The cold weather (50s) and the Tet holiday (everyone leaves) provided two compelling reasons to temporarily ditch Hanoi.  We travel often with our friend Douglas and this was no exception. Off we went to Sri Lanka with no firm plans except a ticketed return date.

 

Sri Lanka is an island south of India that is the size of western WA. With 20 million people. The population of WA state is 7.5 million. Sri Lanka is compact.

 

Historic Buddhist ruins in the upper center, tea plantations blanketing the hills in the lower center, and beaches all the way around. This country is 8 years out of a 26-year-long civil war between the Tamils and the Singhalese. 8 years is not long in terms of readjustment. The infrastructure is recovering, albeit slowly. Trains and buses, both inexpensive by local standards, are the primary mode of travel. The wealthier citizens own cars. Tuk tuks and motorbikes rule the outlying roads, with bicycles and cows not far behind. Walking the train tracks is acceptably the cheapest and shortest way to travel between villages.

Next to the tracks are well-worn paths to step into when a train passes.

 

Yes, we did.

 

We started by visiting Douglas’ friend living just north of the capital, Colombo.  The rice paddies outside their neighborhood were loaded with birds and wildlife.  And water monitors!  OMG. Imagine a little lizard crossing your path. Then expand it to 3 feet or 4 or 6 feet. They resemble crocodiles. But they are lizards, and they cross the roads often. Serious adrenaline rush every time they crossed our paths.

I didn’t get a good photo of a water monitor, but here’s our friend capturing a neighborhood cow.

 

With so many Sri Lankan beaches to choose from, we started our route at the furthest beach town we could find. We took an 8-hour train ride to Trincomalee with a 30-minute tuk tuk to Nilaveli.  Small, quiet town. Expansive, swimmable beach. Check.

 Nilaveli is colorful.

 

School lets out as we first arrive in Trincomalee.

 

Locals standing around to cool off in the water. We loved the swimming.

 

Nilaveli is NOT teeming with restaurants. We met this family that invited us home into the living room cum restaurant.  It was one of our best meals in Sri Lanka. To top it off, after they discovered our love of music, the college-aged kids stopped studying and sang a traditional song for us. During the civil war, at age 16 Margaret was sent to Germany to nanny because her family couldn’t afford food. While there, she advanced her cooking skills. Seriously, her daal was the best we’ve ever tasted.

This feast was cooked on a wood-fired clay stove and hot plate.

 

Sri Lanka is famous for growing tea. The plantations are stunning.

Seedling nursery, surrounded by mature plantations.

 

Lipton Seat, where the first plantation owner supposedly looked out at his empire. Mama dog had the best seat.

 

The first tea plants were smuggled in from China in the 1820s for personal consumption. The business of growing and exporting tea was created by the British in the 1860s, to supply affordable tea to the London tea-drinkers. 100,000 Tamil workers were brought in from India to keep up with the quick expansion. They worked hard and were paid little. A familiar scenario. Housing rights, land rights, education and medical care are all lacking for those locked into plantation life. Read about the true cost  of your cup of tea. Unions are forming and rights are being considered with every new political turnover, but progress is slow. Traveling in this colonized country with its own modern-day slavery amplifies the need for abolishing systemic slavery on a global scale.

 

We walked through endless plantations going from town to town, including a few kilometers with this entertaining group on their way home from school. They taught us Tamil and Singhalese words that we shouldn’t repeat in public. Suddenly, an enormous 6′ long snake crossed our path.  We ALL reacted identically. Snakes are one of the hazards of plantation work.

 

This is where we parted ways. See them just above the tea plants? Their houses were recently re-sided with new sheet metal. Can you imagine the daytime temperatures inside these homes?

 

The importance of religion was nationally apparent and ever-present. Shrines, Buddhist stupas and dagobas, Hindu temples and Islamic mosques were abundant. Catholic and Methodist churches too. Presently, there are violent clashes in Kandy and Colombo between the majority Buddhist Sinhalese and the minority Muslims. Hopefully these violent actions will subside. This violence does not align with my understanding of Buddhism. We did not see conflict during our visit. We visited numerous temples and stupas in large and small towns, and spent time speaking with people from all these religions, who live side by side in small communities.  People want to have religious freedom, equitable work and a place to nurture and educate their families. Universal concepts.

 

Decorated 800 year old Hindu lingam representing Shiva, located in a small shrine in Polunnawura.

 

The oldest and only Buddhist stupa with original plaster (under the white paint) from 1180s. Kiri Vehera, located in Polunnawura.

 

Shiva atop the Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee.

 

Hindu temple top in a small village outside Haputale.

 

Where there are mountains, there are waterfalls.  Sometimes used as bathtubs, with soap. This is outside Haputale.

This sounds cliché, but we were constantly reminded how privileged we are to travel. I like ditching first world comforts. How would I know if I liked squatters or thrones better unless I spent time comparing? The appreciation is powerful when we turn on a water faucet and hot water flows. We all have different comfort levels. And Sri Lanka has it all. The least we can do is travel responsibly, choose fair-trade, locally owned, farmed and grown products. Follow the money.

Elephants roam along the water’s edge, making surprise appearances.

 

Parakrama Samudra, a 30 square mile reservoir built by King Parakramabahu in the mid 1100s.

 

The word serendib has special meaning in Sri Lanka. Serendipity. It refers to happy accidents. We were humbled by the graciousness of strangers. We met people with inspiring stories of strength. Along the way, our understanding of the country’s hardship was heightened. Go there. You won’t regret it.

And then come to Hanoi to see us.