Lighthouse Hotel Galle

Day 100 Thur 16th Feb 2006 My first day in Galle Uma teaches at a local school so her and the kids were already gone by the time I got out of bed (this was around 8am by the way). The mosquito net was not that effective at keeping the monsters away, so I got attacked last night! Its not that bad but if this was day one I'm sure there is more to come, lets just hope the malaria tablets do their stuff. The maid (who can't speak or understand a word of English) made me breakfast (oh she can say ...

"Have you ever seen someone killed?" I asked Affan. A question which would, in any other time and place, seem terribly inappropriate. "Yes, yes I have" he paused slightly as his face went from laughter to a somber stare. "How?" I probed deeper. "Tires, they put them in tires and WOOSH" he said in his thick Sri Lankan English accent, gesturing in the air with his hands. Sri Lanka has seen it's share of terrorism. The current rebel group, the LTTE, resides in the north of Sri Lanka. Although Af...

-- Buddha says "life is suffering" 2500 or so years ago, the great and enlightened Buddha left his Himilayan home, strolled over to Sri Lanka and kicked up his feet to spread the good word of eternal mindfulness. In his karmic wake he left behind millions of devoted Buddhists. Buddhism is the main religion in Sri Lanka. Meditation retreats, peaceful monastaries and Buddhist rest houses dot the Island and having a few days to spare, I thought I'd stay in one to learn more about this refreshing...

"big trip?" the gray haired women asked as I fished through my bags for my passport. "yep" I replied shuffling through my papers. As she flipped through my travel documents, noticing all of my visas, she snarled, "How long have you been planning this?" "about 2 years" I answered. She didn't seem impressed. More troubling was that she, the unsmiling Air Canada ticket agent, was hardly in a good mood. The Levesque charm wasn't going to squeeze a first class upgrade from this one. Damn... As I w...

"Have you ever seen someone killed?" I asked Affan. A question which would, in any other time and place, seem terribly inappropriate. "Yes, yes I have" he paused slightly as his face went from laughter to a somber stare. "How?" I probed deeper. "Tires, they put them in tires and WOOSH" he said in his thick Sri Lankan English accent, gesturing in the air with his hands. Sri Lanka has seen it's share of terrorism. The current rebel group, the LTTE, resides in the north of Sri Lanka. Although Af...

Well, I intended to take the train. In Sri Lanka, few people you ask would know the train schedules... at least in the circles I move, people do not travel by train. In any case, the Lighthouse manager Chamin was kind enough to arrange a transport from the hotel, which is just outside Galle on a rock. As soon as I came on the platform, I was informed by the station manager (who spotted me as a Suddha, a "white man"), that the train from Matara would have at least one hour delay. This meant: I...

What an amazing fishing city - bustling with activity! 

Out of the pergatory of the new Bangkok airport, into the very comfortable home of my friend Sheila (we met in Peace Corps , gulp, 20 years ago!). She is working with USAID (agency for international development) on their tsunami programs here. They have set her up very nicely in a beautiful house which she graciously opened to me, she even planned out my whole trip here, I didn't have to use one brain cell! What a great hostess, I can't thank her enough! Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, emer...