Hello!
Welcome to our inaugural blog post. We have been in Sri Lanka for just over a week, but we are only now finding the time (and web connectivity) to write. We'll try to keep this concise, as there's a line of impatient German tourists behind me waiting to use this computer.
Executive Summary:
- Arrived safely in Sri Lanka last week
- Attended Shawn's cousin Gaya's wedding
- 5 day tour of various destinations in Sri Lanka (ancient capital, rock fortress, elephant orphanage)
- Leaving tomorrow morning for a couple of days on the beach
The details:
Christmas and New Years was a busy time for both of us. We were with family in Montreal and St. Catharines, while also tying up countless loose ends in preparation for the trip.
We spent 4 days in New York with Shawn's brother Karl and his wife Joannie before flying out of JFK to Colombo via Hong Kong. Since we had a nice long layover in Hong Kong, we took the train into the city to stretch our legs for a few hours. We arrived safely in Sri Lanka last Wednesday night.
Shawn's cousin Gaya from Calgary married Paul last Saturday on a sea-side terrace just outside of Colombo. The setting was wonderful, and we all had an amazing time. Below are a few pictures. The bridal procession was led by traditional Sri Lankan dancers and drummers (partially visible in the first picture).
Following the wedding, we embarked on a whirlwind 5 day tour of the island. In truth, 5 days can hardly do justice to over a thousand years of ancient civilization, but we still managed to take a lot in. A summary:
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura was the capital of one of the ancient kingdoms in Sri Lanka. It's also where Shawn's father was born. Depicted above is the largest stupa in the world. It is one of the largest structures built by an ancient civilization; only two Egyptian pyramids are bigger. Stupas were built in Sri Lanka as religious monuments. They typically contain a relic chamber at their center. As these are completely sealed structures, no one knows what's inside.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is a ruined fortress built by a particularly paranoid king on top of a massive rock formation the rises vertically from the plains below. The rock is visible in the background of the first picture. In the foreground, two Buddhist monks walk along the path through the other ruins at the base of the rock. The paws in the second picture are the remnants of what was once a giant lion built against the top half of the rock. The third picture is the view from the top. The fortress is an astounding engineering feat, as the rock is nearly 400 meters high, and is sheer on all sides. A series of staircases were built against, and carved into, the rock face.
Kandy
Another ancient city. Kandy is home to an important Buddhist temple that houses an original tooth of Buddha. The first picture is of a firewalker at a cultural show. Kandy is high in the hills of central Sri Lanka, near the tea growing regions. We toured a tea factory just outside of town. Tip of the day: teabags typically contain the lowest quality tea. Most of the good stuff is sold loose.
Elephant Orphanage
Elephants that are found injured or abandoned end up here. Baby elephants are super cute.
Tomorrow, we are heading south along the coast to a beach town for a couple of days.
That's all for now! Shawn and Elisabeth
