Monday, October 31, 2016

Togean Islands-Manado-Bunaken, Indonesia

Anna’s entry:

ARRIVAL

We have spent quite a bit of time traveling in various parts of Indonesia over the last seven years, and developed a special relationship with this vast country of 17,000 islands.  Our main reason coming here so many times is the marine life.  However, Indonesia has always been an emotional roller-coaster to travel in.  We love the local people and their contagious positive outgoing attitude, and at the same time,  dealing with practical issues is often frustrating (non-stop smoking, non-existing schedules, pollution, horrible traffic, over-loaded ferries and buses, etc. etc).  We have managed to stay off the tourist-trail and enjoyed truly awarding authentic experiences - so for me, Indonesia holds a special place in my heart. 

You can say a lot about a place by observing local behaviour, customs, and quirky staff - such as signs in public restrooms, for example.  I added a few photos below to illustrate my point.  For example, there is a whole long list of items that are not allowed to be thrown in the toilet - obviously, a lot of unexpected objects do make their way here, thus the list designed by authorities.  So, the airport would be a good place to start.  Many rules that you would expect to take place in your home countries are completely ignored, modified, laughed at, or are just avoided.  This attitude is pretty much carried over all over Indonesia.  The range is vast - from purely entertaining anecdotal stories all the way to terrifying experiences.  In that respect, Togean Islands seemed quite easy to travel around.







GORONTALO

We landed in a small airport of Gorontalo, and caught the last public bus for a long ride to the town center.  After Malaysia, this part of Indonesia seemed quite a bit poorer.  We stayed at a simple hotel surrounded by a garden.  Our room and primitive bathroom were over-run by hundreds of hungry mosquitoes, a typical thing around here.  Directly across from our hotel was a park that would turn into a local hang-out by night with blaring music and numerous food stalls, which came in handy.  Our very first arrival night, we headed straight there and enjoyed freshly made nasi goreng and soto ayam cooked by a hospitable Muslim family. 

We spent several days in Gorontalo - took a loooooooong walk to a fruit market (where we purchased a large amount of tasty local rambutans), explored a popular by locals shopping mall (where we bought a few practical travel supplies), and I even ended up getting a full body massage (about $7 for an hour) performed by an enthusiastic young lady who pushed and pulled my muscles in all possible directions.

We took an ojek - a small motorbike (modified to carry two additional passengers and large backpacks) to the port for our over-night ferry to Wakai - the entry to the Togean Islands.  We chose a “business” class - the only area on the ferry where smoking was not permitted.  It was basically a large room with blasting A/C, padded chairs, TV (for karaoke), and many mattresses on the floor - where the ferry crew was sleeping.  We asked for permission to take the floor corner (next to a fire hydrant), where we laid out our two padded mattresses on the floor so we can stretch out for a12-hour ferry crossing. 

We met the sunrise at a port of Wakai, from where another ride of four hours was needed to reach our island in the Togean archipelago.


 

TOGEAN ISLANDS

We arrived at Poya Lisa in a narrow wooden boat after 12 hours on a ferry and 4 hours in a motorized wooden boat.  I chose this particular island for us for several reasons - excellent attitude of a family who ran this place, good home cooking, the best place to see the total solar eclipse , and free daily boat trips around the reefs.  We spent two weeks on Poyla Lisa at a wooden bungalow located right on the beach.  It was about $22 per night including four meals a day.  A wide range of traditional Indonesian food with freshly caught and cooked fish. 

Because we stayed two weeks on the island, all our snorkeling trips around the Togeans were free.  Every day, our boat Captain Imet invited us to join him to explore the reefs.  We would spent numerous hours in the water.  On several occasions, we would land on an island, where our captain would prepare a BBQ lunch cooked on a pile of coconut shells.  Captain Imet also took us to a village built on stilts inhabited by Baju people (sea gypsies) - the experience walking around the village and seeing the genuine local life and customs was straight from the NG. 

As idyllic as our life on Poya Lisa sounds, there were a number of very serious issues around the Togeans.  First, the reefs (with a few exceptions) had been seriously damaged (from the previous bombing and cyanide fishing).  The problem has been exacerbated by presence of tourists (Togeans are relatively easy to access), their behaviour and treatment of corals was completely obnoxious - stomping on corals was perplexing.  Our attempts trying to educate the Westerners of the proper marine etiquette had only a marginal success. 

Those, some isolated reefs were quite vast and beautiful, due to the damaged status, there was nothing that spectacular to report (especially compared to other parts of Indonesia).  Here is our partial list of marine encounters:  in addition to the typical 40-50 varieties of SE Asia fish species, we also saw  - eagle ray, turtle, 2 spotted baby sting-rays, sea snake, krait, lobsters, nudibranch, hump-head parrot fish, trevellies, snappers, banner fish, batfish, angel fish, butterfly fish, lion fish, scorpion fish, crocodile fish, trumpet fish, numerous anemone fish, etc.

We did encounter the major highlight of our trips to Togeans however - the spectacular TOTAL SUN ECLIPSE.  We watched it straight from our beach bungalow terrace and saw it from the beginning to the very end.  A very special event to witness.  The morning of the eclipse, the sky got covered in clouds, but luckily, just a few minutes before the total eclipse, the clouds parted and we witnessed the total eclipse at its best.  It seemed like the eclipse had its impact on the local nature as well.  Before the eclipse, in early morning hours, apparently a family of mantas came to play right in our harbour, and then later, in the afternoon, several pods of dolphins came to the harbour and spent almost an hour playing in the water. 

Two weeks later, we returned back to Gorontalo to continue our journey to the North of Sulawesi.











MANADO

Our drive from Gorontalo to Manado was straight from hell.  We had a maniac-driver who either was on a suicide mission or drunk or insane, or combination of all of those things.  Indonesian driving is already pretty bad, and even other cars we were passing (on the excruciating speed on the curvy roads) were honking at our driver to slow down.  Needless to say how relived we were, when we finally reached Manado and stepped of the vehicle…

We settled at our hotel located above a busy port harbour.  The port area was quite gritty, but very friendly.  We located a great food joint cooking up satay ayam which we frequented several evenings in a row; fruit stalls were also plentiful to indulge in super delicious mangostine, salak, and rambutan; and finishing up the night with a creamy chocolate sundaes was pure decadence.  But, my most favourite part of being back “in the city”, was our hotel’s buffet breakfast.  Among various traditional Indonesian food (which I did not mind, but Rob had more than enough of), there were Western options as well, including the ingredients and equipment to make your own grill cheese sandwiches.  I know that it doesn’t sound like much, but believe me, after rice-and-fish dishes for weeks, a hot-gooey-salty-melty-greasy grilled cheese sandwich tasted fantastic!  And, for a junk treat, Rob and I would combine chocolate sprinkles (Dutch influence from prior colonization) with roasted peanuts - eating it with a spoon and sipping strong local fresh coffee gave me the entire positive outlook on the day and crazy streets outside.  And, there were some crazy things happening in the area…












TOMOHON MARKET
 

*WARNING* - the context of the following entry contains some graphic descriptions and images.  Some people may find them disturbing.  The descriptions and photographs below are a recollection of the seen and observed facts and events, it reflects our experience on the day we were there. 

One of the UK newspapers called it “the most gruesome market in the world”.  When we entered the notorious Tomohon Maket, at first it seemed normal - regular trucks, baskets and trays loaded with local fruits and vegetables, and a few local guys sitting around surrounded by roosters and chickens.  A few minutes later a lady on a motorbike passed us with a huge body of freshly slaughtered pig covered in blood attached to the back of the motorcycle, so we went in the direction she came from.  A moment later we understood why the market had such a notorious reputation…  Caged dogs were waiting to be slaughtered, afterwards butchered and grilled, and then sold by a kilogram.  Dead pythons were hanging on cold metal bars or laying butchered in pieces on stained tiled counters.  Large piles of grilled bats were for sale as well.  Pigs’ heads were hanging next to sellers and buyers faces.  Everywhere we looked, the tables and butchers’ blocks were covered in blood.  Some market workers were carrying “the purchases” for their customers, and backs of their t-shirts were imprinted in blood.  When I was photographing the market scenes, I tried not to slip on the wet floors; once I stopped on something very mushy and realized it was a piece of some animal flesh I was standing on…  The sellers were looking at me with their usual friendly smiles and kept inviting me to check-out what their tables had on offer.  The market patrons seemed also completely unaffected by the scenes - they were shopping for the meat of their choice.  I also noticed that there was something different about the customers’ attires - I did not see a single Muslim dress.  I asked a local person if the market was frequented by any particular group of population - I was told that it was very popular among the Christian families.  I asked if Muslims were not allowed there - I was told the Muslims wanted nothing to do with that market. 

When we left Tomohon, our public bus route took us along a ridge with beautiful views of hills and valleys.  Many stretches of roads were decorated in large crosses with signs preaching kindness and love.  I was wondering when it had stopped meaning anything, or had it always been meant to be just that - a road decoration? 


*WARNING* - the photographs below contain graphic images, and may be disturbing for some people.  The photographed images below are a recollection of the seen and observed facts and events, it reflects our experience on the day we were there. 
















DANAU LINOW

After a visit to Tomohon Market, it was good to get away and visit Danau (Lake) Linow.  It was a large volcanic lake with sulfur smell in the air.  Steam from geysers were filling the lake landscape.  We took a walk around the lake and found an access to one of its shores.  There was a simple bench constructed from bamboo trunks.  We stayed there for a bit and had a fruit snack consisting of delicious rambutans and salaks.  It was a gritty rest area, but still refreshing after the Tomohon images.

On the way back, at a bus station, we located a tiny barber shop - Rob needed a haircut.  The shop owner couldn’t suppress his joy and enthusiasm having a Westerner as his customer, and the haircut event attracted a lot of curious local villagers.  We laughed and joked using gestures and limited Bahasa vocabulary.  Simple genuine interactions like that make travel so special.








BUNAKEN ISLAND and MARINE PARK

We boarded a rickety wooden ferry from a gritty Manado dock.  The ferry was loaded with boxes, baskets, trays and mostly locals and a few Western passengers - all trying to get to the Bunaken Island.  It was about 50 meters away from the dock, when our ferry suddenly stopped…  We hit the bottom - due to a low tide and a greedy captain who overloaded the boat beyond its capacity.  We were stuck for about 2 hours waiting for the ocean tide to rise.  The time waste was not completely in vain.  While waiting, I started chatting with a local lady who happened to be one of the island’s resort owners.  We had an excellent rapport, her sense of humor and progressive attitude was very refreshing.  And, we decided to give her place a try - which turned out to be an excellent choice.  The lady owner offered us her best bungalow at an excellent discounted price, and we ended up staying almost a week there enjoying excellent home-cooked meals and an easy access to the marine national park straight from our beach.

The Bunaken Marine National Park is considered one of top diving destinations in the world, and some consider the Bunaken’s reefs and marine bio-diversity vastly exceeding Australian barrier reef.  I think it all depends on a person’s prior marine experience and expectations.  Our Bunaken snorkeling experience was good, but I would not call it the most memorable (we did not see anything new for us) - though, admittedly, we are quite spoiled when it comes to unusual and fascinating marine encounters. 

Here is our Bunaken’s partial marine life list:

DAY 1
13 turtles (including 2 large ones with about 2.5 feet radius shell), 1 Napoleon wrasse, huge colony (about 14x16 feet area) of anemone with 5 different kinds of clown fish, giant unicorns, several colonies of razor fish, giant crocodile-needle fish, large batfish, numerous porcupine fish, plus the usual 50+ varieties of SE Asia varieties of fish (except in Bunaken they were quite a but larger size), various atypical coral structures. 
DAY2
8 turtles (some quite large; we spent about 15 minutes swimming with two of them at once), 2 Napoleon wrasse, large black-and-white lion fish, giant unicorns (family of 8 at once), super large anemone fish; families (hundreds at once) fish of various types; 100+ usual tropical varieties.  We also did a submerged mangrove snorkel - saw 2 blue-spotted sting-rays and 1 banded sea snake.
DAY3
1 large eagle ray (good close-up viewing), 2 sting-rays, moray eel, banded sea-snake (large size), 2 lion fish, humphead parrot fish, 3 Napoleon wrasse, large parrot fish, 4 turtles, several box fish (making love), yellowtail coris.
MISCALENEOUS daily encounters: triggerfish (many varieties, including clown triggerfish), snappers, wrasse, surgeonfish, batfish, trevellies, spadefish, Achilles tang, unicorns, Moorish idol, rabbit fish, anemone fish, damsel, jacks, tuna, crocodile needle fish, groupers, sweet lips, parrot fish, porcine fish, boxfish, razor fish, lizard fish, lion fish, cleaner wrasse, filefish, puffers,

To get back to Manado, we had to first take a ride (or a long walk) to Bunaken dock - which was basically a sandy village beach with a simple dock and tied up boats.  Our resort insisted we would take a complementary ojek  - a motorbike operated by a jolly elderly local.  You could feel every bump and pothole on the sandy road, with our large backpacks moving up and down behind our backs.  We boarded another wooden ferry heading back to Manado.  This time the boat was almost empty, just a few local ladies playing cards inside and a few local men laying around on the boat deck.  We did not have any issues with getting stuck in low tide.  Colorful boats and volcano peak covered in lush clouds were a beautiful sight to see as the wooden ferry was making its way back to the busy city of Manado…












DEPARTURE FINALE

Our last day on this particular trip to Indonesia was quite reflective of our travels here.  We took a ride to the Manado International Airport on a blue angkot (mini-van converted into a passenger bus) with a blaring disco music and a smiling young driver (we stopped questioning validity of driving license many years ago).  Both we and our luggage were way too oversized for the vehicle.  To see anything in a window, Rob had to scooch over, which ripped his (already damaged from rough travels) pants apart close to the “private area”.  Rob looked at me and said “Now you officially run me ragged”. 

We entered the airport without being too vigorously screened - basically, Indonesian guards just waved us over.  The airport field was pretty - mountains were surrounding us, and all we had to do was just walk across the landing field.  Usually, by the end of our travels in Indonesia, Rob feels exhausted, so he basically fell asleep in a cushioned chair being blasted by AC - the luxury we did not have for weeks traveling in this part of the world.  I went to explore the airport waiting area, and as always, enjoyed reading posted signs on public washrooms’ doors - a long list of items not be thrown in toilets, requests not to climb the toilet seats, and a detailed chart with instructions to examine your urine colour to know the level of dehydration.  How could you not love Indonesia for all these quirky things! 

Picturesque islands and vast marine life, exotic landscapes and stunning scenery, traditional food and outgoing locals, rickety wooden boats and over-night ferries, over-whelming traffic and intense pollution, genuine bliss and pure frustration, Indonesia has it all.  You can love it or you can hate it, but you can never forget it.  Indonesia can be very straightforward and can be very challenging, however, personally for me, traveling in Indonesia has been one of the most colourful and rewarding experiences.




 


Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Sri Lanka

Anna's entry:

ARRIVAL


We landed in Colombo late at night, and the first night was spent on the airport floor (Rob) and plastic chairs (Anna).  We were used by now to such arrangements, but trying to catch some sleep at the Colombo airport was tough even for us.  Construction workers were drilling walls all night long, along with the non-stop music from American classic films blaring from the ceiling speakers...  Even an inspiring tune from the "Gone with the Wind" could not help my grouchy mood, when at 3 a.m. I got up from my chairs and headed towards the washroom.  When I nearly reached a door of one of the bathroom stalls, I was blocked by an older local lady (toilet attendant) who rushed ahead of me and rapidly began cleaning a toilet seat - just for me!  When I finished "my business" and headed towards a wash basin to wash my hands, the lady was standing there smiling, with folded paper tissue waiting for drying my hands.  I enthusiastically thanked her, and she seemed to be so proud to help me out.  We kept smiling at each other, and then, in a caring manner, she inquired where I was from.  Where else in the world could you find a service like that, when people are proud to help a visitor to their country in exchange of a cordial smile or a few genuine verbal exchanges?!  I went back to my plastic chairs and laid down...  The drilling noise did not seem as annoying any more, and the music seemed a lot more soothing as well...

In the morning, while exiting International Arrival-Departure area, we came across something for sale that you normally do not expect seeing at an airport - numerous stoves, fridges, washers, and dryers were for sale.  When we inquired what that all was about (and how can you possibly take this with you on a flight?), we were informed that the items were for purchase (for locals and flight attendants) just like any other duty-free option.  Well, that makes sense - for a "last minute shopping" should we pick up a bottle of wine or a washer-dryer combo?  We were up for a good start, we thought...




COLOMBO

We stepped off from our public airport bus at a central Colombo district of Pettah.  It was a complete chaos - noise, traffic, market stalls, pesky sellers, honking drivers, rushing people, loading-unloading trucks, etc.  We had some local instructions which bus to continue by to our hotel that I chose for us in a district with a long name of Bambalapitiya.  We jumped in (and 30 minutes out of) still moving bus, and located without any issues our simple (but very adequate) hotel.

Rob and I had spent about six (fascinating) months traveling in India, so we were curious to compare how Sri Lanka compared to our experiences.  We headed back to the intense district of Pettah (which was very similar to the Indian way of life), and found a lot of similarities.  Market fruit stalls mixed with religious paraphernalia, genuine religious pilgrims mixed with professional beggars, expensive heels mixed with bare feet, business suits mixed with traditional attire, traffic fumes mixed with poignant incense, etc.  We also located a simple delicious cheap eatery offering the Sri Lankam staple - rice-and-curry dish.  As we found out later, we would end up eating that quite frequently during our 30 days in Sri Lanka. 

To balance our Colombo encounter, we also spent a couple of days in the Colonial (wealthier) parts of the city - with presidential palaces, guards, colonial architecture, and a lot less saris.  In more exclusive neighborhoods, we found a couple of streets turned into a huge parking lot (literally).  We wandered off in various neighborhoods from Pettah to Slave Island, from Cinnamon Gardens to Bambalapitiya, from the Light house area to Beira Lake with the (psuedo-in-my-opinion) Budhist complex, wild pelicans, and entertaining horny young couples exhibiting quite provocative (for Asian standards) display of attention.  I also managed to get in a discussion with a temple attendant educating him why ripping off foreign tourists in "sacred" areas is a bad karma.  And, we even located Arthur C. Clarke's house.  No matter where we walked around, we found local people super helpful and mellow.  As soon as we reached for our map, someone would offer us assistance.  If someone on a bus heard us asking a driver about a particular stop we needed, they (unsolicited) would look up that location on their i-phone and would be watching for that stop for us.  We rode a lot of local public buses, and at some point drivers began recognizing us - if they saw us strolling along the street, they would wave and start playing a honking tune for us - sort of like "Hi, how is it going?".  This is what we love so much about our travels - the genuine connection with real people, it just touches your heart forever! 

We finished our first visit to Colombo at the central train station.  And, came across our first Sri Lankan scam.  A (presumably) deaf-mute person is trying to really help foreign tourists to find their train - even though it is quite easy to do it on your own.  He categorically refuses to accept any tips, just a hand-shake, and really warms your heart.  And then, just minutes before a train leaves he jumps in, goes straight to foreign tourists he'd helped earlier (not local ones), and gives them a sheet with the (proposed) amount written down for the (hefty) donation for his mute school.  Clever trick, isn't it?  Psychologically, you don't have time to think it over (train is due to leave any minute), the guy has been helpful, he's refused the offered tip, and he also guilt you with images of mute kids, etc.  What he didn't know that on that train, at least two people had spent way too long traveling ans seeing all kinds of shenanigans.  I really appreciate the psychology behind the scam, but he really would have been better off accepting the tip.


















KANDY

The train ride from Colombo to Kandy was very picturesque.  We went around the mountains, valleys, forest, tea plantations, rice paddies, and occasional tiny villages.  When we arrived in Kandy, however, we had a rim out.  We wanted to stay at a Buddhist-run hotel, but it was all booked up.  We spent almost two hours wandering around town, and eventually settled in a hotel listed in our travel guide book - normally, we avoid popular places like this, but it had to do.  The hotel was fine itself - it was an old charming colonial building in the city center, with a comfortable room and a large terrace overlooking the square and beautiful trees, it was also cheap.  Unfortunately, being in a popular guide book in a popular city, the place attracted what we call "travel trash" - meaning Western backpackers who are loud, frequently stupid, and almost always smoke.  Because our room faced the terrace, we had one of those "travellers" sitting right in front of our door almost every night until about 2 a.m. smoking.  The manners are non-existent with those people, that's for sure.

Kandy is considered a "cultural capital" of Sri Lanka.  It is really not clear to me why, but it is...  It does have a pleasant center with colonial buildings, narrow streets, and a pretty lake.  The main significance of the city is probably its Temple of the Sacred Tooth - which presumably houses the real tooth of Buddha, and which was presumably "smuggled into Sri Lanka in the 4th century" as my book points out.  Many pilgrims and tourists make a bee line to that temple (and pay a hefty admission fee to enter).  I personally preferred walking around the temple grounds which were a lot more peaceful, had beautiful stupas, and genuine pilgrim puja ceremonies. 

One of the evenings also happened to be my mom's 17th death anniversary.  I walked around the large Buddha's complex - a group of pilgrims were singing and chanting something, flickering candles and lotus flowers were placed around altar blocks, incense scent was filling the air, and sunset with silhouettes of temples and palm trees seemed to be embracing the entire walled city - it was very moving and peaceful at the same time.  I wish my mom could see all of this - she was a person who could find and appreciate the beauty, which for most it would have gone by unnoticed...  I sat down near a large white stupa thinking back many years ago.  So many memories and associations ran through my mind...

I also enjoyed walking around the city.  The reason I said "I", and not "we" was because Rob got a flue, and really needed a rest.  When I suggested to him a list of things we could do, he (for the first time on this trip) said "No, thanks".  I called it "my troops rebelled against me", but had to comply with my "troops wish list".  To speed up Rob's recovery a few days later, I "dragged" him for a hike to a large Buddha statue on top of a hill.  I remember Rob saying to me, "Anna - most people spend their flue days in bed, not hiking!"  We were not allowed to enter the complex, because we refused to pay a (rip-off) admission fee (though we were offered a discount because we walked v.s. all other Westerners driven up by rickshaws), but we enjoyed watching a huge home-made kite flown from top of the hill.  In any case, the hike did a trick, and Rob was back on his feet a lot quicker. 

There was another cute cultural experience I encountered.  I went to a large fruit market to pick up some fresh fruits for us.  I almost selected oranges, but then realized they were imported from Europe.  I apologized to a local fruit seller and put the oranges back.  I explained to him that I really preferred local Sri Lankan fruits, they were so much better!  I thought, the seller would be disappointed with a cancelled transaction, but instead, he began smiling and thanking me enthusiastically!  He said he was so happy I liked Sri Lankan local fruits - that fact alone made him so much happier than me buying imported ones.  I still remember his smile!  In the same market, I also picked up locally grown papayas and pine apples, and then I saw some pumpkins.  I chatted with a seller, and explained to him my own gardening I do back at home.  He was so happy to find that type of camaraderie with me, that he proudly shared my stories with other fruit sellers, which was met with approving head nods.  And then, he also helped me to select a really nice pineapple. 

Eventually, it was time to leave Kandy...   While waiting for our train to Ella (our next stop-over), I got acquainted with the Kandy's rail station.  They had specially dedicated washrooms just for foreigners/Westerners (that means you can actually sit down on the toilet v.s. standing on top of it), but what impressed me the most were all the beautiful posts with encouraging famous quotes printed in various languages.  Who knows, maybe one of those quotes could impact some passenger's life...  I just love that kind of attention in public space planning!

















ELLA

I was looking forward to another beautiful train journey from Kandy to Ella.  Our train went around the mountains, at times climbing almost to the very top, and breath-taking drop offs were right under us, we would also go through mountain tunnels, and then pass by numerous tea plantations that, from a distance, looked like the borderless bright-green ocean of leaves.  We arrived Ella in the afternoon, and local villagers pointed out to us a short-cut way to our homestay.  The path followed a train track for a while, and then took us to a high-up look-out point of the gorgeous valley, mountains, and a waterfall on a distance. 

We chose to stay for five days at a local homestay B&B run by a young lady who knew how to make a stay pleasant and make guests feel welcomed.  We had a beautiful room with huge windows and glass french doors over-looking the mountain vistas, and an attached outdoor terrace with wooden lounging chairs.  The Sri Lankan traditional breakfast came in the morning to our terrace and it was just a lovely way to start the day watching the sunrise over the mountains.  Did I mention that our accommodation was $25 per night including breakfast for both people?  Most importantly, our room was more secluded, and it really added to the peaceful feeling.  Occasionally though, we would be entertained by other Western guests that would arrive in cars (with personal drivers), wearing high heels and large British hats - they would typically stay only one night and would be complaining how "they really should have added a few more days" to enjoy it here.  Their choice of "travel" was really more of a joke (though they referred to themselves as "adventure travellers"); in either case, we felt so fortunate to be different.

I coordinated our days in Ella with a big traditional celebration of Thai Pongal (if interested, here is a detailed description of the festival - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Pongal).  I spoke with several local residents and was given directions to several Hindu villages, where festivities would be taking place.  When we were walking around one of the hidden villages, a young local girl ran towards us and enthusiastically invited us to follow her.  She brought us to her house and introduced us to her large family.  Within minutes, traditional dishes of sweet rice cooked in milk with dates and spices arrived, followed by milk tea and other treats.  A young girl was the only one speaking English, and she kept translating back and forth between other relatives.  The family insisted that we would come back the next day to join them in another special celebration - when the cattle's horns would be painted in various colours.  We continued our away to other villages, and on the way, our foreheads were dotted with a special traditional red colouring (symbolizing true love).  We also went around another village among tea plantations where locals were celebrating with music and making a huge pot of traditional sweet rice.  It was so nice to be invited and accepted.  When we returned back to our homestay, we overheard the high-heel-big-hats travellers talking among each other about "some Thai Pongal" - that they had read in their books about...  It is so typical - some people pose themselves as such experts about the local culture, but they are so afraid to actually step our of their comfort zone and try to experience it...

Speaking about local culture - food this time...  Even though Ella seemed to be a popular stop-over on the "drive route" of Western tourists (i.e. over-priced restaurants catering to Western pallets and wallets), we actually managed to find several real Sri Lankan eateries.  Local tastes, local pricing, genuine hospitality, and traditional food - samosas, fried and baked vegetarian rolls, rotis, fresh papays, buffalo milk yogurt, etc.  That combined with a daily traditional breakfast freshly cooked by our lovely host - pancakes stuffed with coconut-cane sugar filling, hoppers (crispy pancake-type dish usually made of rice flower, has nothing to do with insects), omelets, local fruits, tea, coffee - that was quite acceptable.  One night we also tried a home-made dinner made by our host - a large variety of curry-rice dishes - we enjoyed it on our terrace just after the sunset.  It was lovely...
Before our departure from Ella, we hiked and climbed a so-called Little Adam's Peak and were rewarded with fantastic views over 3500 feet height.  And, the last day before our departure, while taking a walk along the ridge near our homestay I came across something unusual - on one side of the path I saw a young local girl all dressed up in a pretty dress climbing up a really tall jack-fruit tree, and on the other side - a bunch of wild monkeys climbing and sliding along the large bananas leaves.  I wasn't sure who was more efficient climbing - that little girl or monkeys?  I must have had a bewildered look on my face because the girl's mother was giggling and smiling at me watching her child high up on the tree.  And, that's the image (among others) of Ella I'd like to finish this entry with...

















TISSAMAHARAMA and KIRINDA

We took a local bus from Kandy, and the route took us again through a beautiful mountainous scenery.  At times we were literally in a state of awe - when the wheels of our bus were just a couple of feet away from the cliff edge - a nearly vertical drop off was right under us.  Rob and I choose different bus seats for various viewing options.  My seat head a window on one side, and a wide-opened door (not that uncommon for old buses here) on the other.  Perhaps, it's good that Rob (and other passengers) did not see all what was really happening...  The driver was super skillful though, and in a couple of hours we safely descended from the mountain tops to the sea-level town of Tissamaharama, or Tissa for short.  Tissa bus station seemed like a lot more real Sri Lanka - no English was spoken, the place looked very basic, and locals were a lot more curious about us - we were the only Westerners at the bus station.  Lots of warm smiles and curious looks trying to figure us out.  The smiles never stopped in the next four days when we would commute by a local bus to and from Tissa, being again the only Westerners on a bus...

We still had to continue our journey to Kirinda (where we would be spending our next four nights), but we took some time to look around town.  With a help of a local bakery seller, I got some insider knowledge where to eat a real good Sri Lankan food at real local prices.  We found the place easily - it was a tiny "hole-in-the-wall" family-run eatery with a smiling grandma cooking, grandpa serving, and grand-son translating.  Just for us, they brought out a fan and even spoons - all locals ate with their hands.  The food was simple, but very tasty.  The old lady couldn't stop smiling when we complimented her food.  Traditional rice-and-curry dishes served with several varieties of vegetables and accompanied by roasted super-hot chilies.  The family were very impressed and pleased when we would ask for seconds.  That became our place of choice for all lunches for the next four days. 

We stayed in near-by Kirinda at a B&B run by a German-Sri Lankan couple.  It had both very positive and very negative features.  First, about a positive side of things...  The place was unusual.  It was a large property with its own lake - a previously pig farm converted to a wildlife refuge and peaceful oasis.  First day walking around we saw huge wild peacocks flying like "feathered dinosaurs" just above our heads, and various kinds of birds including parrots, babbots, paradise flycatchers, blue-tailed bea-eaters, egrets, etc.  At night, the lake was a host to various wild birds that would roost on the trees just before the sunset.  It was super poetic.  Sometimes, I would hear splashes in the lake, and the owner explained to me that there were wild crocodiles living in it.  We were also given heads-up that several species of snakes (including cobras) were frequenting the property.  How could you not appreciate such an exotic aspect of this place?  Now, the negative side...  Kirinda (and Tissa) were the places on the way to Yala National Park (the best place to see leopards in the wild).  The owners were quite greedy, and had no problem pressuring their guests to buy their safari tours from then.  They attempted it with us on a number of occasions, and at some point it became very uncomfortable (and ugly).  You see, I do my diligent research months in advance, and I had already established a contact with a local safari operator who had outstanding references.  Months prior to our arrival in Kirinda, I had already reserved the safari person for the job, and we had kept in touch for a while now.  Well, that did not go very well with our B&B owners, they just could not handle their narcissistic (or was it just greed?) complex to accept that I chose a different safari guy.  I explained to them that I choose the best people for the job based on my scrupulous research, and owe no apology for that. 

And, at the end, my research paid off big.  Exploring Yala National Park with my local safari contact became the most special highlight of the trip.  A separate entry about this experience follows below...














YALA NATIONAL PARK

Our safari started at 4:45 a.m. and finished around noon.  We started our safari with a beautiful sunrise, to the sound of peacocks calling out...  Our vehicle was the first one to enter the national park, and the last one to leave.   The research done months in advance selecting the best (and the most honest) safari operator paid off - our local driver turned out to be super punctual, enthusiastic, creative, and very passionate about the wildlife.  He also made sure we always stayed away from other safari groups, and took us to the most isolated parts of the park.  One of our companions aboard happened to be a professional naturalist (the park researcher), who said that even he had never visited parts of the park the driver took us.  

This is a synopsis of the wildlife we saw:

-- 2 leopards (young adults, siblings) which we observed for a good amount of time
-- 2 elephants (one male who turned out to be quite an exhibitionist, and one female who was eating sand with her trunk)
-- many wild buffaloes
-- wild bores (with 5 really cute young babies)
-- 7 mongooses (2 of which were young siblings who were very curious about out jeep and kept coming very close to us)
-- 5 crocodiles
-- lots of deer
-- lots of peahens and peacocks (including several engaged in matrimonial dances, displaying their gorgeous wide-opened tales)
-- langur monkeys
-- monitor lizards
-- hundreds of migratory and resident birds (storks, herons, egrets, eagles, green and blue bee-catchers, kingfishers, weavers (the ones that make hanging nests that they light at night with brought inside fire flies), and jungle fowl - the national bird of Sri Lanka).




















  
KATARAGAMA

We did not see a single Western tourist staying over-night in this unusual Sri Lanakan town, which was one of many reasons we enjoyed our visit here.  The reason I said "unusual" because the entire town seemed to have been created to support a major sacred precinct where thousands of pilgrims of various religious believes, in all hours of the day and night, make their way to the enormous religious complex - which feels like a small city in itself.  Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus - all co-exist in peace and full acceptance of each other within that religious complex.

As I mentioned, we seemed to have been the only Westerners spending the night (two nights actually) in town.  We stayed at a family-run hotel, our room had a balcony over-looking banana trees and vast rice fields; during downpours the balcony's floor would get completely flooded.  There were several eateries in town all offering various experiences.  We tried a traditional lunch buffet at a restaurant specifically designed for and catering to Sri Lankan bank employees - it was a good-looking place with a terrace, large wooden tables, crispy clean table cloth, ironed fabric napkins, well dressed waiters, and (over-priced) mediocre food.  We also tried traditional lunch at a family-run place catering to pilgrims - it was dimly lit basic place with simple plastic tables, re-usable metal plates, napkins cut out of old newspapers, casually dressed servers, and very cheap and super tasty food.  We also tried a local traditional specialty - kottu - prepared at a busy fast-food-type place with a guy cooking the food on a huge iron cast, banging it loudly (like a drummer) when he would chop rotis into noodles with his enormous knife (looking more like an ax) - the kottu portion was huge, it was tasty, and cheap.

And then, while walking around a temple complex during morning puja ceremony, we were invited by a group of pilgrims to try a traditional dish - sweet rice cooked in coconut milk with mung beans, raisins, nuts, and cardamom - cooked in a HUGE pan in front of a temple.  
Speaking about puja ceremonies...  We witnessed several of them.  In the morning and evening a long line of pilgrims would make their way to various temples based on their religious believes.  Many carried elaborately designed fruit baskets (offerings), and several families would come to us, and cordially offer us tasty bananas, oranges and pineapples off their platters as a gesture of good will.  Other pilgrims would be breaking coconuts over the designated sacred rocks making a wish while doing it.  In the evening their entire complex would be lit up by thousands of candles, and seemingly non-stop mantra chanting and drumming would be carried by the wind all over the complex.  There were also other unusual guests hanging around the temples and pilgrims - groups of langurs and macaques , and occasional monitor lizard.  Occasionally, a ritual Kavadi dancing would start, and the high-pitch music would get stray dogs stirred up which would start howling along with the performers.   All seemed to blend in together...  

But, our most favourite experience happened the very first night.  On the way to the temple complex, we were "adopted" by a local family - a father, mother, their son, and a friend of the family.  They showed us all over various temples and pilgrims quarters, introduced us to various rituals, explained to us local traditions, and at the very end of the evening insisted to treat us to traditionally baked desserts and ginger pop.  Also, the next day when we saw them, as a memory of our encounter, they presented us with the whole stack of colorful hand-made friendship bracelets.  This is a kind of genuine connection and experience we long for when we travel, and we were so grateful to have encountered it here, in Kataragama. 


















  


TANGALLA

The bus ride from Kataragama to the coastal town of Tangalla was completely packed.  Rob and I ended up sitting in different parts of the bus, and my seat companion turned out to be a policeman from Colombo.  He talked constantly, but had nothing interesting to share.  He also kept offering me a couple bananas (which I politely kept refusing), and then directly and unceremoniously asked me if I would buy him a ticket to North America.  When I asked him "Why would I?", he unabashedly answered "I don't know, a gift maybe".  I followed up saying "No, thanks", and he casually switched to another topic like nothing had happened.

Upon our arrival in Tangalla, we found a nice budget hotel along the beach, and settled on the top floor.  The lady owner was very nice and cordial.  The room was large and comfortable with glass french doors to the terrace over-looking the ocean.  Unfortunately, our bliss was short-lived.  Right after the sunset, a blaring music and rave party started, and never stopped until wee morning hours.  It was clear we had to move, which we did the very next morning.

We settled in another hotel, with a more modest room, but still located along the beach with a terrace over-looking the ocean.  Two brothers running the hotel promised and delivered the peace and tranquility.  Instead of rave music, we fell asleep to the soothing sound of ocean waves.  The following morning, Rob walked to town and brought us various freshly baked vegetable rotis and samosas which we enjoyed on our balcony watching the ocean and sipping coffee.

Despite of many Western tourists being present (i.e. local hospitality is tainted), the town center seemed more genuine.  There were normal stray cows wandering along the streets, pedestrian walkways and round-about areas; that part reminded us of India.  We managed to find a few (real) local eateries with (real) local prices and tastes.  One of them really stood out.  It was a small restaurant run by a few young guys (and also popular among the local young crowd), who made really nice dishes, especially the soups.  We complemented the young entrepreneurs every time we ordered it, and they seemed almost over-whelmed with the praise.  Rob and I also tried exploring other areas around Tangalla - the coastal scenery was quite beautiful.  Once while walking along the coast, we ended up at a Sri Lankan Navy base, which apparently was off limits to outsiders.  We had to abandon the photography idea (and we were allowed to follow only a walking trail, no stops of any kind along the base), but we did find other secluded beach stops to enjoy the tranquility of seascape. 

We also took a long bus ride filled with friendly locals via numerous villages and rice fields to a place called Mulkirigala Rock Temple Monastery.  It was so good to get away from tourist crowds, and experience the real Sri Lanka again.  This was probably the nicest I felt since arrival in Tangalla.  Mulkirigala had a large temple complex built on, around, and inside the rock formations.  We climbed to the very top and were awarded with incredible 360° panorama views of the area.  On the way back, while waiting for a bus back to Tangalla, Rob got his hair-cut at an honest local price at a tiny barber shop located near the bus station.  While waiting for him, I could see cows wandering along a busy road.  It sure was good being back to a normal environment, I thought...

















MATARA 
I chose this stop-over for two reasons - it was a real Sri Lankan town (not catering to Western tourists), and it was a good base to explore other towns along the coast accessible by public buses.  After looking at several hotels, we chose a place facing the beach and the ocean called Dragon's Dream.  As the name suggests, it was a Chinese hotel owned by an enthusiastic young lady; the building painted in a bright burnt-orange colour could be seen a mile away along the coast line.  Our corner room was comfortable and peaceful enough.  One window was facing lush coconut palm trees with peacocks running around on the ground, and the other window was facing the terrace and the ocean. 

We were located a short walking distance to a small island with a temple complex upon it, which was connected to town by a bridge resembling the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  Our hotel worker told me that coincidentally the bridge was also used for suicide jumping (usually by broken-hearted lovers).  The coastal line was quite interesting.  It was paralleling a busy highway, and frequently long-distance buses would make a stop over - passengers would pile out of buses and would create an impromptu picnics right on the pavement.  In addition, a beautiful beach seemed to be used as a large parking lot for buses.  Occupying a prime location, there were dozens of them parked in the most unexpected places strung along a beach.  Frequently, locals would be sitting right under the buses, and sort of using them as a large canopy providing a nice shade and escape from scorching heat...  The public scene was constantly changing along the coast, and it was fun watching a pragmatic metamorphosis of the beach throughout the day and night.  In the evening, Rob and I would find a nice breezy spot along the beach and would indulge ourselves in a box of ice-cream - our dessert after a supper at a local traditional restaurant serving tasty kottu, baked vegetarian rolls, rice-and-curry dishes at honest local prices. 

We also took numerous trips by public buses around Matara.  Bus routes took us along pretty parts of the coast, with fishermen sitting on stilts and along various coves surrounded by palm trees.  Sometimes, long bus rides would be very enjoyable, sometimes they would be annoying - over-packed, no leg room, hot and humid, crazy driving, passengers would be dozing off (and propping themselves against Rob's wide and comfy shoulders).  I seemed to endure our rides a lot better (probably better tolerance from growing up in packed public transport in St. Petersburg, Russia). 

Anyway, one of the bus trips was a day trip to the touristy Hikkaduwa.  It was supposed to have a preserved Marine National Park - wrong!  The park and coral was completely dead.  The entire Hikkaduwa seemed to be over-run by tourists - majority of them seemed to be Russian package-vacationers.  It seemed like Russian was the second official language after Sinhala - every (over-priced) restaurant in town was trying to get their attention.  So glad we did not stay there!  The entire beach was covered in baking-in-the-son bodies, lots of smoking, and low-IQ conversations.  What a relief it was to return back to our real-local-person Matara and its refreshing laid-back attitude (except for one incident when an out-of-town bus driver tried to hit me by his bus).  Over all, a good choice to spend a few days. 

Other trip we took around the area were to Galle, Dewi Nuwara, and Dondra.  The stories follow below...















GALLE

...was a day trip from Matara.  Cleaned-up, not without charm, European (Dutch) town with UNESCO World Heritage Status.  It was pleasant to spend a few hours wandering around, but would be boring to be staying too long here - unless you are looking for an escape from real Sri Lanka.  My favourtie activity there was taking a swim along ancient fortress walls. 











   


DEWI NUWARA DEVALAYA

This Budhist Temple complex got my attention when we were traveling on a bus to our base town of Matara.  I saw a couple of elephants on the premises, so I wanted to come back and check what it was about.  Unfortunately for me, my return visit here had quite distressing results.  The elephants belonged to the temple.  One of them, a seemingly mellower female, was standing on a paved platform while she was groomed and fed by her caretaker.  I hand-fed her with a couple of fruits.  And, then further down, my attention was grabbed by another elephant, so I went to check him out - noticeably, the elephants' care taker was giving me a disapproving look.  When I came closer to the elephant, he seemed quite a bit distressed.  It was a magnificent male chained up to a tree, his mobility was limited, and quite frankly, he looked like he was being tortured by not being allowed any other position except standing...  I spent some time observing him, and at times he seemed calmer, but then again he would start bouncing back and forth, until he he felt exhausted.  Then, the elephant lifted his leg from the ground, and I saw those chains - it was as if he was showing what was happening to him and asking for help.  It completely broke my heart...  I attempted talking to the temple's caregiver and another worker, but all efforts seemed futile.   My concern was also shared by another British couple who joined me near the distressed elephant.  They shared with me that some temple worker told them, that the elephant was upset because he "was in a need of a female".  "Great", I said,  "In addition to being exhausted and dehydrated, the poor elephant is also horny".  The proper British gentleman raised his eyebrows, took a pause, and then replied "Awwww.....  Well... Yes...  That's the word I was looking for".  In either case, both my British interlocutor and I felt completely powerless to change the elephant's fate...

The experience was a perfect example of hypocrisy.  We promote the kindness and acceptance, but yet, we have no problem with exploitation and domination.  How does this treatment really fit with the Budhist (or any other) beliefs?!  I don't care if people want to subject themselves to reaching nirvana through suffering, but what does a poor animal have to do with the humans' interpretations?  Writing this entry several months later, I am imagining the broken-spirited elephant giving darshans (blessings) by touching with his trunk people's heads.  This is what he was made to do by his caretakers - to give hopes to believers at the expense of having lost his own...












DONDRA and Finale

We reached the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka, and a logical point to end our one-month journey around this country.  There was only one train ride left to complete the circle and finish where we had started - the capital Colombo... 

Our train ride followed very close to the coast - we could see boats, fishermen, lagoons and palm trees.  Sometimes, we would pass slums that were constructed less than 2 meters away from the train track.  Right along the tracks, people dried their laundry and coconut shells, and cows were leisurely walking along them.  Occasionally, we would see individual graves and cemeteries built right next to the coastal line.  We brought a snack with us for our train journey - curd (yogurt) with cassava chips, roasted spicy peanuts, and bananas (freshly cut from a banana tree brunch).  Train would frequently get invaded by local touts selling home-made traditional food and commercial junk food, lottery tickets, and other nick-knacks.  Then, invasion would follow by loud drummers and people with amputated limbs playing harmonica in hopes of donations.  Coincidentally, there was a local paper at a train station talking about the issue of begging.  According to that publication, 60% of beggars had savings accounts in various banks - the article was alluding that the surplus from begging was exceeding a need to beg.  I don't know where the actual truth lies... 

Traveling for the past month in Sri Lanka did not even scratch the surface of this small, but diverse country.  We encountered breathtaking scenery,  invigorating wildlife, fascinating rituals and traditions, and most importantly genuine hospitality which did not come with any price tag...


I would like to finish my Sri Lanka blog with the inspirational quote printed on a post of the Kandy train station - "Success is Never Final, Failure is Never Fatal, it is Courage that Counts".  Thank you for reading.