SRI LANKA
SRI LANKA
SRI LANKA
SRI LANKA
February 2022
Our FIRST international vacation after the start of COVID!
The day is finally here, our first BIG vacation since Covid! I certainly can’t say we haven’t been anywhere since Covid struck, but when you’re used to traveling overseas, traveling in an RV isn’t quite the same…😆
When global travel restrictions were slowly being lifted, David and I started planning. I got to plan the winter vacation and David, the summer vacation. I started my search by checking counties we’ve been meaning to see but they kept getting pushed back, like Cambodia and Vietnam. But traveling there during Covid seemed riskier. So where do I pick? Sri Lanka. Can’t say I thought about Sri Lanka before Covid, but it kept coming up as a place that would appeal to us; exotic, natural beauty, interesting culture, and…animal experiences! Whale watching, turtle hatcheries, safaris to see Asian elephants, and the largest population of leopards – that sold it for me! The only drawback was how far away it was- 27 hours to get there and 30 hours to get home 😩.
Traveling internationally during Covid in early 2022 had challenges we’ve never crossed before – Covid PCR tests, Health Declarations, Covid insurance, AND wearing a mask while traveling 27 hours. We must be itching to travel…!
To get to Sri Lanka we traveled first to Chicago (about an hour flight), from Chicago to Qatar (13-hour flight), and Qatar to Sri Lanka (4 1/2 hours). Because we had absolutely no status with Qatar Airlines, we could not pick our seats until we checked in…which is a highly uncomfortable position to be in for a planner. I had visions of being stuck in the middle of the plane surrounded by crying children 😩. BUT, we SOOOO lucked out. One good thing about Covid is the number of tourists traveling to foreign countries has been down so planes are not as packed. David and I had a whole row to ourselves to stretch out and get up whenever we wanted to! Score!
One thing we enjoy about international travel is seeing different places & cultures -the more exotic, the better. When we arrived at Qatar airport, we definitely saw some differences. Initial differences were; quite a few flights to Baghdad and Kuwait, segregated men and women prayer rooms, a good majority of people in robes, and separate men and women security lines. I didn’t even notice the separate security lines until a man pointed up to the sign and told me I was in the wrong line…
Arrival
We arrived in Sri Lanka at 2:30 am. Precisely 12 hours ahead of home 🙃. It was interesting leaving the immigration area on the way to pick up the luggage you went through a large duty-free area where they have home appliances stores. We’ve never seen appliance stores at the airport before but talking to our Sri Lankan guide, Buddhi, it’s very popular for the locals because tax-free appliances are hugely beneficial. Going through customs was painless- the only thing that was kind of scary was the big signs that said, “Illegal drugs are a crime punishable with death”. It made me think of someone slipping drugs in my luggage and I’m going to get caught- obviously, I’ve watched too much Locked Up Abroad…
Sri Lanka -Land of the Tuk Tuk and scooters. They drive on the left side of the road and pass on the right. The horn plays a big part in daily driving. It signals, get out of my way, go ahead, I’m here, etc.
Buddhi was our driver throughout the trip. We were Buddhi’s second trip since Covid started two years ago. He was relatively lucky during Covid because he was hired as a chauffeur for a lawyer. Covid has been extra devastating for the people of Sri Lanka- pretty much everyone was laid off during Covid with no help from the government.
Sri Lanka is rich in rubber, gems (unfortunately/fortunate, didn’t get to shop for any) fruit, rice, sugar cane, cinnamon, and bananas. They have 15 kinds of bananas. We tried the sweet, red banana and it tasted delicious. Our guide said they have two kinds of rice- white and red. He said the red is healthier and more expensive…and the kids don’t like it as well as white. Coconuts are a major export (king & green coconuts). One thing I couldn’t get over was how close most of the roadside shops were to the street- the street where cars had no speed limit and where there was no sidewalk so everyone walked on the road- SO dangerous!!
It’s about 200 rupees to 1 dollar. Common tipping practice is about 10%.
Turtle Hatchery & Stiltfishermen
On our first full day of vacation we headed down the southern coast to the city of Galle. On the way we stopped at a turtle hatchery/rehabilitation center. They had some turtles that had been there a long time. The turtles were recovering from propeller wounds and net entanglements. Turtles can live up to 100 years and lay about 100 eggs 3 times a year, but not every year.
Stilt fisherman, sit perched on the water atop crude crucifixes of sticks and twine, dangling fishing rods into schools of fish. The practice started during WW II when food shortages and overcrowded fishing spots prompted some men to try fishing ON the water. With fishing being harder to make a living on, it often makes financial sense for fisherman to rent their stilts to people who pose for the tourists.
Jungle Hike
We left our beautiful Galle hotel and drove about three hours to the rainforest. Our guide met us on one side of a recently broken bridge to walk us along a retrofitted walking bridge to get across. Once across, he drove us in his tuk-tuk to the start of the rainforest walk. We saw a lot of lizards, a pith viper snake, insects (David loves sentapeads), monkeys, owls, and squirrels. Our guide was worried about the leeches when it rained on us a little (it is a RAIN forest) so he said he could apply a saltwater mixture, spread it on our feet, and the leeches wouldn’t climb up us since they shrivel up when they encounter salt. I was skeptical, but he showed us, and sure enough, the leech that tried to attach to him when he went to take a picture of a pith viper snake, curled up and fell off. So, sign me up for the salt rub down on my NEW, so comfortable, Sorel tennis shoes. That’s what I get for wearing nice shoes in a jungle! We were worried about mosquitoes since we’ve already been bitten a few times at our first hotel, but he said there were no mosquitoes-they don’t like white people (his words)… LOL. And amazingly, there wasn’t. He said it’s because there is no standing water -even though it rains every day. We saw a couple of waterfalls but were not daring enough to jump off the top of one. I fell in the water just trying to walk a small way across the stream- it was super slippery and unstable.
Our jungle guide said there are 52 characters in the alphabet versus our 26. He said if new words need to be created, they add on to the alphabet if needed.
Buduruwagala
Buduruwagala is an ancient Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. The complex consists of seven statues and belongs to the Mahayana school of thought. The statues date back to the 10th century. The gigantic Buddha statue still bears traces of its original stuccoed robe and a long streak of orange suggests it was once brightly painted. The center of the three figures to the Buddha’s right is thought to be the Buddhist mythological figure-the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. To the left of this white painted figure is a female figure in the thrice-bent posture, which is thought to be his consort-Tara.
Don’t face away or wear hats and shoes in Buddha’s vicinity.
22 million people live in Sri Lanka and the majority are Buddhist, the second Muslim, the third is Christianity, and the fourth is Hindu.
Elephant Orphanage
That evening we stopped at a sanctuary for baby elephants. People gather at 5:30 pm, buy their tickets and watch the baby elephant’s evening feeding. I think there were about 25 babies (they said their moms died??) ranging in various ages. The feeding apparatus looked like a big beer bong (but with milk). It’s a long tube with a funnel that they would pour a bucket full of milk in. The “older” babies wanted more than their share and when they didn’t get it, got very loud and cranky. After their feeding, they came close and ate jack fruit leaves.
Asian Safari
At 5:45 am our Jeep picked us up at our lodge for our morning safari at Udawalawa National Park. We drove about 10 minutes in an open-air Jeep- it’s been the only time I was cold during the whole trip. Once we arrived at the park and went through three areas of security and sign-ins, it was a pleasant temperature.
One big difference between African and Sri Lanka safari in Sri Lanka is it’s MUCH denser with green vegetation. This is a bird lover’s paradise. So many colorful birds. The first time we saw a male peacock in a tree, we thought that was super cool, but after 5 minutes in the park, we noticed they are everywhere. Peacocks are the national bird of India but the Jungle fowl is the national bird of Sri Lanka. Jungle fowl looks like a rooster but is different, Sri Lankans are not allowed to have/eat jungle fowl. There is an abundance of elephants, birds, crocodiles, water buffalo, spotted dear, leopards (though we only heard one, didn’t see any), and weirdly enough- bears.
Fort Galle & Whale Watching
Have I mentioned it’s HOT and humid? Most days were close to 90 degrees with very high humidity- add in hot flashes, and it’s a little uncomfortable 🥵!
We walked about a mile from our hotel to Fort Galle. It was first built in 1588 by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17 century from 1649 onwards. It sits on the southwest side of the island in the Indian Ocean.
We were in primetime to see both the blue and sperm whales but they were elusive that day. It wasn’t a total wash because we got to see so many playful dolphins.
Tea Country
The Lipton Seat overlooks 5 providences. It took us about an hour in a car and about 30 minutes in a tuk-tuk to make it to the top of the Lipton Seat. This is the third time we’ve had to take a tuk-tuk for the final part of the journey. Cars and vans are too large to make it around the path when meeting oncoming traffic. Lipton Seat is no longer owned by Lipton, they sold it to a larger tea company. It’s super high up with amazing views.
The tea plant can last 65-100 years. They prune it to a woman’s waist height every 5 years. Black, green and white tea is made from the same plant. White is just the top bud, green top two leaves, and black tea the rest. They can pick new tea leaves every 7 days. Tea grows all year round due to the weather in Sri Lanka. White tea dries in the sun and uses no fermentation.
Tea pickers pick 40 pounds a day and make about $5.
Nine Arch Bridge
Major tourist and local destination. This is the only bridge in Sri Lanka that is made of bricks and cement.
Journeyed by train (another popular tourist activity) from Ella to Kandy. It’s a great way to see the beautiful countryside.
Temple of the Tooth
The temple is a place of worship where the left Canine tooth of Buddha is enshrined.
Every year there is a big parade where the current Kings Elephant, who resides in Colombo, walks to Kandy. When that elephant dies, they have to look for a replacement elephant with tusks, and the 7 ground touching points; feet, nose, tail, and penis…
Miscellaneous Sri Lanka Information
The big Tsunami hit in 2006. It killed more than 50,000 people.
Education- Children attend school till 11th grade. Then they take a test and the students with the highest scores go on for grades 12-14. Then they test again to go to university. The highest students’ scores attend university for free. Sri Lanka has 2 universities.
Leaving Sri Lanka
For a LONG time, Sri Lanka has been in turmoil. They have many protests over fuel and food shortages. We saw instances where people were qued up for a mile to get diesel- buses, trucks on one side, and people with fuel containers on the other. They could wait for hours and if the gas station ran out, you were out of luck. Our guide said it was due to the corrupt president and his cabinet.
Since we have gotten back from Sri Lanka, they have finally ousted the old president and his cronies.
Usually, when we travel overseas, we run into quite a few Americans. On this trip, we maybe ran into 1 couple. I’m sure it had to do with Covid and how long it takes for people in the US to travel to Sri Lanka! We met a lot of people from Germany, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, and Russia. The last two were interesting because the war in Ukraine had just started a month ago (at that time).
