Lanka!

"The island of Sri Lanka has been a favorite haunt of aliens, extra terrestrials, gods, devas, angels, sky dwellers, demons, deities whichever way you describe them. Our chronicles, traditions, folklore, prehistoric cave drawings, archaeological evidence and ancient traveler's' records testify that there have been strange beings living in this island from time immemorial." There were and there are Mountains, Hills, buildings and even plants with full of mysteries, power and wisdom which are beyond human understanding. 200 million years ago, geologically Sri Lanka was linked with India, Madagascar, Australia and Antarctica, in a land mass known as Gondwana. Sri Lanka separated into a land mass known as Lanka Dvipa (Island of Lanka), and part of the land submerged into the sea. According to the Ramayana epic this took place because of the misdeeds of Ravana, but this seismic happening is confirmed by modern science." lankalibrary.com

The India YAV crew recently returned from a trip to Sri Lanka. As some of you know, this was a journey fraught with fearful anticipation, for we did not know our chances of returning to India in a timely fashion (Long story short, the involvement of an American in the 2008 attacks on Mumbai prompted the Indian government to put ostensible restrictions on multiple-entry tourist visas, our visa of choice. They made a rule that upon leaving the country, which you are obligated to do after every six month period, you have to stay outside for at least two months. In my opinion, this is just a ploy to make it look like they are cracking down for security when in actuality it will just hurt the tourist industry.). So, we had to face the possibility of starting over in Sri Lanka and staying there for two months. Of course we would have embraced it, but we did not want to be away from our communities here for so long! Anyways, our first order of business after our 30 minute or so flight to this little island nation was to head to the Indian high commission the next morning and try to become exceptions to the new rule. Thankfully, because we had legitimate travel documents and proof of an eventual return flight to the U.S., and perhaps more than anything because we were very understanding and well behaved in a room full of angry white people, we got the exception and are back in India.

Even with this possibility of being stuck, our Sri Lankan expedition was great. Although it is so close to India, this island has a life completely its own. The most obvious cultural factor is the ubiquity of Buddhism. Pretty much everywhere you go you can see monks dressed in orange or maroon, ranging from very young children to very old men, sometimes carrying umbrellas and sometimes mobile phones, on pilgrimage. Also, you can look up to the hills to see giant statues of Buddha standing or sitting sentry over the people. Besides Buddhism, there is a substantial Tamil Hindu minority whose agitation for independence resulted in a long and bloody civil war that has just ended…hopefully. Beyond religion, the life of the island is defined by the reality of its being a very small nation in a very big world and by the fact that it is a tropical island driven by fishing and tourism. But you can read up on the rich culture and history on your own. Go ahead, get on wikipedia.

Here is the Sri Lanka that we got to know on our little two week 10-11 day stint:

- Riding the waves in the Indian Ocean—This ocean has surpassed the Atlantic and Pacific for enjoyment value as far as I am concerned. Really, this ocean is beautiful, warm, and powerful. I will have to head to the Arctic and the Southern next to find the ultimate winner.

- Swimming with and getting to know some big sea turtles. This may be the highlight of the entire trip. I might have to rummage in the closet when I get home to see if I still have my old Save Our Sea turtles t-shirt.

- Taking several trips in tuk-tuks (pronounced took-took, the same as an Indian autorickshaw) and being able to say we took a tuk-tuk. One such tuk-tuk ride, though we were taken for a ride figuratively, being royally ripped off for being tourists in Galle, a southern port and fort. Later the drivers publicly accosted us for even more rupees. Thanks to Sarah’s yelling power, we got away.

- Roaming the local market streets of Colombo—surely neglected by most tourists, as we were really in the thick of the back alleys. Love the smells, love the people to whom the city actually belongs.

- Visiting the Temple of the Tooth, a big and very important temple in the town of Kandy that claims to possess one of the Buddha’s left teeth. We didn’t actually see the sacred tooth, but we did see the inspiring faith of many devotees.

- Being followed by friendly shopkeepers and hashish keepers who know that the money flows where the white person goes.

- Climbing to the painted caves of Dambulla and the jutting fortress rock of Sigiriya . Wow.

- Experiencing the Golden Temple, a very costly, very big, and very tacky temple made possible by donations from people in Japan. Really, it is great.

- Swimming in a picturesque lake near to our little inn, ingesting some of the water, and then getting the worst stomach pain I have ever experienced in my life.

- Riding on buses with hundreds of people, standing fully in the legroom of a full seat, my rear in someone’s face, my bag in someone else’s arms, my sandal off somewhere in the aisle, my feet barely touching the ground, my head grazing the roof.

- Having a plastic bag with souvenirs attacked and smacked by monkeys expecting to find food.

- Being visited by a giant snail who would sneak up the drain in our bathroom at night, whose girth is surely second only to Dr. Dolittle’s great sea snail.

- Realizing what it means to be a tourist again. After living in a different culture for so long, you really do feel like you are part of the culture, not the ‘other’. It gets to the point where you are disgusted when you see actual tourists, with their seeming arrogance and ignorance, traipsing around. Well, we were those people, and it was strange. It was a good reminder that we are who we are and cannot escape where we come from, our skin color.

So that is our Sri Lankan trip in a nutshell. If you are ever in this neck of the woods of the world, I strongly recommend that you hop on over to the island and see it for yourselves.

Up next: April tour of north India