A Few of My Favorite Things
As we prepare to leave Sri Lanka, I am reflecting on all the wonderful things that I love about the country.
First there are the people, who must be the friendliest in the world.
Everywhere we go young men yell hello as they zoom by on their
motorcycles, families in their Tuk Tuks all wave with big smiles, the
little kids wave and yell goodbye as we pass their houses and young
girls giggle at hearing our simple good morning. Even grandmas stop us
on the street to chat, shop owners greet us as we pass and everyone
wants to know where we are going.
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| Children wanting to talk with us |
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| Nuns at Lipton's Seat all smiles |
Saris and sarongs are also one of my favorite things, all the women and
men who wear them are just beautiful with brightly-colored fabric
gracefully draped and flowing around them. There is an art to wearing
them, especially the saris, which are five yards of fabric that is
carefully pleated wrapped and pinned to perfection. The men wear the
simpler sarong that is two yards of fabric sewn into a tube that is
stepped into, pleated, tied, and tucked, no pins or buttons or zippers so
there seems to be constant adjustment from short to long and loose to
tight. Sir Lanka is definitely a more beautiful place with saried women
and saronged men.
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| Ruhuna students ready for interviews at the Job Fair |
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| A traditional red sari worn for the coming home from the honeymoon party |
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| Men in sarongs waiting to sell snacks to bus passengers |
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| Sujeewa and Margaret after a long day at the Job Fair |
The flora is just amazing here with exotic plants like hibiscus growing
in tall hedges and showy anthurium everywhere. And many more beauties
that I have never seen before.
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The fauna provides endless entertainment from our veranda to everywhere
we go, there are playful monkeys, regal peacocks, endearing elephants,
scary monitors and beautiful birds of every size and color.
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| A mother helping her baby cross the road in Uda Walawa |
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| A peacock struting his stuff for the ladies |
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| A monkey getting a tourist handout |
Of course the beaches are beyond incredible, and they never seem to end.
We have had the great fortune to visit many of the gold and black sand
beaches that circle the country, from Arugam Bay to Negombo and from
Jaffna to Matara, their blue green waters and foaming white breakers are
mesmerizing.
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| Our beach, can it be any more beautiful? |
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| Misty Matara beach, how lovely! |
Thank you Sri Lanka for all the wonderful memories. It has been a great year!
