A little beach vacation in Sri Lanka

Maybe one gets used to constant change - to differences that make one feel unsettled, like new alphabets posted everywhere, with no rhyme or reason or context,  taxis with 3 wheels, competing on highways and alleys. I had quite a few new cultural experiences in my first trip to the orient.

To keep cool the men walk around with long colorful skirts on, or near the fishing boats thy wrap them like big diapers. as opposed to Georgian men who pull their t-shirts up off their bellies, like small children in the US. And here is one way to fish!

Marshutkas give way to
Sri Lankan tuktuks.

Sri Lanka was a great time away, my last vacation before ending Peace Corps service. And yep, learning and experiencing more.

Women were such a mix:  the burkas hid lovely smiles. These women were friendly, maybe because they can reach out in English.  Or they aren't in fear of judgment that may be happening if the Middle East. They walk next to women in brightly colored saris - the most beautiful and sexy clothes, IMHO. The children wear white uniforms, with ties, walk to school. Everyone wears bright clothing, a far cry from the stylish yet monotone black of Georgia.

School uniforms

After school English classes, 

in the village center

Colorful school

As everywhere, it is dangerous to generalize.  The Sri Lankan men appeared diminutive, small and slender.  But them our train passed the Navy base, with local sailors playing volleyball. They were all over 6 foot.

I saw a private airfield that doubled as a golf course - a great idea yet rife with potential law suits... such an American mentality, kimi...

The food - yes I came for seafood.  Yes, I actually booked a guest house because Raja was a great cook, the price was right, as much as the fact that it was quietly situated on a side road 2 minutes from the beach. Tuna steak, calamari, crabs ( but missed Gary's spices) and red snapper.  Other foods were different, yet equally as tasty.

great dinners!

Raja's Guesthouse was a friendly place to meet visitors
from all over the world.  

coconut milk with dinner, on the beach

Lentil donuts, coconuts, rice with curry.  They have these red fruits that looked like a spinning top. When one cracks it open, blows out the seed and ants, it is really tasty!  Bananas are about 6 inches long. Curry, egg rolls type things with meat or veggies in them were delicious.

LOOK RIGHT!  Why can't I get used to the British drivers. Had to think of London's reminders on the streets to get the hang of it again, and not get run over.

I stayed in Weligama, and never left to see other cultural sites. I didn't plan on staying, but the beach was too inviting.  I tried out surfing and actually rode the waves with Raja's son - such a great teacher.  Wow!

Thilina teaching me local game - like
billiards on a board

And I snorkelled too.  There were Angel Fire, snappers, sturgeon, sweetlips, and I think anenomes. The coral was very damaged from the tsunami, but you could see some new growth. And there was a lot of dead coral in the shallows.

Restful coves

Early morning as we leave for whale watching

And speaking of tsunamis, there were a lot of crumbling buildings on the waterfront.  I assumed this was just what the country looked like, until I went inland for an elephant safari.  The houses and infrastructure were in much better condition. Later that night, a friend of the 'family' told us how the tsunami came and destroyed his home, which was close to the beach. They said that Japan warned the Sri Lankan government, but the government didn't know what to do about it.  If you forgot about this 2004 tragedy, CNN can remind you with this good article.  How odd that author Paula Hancocks mimics my exact sentiments when she talks of the tsunami survivors and I speak of our Georgian IDPs - how do people that have lost everything be so generous and supportive?

I only met one other American the entire 5 days I was in Sri Lanka!  That's fun. (they are SO loud, you know). Poles, British, Australian, Romanians, Israelis, a Canadian, Spanish, Russian...  The funny thing was, it was a woman I knew!  How odd.  Another Peace Corps volunteer had also decided to use her last vacation days in SW Sri Lanka and I joined her on the elephant safari. A nice treat.

I visited my first Buddist temple. It was so peaceful, and for some reason I was very surprised.  I liked it a lot - restful and contemplative.  The island inhabitants also practice Hindu, Catholic, Islam, and I saw a Ceylon Pentecostal mission.

This was so peaceful!

Buddhist monk statues surrounded
the temple

 Wildlife - I think I never took the time to appreciate the birds, and all the other wildlife we have around us.  But in Sri Lanka one can't ignore it.  Here is my first official bird watching report, from Udawalawe National Park, along with our elephant pictures and other animals from the safari. Amazing!

Indian roller

female peacock in the tree

Painted Stork

male peacock

Changeable Hawk-Eagle

Grey Headed Fish Eagle

Blue-tailed bee-eater

Blue-tailed bee-eater

water buffalo

youngster with the family

Two males

happy guy

water buffalo keeping cool in the mud

and speaking of mud

beautiful trees

This was some big lizard!

one month old elephant!

Mugger crocodile

love this little guy with his mom

crocodile right next to elephants

the baby had a hard time
climbing up the water's edge

train station back to Columbo

village homes

Sun setting on the train ride back to Colombo
to catch my 3am return flight

After two years I have made some real changes in the way I approach life, in a slower, more focused, process.  I hope I don't lose these new habits when I return home. For example, this trip I 

- researched and looked at the stars intelligently. (Thanks Jim)

- actually noticed and researched the birds on google image. Wow.  (Thanks Kate)

-  learned to surf, and actually got up! (Thanks Thilina)

- took my first whale watching trip and saw a blue whale which they said  can be up to  30 meters long, and a bryde's whale, which was about 10 meters long. 

- took my first elephant safari as well. What a treat.

A peaceful, relaxing R&R.  Now I'm ready for my last 3 months in Georgia, which promises to be sad and emotional, but also a happy time to see that we've done some good things and I've made some lasting friends.  Stay tuned...

The Renovated Tbilisi Opera House and Ballet

Great seats, great friends!

Tbilisi Opera House 2016

19th century Opera House

This famous hand painted curtain was
refurbished in Germany

Georgia has a rich tradition of performance art dating back centuries, long before it was

swallowed up by the Russian empire and then the Soviet Union. Its movie industry was famous in the USSR. Tbilisi's Opera House is the 165-year-old home of Georgian opera and ballet. The opera house’s history is also entwined with its tortured relationship with its giant neighbor. It was built in the mid-19th century by the tsar’s pro-consul in the Caucasus as a kind of bribe, hoping to win restless Georgians over to Moscow’s rule. During communist rule, Tbilisi was established as one of the premier venues for opera and ballet outside Moscow.

800 lightbulbs were replaced

 

The opera house was damaged during the Soviet breakup, and reopened in the 1990s.  Tickets were priced very low, citing the fact that in those years in Georgia theatre was more of a necessity than a luxury. The house was then closed for 6 years, for a multimillion-pound refit paid for by the country’s richest man and former prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili.  It was spectacular.  Here are a few pictures of the renovations.  Even the bathrooms were amazing, although I held off taking pictures of the massive entrance, mirrors, and beautiful decorations.    

I was lucky enough to get a ticket for Gorda. 

Gorda premiered in 1949 in this Opera House in Tbilisi.  It is a beautiful 2 act ballet, with beautiful sets, incredible dancers, and a great plot.  The dancing integrates ballet with the georgian dances beautifully.   The plot has a little of everything, unrequited love, witches, beautiful love scenes and the omnipresent celebration of children that is mandatory in Georgia.  There are kings and ambassadors, oracles and warring armies.  It was really excellent and has played around the world.  It is such a treat to see live theatre here in Georgia.  I know how lucky I am. 

With Marcia and Pam out front

Plastic Garbage, here and everywhere

 When I first came to Georgia, I was overwhelmed by the trash, everywhere, or so it seemed.  I think I didn't realize how nice it is in the US now, where it is really socially unacceptable to throw things out the car window, etc. You can't just pick it trash here and dispose of it when you go for a walk, because you wouldn't get far.  Along main roads it is the worst.  The Georgian government pays people to clean up, but each assignment has boundaries, so there is still a lot of trash around.  Plastic, of course in particular,  accumulates and will just sit there for decades, until a really hungry dog, bird, or chicken decides it looks appetizing ( yes, I've seen chickens eat plastic bags.)

This plastic waste is not just here in Georgia. According to a new Ellen MacArthur Foundation report launched at the World Economic Forum at Davos every year “at least 8million tons of plastics leak into the ocean – which is equivalent to dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. If no action is taken, this is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050. “In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain one ton of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish [by weight].” The Guardian summarized the report in an article last month.

Yes Georgia has a lot of waste, but they also have some creative recycle applications that I thought you might to see.  Yes, necessity is the mother of invention. But we still all need to work on it. 

This bottle was tied to the bottom
of a underground passageway in Tbilisi.
I loved the concept.  But who empties it?

I bought my honey from a guest house,
in this coke bottle.

More recycling in the village. If I want milk, we hang a used plastic bottle from the fence post. The neighbor fills it after milking, and gives them to a downstairs neighbor, who lets me know she has it, when I come home after work.

Also, if you want saklis gvino ( house wine) from a shop, you have to bring your own plastic bottle. NOTE: They tell you to squeeze the plastic bottle, so there is no air in it, and the wine won't go bad.  We believe the same thing back home, but it's more expensive with adapters for glass bottles.

I bought this from the shop in this recycled Fanta bottle.
They don't need fancy new containers.

Gas and  electric bills are posted here. 
We have no postal service.

Our bills hang from a recycled bottle in the entrance of
my stairwell.  If I forget to notice and pick it up to pay,
the neighbors remind me.  :-)

If you buy yogurt, you have to bring a replacement glass bottle to swap for the one you buy, or they won't sell you any.  :-)  Not the best marketing approach,  but then, this isn't the US.  They have different priorities for sales goals.

Let's hope we continue to focus on these problems - for us, our kids, our grandkids...