Entry #3 Sri Lanka: March 10 - 19, 2019

Goodbye to Sri Lanka!

It’s hard to believe we’ve said goodbye to this country that we have been so in love with for the past month.  The conclusion to our time in Sri Lanka has been especially memorable and it’s very satisfying looking back on the past week, which was filled with some incredible highlights.

Our last update ended as we approached the city of Kandy.

We found such a wonderful guesthouse, with such kind and welcoming hosts that we ended up staying 4 nights.  It was like moving into a comfy house and finding our Sri Lankan family.  While we were there we took in the famous sights of the city and surrounding area; most notably, the Buddhist Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and the Udawatta Kele Wildlife Reserve.

At the temple the kids got their first real taste of the intensity of crowds!  We were swallowed into the sea of worshippers making their way to the temple to catch a glimpse of the golden casket encasing Buddha’s tooth relic.

We inched through the ancient temple in the tiptoe procession of visitors who came bearing beautiful offerings of blue lotus flowers.  We barely caught a peek of the casket before the monks closed the carved wooden doors that house the relic.  We also saw the ancient library with 1000 year old religious texts printed on books written on palm leaves, and visited the many beautiful areas of the temple reserved for meditation and prayer.

The most amazing thing was seeing how much the kids absorbed from our kindly tour guide and the museum.  They have spent the past week retelling details about Buddha, the tooth relic, moonstones, and all the little tidbits they learned about to anyone who would listen.

We planned to go to the wildlife reserve with the hopes of getting close to the monkeys and we weren’t disappointed  We were surrounded by a least 100 cheeky, wild monkeys who welcomed us to their jungle home.  It was pretty adorable watching baby monkeys wrestling at our feet, but then I had some explaining to do when a couple of monkeys got… um… romantic in front of us.  Jamie was like, “Mommy, that monkey really seems to want a piggyback ride!” and Jessie thought they were doing YOGA!  (Hahahahahahahahaha!)

We walked along the path that was once reserved for the royal family of the last kingdom in Kandy.  There was a dense jungle canopy, Tarzan-worthy vines, and gigantic trees that were likely alive when ancient kings actually did stroll here.

The coolest part was the swirling butterflies that took to the sky as we walked along.  For at least a kilometre we were accompanied by a flurry of butterflies.  Jessie danced along with the “fairies”!

 After Kandy we went to Sigiriya.  They say this is a MUST when visiting Sri Lanka.  This 200 metre high rock column has major historical and religious significance.  However we opted to climb up the neighbouring Pidurangala Rock.  Instead of being in a squishy line trudging up a huge staircase, we were actually climbing and even squeezing through tight crevices in order to get to the Pidurangala plateau, which offered a perfect view of Sigiriya!

We loved exploring up there, being so high up, looking out over Sigiriya and the surrounding plains, being whipped by the strong wind, and enjoying it all with very few other people around.

The area around Sigiriya is dotted with all kinds of archaeological wonders and ancient Hindu and Buddhists temples.  Of the many religious sites we visited, we loved the Dambulla Cave Temple the best!  Over 2000 years old, this complex was full of surprises.  As we ducked into what looked like a small room carved out of the rock, it turned out to be a huge, cavernous space that protected enormous and beautiful Buddha statues!  Seriously!  HUGE!  A very interesting and impressive place to see.

We were reaching the final days in Sri Lanka and we planned to go out with a bang!  Travelling to an area called Pinnawala, we reserved a spot in a small group that would have the opportunity to take care of a rescued elephant!  Lee did a ton of research before committing to this experience.  There are so-called “elephant orphanages” with practices which are quite inhumane for the elephants.  It’s becomes a tourist trap that’s basically a circus performance.  We were almost certain we’d be skipping the activity until Lee discovered the Freedom Elephant Project! This organization is taking care of a single elephant and allows small groups to visit, learn about, and take care of Kumari the elephant.  We can honestly say that it was a pleasure and a privilege to support this organization.

And it was a dream come true!!!!!!  It was incredible to be able to spend hours beside a full grown Asian elephant!

We walked with her, fed her, and even cleaned up her poop!  Yup, we put on some rubber gloves and got right in there to clean the elephant’s “bedroom” by flinging away watermelon sized elephant turds!  Jamie couldn’t have been happier to volunteer, and after seeing him make a sport of throwing elephant poop, Jessie was right there beside him! 

The kids became even more acquainted with the elephant poop when we were shown the Dung Factory that makes poop paper products out of elephant waste!

The absolute highlight and truly unforgettable part of the day was having the opportunity to give Kumari a bath in the river!  We.  Bathed.  An.  Elephant!!!!!!!!!  Scrubbing her tough hide with a sliver of coconut shell, rubbing behind her ears, getting sprayed with her trunk as she basked in the river spa - I can’t even describe the joy!

Riding that kind of high made it easier to bid this incredible country farewell.  We are deeply grateful for the time we spent in Sri Lanka, the beautiful places we saw, the fantastic memories we made, and the wonderful people we met along the way.

So, where are we now?  Well, we always knew that we didn’t want to make definite plans for our travels because there is nothing better than being spontaneous.  We wanted to be able to pursue adventure in unexpected places - and that’s just what we’ve done!

Right now we are writing this blog entry from the Maldives!  It was a last minute addition to our route and we are so excited to be here.  We can hardly believe the beauty, but we plan to soak it all in for the next week!  We’ll send more stories and pictures soon!

Sending lots of love ~ The Zwaigens :)