The best cake ever!

Thusana make us a cake with the juice from the limes given to us from Mr. and Mrs. de Silva’s garden. It was the best cake ever!

"High Speed" Internet at last!

We now have a “high speed” internet connection at home. It is not as fast as high speed connections in Canada but it is much better than the dialup connection (sometimes as slow as a 4 K modem). Best of all we can be online all the time and can get a good skype connection.

Rob has been waiting months to get high speed internet. Two technicians were sent to install the connection yesterday but had difficult getting it to work. First the modem was not compatible with my mac (most computers in Sri Lanka are PCs). Luckily one technician, Buddhika, was able to wait while a router was sent from the head office, which would likely fix the problem. Buddhika tried for hours, forgoing a ride with his driver and missing his bus home, but was not able to get the system working. He was very gracious and joined us for dinner, which was nice for us as we rarely have company.

After he left, Thusana told us that to get the dial up connection in the apartment took 5 men three days! However as promised, Buddhika returned with technician Mahesh and a new router and within minutes the connection was working! Hurray!



Prologue
Currently the high speed connection has been down for over two hours and I am writing this in a word document hoping to post it sometime soon!

Shopping in Sri Lanka

Dinner at Sanka's

As promised, Sanka had us over to his family's house for dinner. Dinner was absolutely amazing and included chicken, rice, curry, pineapple chutney, beans, salad and ice cream for dessert.


We were delighted with the antics of Sanka's niece (1 year old) and nephew (8 years old), as we miss our own nieces and god-daughter, and enjoyed meeting and getting to know the rest of his family.




We also visited his neighbours, Mr and Mrs de Silva who sent us home with another bag of fruit and flowers from their garden.

Looking at a Lizard

Second Trip to Kalutara

This weekend we went back to Kalutara to get away from the noise and pollution in Colombo. We decided to stay in a really nice hotel before the rates increase in September when the tourist season starts. We booked a room at the Royal Palm Hotel.



We found however that the hotel however has some strange rules and practices. For example, the pool, which is the centre of the resort, is closed 12 hours a day. (Some staff members said that it was closed from 9 pm until 9 am; others said it was closed from 8 pm - 8 am). We learned about this rule when we decided to go for a swim after dinner. We swam around for about 15 minutes before a staff member came and told us to get out of the pool. We resisted at first, as there were no signs that the pool was closed - the pool lights were on, there was no rope across the pool ladders, and there was no sign stating the hours that the pool was open. The magic words that finally got us out of the pool were “we are doing a chlorine treatment”. Yikes! We were also not impressed when someone removed the bottle of water that we put in the bar fridge and then locked the fridge so we could no longer use it or access the minibar, as if we were naughty children. In the end, as nice as it was, we did not feel very welcome at this hotel.

Dinner at Charles and Kritchawan's

Tonight we were invited to Charles and Kritchawan's place for dinner. They have a lovely apartment with super powerful air conditioners. The best part was that Kretchewan cooked the most amazing Thai dinner that was completely nut free. This is the first time that I have been able to eat Thai food!

Still sick

I am still coughing but I am finally starting to feel better. Thusana, the housekeeper who lives in the apartment we rented, has been making me medicine from brewed herbs. Thusana doesn’t know the name of the medicine in English but here is what it looks likes.

Here is a photo of Thusana. She is an excellent cook and is so kind to us.

Botanical Gardens

Kandy is such a beautiful city and one of the most best parts is the Botanical gardens – 60 hectars of gardens that are hundreds of years old. We had two hours to tour the gardens but plan to come back when we can spend a whole day here. Highlights include a giant fig tree that takes up about half a city block, a green house full of different types of orchids, and monkeys.





There was also a pond shaped like the country of Sri Lanka with a small island with a tree on it in the centre representing the city of Kandy.

Security in Kandy

Security in Kandy during the Perahera was very tight, despite the calm, appreciative crowds. There were thousands of police officers. It is a bit difficult to see because this photo was taken from the window of the van, but there were hundreds of police officers gathered for a meeting about four hours before the parade.



To get access to the parade route you had to undergo a rather thorough search. All bags and bodies were searched (women in small tents). Female police officers squeezed my breasts, patted down my arms and legs, felt in between my legs and looked down my bra. Later, before the parade, random people along the route were searched, as well as the barrels of fresh water provided by the Red Cross. I now feel concerned about airport security, as it is so slack in comparison to the Perahera security!

When asked about the tight security, Ranji and Ravi told us that years ago there had been a political bombing at the Perahera.Indeed, after the parade on Thursday, someone tampered with the railways tracks, trying to derail the train from Kandy to Colombo. Luckily the driver of the train recognized the problem and was able to stop the train in time.

Perahera (Parade) in Kandy

We were in Kandy during part of the 10 day festival during the August Poya (full moon). (Poya days are Buddhist holidays and in Sri Lanka many people have the day off work. No alcohol is served on these days.) The Kandy festival honours the sacred tooth of the Buddha that resides in Kandy and involves ten nights of elaborate parades, with the final parade coinciding with the full moon. The parade route grows and the parade itself becomes more elaborate each night.

We saw the Perahera on the ninth night and it was absolutely amazing! It was about three hours in length, and featured approximately 2000 participants including drummers, dancers, guys with whips, flag bearers, guys on stilts, fire dancers, and torch carriers, as well as over 100 elephants dressed up in the most elaborate costumes and lights.

Link to Rob's description of the Perahera. Link to Rob's photos of the Perahera.

Laura read in her guidebook that the Perahera is actually five parades in one, with four of the five parades organized by each of the local temples, the most elaborate parade is the one that is hosted by the temple that houses the scared tooth. A special elephant is chosen to carry the tooth throughout the streets. Laura tells us that this elephant must have seven points of contact with the ground (!)

Women participated in only about the last 20 minutes of the parade, and there were only a few female dancers. Laura later read that one of the four temples was affiliated with a goddess, which is why women only participated in that part of the parade.

The most amazing thing about the Perahera is the number of people who attend – Ranjit estimated that there were half a million people there! People arrive early and sit for ten hours (or longer) to secure a good seat on the parade route. Seats along the route can also be purchased from local businesses – most for about $40 US which is completely outrageous in Sri Lankian terms. (For example, all four of us stayed in a bed and breakfast during the Perahera for $50 US per night.) Luckily Rob and Ranjit were able to secure us good seats on a jeweler’s Balcony for only $10. We had an excellent view of the parade and were not susceptible to the ash following from the torches, the gallons of elephant pee that ran down the gutters between the sidewalks and the road, or the elephant poop which was unceremoniously pushed towards the crowds. I also felt safer knowing that we could not be trampled by elephants (which has happened during the Perahera) or by other people.

Unfortunately I developed a cold, which quickly turned into a chest cold our first day in Kandy. (My asthma combine with the pollution makes me very susceptible to chest infections.) The smoke from the parade torches further aggravated my lungs and by the end of the parade I felt horrible. I kept thinking of a phrase my grandfather, convinced to go on tropical holidays under duress, would say when he would catch a cold – “I will be leaving this island in a wooden box!” Even though I was ill, I was ever so glad that I went, as seeing the Perahera in Kandy is a once in a lifetime opportunity not to be missed!

Road trip to Kandy

This week I joined Rob and his colleagues as they visited Student Study Centres in the Kegalle, Kurunegala, and Kandy. While these cities are relatively close to Colombo (Kandy for example is 115 km from Colombo), traveling by road is slow due to the narrow roads, which are often not in good condition. For example, driving directly from Colombo to Kandy takes about 4 -5 hours. Rob says that there was a project to widen the road out of Colombo however some landowners along the route refused to be relocated. So the road out of Colombo is four lanes for only about a mile and then becomes a two lane road.

Luckily Ravi, the project driver, was able to take us on this trip. (Honestly we have met locals who refuse to drive from Kandy to Colombo due to the chaotic kamikaze driving.)


There are many interesting sights on the drive to Kandy, including this roadside hut built over one hundred years ago for travelers to cook their dinner on route.


And this tunnel blasted by the Brits in the 1800s when they built a road to Kandy.

Going crazy!

I am going crazy using a dial-up modem! At home we have a high speed connection and wireless internet through out our house. Here I have a dial-up connection that sometimes works sometimes doesn’t. It is supposedly a 56K connection but sometimes it is as slow as a 28.8 K connection. I don’t remember ever using anything less than a 56K connection. I swear that I could write a novel waiting for webpages to load!

First Work Out at the Gym

My first workout was not an utter disaster as I imagined. I did not drop a weight on the foot of the trainer, nor did I get tangled up in some gym equipment, or suffer a bout of traveller’s diarrhea while doing sit-ups. In fact, it went quite well. Suranga (the trainer) said that actually I did not have that much body fat and it should take very little time for me to tone up my body. ha! I think people here have a different definition of "not much body fat" than we do in North America!

On the walk to the gym I saw an armed solider about every block. Suranga said that there were so many checkpoints because of the funeral for the Foreign Minister. Later Susanna and I watched the funeral broadcasted live on tv.

Returning to Colombo

We returned to Colombo on Sunday afternoon. We were not sure what to expect however the city seemed calm and traffic was light. We were not stopped or searched as we drove through the city. I am getting used to the Colombo and it seems less confusing and chaotic.

Today is the funeral of the Foreign Minister. Schools have been closed due to the anticipated traffic congestion however Rob left for work at the usual time.

I am laying low today, reading, working on my blog, and catching up on emails. Later I will walk to the gym for my first appointment with my personal trainer. I sense another Bridget Jones moment pending as a) this is that first time I have worked with a trainer, b) I have only been in this country 4 days, c) people have difficulty understanding my English d) I have trouble understanding the English that is spoken here and e) there is heavy equipment involved. Wish me luck!

Flowers

There are so many beautiful flowers in Sri Lanka, I have taken to wearing a flower in my hair. This seems to go over well with older women (who comment in Sinhala), as well as construction workers (who yell and gesture with their hands) which leads me to wonder if wearing a flower behind your right ear has a cultural meaning such as “although I am married – I am still available”. ???

Tsunami

We saw some Tsunami damage in Kalutara, such as foundations without houses, however I have been told that the damage here is minimal compared to other areas. Most everyone here however is affected by the Tsunami one way or another. We stopped at an ocean front shop to buy some water and chatted with the boy (maybe 16?) who was working in the shop. He was very excited to learn that we were from Canada as he had been to Montréal twice to play in basketball touraments. He had also been to other countries such as the States and India with him team. Sadly he told us that these days were now over as his home had been destroyed by the Tsunami and his father had been killed. Now he has to stay home and help run the family business.

Sanka told us that although his home and shop were not damaged by the Tsunami, they have experienced months and months with few or no tourists and little business in their shop. Only people who lost their homes received compensation so it has been tough for local business.

Some people approach us and tell us sad stories about their multiple losses in the Tsunami - family, friends, homes, possessions - and ask us for money. Some stories seem false or too easily offered up to a stranger, but it doesn’t really matter. Either away, these people need the money more than we do. These are difficult transactions to negotiate. As a newcomer you feel particularly vulnerable to misreading the situation. No matter how much you give or don’t give, you feel cheap, guilty, uncompassionate, conned, foolish, selfish, or oppressive.

Now knowing how far $100 Canadian would go in this community, we can’t help but wonder where the millions of dollars in aid has gone?

The people in this area hope that business will pick up in the tourist season (which starts in November) but with the recent political problems, they may be in for another tough year. We encourage you to consider Tsunami devastated areas for your next vacation. (Particularly during the off season, hotel rates and food in Sri Lanka are so inexpensive by Western standards that they would set off the cost of airfare.) There are many beautiful resorts along the coasts of Sri Lanka and countless friendly people to meet!

"Sanka from Sri Lanka"

We went for a walk and met Asanbtha Silva, also known as “Sanka from Sri Lanka.” Sanka’s family has a shop which sells wood carvings made by local artists; however September, Sanka will open his own shop just down the street and sell goods imported from Bangkok, as well as Sri lankan carvings. Sanka took us to see the building sight – the shop is on the first floor and Sanka and his fiancé will live on the second and third floors. They also have a roof top patio with beautiful views of the jungle and the ocean.



We had dinner in Sanka’s brother-in-law’s brother’s restaurant. I ordered jumbo pawns which were quite different than the “jumbo” pawns we get in Canada!

Me looking at little red and shiny after the herbal oil massage (note the size of the prawns)


While at the restaurant I was excited to see monkeys in the trees as I had never seen monkeys in the wild before.



Sanka took us to his neighbour’s property so that we could get a closer look at the monkeys. This couple had the most beautiful, well maintained garden and, as Sanka explained, no children but many cats and dogs. The couple was so kind and generous showing us around their garden and giving us oranges, lemons, alovera (for my sunburn), and coco. We also got to try pepper and cinnamon. They also grew the most beautiful flowers.

(photos by Rob McT)

Cows on the Beach

Dogs on the Beach for Nicole and Suzanne

Sri Lanka in State of Emergency

We were surprised to wake up this morning and find out that the Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated in his home on Friday night. He was one of the most powerful people in Sri Lanka and as a result, the president declared a State of Emergency. As far as we can tell the State of Emergency involves increased police and military presence and more road blacks and check points. Curfews have been set in some areas of the city. We are told that it may take longer to get around in the city.

More in Rob’s Blog - http://robssrilanka.blogspot.com/

Trip to Kalutara

We decided to get out of the city and spend the weekend at a resort in Kalutara (about 45km outside of Colombo), called the Hibiscus Beach Resort. Like many resorts in so called “developing” countries, fancy resorts are situated amongst some of the poorest neighbourhoods. There are several such neighbourhoods up and down the beach from the Hibiscus Beach Resort, where people live in makeshift housing, share a common water supply and can be seen flying kites and hand washing clothes outside. We are told that these neighbourhoods were like this prior to, and not a direct result of, the Tsunami. However because of the Tsunami, the people in these areas have been offered land elsewhere as compensation. They are told that it is for their protection, but likely there are other motivations for moving the poorest people off ocean front property and away from the tourist resorts. Either way – the people will not leave.

Abandoned “Health Centre” on the beach. Perhaps used after the Tsunami?


The resort is lovely and we were offered flow leis and cool drinks upon arrival. It is a relief to get away from the noise of the city as we live in a very busy area. Everything is very inexpensive for us including mai tais – hurray! We are offered hour long massages for $10 US each and although we are used to more therapeutic, deep tissue massage from a giant ex- SFU football player and massage therapist, named Loris, we thought that we would give it a try. The massages were full body and interestingly my massage included a frontal massage. I guess that explains why the male masseuse was so adamant that he only did men! After the massages we are covered in head to toe with herbal oils, and were told not to go into the pool for at least 30 minutes. So we sat out by the pool covered in oil (something that likely has not been done since the 70s) and I start to get crispy. Even after several showers with soap and exfoliating body scrubs I still can’t get the oily feel out of my skin! The water here is very soft and with the heat and humidity, even without being coated in oil, your skin feels dewy and slightly sticky most of the time.

Rob on the Beach at the Hibiscus Beach Resort.


Men fishing in Kalutara

tiny lizard that lives in our room

Warding off Evil

Rob says that these scarecrow like things are hung at building sights to ward off evil.

Ways to die in Sri Lanka

Dodging traffic seems dangerous but there are many ways to die in Sri Lanka. Today it was reported in the paper that a 14 year old girl died on her birthday when a rubber tree fell on her. You just never know.

Getting a Cel phone

Getting a cell phone in Colombo (of course it is a Nokia, Jo!)

Shopping in Columbo

Sadly after shopping in Columbo, shopping will never be the same for me again in North America. Forget BayDay, forget Black Friday - with the exchange rate and the local manufacturing of products for western markets, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Dockers, Geoffrey Bean, Adidas, and Reebok, most everything is so inexpensive. For example a Dockers shirt or Tommy Hilfiger shorts sell for about $5, you can get a facial for $8.50, and an average lunch costs about $2 (all quoted in US dollars). You can also buy most CDs and DVDs for $2. (Unlike the clothes, these are knockoffs.) While clothes and CDs are of interest, my passion is for fine china. With less than 24 hours in the city I have already picked out 2 patterns that I would like to purchase, as well as some “everyday” white fine bone china that sells for “Ikea like” prices. The only problem is getting it home. Hmmmm……

Even shopping in grocery stores is much superior than in Canadian stores. Not only do people pack up your groceries for you – they unpack your groceries as well. They also offer to carry your groceries out for you. Rob says that the packers would walk your groceries to your home if you wanted. So much for Extra Foods!

First Impressions of Colombo

Singapore with its strong western influence, felt very familiar to me but Colombo seems ever so much more complex, chaotic and confusing.

I now no longer worry about the dangers associated with civil war, as basic transportation seems much more dangerous. Rob is relatively unconcerned about the traffic (apart from the buses) and believes that there are very few accidents. The caption on the front of today’s paper reads “private buses most lethal killers.”

Seat belts are not commonly worn in cars and can’t even be found in some vehicles. On major roads, the lanes are clearly marked however drivers do not necessarily stay within their lane and, like in Greece, it is common for drivers to create an imaginary third lane in the middle of the road, which is used by traffic traveling both directions. People use their horns frequently and strategically not only to protest when traffic comes to a standstill, but also to warn others of their position, avoiding impending collisions.

The most convenient way of getting around the city is in tuk-tuks, small, motorized three wheel carts with drivers. Being a passenger in a tuk-tuk feels similar to being on Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin at Disneyland where it seems like your cart is going to slam into something but at the last minute you swerve away in another direction. Walking does not seem any safer as crossing the road, even at cross walks, is a challenge and feels as though one is engaged in a life-sized game of frogger. Cars and tuk-tuks are often parked on sidewalks forcing pedestrians into the busy streets.



While getting around seems chaotic and confusing to an outsider, locals seems to have no problems (or fears) navigating through the city in cars, tuk-tuks or on foot. In fact from a distance, the movement of vehicles and people seem highly coordinated, like Ice Capades or the RCMP Musical Ride. Traffic moves quite well through the city (population 2.2 million) – perhaps it is because there are relatively few traffic lights. (I was told that too many traffic lights were the cause of the gridlock in Singapore.)

With the amount of exhaust and dust on the roads, after one day out and about, my lungs feel like I have been in a smoky bar all night.

Some of the people here are so beautiful, charming, or full of fun, in ways that are not familiar to me, that it is hard for me not to stare. For example, we were welcomed into a shopping centre by a woman in the most beautiful emerald sari. I was mesmerized by her beautiful gown however Rob laughed and told me that this is a uniform for women who work in the store.

Tropical trees and plants, many with beautiful flowers, line the streets, particularly in quieter neighbourhoods.

Garbage disposal in Colombo is different than in Canada. There is no recycling and where our garbage goes is a bit of a mystery. There does not appear to be a centralized garbage collection system and people make do, burning garbage or creating makeshift mini garbage dumps throughout the city.

Unlike Vancouver where the poor are herded into mainly one area of the city (Hastings and Main), here you see poor people throughout the city. Rob has bricks of small bills and always has some money to give away when asked. It is mainly elderly, disabled, and mentally ill who asked for money. Some people are disfigured by polio, which surprised me. Rob tells me “if the people asking for money don’t have hands, you put the money in their pockets”. Why do they not have any hands I ask? During the war he says many people lost their hands making bombs. My first thought is why “doesn’t the government take care of these people?”, and then I think of Hastings and Main.

Bridget Jones Moment #1

One thing that was difficult for me in Singapore (and later in Colombo) is that unlike most places in North American cities, the height of the flooring is, at times, uneven and often changes without warning. For example, in North America, steps and sudden changes are often marked with yellow paint or drawn to your attention with signage – “please watch your step.” As a PWDP (person without depth perception), I rely on these cues to prevent me from tripping, which I did quite a bit in Singapore, and now in Colombo. My worst experience was in a bathroom in Singapore. I was carrying my luggage into a hotel bathroom in order to change before my flight to Colombo. As I stepped into the bathroom with a bag in each hand, the flooring suddenly dropped, causing me to do a faceplant into the wall. Because my hands were full, I could not reach out to break my fall and my glasses were pressed into my face, leaving them somewhat deformed. Of course this would not have been a BJM without an audience – an elegant Indian woman who was also in the bathroom. I recovered quickly though, cleaning and attempting to repair my glasses with the utmost of confidence – as if doing a faceplant into a wall was a perfectly common event in my life.

Shopping in Singapore

Singapore is well known for its shopping malls and one of the first places I headed was the shopping district. I found that the prices were similar to North American prices but because of the exchange rate, most everything was approximately 30% cheaper. I soon found however, much to my disappointment, that I was too big for the clothes. In North American sizes I am usually a medium, but here even the largest large would not fit. Despite the salesman’s eagerness to sell me something, he did not move when I suggested that perhaps I should try on some men’s pants for size. Here I was in one of the world shopping Meccas, surrounded by the most beautiful clothes –all relatively inexpensive by my standards - and I couldn’t buy a thing. I am now considered a “plus-sized” woman. (“Welcome to my world” says my sister.)

Me buying a digital camera Singapore

Singapore - a Multicultural City

Like Vancouver (my home city), Singapore is a multicultural city with citizens and immigrants of various Asian, Indian, and European descents. I feel at home here amongst the mix of people in the city and all too familiar with the tensions of living in a “multicultural” society. The city is proud of its multicultural heritage and promotes its thriving “ethnic” communities to tourists. The taxi driver bragged to me about the lack of discrimination here – “even to the Malays,” which gave me a hint about social hierarchy within the city. He shows me Little India and warns me not to come here on a Sunday when there are “too many black (Indian) people in the streets”. Despite Singapore’s reputation for being one of the safest cities in the world, I am told that Little India is not the best place for a woman-on-her-own to stay.

First Impressions of Singapore

On my way to Sri Lanka I had a forced stop over in Singapore.I was only in Singapore for a day but from what I saw during my short stay, I absolutely loved the city and could easily imagine myself living there. Known as the Garden City, Singapore is green and lush and there are many parks and green spaces, despite its large population (4.5 million) and well developed infrastructure. The architecture is diverse and interesting with many modern buildings including the tallest skyscrapers in Asia. Singapore is likely the cleanest city I have ever seen or likely will ever see. I only saw two pieces of garbage on the street the entire time I was there and one had just dropped from the hand of a teenager. In some places sidewalks have been tiled and are washed daily.

Park across from president's residence in Singapore

leaving home

My mom and dad took me to the airport. As we said goodbye, my parents told me how much they loved me and how proud they were of me. Tears rolled down my face as my mom handed me my backpack. I turned and walked away from them, now totally alone and uncertain of my future. I felt like I was five years old and going off to my first day of school.