Tam and I arrived in Sri Lanka (literally "venerable island") after about 3 weeks of intense India. We were both exhausted and looking forward to seeing our friend and taking it easy for a while. We arrived at the airport at 3am and got taken to a hotel in Negombo called "Hotel Fish and Chips". Daily maximum temperatures of around 31°C and humidity levels of 80% were in stark contrast to the Delhi climate we had just come from, wrapped in wool and fleece. It took a couple of days to acclimatise but a swim at the beach soon got us in the island mood. The waters of the Indian ocean were a fantastic temperature and were not as salty as in Australia.
On the first day we discovered something very attractive about Sri Lanka (maybe only I did...). We were driving with our friends when suddenly we heard a series of rapid, very loud bangs. We looked to see a man standing beside exploding dust and fire, looking in child-like wonder and very pleased with himself. I knew that look well and I also knew that sound. Fireworks! "Where do I get some?" I asked immediately and was told that fireworks were legal in Sri Lanka and available to buy from most "milk bars". Hot damn! The next day we procured a swag of pyrotechnics for our trip north for the giddy price of about $4.
Mosquitoes are thick here in Sri Lanka. Thankfully the hotel we are staying at in Negombo has a large mosquito net (I also carry one) which keeps them at bay while we sleep. By the time we get up however, they've whipped themselves into such a frenzy smelling our sweet exotic blood, that the moment we step out from under the net we are assaulted and bled dry from every patch of bare skin they can get there proboscises into.
Sri Lankans seem to love Australians despite suspicions that we prefer to give Tamil people visas over Sinhalese. Everyone is happy the conflict is over and the situation is reportedly calm all over the island. There are theories that another Tamil leader will just replace the last one, but for now it seems this island paradise is as it should be. As Negombo was described as "the little Rome" by a local Catholic, we were both surprised to find out that the islanders are mostly Buddhist (69.1%) while the rest of the population follows: Islam - 7.6%; Hinduism - 7.1%; Christianity - 6.2%; Other - 10%.
Here the local kids are in full swing of the Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India cricket series, playing on every flat patch of earth 20 metres long they can find (although sometimes not even that).
Day 2. Fish-heads and explorations
On the first day we discovered something very attractive about Sri Lanka (maybe only I did...). We were driving with our friends when suddenly we heard a series of rapid, very loud bangs. We looked to see a man standing beside exploding dust and fire, looking in child-like wonder and very pleased with himself. I knew that look well and I also knew that sound. Fireworks! "Where do I get some?" I asked immediately and was told that fireworks were legal in Sri Lanka and available to buy from most "milk bars". Hot damn! The next day we procured a swag of pyrotechnics for our trip north for the giddy price of about $4.
Mosquitoes are thick here in Sri Lanka. Thankfully the hotel we are staying at in Negombo has a large mosquito net (I also carry one) which keeps them at bay while we sleep. By the time we get up however, they've whipped themselves into such a frenzy smelling our sweet exotic blood, that the moment we step out from under the net we are assaulted and bled dry from every patch of bare skin they can get there proboscises into.
Sri Lankans seem to love Australians despite suspicions that we prefer to give Tamil people visas over Sinhalese. Everyone is happy the conflict is over and the situation is reportedly calm all over the island. There are theories that another Tamil leader will just replace the last one, but for now it seems this island paradise is as it should be. As Negombo was described as "the little Rome" by a local Catholic, we were both surprised to find out that the islanders are mostly Buddhist (69.1%) while the rest of the population follows: Islam - 7.6%; Hinduism - 7.1%; Christianity - 6.2%; Other - 10%.
Here the local kids are in full swing of the Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India cricket series, playing on every flat patch of earth 20 metres long they can find (although sometimes not even that).
Day 2. Fish-heads and explorations
We woke early the second morning (5am) to visit the local fish market with our friend Rohan. Riding to the market on the motorbikes, we smelt the fish before we even saw a fishing boat. The piscine stench hung heavy for miles. As we rode through the narrow street of the market, dodging shouting fishermen and locals looking for a fresh bargain, the smell got stronger. The fish market was located inland a small distance from the mouth of the river on a lagoon littered with fishing boats of all sizes. The most commonly found large "fishes" were tuna, sharks and stingrays although Sri Lankans appear to catch and eat pretty much anything. Mercilfully there are three exclusions; sea-turtles, whales and dolphins.
Rohan's family are fisher folk. After perusing the local catches of the week, his uncle took us on his boat for a closer look at the life of a Sri Lankan fisherman at sea. The main cabin was small with 2 bunk beds against the wall on each side which slept four of the crew while one kept vigil. The boat was shepherded through the long nights at sea by the large ivory compass and the little plastic figure of Jesus Christ on the dashboard. The kitchen was extremely cramped and in order to cook food the chef had to squat down, which he did while we watched in order to bail out the several inches of water around his feet. I thought I would add this lifestyle to my international "day in the life" documentary I thought of making one day, along with other vocations such as a Bhutanese potato farmer and an Indian cycle rickshaw wallah.
We hired another motorbike, a Honda 250 cc this time, and after the fish market we bought the fireworks and aimed the bike north, up the west coast of Sri Lanka (see map). It had nothing on the "Bullet" but it sufficed to scratch the itch we both had of tearing up bitumen in a new unknown place. I had it in mind to find somenice swimming beaches near Puttalam lagoon but I had forgotten to check prior to departure and our mission was unsuccessful. However, we did have a great time - free to roam where we liked, stopping in at random cafes for tea and cake whenever we pleased.
That evening we set off our fireworks on a quiet beach. It was a little windy for the rockets, however crackers are good kick when and wherever you happen to light them. After several explosions, a local from a nearby group stood up, walked closer to us and let off a rocket. He then rolled his shoulders back and bared his teeth in a primitive ape-like challenge. The next cracker I threw landed only several metres from the group, making them all jump and then laugh.
Day 3. Hot holy matrimony
The third day was to mark the holy matrimony of our friend Rohan and his fiancee Nishanthi. Our reason for going to Sri Lanka is that Tamara's friend Rohan was getting married. Rohan came to Australia around 9 years ago as a refugee and now has permanent residency. He was getting married to Nishanti, a Sri Lankan woman from near his village, and plans to bring her to Australia to live. It was a great honour for us to attend their wedding, meet their relatives and friends and see the place where Rohan comes from. Most of the wedding guests could not speak English but we still managed to converse in smiles and emphatic gestures. The Catholic tradition in Sri Lanka is for the wedding to take place over 2 days. On Saturday we went to Rohan's house at noon and got dressed up. His sisters helped me dress in a Sri Lankan-style sari and Dylan wore a long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. At 2pm relatives came to pray with Rohan and take part in the tea table ceremony where the groom and guests ate sweets that the family had prepared earlier. We then went in buses to the church of the bride's family, and the marriage ceremony started at about 4pm. We were sweating faster than we could replace fluids but the large Catholic church had fans which made the afternoon bearable. The entire ceremony was in Sinhalese so the only words we understood were the bride and groom's names and the odd "Jesus". After giving well wishes to the new married couple and taking many photos, the guests went back to their houses. Rohan and Nishanti had a one-night honeymoon together in a hotel, before another exhausting day for them on Sunday of taking wedding photographs in many different locations.
Day 4. Run in with police and the wedding party
Tam and I took another run down the coast, this time to the island's capital Colombo. We kept off the main roads and as close to the coast as possible. The ride down was lovely, zooming along through palm-shaded villages, waving to locals and grinning at children.
The large coastal area of Colombo is assigned to shipping import and export and a good 500m of shoreline is walled off from the city for several kilometres. The traffic was crazybut quite manageable after riding in Yogyakarta. The city has a very nice large lake, spotted with pedal-boats and hemmed by trees. On our way there, I tried to keep out of the way of a bus by speeding up in front of it down a hill. As we did, we passed a police post on the left and a policeman waved us down. He told us that we were speeding dangerously (which we werent) but this appeared to be news to his partner who appeared to disagree until he was told otherwise. Once it was settled that we were speeding he requested my license. I gave him my South Australian drivers license knowing full well that we needed a Sri Lankan license or an international license. He told us sternly that the fine was 3000 Rupees (about AUD$30). After I paid him we were all friends and were even given helpful directions to a nearby resturant. Nothing was taken down or filled out, so we drove off leaving them to no doubt divvy up and pocket our money.
On Sunday night there was a wedding reception at a hotel near the beach. As the bride and groom were arriving, Rohan's brother stopped the car they were travelling in and brought out a decorated bicycle. Rohan had to pedal it with Nishanti on the back to the door of the hotel ( while Dylan and some of the other guys made loud bangs with firecrackers). It was a fun night of drinking, eating, dancing and listening to bad (in our opinion) music. There were also some interesting hip-hop dances performed by local teenage girls in Rohan's village.
Day 5. I like Kandy
Tam and I were slow to start after the night of drinking and dancing. The climate had parched our brains and left us sucking the moisture from the empty bottles of mineral water that littered the hotel room. After breakfast and sending postcards, we set off west. 20 km out of Negombo and buildings gave way to palm trees and the road started to slightly incline. Another five and we were surrounded by hills and huts. Kandy is 465 metres above sea level, very scenic but also very busy. We arrived late so we just found a hotel and some dinner in town.
Day 6.
The next day we left early for Pittawana, home of the elephant orphanage. We bought tickets and the last bottle of milk and headed into the zoo-like compound. Two baby-elephants were tethered under a large shelter until feeding at which time Tam held the one litre bottle of milk and the baby's trunk as it sucked the milk down in about 3 seconds flat. The orphanage also housed a herd of about 40 elephants, young and old.
At night on my birthday, Rohan and his family bought heaps of fireworks and we had a great time running around setting off crackers and letting off rockets from our hands.
