Sri Lanka Siesta

This weekend, Michael (aka "Curly"), Paul, Will, and I took a hop flight down to Sri Lanka to see the country and check out the sites. It was absolutely amazing... I tell ya, between riding elephants, strolling along the ocean, wearing boa constrictors, visiting the over 70 elephants at the elephant orphanage (and then watching them bathe in the river), touring the spice garden, jump starting the van, running through the tea fields, spending the day at the botanical gardens, eating great food, shopping in crowded markets, relaxing to an herbal massage at the health spa, watching a cultural dance show, swimming in the hotel pool, road tripping through the mountains, playing with monkeys, jumping out of the van to "get the shot", or just hanging out with J.D. and playing 20 questions, we really didn't have anything to do... and all in 56 hours. Whew! :o)

Sri Lanka is incredible. It's sort of like India, but sort of not. How to explain... well, it looks a lot like India, but it's cleaner and more orderly. For example, in the cities, such as Colombo and Kandy, the streets are clean and the traffic stays in its own lane. Imagine that! The prices are a little more expensive than India, but now that we're all seasoned hagglers, it's not a big deal. The landscape is truly breathtaking--the mountains, the ocean, the rain forests, the flowers--something to see around every corner. The animals are amazing--elephants, monkeys, lizards, snakes, bats (huge ones! see the gallery slide show), dogs everywhere (much like India), and all of the exotic birds make this another tropical paradise.

Despite the ongoing issues in Sri Lanka (another car bomb went off north of Colombo yesterday), people just keep moving. Like any other part of the world, unrest continues but life doesn't stop. Violence is present, but so is peace. In so many places in Asia, peace is present--so much so--on the faces of the people, in their smiles and laughter. Even the noisy vendors on the streets trying to make a living will laugh with you when you try to talk them down to a reasonable price.

Overall, Sri Lanka was an excellent vacation which provided a beautiful and relaxing experience for all of us--and it's only two hours away from Bangalore. The people were very kind, the hospitality excellent, and our driver, Joseph, was wonderful. All of us said we'd like to return again soon--and with the short flight and reasonable prices, its a sure win for a revisit!

Well, I'll be off for a couple weeks touring Europe with my Mom & Dad, so be ready for "snaps" from Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria by the end of the month!

Namaste.