Into new territory!

Trip Start Aug 28, 2006
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of Sri Lanka  ,
Saturday, December 9, 2006

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, emerald green padi fields with jungle covered mountains, tea plantations and coconut palm lined beaches.  It has its share of the craziness of third world cities, ie: driving with no rules, half built buildings with rebar sticking out everywhere, and businesses that just fall out into the streets.  The people have been incredibly friendly, seemingly sincere smiles wherever I go.  But I feel like I keep saying this, people seem to be friendly everywhere I've been.  Not that you don't expect that, but after awhile you realize that the newspapers never really portray all of what is going on.  No matter what the economics of a place, no matter what the crazy government is doing, you still see men in the doorways of their houses holding a baby, kids in starched white uniforms buying ice cream, and a guy at the driveway with a drum and a monkey dressed as a clown (monkey dancing?)
There is no denying that a war is going on here in the north and the east, not that you would know it in the west and south 01- jazz at the barefoot cafe with sheila
01- jazz at the barefoot cafe with sheila
 .  So, despite all the fun and smiles there is still that heaviness lurking in the air.  Most people feel it will get worse before it gets better.
I had some great hangout time in Colombo. the first sunday sheila and I lounged at the barefoot cafe and listened to a great jazz band.  Then on monday, when sheila had to work, I was shipped off with Dudley, driver extraordinaire, in the maxi-van, off to Kandy in the hills.  It's much cooler up there, and we did a lot of driving around in the hills to the tea plantations, and out to sigiriya, and old palace with an incredible ancient water garden.  Then back to Colombo on the weekend where we picked up Sheila and headed to Galle, to the Lighthouse Hotel.  A beautiful place designed by a very cool Sri Lankan architect.  It was my birthday weekend (42, yikes,... when one of the girls at the hotel asked me my age, she said, very seriously "Are you sad?" Sheila and I cracked up), and what a great place to spend it! Arak sours, massages... and one of my austrailian flip flops got sucked out into the ocean!  I watched it float out to sea and thought that was the end of it and felt so sad for my lonely shoe.  Went to look for it on the beach the next day and ran into a local guy who wanted to practice English. (right away you put up your defenses, everyone wants to practise english)  So, I changed the topic to my shoe search and he happily joined in.  As we gave up and he walked away, I saw him from the far end of the beach raising his arms...he found my shoe!!! He turned out to be a really nice guy.  I tried to give him my shoes, but he preferred that I keep them so that when I wore my shoes I would think of him and Sri Lanka.  Isn't that nice?
So, I also went down to a national park called Yala, where I saw a wild elephant on the beach. That is probably one of the more bizarre sights I have ever seen, too bad I didn't have my camera with me.
The trip is finishing up with more hangout time, baking cookies, christmas parties, and another massage!  Not bad.
Thanks Sheila!!!!
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