Sri Lanka - The Coast

Our final two weeks in Sri Lanka were spent on the southwestern coast.  This area is known for its beaches and all that goes along with sun and surf.  We bounced around between three different accommodations, each one a slightly different flavor.  The first few days were spent outside of the town of Galle.  Galle is known for its old city which is a fortified town founded by Portuguese in the 16th century. The Dutch colonists took over and expanded the sea walls and at some point the British had a turn ruling.  Today it is a bustling tourist destination both for foreigners and Sri Lankans.  We were in the area during the Sri Lankan New Year celebration and the town was filled with families walking along the seawall and gathering in the big grassy spaces of the old town.

Stormy skies.  It was a rare night in Sri Lanka without a wonderful lightning show. 

New Year's Day.  There were lots of families enjoying the water. 

Families sat around enjoying a day of family time. 
This picture shows you the mix of religions ever present.  The women are Muslim (Galle has a large Muslim population), there is a Buddhist Stupa at the edge of the field and Christian Church steeples are in the background.  A Hindu temple would have rounded it out.

We stopped for homemade ice cream in the midst of a thunder storm.  There was no room in the cafe out front, so they simply pulled back the curtain and invited us to eat in their home.

One of the highlights of this segment of our trip was staying in an AirBnB apartment in a newly built building with air conditioning and a pool.  The heat in Sri Lanka was at times oppressive and it was a relief to be in a space that was both private (we weren't in anyone's home or sharing it with other guests), and had air conditioned space to spread out.  We were pretty happy to stay put for a few days, but we did venture out to a gem and jewelry making class hosted by a local family with a long history in the business.

The jewelry class took place in the family's home.  The father has worked as a jewelry maker in their family home for many years, following in his own father's footsteps.  The two adult sons and daughter help him with his trade, but do not appear to want to take over.  Instead it appears that they have had the entrepreneurial idea to open their home to visitors who would like to learn a bit about jewelry making.  We were picked up in a three wheeler and taken down progressively smaller roads until we arrived at the family home.  There we met the family and settled in for what would prove to be a very enjoyable 6 hours!

We started with learning about different gems, how to tell the difference between a real and a fake.  We all enjoyed seeing and handling different types of gems and learning that what we find beautiful is not necessarily what is the most expensive. 

We had tutorials in how to melt silver, using the old art of blowing through a metal pipe to keep the flames hot.  A few of us chose small gems to make into jewelry and then we each helped melt the silver, press it through a manual press to stretch it into strands, and finally watch how it is shaped and soldered into a piece of jewelry. 

As the afternoon stretched into the evening trays of special New Year's sweets were brought out to share and during the last hour the siblings brought out instruments to play some traditional music.  They had a hand drum, a recorder and a violin.  We all joined in tapping, drumming, and humming.   The five of us were, as has happened in the past, a bit sheepish when our hosts invited us to sing something from home and we could not come up with a song.  Lack of songs aside (we ended up singing O Canada and a few bars of a few other songs that we cobbled together) it was a rousing end to an awesome day.

The music jam.

From Galle we headed to a couple of days of luxury.  We had been tipped off about a great Air BnB that was a villa with a pool and a private chef.  We had NEVER done anything like this before and it sounded almost too good to be true, so we jumped at the chance to book it for the only 2 nights it was available.  It was exciting to have something so indulgent to look forward to and so different from our usual style of accommodations and travel.  The villa is only a few minutes drive to the beach, but once we arrived we simply settled in and enjoyed the pool, the yard and the delicious food prepared by Chaminda, the chef.  It was especially fun to learn how to carve fruit into animals.

Our final stop on the coast was truly on the coast.  We stayed in a small hotel right on the ocean in the tiny town of Ahangama.  This stretch of coast is one tiny fishing town/beach town after the other.  There is, as often found in an up and coming beach destination, a mix of hip ex-pat food spots mixed with local seafood shacks and roti stands. We spent our days wandering the beach, watching sea turtles bob in the waves, and learning to surf.  The hotel was quiet and tranquil.  Every morning started with a generous breakfast served at an outdoor table over looking the sea.  As is the usual for Sri Lankan hospitality, it was a delicious and plentiful.  Our time on the beach was beautiful and relaxing.

View from our room. 

She's UP!  A natural.

Fisherman perch on sticks and fish.  Today they are more likely to get money for posing for tourist photos.

Our lovely, relaxing and calm time at the beach came to a jarring end with the news of the terrible bombings in the cities of Sri Lanka.  We were a couple of hours by car from the nearest area involved, but we were scheduled to drive back to Negombo, one of the communities hit, within 24 hours and to fly out 72 hours later.  I spoke about some of our feelings and experiences during this time in my first post about Sri Lanka.  There were lots of opportunities to talk and sit with fear and worry, as well as challenging conversations about how to prepare for something bad while also trusting it won't happen.  A poem I recently read resonated for me about all the what ifs in life. This is "Could Have" by Wisława Szymborska, a Polish Poet who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996.

Could Have

It could have happened.
It had to happen.
It happened earlier. Later.
Nearer. Farther off.
It happened, but not to you.

You were saved because you were the first.
You were saved because you were the last.
Alone. With others.
On the right. The left.
Because it was raining. Because of the shade.
Because the day was sunny.

You were in luck—there was a forest.
You were in luck—there were no trees.
You were in luck—a rake, a hook, a beam, a brake,
a jamb, a turn, a quarter inch, an instant.
You were in luck—just then a straw went floating by.

As a result, because, although, despite.
What would have happened if a hand, a foot,
within an inch, a hairsbreadth from
an unfortunate coincidence.

So you’re here? Still dizzy from another dodge, close shave, reprieve?
One hole in the net and you slipped through?
I couldn’t be more shocked or speechless.
Listen,
how your heart pounds inside me.

-Wislawa Szymborska

For our little family the outcome was we ventured back to Negombo and a few days later flew out safe and sound to Dubai.  Our month in Sri Lanka was full of adventure and new experiences; heat, amazing lightening storms, temples, animals, crazy driving and welcoming people.  We hope for all the kind souls we met on our journey that the unrest settles back down quickly and peacefully.

The very long and tense night of waiting at the airport to fly out. 

This sign greeted us as we entered the airport, after having passed multiple security check points.