We have been in Sri Lanka for three days now and it feels like we have been swimming in a great foreign sea, the problem is we feel like we have forgotten how to swim. We flew from Kuala Lumpur to ---- airport on a small airbus 320-300. It was so cramped in the plane, it was full and had only one aisle. People were standing in the aisle as we tried to pass by to find our seats. We had to climb over each other it seemed. I observed how old it looked and being terrified of flying, was not reassured.
Once we were safely in the air, I began to relax, slightly. We began talking to a man named Don. He was a well of information and seemed more than happy to share his knowledge of Sri Lanka. He gave us some tips: don't let people push you into staying more days in a guesthouse take your time and look at the rooms before agreeing, everything is negotiable (though when we try to negotiate it seems like most people say their prices are not), don't tip too much just tip what you feel is right (10% al the time he said was excessive, the Lonely Planet said to tip 10% but we will take Don's advice instead). Call ahead before booking, if you go in person people will try and charge more. Don't try and exchange money from unlicensed places, you can get good rates but only if your know how to bargain, we will just stick to the Peoples bank and the Bank of Ceylon.
We talked with Don for most of the flight, I listened up to the point when the turbulence got bad and couldn't concentrate on anything except the hope that we were not about to crash.
Once we arrived we were greeted at the immigration desk by two women in bright saris with bright, calm smiles. They stamped our passports and we were in the country. No inspection of our baggage, no questions, just a friendly hello.
We met Don were we collected oue luggage, he showed us where to exchange our money, the Peoples Bank which is located just as you exit the departure doors. We also got some minutes on our SIM card for 1300 Sri Lankan Rupees, about 10$ (which gives us 700 minutes for 30 days), no extra charge. However, the catch is they seem to send us random messages every hour, mentioning some random facts or deals we can receive. Oh well.
Don got his nephew to drive us to the main road and negotiated a taxi for us. They were so kind, and Don even suggested that he would show us around Colombo in a couple of days, when we had some time off. We a extremely grateful for his help and kindness. We wish we knew a good way to repay him.
So into the cab we went, the taxi driver was very sweet, but he didn't seem to know where the road we were looking for was located. At first we were a bit suspicious, thinking he was doing a bit of a rigemarol in order to get more km on the meter, but he was genuinely unsure. He asked the 3 wheel drivers (these are like tuk-tuks) and they directed him. He charged us what was on the meter, the price the Lonley Planet said was legit.
The drive was somewhat chaotic, but not too bad. People drive on the left side of the one lane roads, and when they want to pass they speed up past the cars, over what would be a double yellow line in Canada, and push their way into a gap between the cars. It's a bit terrifying.
Negombo is allot more chaotic than Taiwan. There are no sidewalks, lights, or crosswalks, you just got to dash across the road. Some road have three way intersections with no lights, but people somehow manage to squeeze into the open spaces and not crash. I don't know if Kevin or I could even learn how to drive this way. On the streets you see woman in saris, children in school uniforms, older and middle aged men in sarongs, people sitting on a shops stair, people on bicycles. Every one here had dark brown skin, but no one is ashamed of it. They don't cover their skin like they do in Taiwan to keep it lighter. People dress in ways the make them comfortable in the heat.
When we got off from the 3 wheel, we felt so vulnerable and a bit afraid. It was like stepping into a stampede without knowing which direction it was going. But we put on our packs and hats and set to walking in search of a guesthouse. Unfortunately, it felt a lot like Laos. People were out stopping us every time we stopped "guesthouse" "ride". Though people here are actually more persistent than Lao. Anyways, to our disappointment, most of the guesthouses were more than what the Lonely Planet suggested. We couldn't manage to bargain the prices. So we just kept looking, eventually we gave in to one of the people offering a room. We were a bit sceptical and worried about the safety of the room. But when we showed us, I saw the woman and children and felt safe. We decided to take the room.
The woman seemed very open with me when I was by myself, they wanted to talk and sit together. Unfortuanlty I cannot remember their names, Sri Lankan names are not easy to remember. All three woman wore saris, they were family. One woman, who was my age helped look after the guesthouse with her husband. The other lady was her sister, and the older woman was their mother. The lady and her husband had three children. The boy and girl, which they called brother and sister, where about the same age. The girl had green eyes which looked so pretty with her dark skin. The other child was a baby boy of about 2. He was shy with Kevin and I at first, but by the second day he was playing with us and let us pick him up and tickle him. They were always very friendly, though at points Kevin and I did feel that they were trying to sell us a few things, like tours and massages. We politely declined. Though we did drink some papaya juice and had some pineapples. I don't know if the juice they made used certified water though, which is why I might have been sick late on, but I'm not sure, since Kevin was fine.
We took a walk on the beach which was not entirely free of garbage and dog poop. Nevertheless the sea was beautiful too look out too especially at sunset when the sky turn into a feast of pastel colours, or in the morning when the catamarans are sailing our on the waves with the moon just over head.
But with this calm comes anxiety as well, as people seemed to constantly approach us with stuff they were trying to sell, or tours in the catamarans that they would give us. One man however, showed that he was happy just walking and talking with us. He showed us where we could buy some water and we walked in town with him a bit. He didn't ask for money and seemed happy just to talk.
People here speak English, and what they do know they speak very well, but even then, once you get into conversation, its easy to see that not everything we say is understood, we have to remind ourselves to speak in a way that may be understood. It is so easy to take for granted the amount of English that is spoken worldwide, we almost forget that we are not speaking the native tongue of the country. How spoiled we are to speak the universal language, so spoiled that we do not realize this advantage.
That night we slept okay, I kept worrying about the open window and how easy it would be for someone to climb in, but eventually I fell asleep. Though I did wake up in the middle of the night feeling very sick with chills, headache and nausea, but it eventually went away. We were woken up by the sound of unhappy children who had to go to school. Everyday they go to school from 7 to 2 pm. They all have uniforms. The boys wear white shirts with blue plants or shorts. The girls wear the same, but some wear all white and they wear skirts instead of shorts. They tie their hair in braid or pony tales with red ribbons. Some children even wear ties. They walk or ride to school on the chaotic road amongst the traffic. It is so hot and no one wears a hat. Its amazing how used to the heat they are, and I was feeling like I was about to get heat stroke just from walking for 30 minutes with a hat and sunglasses.
That day we walked to the train station. It was a bit unnerving sometimes because men sometimes stare and it made Kevin and i somewhat uncomfortable. But I try to smile and I mostly try to make eye contact with only the woman who are extremely friendly. The woman here seem very confident. They stand tall and don't slump their shoulders. They have a very strong presence about them. They feel motherly and I feel comfortable when I see woman around.
Once we arrived at the train station we felt heat exhaustion. The station was very old looking, the benches all wooden and the ticket vendor stood behind black iron bars. The only bright thing around was the fish tank and the palms in the background. We were informed that we could catch the 7am train to Mt. Lavinia (the city just outside Colombo) the next day, but we could not reserve seats as it was only 3rd class.
We stopped at the bookstore outside the train station and bought a map from the man. He was very nice and seemed very scholarly. He was also very willing to talk and share information about Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka most people will learn Tamil, Sinhalese and English, which is very impressive since their English is so much better than the French that most Canadians are supposed to be able to speak.
We walked back to ou guesthouse around the time that all the school children got out. One cocky boy said " hello" and shouted " what are you doing" while looking back at his friends and giggling. He then of course asked "give us money".
We walked along the beach for a few blocks when kevin said "don't go to close to that man" I looked around and saw that a man was taking a dump on the sand where the water was ebbing. I was completely grossed out and walked by him hopping the water wouldn't pick up any droppings as we walked by. I can't understand why he couldn't just use a toilet. That was the only time we saw that, so hopefully its not a very common thing. Either way, it makes one think before sitting in the sand.
We arrived at our guesthouse and I was feeling even worse. We slept under our fan but the heat was still not helpful. Kevin went to tell our friend that we met on the beach that we wouldn't be able to have tea because I was feeling sick. The ladies knocked on our door and asked me to sit with them. Eventually Kevin and I sat outside for a bit, had some pineapple and went for another nap. We had hardly eaten anything that day, only pancakes and the pineapples. When we tried to have dinner, the first bite sent me to the washroom and I threw up. Luckly I felt much better after that. The owners of the resteraunt were so nice. They made me a self made medicine of pure lime, salt and pepper. It really helped me feel better.
There was another woman in the rester aunt who looked in much worse shape than I. A man was looking out for her, but she seemed really sick. I guess its something that comes from being in Sri Lanka, or maybe it was just my turn to be sick this time.
We went home and slept until dawn so we could be at the station before 7am. The train ride was an experience that I will let Kevin share.
No comments:
Post a Comment