Very comfy in Mysore

• Palace Malice
• The perfect Ashram?
• My blog used as an academic reference
• Rats on and off screen in the cinema

I know it’s pretty, but I’m bored off my hole of palaces so spent 30 minutes here and 2 hours exploring the local markets.  These infused with the famed local sandalwood incense were a feast on the senses…..

Free waste disposal service

My favourite sign in the market...

My fav tash in the market

My reason for coming to MySore was to visit AyurYoga Eco-Ashram the new Ashram built close to MySore by the yoga leader who had led my YTT and reputed to be one of the largest ashrams in southern India. 

Here's Krish describing his vision......it's going to be a very special place!

Although only partially built this place blew me away.  It was quite a special reunion, meeting the staff who 8 months earlier had seen me complete my YTT on crutches.  I had a chai with the cook, Sonar who I’d taught to swim in Kerala, and most importantly was still swimming.  I then went to a lecture with Swami Jii in which he referenced my blog when talking about marriage, I felt totally honoured :)

Me with Sonar

Me with Krish and Swami Jii

The YTT group was very different to mine.  This one was just 8 girls; there was no-where to hide or people to sleep behind when you were tired out.  All sat in each class with perfect straight backs which my group did for the 1^st day (after  that moving every 5 minutes like a game of musical chairs).  This was their 2^nd week. I was impressed.  Sitting in a few lectures, despite nearly teaching yoga 100 lessons myself I felt as if I needed to do the course again.  I was tempted even more by the fact that this place was the most peaceful Ashram I’d been to and there were absolutely zero mosquitoes.  Highly recommended – check out the website for upcoming courses.

Some of the classes with the perfect posture ladies!

Ahhhhh sweet savasana :)

On my last night in Mysore I had another spin through the city on the back of a bike by a kind neighbour on the local bus who wanted to carry on our chat about what I was doing in India instead of me getting a rickshaw.  At this stage of my trip I've had +50 strangers offer me a lift on the back of their bikes, it’s been a great experience but this time on the back of a small moped with a 20 stone Indian once again I mused on the idea of safety.  I wonder if I'll do the same when I get home?!

I then went to the cinema to see my first Bollywood flick on the big screen.   I've seen plenty of Bollywood films and been to the cinema here too but this mix was different.  Firstly, the cinema was a hole.  I had a family of rats and cockroaches running over my feet.  The audience was 90% male and the mood was of testosterone reinforced by all the stereotypes.  The Movie 'Bhai' was a story about a gangster who walked everywhere followed by his entourage of white people in bikinis/swimsuits (no Indians – just us westerners looking like whores); he shouted, spat and shot at people, then headed to the bedroom with the white girls.  Some horrendous stereotypes which even make a 1960s James Bond film look like high brow literature.  Here’s a taster:

As I was staying away from the tourist part of town there was no WiFi or internet cafes around so I decided to invest in a 3G dongle.  I’d been warned that they didn't work unless you are in a metro city but I had no choice.  I was walking passed a fancy new phone shop (they had the iPhone 5s a few days after it’s launch which is a big deal in India) I inquired about getting a 3g dongle.    According to the sharply dressed shop assistant who spoke perfect English I didn't need ID or to fill in an application form.  All seemed splendidly easy.  5 minutes later we’d established I did need a photocopy of my passport, I confirmed that was all I needed.  I later returned with the same saga for 2 passport photos.  5 minutes later I needed a second form of ID.  I ended up going back 5 times (including the next day).  And does it work?  No. 

I also stocked up on my last bit of Indian restaurant food.  Finding my favourite Masala Dosa spot at just 25RS (30 cents) for a Masala Dosa and Chai (breakfast of gurus ;) ) at a local Dhaba.  A Dhaba is a very basic restaurant in which strangers share tables to ensure the maximum amount of punters can squeeze in.  This is normally good fun, acknowledging your neighbour with a nod but this time my neighbour acknowledged me by coughing and sneezing all over my food.   People who go to Dhabas don’t usually have a packet of tissues in their pocket nor, based on this guy’s behavior any idea that sneezing on food isn't hygienic.  He continued.  Much as I love Masalsa Dosas, this one was left half eaten.

My next stop was KSV, a school I worked at from Oct 2012-Jan 2013 and a project I was very fond of based on the change it is making to the kids lives and the need they have right now for fundraising. I couldn't wait.

Ze French getting a beet Indian - Pondicherry

• Ze French being Indian
• Utopia in marble with croissants
• Trannies on a train 

What sort of a city has a nickname?!  A french one of course.  Pondicherry, or Pondy as it’s affectionately called by the locals.  Even sounds French don’t it?  The name originally comes from Putucceri (the Tamil words putu (“new”) andceri (“village”)).  According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, the French corrupted the name by calling it Pondicherry.  Well I disagree and think it’s a lovely name and a lovely place (and am not sure why the hell the Indian government renamed it again in 2006 to Puducherry but then again India does love pointless processes).

In the 48 hours prior to arriving in Pondy I’d spent 15 hours sitting on very bumpy buses and one all-nighter at an airport so after the final 5 hour bus ride from Chennai I decided to bling it up and stay in the most luxurious hotel I've stayed in in India.  I was told Pondy was a good place to get a bargain so I splashed out $30/night (the most I've spent in my whole time here apart from being ripped off last Christmas).  I got a suite.  $30US for a suite, Pondy certainly was a good place for a bargain.   After getting excited about the hot water and working plug sockets I had a quick nap then headed into the French Quarter.

The British Rule of India has lots of legacy in India such as the language, the law system and the railway none of which seem overtly English.  The French quarter in Pondy has french road signs, architecture, Indians sit sipping coffee (and this is not the rich ‘starbucks’ set), and upon seeing a white face they utter ‘Bonjour’.  To maintain the romance of the French culture there are no car horns, instead the rickshaws use squeaking horns, a delight to the senses.  J’ai adore J’ai adore!

Garcon, un cafe et un criossant 'masala' s'il vous plait!

I wasn't here for ze French.  I was on my way to KSV my next project where 90% of the volunteers are French  so I knew I'd get my topup of the sexy French vowels there.  I was in Pondy to see Auroville an experimental township setup by Mirra Alfassa or ‘The mother ‘as this French dame was locally called, a  follower and lead guide of Guru Sri Aurobindo.

The morning I left for Auroville I sat in the luxurious confines of the hotel lobby having a gorgeous Indian breakfast whilst reading the Matrimonial times.

A God fearing read......

I was happy to wait as I had a treat on order.  'Machine' washed clothes. Something I hadn't had in more than 3 months.  The previous day I’d handed in a bag of toxic garments.  I’d got to the stage where I would be wearing something long enough so that Indians wouldn't want to sit next to me on a bus; quite an achievement.  So when the receptionist walked over with a laundry back my senses jumped up in a land of Persil Automatic adverts.  There was a slight problem.  The bag was brand new but my clothes were still the same, toxic.   The guy wiggled his head and said “sorry sir rain yesterday no wash”.  There had been no rain.  He then handed me the bill wiggled his head and walked off smiling.  A bill for clothes that had not been cleaned.  10 minutes later the manager was in reception, I had a free lunch and a 1 hour express service cleaning done.  Maybe they were used to French tourists just shrugging their shoulders but I wanted my whites white god damn it!

I was very skeptical about Auroville, it sounded like a bunch of French hippies thinking they are better than everyone else.  Kinda similar to Paris.  I saw a lot of older French men on motorbikes with long locks of white hair flowing into the faces of their young Indian female companion.  For a minute I thought I was in Thailand, surely this couldn't work.  This is India.  Rural girls aren't even supposed to look at a white guy let alone sit on the back of a big vibrating engine with them. 

By the time I arrived at the visitor centre to get my ticket to visit the Matrimandir, the big golden golf ball surrounded by manicured gardens in the centre of town my mind was set.  It wasn't for me.  I hadn't seen one person give me a genuine smile and so was confused by all the messages saying ‘Evolution of a new consciousness, realize human unity’ muddying the waters.  However, I had set out with a negative view myself so I decided to give Matrimandir with it’s white polished inner meditation chamber a go.  And boy am I glad that I did. 

The Matrimandar tour is well organized.  It’s a 24 wait for your ticket to ensure it’s people who really want to see the site (it’s free) and then the tour is strictly managed with an excellent guide (Bob a guy in his 60s from London).    He explained the history, with town's objective being the "progress of humanity towards its splendid future by bringing together people of goodwill and aspiration for a better world."  It even has it's own governing board following an act from the Indian government. The township was started in 1968 with the goal to house 50,000 people, it's quite a long way off that now but it's growing every year.

The inner chamber is what people queue up to see.  It is the most amazing room I've ever been in .  Built to the exact plan as seen in a dream by ‘The Mother’.   I’m guessing she’d been to the multiplex to see TRON and had a few sherry’s the night before as the interior resembles the TRON filmset.  Down to the power-source which in the inner chamber is a beam of light coming from the ceiling. 

(not my photo.......no cameras allowed inside)

You are guided into the chamber after removing your shoes, been given white socks and told not to touch anything.  Meditating in the room is an awesomely powerful experience.  Regardless of whether you  are a spiritual person or not you cannot fail to recognize the power of this place.  It was the first meditation I've had in a room full of Indians that hadn't been interrupted by a fart so the feeling was obviously mutual.

There are +125 business units in Auroville that keep the town economy totally self sufficient from agriculture to software services and that’s where I started to see the process working.   I spent a few days driving around on a bike; just like those French hippies, admitted without the hair or the girl on the back.  

I was still in a trance from the inner chamber experience when I met with some friends who lived  in Auroville.  They described their life and the businesses, the one I spent the most time with Unlimited Tamil Nadi,  a social entrepreneur think tank.  Phrases such as ‘not earn a living but express yourself’ sounds impractical until you see it in practice.  I met the head of Ecofemme (washable sanitary pads) who I had included in the WaterAid India Fundraising plan as a potential partner (not knowing it was anything to do with Auroville) and visited the Spirulina farm only to discover when I saw the end product that I’d bought Auroville spirulina on the web.

A thought arose.  I could live here.  I am returning to Europe at the end of the year.  

However, I am going to consider Auroville as a possible option for my next move.

I left the peace of Auroville on the back of my hotel owner’s motorbike.  I’d been teaching his family yoga and got a lift to the train station in return.  Quite familiar on a bike as a driver or a passenger this was a surreal 15km journey.  Loaded with both backpack an front pack my knees touched other motoribikes and I felt the heat of metal from passing trucks whilst we leaned into potholes just once too many times.  A long way from the Auroville utopia and one of the safest places to drive in India, the roads in ‘normal’ India see c500,000 deaths on motorcycles every year.    

Next stop Mysore via a night train then local train.  The journey was quiet, aided by my neighbours offer of a few shots of ‘Old Monk’ rum.  The morning was the usual noise awakening of chai wallahs but this time we also had the local cross dressers on the train.  Called Hijras, they are an Indian community who beg by threatening curses.   I have friends who are cross dressers whose only curse is too much makeup but these guys made sure everybody felt quite uncomfortable by hissing at anyone who didn't cough up money.  I've only come across them a few times but it’s interesting to see how the majority of Indians just open up their superstitious purses and give in.  I was no match for them, if they think a chap wearing a bit of lipstick is going to scare me they need to have a night out in Temple Bar. Here's a library shot....

‘Sir’ Lanka Part II – Sri Lanka....Kandy, Trincomalee and Wilpattu

• I fall out with trains
• East Enders on the beach
• Whales and Wasp nests 
• Proud of my northern roots
• Breaking Couchsurfing records

The next day I was on the 6am bus to Kandy.  It was a holiday weekend all the trains were sold out and I had to queue for 1 hour to get on the bus.  There was a tourist AC bus with no queue but AC and I don’t get along so I went with the locals and had far more fun.

 As busy as the Sri Lankan buses they are very pretty….

I've been trying to couch surf for the last year and keep on ending up instead just meeting people for coffee, including a nice lady in Colombo.  However, in Kandy I finally couch surfed.  In fact, I ‘hadmyownroom surfed’ with a family who have hosted more than 800 couch surfers.   I have to admit when I first arrived and dropped my bag on the floor next to the dinner table where the family were tucking into lunch I did feel a bit of an outsider.  Imagine a stranger who doesn't speak your native tongue walking in off the street and rocking up for lunch.  I’m a social guy but this felt odd.  After lunch, however, things changed.  The sink in the kitchen backed up which via many blockages in my own house I happen to be an expert at fixing.  I rolled up my sleeves and spent the next two hours working with the family to get the drains fixed.  It bonded us.  I’m not sure they do that with all couch surfers as an ice breaker but it certainly worked with us as all of a sudden I felt part of the family :)

Me, fellow couch surfer Danny and the family :)

Kandy was a disappointment to me.  The Buddhist temple, where there is a sacred relic of Gautama Buddha's tooth is a big tourist destination.  I don’t get Buddhism in Sri Lanka.  Firstly there’s the hardline buddhist’s acting against Muslims that I mentioned in my last post then there’s the group who studied tourism management and run this temple.  In Bodgaya where Gautama Buddha was enlightened there is no charge and a serenely peaceful level of tourism.  The tooth draws a bigger audience, a 1,000RS entry price and staff that usher you around giving you no time to take in the place.  Very ‘unbuddhist’.    

It is at this point I have to admit a mistake or maybe it was my bad karma biting me back for slagging off the tooth temple.   My next destination was Trincomalee and I’d made the mistake of listening to someone in the Railway station tourist office for travel advice instead of asking other travelers.  Instead of taking a 6 hour bus I travelled for 16 hours (back to Colombo, waited for 4 hours then caught a night train).  I’d been told by the nice people at the railway that the bus was not 6 but 10 hours and as I like night trains I thought I would check out the Sri Lankan offering.

The first part of the trip was fun.  I met Ramanesh and Dominic whilst waiting at Colombo train station for the night train.

The lads....

Obviously, they were Christians (part of that 7% I mentioned in my last blog – as were my couch surfing hosts!).  When asked why (I was expecting to hear ‘coz last night JC was on Sri Lankan TV and we are ALL Christians now so ignore those wiki stats) they told me that they’d heard the good news (not about world peace but about JC).   They also tried their musical talent on me.  When I said I was from England, Ramanesh perked up and said “I know a song about England”.   ‘London’s burning’ was his odd tune of choice.  And there was me expecting him to do the John Barnes rap!

Sounds like a good trip right?  Yes, until the fecking nighttrain. Due to the holiday weekend, sleeper class was sold out so I had to go luxury tourist class.  I did check if it had beds but it seems that phrase was lost in translation.  Sleeper class had beds and was about $8 so was confident that for the $15 I’d parted with that I’d get something pretty special.  And I was right. I got an AC ‘fridge’ carriage, with big comfy chairs that reclined 2 inches.  I had an endless supply of mints, hot towels, tea and a TV in front of my face showing Mr Bean on loop which couldn't be switched off for the 10 hour trip.  During the night there was an abundance of mosquitoes (don’t ask me how on an AC train but they appeared to be Mr Bean fans) and based on this being the bumpiest train ride of my life I woke a few times with my head under the seat.  I was not a happy chappy and neither were the only other two tourists in the carriage.  In the last year I've smiled more than I have in any year of my life but during those 10 hours I was one grumpy old man. 

There was, however, some good news.  My mum sponsors a child in Sri Lanka and I had been trying to locate her village but failed.  The final stop before Trincomalee was ‘China Bay’ part of the address that my mum had given me.  I had a plan.

I arrived at hostel in time for breakfast and sat facing an empty tropical beach.  Despite the dilapidated building the beach was gorgeous.  I was joined by Liz from Hertfordshire, who within 5 minutes had told me all the gossip.  It went something like this (in a cockney ‘ish accent).

 Right dis is the story.  Jo runs this place but she’s a bitch.  Fernando is her ex husband and he owns the place.  Ferando is lovely.  So right, Jo is sleeping around and trying to turn this place into an upmarket money maker but Fernando just wants to keep it as it is.  Laura my daughter has been hit on by every slimy hotel owner in Sri Lanka but is seeing Fernando as he’s a lovely guy.

Liz and her daughter were what I’d call ‘Salt of da earf’ kinda gals.  Both worked as security guards and were travelling together.  I used to watch East Enders when I was at Uni and it took me back.  The funniest night was when ‘Jo’ turned up at the hostel.  I’ll just leave that to your imagination.  Turns out Fernando was a ‘lovely guy’.  He charged me 1500RS/night for a room and I overheard others being charged 5,500 for the same deal!

The weather wasn't great on my first day so I set off to ‘China Bay’.  The internet was down and that was the only reference I had.  Obviously the rickshaw driver knew where the ‘orphanage’ was until we got there when he turned out clueless and too proud to ask anyone.  I asked a local family and we soon had a chain of events involving a teacher coming on his motorbike taking me to the principals house and then to Amani the sponsor child’s family home. 

A very special experience, meeting someone the other side of the world who has been writing to my mum for the last 10 years and has photos of her.

Amani with a photo of my ma

Amani with her family :)

On my first night I met Alex and Jenny from Engeland.  Jenny was from Clitheroe, the town where my Dad was born and half my family grew up.  She was the third person I’d met from Clitheroe in the last year, having only ever previously having met people from Clitheroe in Clitheroe.   It might only have a population of 15,000 but that 15,000 is pure gold!

Me with Jennifer and Alex

We took a few boat trips together.  The first was Whale watching which basically involved a race between two whale spotting boats towards any big movement in the Ocean.  It was pretty sad to see all such a noisy vibration of engines so close to Whales but I did get to see a Blue Whale.  It was breathtaking.  I gave up trying to take photos in a rocking boat and just stared at its majesty. I did, however, get one snap.

and this was the other 'whale chasing' boat.....

We also went snorkeling in Pigeon Island.  Considering this was just a snorkel, the colours of the coral blew me away.  I guess that’s the blessing of Sri Lanka being such a new tourist footprint. We saw parrott fish,, bannerfish, triggerfish  and had a family of reef sharks follow us round.

A few days later I took the bus across to the west coast to Wilpattu National Park.  Sri Lanka is famed for it’s national parks and Wilpattu is the biggest, yet least touristic as it’s only just reopened post civil war.   For that reason I managed to get two night’s accommodation, food, a guide, permits and a jeep all for around $60US!  The best part was, despite the 5am wake up to get to the park before sunrise there was a packed breakfast included in the price.  All of a sudden I felt like I was on a school trip, however, instead of going to a local field to look at cows this one was to spot leopards :)

My packed breakfast!

As we were going through the gates of the park my guide got very excited about a wasp nest.  That kinda set the benchmark for 6 hours on a bumpy jeep, and I've had plenty of wasp nest in my house so had no interest in a photo stop.  No leopards, elephants or any large mammals.  I guess having seen a Blue Whale only a few days previous was a hard one to top anyways.  However, for the Ornithologist this park was heaven.  Within the first hour I saw a Crested Serpent-Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle and a few  more of the c60 species of eagles.   Here's just a few....

 

In 6 hours I only saw two other jeeps so if you want a peaceful National Park with ‘the highest potential’ of spotting a leopard in Sri Lanka and ‘a lot’ of birds of prey then this place is perfect.  I loved it but after 4 hours I took to using the bird spotting lookouts as yogashalas!

I then took the 4 hour bus to Negombo which is the closest town to the airport.  It also has a beach, and lots of tourist hotels and restaurants so is the perfect base close to the airport. Still I had a 12 hour wait for my flight (it had been $40 for a 4am flight vs.$70 for a 8pm flight).  The airport was very basic but it had a supermarket so I could tuck into a decent range of healthy snack with my last few ever so pretty Sri Lanka Rupees.  

At 3am there was an announcement that my flight was delayed by 2 hours.  At that stage I had a full belly and was snoozing on my $1 travel pillow.  I didn't care, so long as my next stop was India, I was happy.

I will miss those beach sunsets though!

‘Sir’ Lanka Part I – Sri Lanka....Colombo, Unawatuna and Hikaduwa

• Packaged Tourism – The people you meet :)
• Sri Lankan Indian fusion food – download recipes here
• Blood on the sheets – a family tradition
• Flashing Buddhas and too many Christians

Sri Lanka’s international airport is 2 hours drive from Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital.  I was staying in a hostel in Colombo and their pickup service from the airport was $40US (a shared taxi).  The only mode of transport I’d paid that much for in India was an airplane.   I took the local bus, it was $1.  :)  This was my introduction to Sri Lanka, the Sir of the local tourist destination and boy were the prices surly.

The one thing that's cheaper in Sri Lanka is King coconuts.  I drunk 4-5/day! 

Sri Lanka is new tourist destination.  The last decade brought the Asian tsunami and the end of the civil war but Sri Lanka has recovered well and tourism is high growth sector.  The country already has an amazing tourist infrastructure.  For me, it was like a quiet, litter free version of Kerela (the closest state in India).  With that brings a different kind of tourist.  This is package holiday heaven so the prices vs. India are high and there is a lot more focus on getting a sun tan and cheap beer vs. a spiritual journey.

My reason for going to Sri Lanka was to renew my Indian visa. Usually a painful process involving online forms, queues and interviews with immigration officials.  Something I was not looking forward to (despite the fact that I was getting to go to a tropical island to drink cheap beer and get a tan ;) ).  On the morning I was to go to the embassy office I woke early, had finished my yoga practice by 0730 and all ready to go to the embassy.  Getting to the embassy when it opens (0830) is critical to have a smooth visa process.  The only problem was my door wouldn't open. The lock had jammed and despite the hostel having a phone in the room (it was a fancy pants hostel) there was no-one picking up.  At 0800 I finally got out of the room and headed to the embassy.  As I was, at that stage in a bit of a rush and I hadn't had time to put my documents in a folder.   As soon as I walked outside there was a burst of wind and they blew away out into a busy street.  Papers collected and dusted off, my rickshaw rocked up at the embassy at 0815.  Despite what the website stated the embassy no longer processes the visas, it’s been outsourced to a company across the other side of town.  Lucky for me, my rickshaw driver could sense the urgency and we arrive by 0845 and there’s only a small queue.  I hear the usual visa stories:

• Erwin from Holland who applied a week ago even spending an extra $5 to have the agency type out the application for him is told to re-do the application due to a typo
• Danna from the US who had been told two times that her passport was ready for collection and it wasn't    All her luggage was over on the other side of the island as she thought she could come over and back in a day, two days later.  

Oddly once I’d handed over my application I was confidently told it would all be done within 5 working days.  5 working days mi hole.

As soon as I was done with my application I headed to the bus station to get out of Colombo.  Sri Lanka is known for its’ stunning beaches and that’s where I wanted to be.

2 hours later I was in Unawatuna, a town it took me two days to get used to saying.  I’d been told by friends who’d been that this was one of the prettiest beaches they’d ever been too.  WTF?  The beach was a very narrow strip full of Russian package holiday tourists (pretty petit girls with shrek boyfriends).   I knew I was in a tourist town when within 5 minutes of me checking in the hotel manager asked me:

1)      Do I like to chill out?  To which I replied yes and he offered me weed.  Then 30 seconds later,

2)      Do I like girls?  Yes.  To which he offered me a prostitute

I did what I always do at beaches.  Avoided the drugs and prostitutes and instead dropped my stuff, ripped my clothes off and ran into the sea for a swim.  The waves were amazing and I was soon body surfing back in on a good one.   So good in fact that I soon realized I was aiming towards my bag on the beach.  The sea here was crazy; the wave dropped just after the first line of beach chairs, pulling about 20 back out into the ocean.  Lucky for me one of the Shreks had saved my bag and 5 minutes later I had given into the default tourist pose and was sat with him and his mates drinking a beer and eating chips.  Yes I eat chips (once a year ;) )   I soon discovered that the life of a yogi meant I was the cheapest date on the beach and no match for the beer munching Russians.

I made friends with a few tourists over the next few days, all different sorts.  

• The English accountant who was working for a maritime insurance company with an office in Sri Lanka and loved it as it was so cheap.  She had no interest in going to India as “the only thing that is there is the Taj and I have no interest in that”
• The Spanish air hostess.  Well travelled (I'm not talking air miles I'm talking about someone who has lived and breathed living in developing countries) and a my favourite person to share a bottle of wine (yes I found a contingency one  after my Delhi disaster ;)
• The English student nurses. Hilarious girls working in Kandy on placement who gave me the banter that I've been missing so much
• The English solicitors on holiday.  A cool couple who were just there to relax and have good food.  And we did, we went to the best restaurant in town. 

Me blinging it up at Kingfisher restaurant with Neil and Louisa

I spent a few days doing yoga (and as it was a tourist destination looking up to see families taking photos of me!), and drinking beer in the sun.  I also did a cooking course.  I love Indian food and found Sri Lankan food bland by comparison so was delighted to find a cooking teacher who had spent time in India and Europe.  Chintha, as well as being an excellent teacher was also a local tour guide so I got a history of the local area.  One thing Chintha and I discussed was Religion and she started to explain the setup in Sri Lanka.  I had been slightly confused by how in Sri Lanka Buddha was placed alongside the Hindu deities with flashing lights around him: Buddhism at the disco just didn't look right.

The below from Wikipedia showing the contrast to India

I’m colourblind and charts are usually like kryptonite to me but these ones are pretty clear and I'm surprised.  Most of the people I met in Sri Lanka were Christians and the rest were Buddhists who said they were also Hindus, hence many rows of Hindu deities around the place with Buddha in the middle lit up like a disco.  Unlike Buddhists in northern India and Tibet, the Buddhists in Sri Lanka are Theravada which at first appearance seems to be the less strict version in which they are open to other gods.  However, based on the more recent violence by Buddhists they seem concerned about losing their 70%.  Even just the phrase 'hardline Buddhists' sounds odd.

Here's a more lighthearted angle.  Two Buddhist monks who bowed to Buddha on the poster for an advertising agency in Galle.  They didn't look 'hardline'!

Back to the cooking class: The food was amazing.  Here are some snaps and for a copy of the recipes click here. 

As I still had a few days to wait for my visa to be processed I decided to head up the coast in search of a quieter beach.  I stopped off at Hikaduwa staying at a small family run guest house on the beach with only two rooms for $10/night.  Hikaduwa has a reputation as a surfers paradise I was about 1km away from the cuba libres and young skirt.  I preferred having dinner with the family after going for a walk with the family a dog. Happy Days.

Me sharing a beer with Bandula the owner



The rest of the family indoors as although I'd bought beers for both son and father in Sri Lanka the son can never drink together with the father.

As I got to know the family quite well they told me all about the other guests.  My neighbours were a honeymoon couple from the local village.  They arrived after their wedding and in usual form locked themselves away until the following morning.  When, as was narrated by the mother of the family where I was staying, the bride has to wear a red dress and the mother of the groom must go into the house and check that there is blood on the sheets.  Que Romantico.

Here's the happy couple 



I had a few tourist days speeding around on a moped going to the local lagoon to spot monitor lizrards





The beautiful dutch colonial town of Galle.  The railway was an illustration of just how different things work in Sri Lanka.  A railway station without queues (or hundreds of people sleeping on the floor) and one of the most beautiful (if slightly impracticable) timetables  have ever seen:



And Tea Plantations

The guest house was a stark reminder of the 2003 Tsunami. 

Half the building was demolished in the Tsunami.  Sri Lanka’s worst tsunami atrocity took place only a few miles from here with the Queen of the sea line train being hit and 1700 people dying (40,000 in Sri Lanka).  I was in one of the rooms that hadn't been affected.  I found out why when taking a swim one day and coming in off the surf to discover huge rocks and coral under the sea immediately in front of my room deflecting the force of the wave.  I got off lightly with a few cuts but amazingly on the night of the Tsunami it saved lives.

The beach.......


I also discovered that the roof of my room had been destroyed by storms over the years.  I became aware of this on my last night when all my clothes were on the floor ready to bundle into my backpack for the 5am train to Colombo.  I awoke with a storm in the middle of the night, my mattress soaked through from a leak and the whole floor wet. So off I headed to the train station with a bag full of sodden clothes.  Bandula gave me a lift to the train station.  The night before over a few beers I’d inquired if he had enough petrol for the trip and was told not to worry.  We broke down 1km from the train station.  I ran the last kilometer (again I wanted to be at the India visa office in Colombo for 0830) but I made it and enjoyed seeing the sunrise along the coastal trip.  

Back in Colombo, I checked into the YMCA which had been booked out the week before.  I’ve never stayed at a YMCA before but if this an example of what they are like then I highly recommend them.  The Colombo hostel also was a good example of how Sri Lanka differs from India.  It was a men’s hostel with c100 Sri Lankan men walking around in their Doti and string vest; a similar scene to India but with one stark difference.  It was quiet.  Unlike their Indian neighbours  Sri Lankans have ability to whisper and respect people’s space so sleeping at the YMCA was a pleasure. 

All of a sudden I starting to enjoy Sri Lanka as a gorgeous holiday island instead of grumbling about the prices and food (I hate to think what I’ll be like in Europe!).  I arrived at the visa office at 0830.  My enjoyment continued as to my shock the clerk told me that my application was ahead of schedule and that I could pick up my visa that same day.  To my amazement it all worked out.  I celebrated as I left the visa office as they had even given me what I’d asked for (6 month multi-entry – something that never happens in the India Embassy in Nepal or Thailand).  I was feeling ontop of the world!

For Part 2 click here