 1,200 steps to the top. There were so many people that we took on average 3 steps at a time before waiting another 2 minutes to take 3 more. When we reached the top, the stunning panoramic view was all worth it. Surrounded by jungle as far as the eye can see, crumbling red ruins, and hazzy mountains in the distance, it's an overwhelming feeling of realizing how small you are in the world, and how peaceful that feeling really is.
On the road to Polonnaruwa we saw monkeys and deer as we passed national parks. As well as learned about Ayurvedics and traditional oils and all their fascinating healing properties at a spice and herb garden. Once we arrived at Man Guesthouse, we were tired and feeling a bit sluggish .. the beautiful patio and adorable rooms called to us for an afternoon of relaxation and trip planning. Next on our list is the Polonnaruwa ruins then off to Adams Peak !!!
