Sri Lankan Livin’

Almost four weeks ago, we landed in Colombo, Sri Lanka at about 5am local time. Colombo is 9.5 hours ahead of Eastern Time (post-daylight savings). Meadows and I were traveling in our typical lounge clothes – pants, t-shirt, jacket of some sort. We walked outside and were struck by the humidity and the heat. It was SO HOT! I checked my phone, and it was already over 80° Fahrenheit at 5am!

Our hotel, Taj Samudra, overlooks the “beach” in Colombo – it’s a park that overlooks the water. It’s not a traditional beach, but it’s nice; and the view from the hotel is fabulous! I’ve spent a decent amount of time at the pool and the gym, so I’m happy as a clam 🙂 This is not a bad place to be stationed for two months.

I have to say that Sri Lankan food is delicious! Their cuisine includes curries with rice and seafood dishes. It’s all been fabulous. Meadows and I love spicy food, so we welcome the heat that many of their dishes bring! We’ve tried a lot of different restaurants in Colombo: Sri Lankan, Indian, Thai and even a German pub (Meadows insisted!).

I would say Colombo is to Sri Lanka as Honolulu is to Hawaii: it’s not your #1 place to visit, but it’s the largest city/airport and it gets you close to all of the natural beauty. When we got our visas (the day before we left Atlanta), we were so upset to learn that I had not been granted a multiple entry visa. Meadows got it, but I didn’t! This meant we can only leave Sri Lanka one time. Four weeks into our time here, I am so glad that we have stayed and explored this beautiful country.

Last week, Meadows had the day off (they observe each full moon as a holiday here), so we spent the day exploring even more of Colombo. We visited the Gangaramaya Temple, which is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the city. It’s known for its combination of old and new and its random collection of gifts. There’s ivory, marble and gold galore, and then odder things like dishes and photos. The temple has a decent sized antique car collection, including Rolls-Royces and the country’s first Mercedes!

The Bodhi tree was quite beautiful and serene.  Since we were there on a holiday, there were plenty of worshippers around us. The smell of incense wafted throughout the temple. Underneath the tree was an awesome elephant replica.

We also visited the nearby Seema Malaka, the assembly hall for monks. It’s about a block away from Gangaramaya Temple, sitting on Beira Lake. The Buddhas were utterly magnificent looking in the sunlight.

A bit further down on the lake is Gangaramaya Park. Like Seema Malaka, it jets out into the lake, so you can full appreciate the water (and the breeze!). At this point, Meadows and I were dripping in sweat. The temperature was a steamy 35° Celsius (I’m trying to adjust to the rest of the world… but it’s 97° F). This is one of the biggest problems with exploration here – it’s. so. hot. We came back an hit the pool to cool down!

Meadows and the guys on the team managed to find a casino here. It’s pretty close to our hotel, too! We went one night and pretended to be surprised when it was nothing like Vegas. This is a fabulous place to gamble though. The exchange rate is $1 USD equals roughly 147 Sri Lankan Rupees. You feel like a high-roller throwing down a 1,000 bill, while you’re actually only losing $7! (I intentionally say “losing” because, as always, no one won any money at the casino!)

Perhaps my favorite thing about Colombo is the sunsets. The park/“beach” across the street from us (Galle Face Green) is known for it’s exceptional sunsets over the Indian Ocean. Locals and tourists alike assemble around 5:30pm to watch the magic happen. Children fly kites, couples stroll, peddlers try to sell you said kites — it’s very picturesque. And getting to enjoy this all from the comfort of our hotel room’s air conditioning? Priceless. I have more sunset photos than I’d like to admit, but these are some of my favorites!

Random Sri Lanka facts:

• Sri Lanka was previously known as “Ceylon”
• 70% of the country is Buddhist
• Sri Lanka is home to 26 national parks and 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites