Galle, A Dutch town

Getting back to my roots we went to a Dutch town while in Sri Lanka, called Galle. It was great to take a leisurely stroll through the brick streets. We did a little bit of shopping, bought some homemade ice cream, and got stuck in the rain. There were some really cool shops, like a Pottery Barn type store with Sri Lankan stuff inside. There was also an old Dutch Christian Reformed Church. It was closed by the time that we got there, but we got to see the outside. We got some great shots.

View of the road.

That would be a great photo.

The Dutch Christian Reformed Church.

Stuck in the rain. Have no fear, Papa Perara came and picked us up.

The Lake... The Beach... What Could be Better?

Coming down the mountain we went to the lake. We had a beautiful room right on the water with an awesome pool. There was even a pool boy to wait on us hand and foot. After the lake we went to the beach. OH How I love the beach.

We had a bungalow where you could hear the surf crashing. It lulled me to sleep every night.

1,2,3 Meet Me at the Tea... plantation

We came up with a cheer before we went to Sri Lanka. It was 1,2,3 meet me at the Sri. We did that before we got on the plane or if we were ever excited about something. Or if we needed a team bonding moment. We took 2 tours of 2 different tea plantations. Driving through the twirly swirly roads surrounded by tea bushes- beautiful. Tea tastes better from a higher elevation. Interesting fact for the day. The first plantation that we went to was at a lower elevation and tasted slightly bitter. Then we went to a higher elevation and did that tour and tasted their tea, and it was mmm mmm good. We learned about the different types of tea, and how they take different parts of the tea leaves to make different kinds. I also learned that a tea bush lives for about 130 years then it is no good anymore. Who says you can't learn anything on vacation. Currently I am drinking chia tea that I made from loose leaf tea, and spices from Sri Lanka. In comparison to the lapidary tour way better.
After the leaves have been dried.
Tea leaves on the drying belt.
View from the car on the twirly swirly roads.
Workers in the field picking leaves. Woman are better pickers because their hands are more delicate and then can pick more without damaging the leaves.

Just Dance

After a full day of the lapidary and shopping we went to traditional dancing. The costumes were beautiful to look at, and the dancing was pretty spectacular. The men did all sorts of flips and crazy spins. The woman were really good too. There was one woman that looked like she wanted to get fired though. She was not very excited with her dance steps or her hand motions. She would not commit. The dancers were accompanied by traditional musicians. Most of the musicians were drummers, there were a few trumpet like things and some hand symbols.





As you walk into most palaces, or temples you see this moon stone before you walk onto the steps. The moon stone is where people would wipe their feet before entering the house. The 4 different parts of the semi circle represent their life cycle which are birth, disease, old age, and death.

Kandy

When you don't have to check for bed bugs when you walk into your hotel room you know that it will be a good place to stay. In Kandy we stayed at a really nice hotel with a pool. This was the sign on the window. There were monkeys that were on the balcony of the hotel next door. We made sure to listen to what the sign said.


After the thrilling trip to the lapidary we went shopping in the local market. There were tons of beautiful spices to buy. We bought a bunch of real vanilla, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and curry powder. In the market they also had a bunch of fresh fruit, that was oh so tasty. After buying stock in spices we continued to look around. I bought some MC Hammer pants that I bust a move in.




I almost forgot the trip to the lapidary. For those of you that are not as cultured as I am. A lapidary is where they polish and cut precious and semi-precious stones. I did not want to go the lapidary because I do not care about stones but I ended up making such a big deal about how not excited I was that we still had to go. It was as thrilling as a trip to the dentist.

Lion Rock

Ain't no rock, gonna cry in my place, as long as I'm alive I'll glorify His holy name. Day 3 in the Sri took us to Lion Rock. As you can see it is a big rock that used to have a palace on top of it. It is a pretty good defense mechanism. I would not want to climb to the very top of that rock just to attack someone. I would be too tired by the end of the climb to beat up anyone. It was a beautiful day as we climbed to the top. There is not much left of the palace today, but you can still see some of the walls and stairs that are remaining. The view was amazing from the top. There is not a lot around the base of rock, which is great to see that it has not been developed too much. A lot of grass and surprisingly lakes as well. Once we had taken in the sights we climbed back down, that is what you have to do. What goes up must come down my mom always says.
Climbing up the big rock. Had to stop for a photo.
At the base of the rock there are lion claws. I think that might be why they call it Lion Rock. Just an idea I had.
The view from the top.

Stupas, Structures, and Shrines

Day 2 in the Sri took us on adventures learning about Hindu and Buddhist religion. We took tours of old ruins that were filled with stupas which is a dome shaped structure that has a Buddah inside of it. We walked though many different temples and old structures that used to be towns, monasteries, bath houses, and crematoriums. As we were walking through the museum learning about the different religions and gods, I decided that it would be a lot easier if Buddhist and Hindus would become Christians. We were learning that there were tons of different gods all for different reasons. Some gods have turned into other gods because their father came back from someplace and got mad at them so he turned them into a pig. It is all pretty confusing. It seems simple to me, God is the only one that created the whole entire universe. God sent his son to come to earth in the form of a human to live among us, and die for us to save us from our sins. This was a great reminder to think about as Easter was drawing near.
Buddha waiting for enlightenment.
Photo shoot in a temple ruin.
The gang infront of a stupa.
The sign said don't walk on the wall. I was being risky and took a step on the wall anyway.
Another photo shoot in a temple.

Shit happens...So make paper

On arrival in Sri Lanka our first stop was an elephant dung paper making factory. How resourceful right? Elephants dung is very fibrous because they eat grass and vegetation. Thus making great paper products. We walked through the factory and learned the steps that it takes from poop to paper. It is actually quite beautiful. After we walked through the factory we watch the elephants parade through the street to take a bath in a nearby lake. It was a great way to start off the trip.