Tearing away from the beach is HARD!

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 ....

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??

Return to Sri Lanka

We return to Sri Lanka - and even though we have another visa problem we are happy to be here and feel the peace of this Buddhist country with its lovely temples.

The simple and sincere adoration of the people is so sweet.

And we are fortunate to have Iraj explaining all the symbolism of the various statues and the stories on the murals. Such an ancient and deep tradition.

Even the ceilings are gorgeously painted.

And we are delighted to be back to home-cooked meals! And vegetables, which were sadly missing in most of India.

We finally get to meet Iraj's friends - the Girl Posse. Absolutely delightful young women who have a rollicking good time teasing each other - but can just as easily slip into  deep and interesting conversation. And who can complain about drinks and food right on the beach! (Other than the price of cocktails which was at US standards!)

The next day we leave for our own beach experience - really craving some nature and some chill-out time.  Though chill-out is a funny term considering the temperatures here!  Beach breezes heal all. And we found a lovely Italian cafe to quench our desire for real coffee and Western food - getting tired of all the curries and the stews. We find it strange that so much of the food is heavy stews that seem more suited to a winter climate.

Wide beaches with clean sand - impossible to walk on in the midday sun.  Big winds in the afternoons.

On Sunday it was packed with locals. Just amazing to watch women in saris wading into the sea squealing and laughing!

Tired of the crowds and traffic and realizing just how much India has sapped us we venture further north on the west coast to a posh Belgian owned retreat. A bit of a splurge and we soak it up. Six small cottages.

A glorious comfy bed with ironed and soft sheets! 

A shower open to the air!

Lovely art scattered about the grounds.

A pool!!!  With chairs in the shade!

Outdoor dining

Western breakfast! And dinners! Cooked by Belgian chefs!

Chairs by the riverside. And canoes for bird watching paddles.

A guitar for Glenn to work on his softening calluses while awaiting breakfast.

A sweet baby cow named Elodie

Bikes available for a ride to the beach.

Beautiful gates to many of the homes, even the less fancy ones.

The strangest tree here. The bark looks like a pine but obviously NOT! 

We tear ourselves away from 2 days of peace, quiet, good meals and physical exercise!  Back to Colombo to take the family out for a thank you dinner. The railroad stations all are so nicely kept - there is competition among them to win the prize of the most beautifully kept.

It is a most raucous ride as we are in a car with a large group of young men who sing and chant the whole way! 

We enjoy a fabulous meal of Jaffna curried crab - until the bill comes and we find we have paid $65 for the crab alone. Everyone takes their share of embarrassment as we don't have enough cash to pay after inviting them and they haven't asked about the price of the day. Still - a great meal with great company.