Starting out in Sri Lanka

At 10pm we caught the bus to Kuala Lumpur airport. I slept for an hour and at 4pm we went through customs so as to catch the 6.15am flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka. 4 hrs later we touched down in Colombo, hungry, tired and without a clue as to where we were going or how to get there. I believe it took me less than 2 hrs to proclaim my love for the Sri Lankan people. This country has to be one of the last remaining underdiscovered tourist destinations and as such the Sri Lankans are determined to demonstrate their love for their own country by making sure you love it too. You cannot go two metres without someone asking you if you are ok and if you need directions. Unlike other Asian destinations, they do this not because they want you to take their taxi etc, but because they care about making sure tourists are happy and experiencing Sri Lanka the way they know it. 

Some other examples include buses; when taking a bus, one person will tell you the correct number bus and walk you to the correct bus stop, another on the bus will ask you where you are going and tell you exactly when to get off (often the bus driver will also do this). I even had a lady give me her seat (very insistently) when there were many other locals who were waiting. Another example; Dave and I only spent one day in Colombo and after one of these aforementioned bus trips we were eating dinner at Galle Face Green. GFG is a strip of grass on the Indian Ocean waterfront were one can sit and muse as the kites fly overhead and the waves crash on the shore. The plastic chair restaurant was one makeshift tent in a line of market stalls and not only did our very friendly waiter want to chat in English, but before and after the meal he made a point of washing our hands with lemon and drying them for us. This kind of service is customary in Sri Lanka and even if you only order milk Chai they will continually ask if you are ok and if you are sure you don't want a MASSIVE rice curry dish for 140 Rupee ($1.10; all food is quite flavoursome and cheap here). 

Its strange, but in Thailand for example, if the locals stare at you, it appears menacing or even annoying. In Sri Lanka, it's as though they really have never seen a white lady before. Every third person says hello, wants to chat or they just gawk – but it is in no way annoying. I feel as though they are the friendliest people I've met and there is genuinely no pretence, no malice whatsoever to the ignorant foreigners. Just the desire to 'spread the love'. 

Ok so we are being treated well, but what have we been doing exactly? Well after deciding that we really only need a day (or half a day in reality) in the capital, Colombo, Dave and I headed by train to Kandy, the capital of the hill country. Here is an important note to anyone travelling through Sri Lanka, grab yourself a third class ticket to anywhere and watch the countryside roll by. I was mesmerised by the resplendent green of the rice paddies, tea plantations, mountainous ranges and the lush forestation that is abundant in Sri Lanka. At one point the tracks were flooded, but our driver forged ahead (slowly) and the locals waved at the strange foreign lady leaning out the train window. 

 Something I noticed is that by traditional standards (and in comparison to many of the 3^rd world places I have been) there is little poverty in the country here and even less population problems (civil wars do tend to thin out the old population a bit). The people take pride in their homes no matter what their standing and there is less pollution (again comparatively). Kandy is a very charming example of the British colonisation. The town is built around a lake and has many temples, beautiful old colonial buildings (one of which we stayed at) and a massive botanical garden (entry is 1100Rs or $10). Our first night here reflected how I feel about the country in general, magical. We went to see a cultural dance show (500Rs) where we were treated to elaborate costumes, acrobatics, flame throwing (and eating) and coal walkers. As we climbed the hill to our hotel, I caught my first glimpse of fireflys, or little fairies if you please, and went to sleep waiting for the next magical example of my Sri Lanka experience.