OK, OK let's not be too whiny!
So we had a 4-5 hour (did I mention HOT?) train ride to the southeast coast of Sri Lanka in a very crowded train so we stood most of the way. Met lots of nice folks. And sweated! Here is a photo of how tourists spend their time getting to know the country while they wait for their train. This train traversed the coast that was hit by the tsunami - the train that day was completely derailed by a water surge that was estimated to be 10 feet taller than the train. Said to be the largest loss of life in any train accident in history - probably more than 2000 people. The whole coast was devastated but we saw no signs of that so the rebuild has been quite awesome.
We had a room at this guest house with these beautiful gardens....
And these delightfully entertaining monkeys. But the room was quite dank and airless and the walk to the beach was longer than expected so we decided to look for a place at the shoreline.
On the way it started to rain so we jumped into this sweet place ....
Lots of shade to stay out of the quite brutal equatorial sun.
And , of course, a Buddhist temple.
Putting up flags along the road for the upcoming Poya Day - every full moon is a holiday in Sri Lanka! I finally realized (with a chuckle) that my amazement about how many Buddhist temples we saw was so culturally dense - as it doesn't amaze me that every town I drive through in Vermont has at least one if not many churches! There are lots of roadside Buddhas as well and one always sees someone making prayers by them. We love travel in Buddhist countries as you deeply feel the spirituality of the people.
Sunset cocktails on the beach - daiquiri with fresh passionfruit juice!
Lots of fish choices - though sadly the preparation left a lot to be desired - but hard to complain when you are basking in the soft breeze and listening to the waves. Oh yes, the effects of the daiquiri helped as well!
Sunrise walk on the beach was lovely. No people, no strong sun rays!
Elegant flowers all over the sand.
A climb up to the headlands yielded sightings of a large flock of peacocks.
Joined by Iraj and his friend Livi who just graduated from Middlebury. It was hard to say good-bye to the peace but it was time to head to Kataragama - a holy temple for Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. More about that in the next (and last) post.
As we left town we were entertained by these men delivering some new beds! Who needs trucks??
So we had a 4-5 hour (did I mention HOT?) train ride to the southeast coast of Sri Lanka in a very crowded train so we stood most of the way. Met lots of nice folks. And sweated! Here is a photo of how tourists spend their time getting to know the country while they wait for their train. This train traversed the coast that was hit by the tsunami - the train that day was completely derailed by a water surge that was estimated to be 10 feet taller than the train. Said to be the largest loss of life in any train accident in history - probably more than 2000 people. The whole coast was devastated but we saw no signs of that so the rebuild has been quite awesome.
We had a room at this guest house with these beautiful gardens....
And these delightfully entertaining monkeys. But the room was quite dank and airless and the walk to the beach was longer than expected so we decided to look for a place at the shoreline.
On the way it started to rain so we jumped into this sweet place ....
And enjoyed some sushi prepared by a group of Sri Lankan rasta surfers and a Scandinavian girl. YUM! Some new fresh tastes for our curry-sodden tastebuds!
The next morning we found this gem of a place at the quiet end of the very popular beach
Lots of shade to stay out of the quite brutal equatorial sun.
Took an evening walk on a quiet lane with atmospheric walls.
And , of course, a Buddhist temple.
Putting up flags along the road for the upcoming Poya Day - every full moon is a holiday in Sri Lanka! I finally realized (with a chuckle) that my amazement about how many Buddhist temples we saw was so culturally dense - as it doesn't amaze me that every town I drive through in Vermont has at least one if not many churches! There are lots of roadside Buddhas as well and one always sees someone making prayers by them. We love travel in Buddhist countries as you deeply feel the spirituality of the people.
Sunset cocktails on the beach - daiquiri with fresh passionfruit juice!
Lots of fish choices - though sadly the preparation left a lot to be desired - but hard to complain when you are basking in the soft breeze and listening to the waves. Oh yes, the effects of the daiquiri helped as well!
Sunrise walk on the beach was lovely. No people, no strong sun rays!
Elegant flowers all over the sand.
A climb up to the headlands yielded sightings of a large flock of peacocks.
I kept inching closer to get the best shot and he finally flew off to the top of this palm tree - amazing to see such a large bird fly so far and so high!
Our cove in paradise!
Joined by Iraj and his friend Livi who just graduated from Middlebury. It was hard to say good-bye to the peace but it was time to head to Kataragama - a holy temple for Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. More about that in the next (and last) post.
As we left town we were entertained by these men delivering some new beds! Who needs trucks??
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