blueclo

Updating friends and family on my whereabouts.

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2017 almost over

Just read my last post from 3 years ago.

Wow time flies. I actually followed through with most of the things I listed I would try. I did end up working for a surf tour in Nicaragua; did end up working in engineering in New-Zealand after all; and now planning my next adventure to France. Stay tuned. 

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Biggest Realisation this trip

I don’t like buget-travel. I didn’t care about the monkeys in Costa Rica, nor did I care about elephants and tea plantations in Sri Lanka. My motivation to learn Spanish was solely to facilitate budget-travel; and I didn’t even bother with Singhalese.

I just do not live by the ocean and like surfing enough to bother with the hassles of long-term budget travel.

Travel limits my ability to commit to things and people, and I pride myself in being reliable, focused, committed, and involved in the community.  My attention just gets spread too thin. The grass is greener where you water it.

I get restless. How can people travel for so long without contributing or investing in anything? Don’t they get bored of slamming down beers between surf sessions in tropical countries? What are they avoiding?

As a lone female traveler, I am forced to become racist for the purpose of safety. It’s not fun to shut out each person of colour in developing nations just because some of them are attracted to my colour and the potential $$$ that comes with it.

However, being away from home for an extended period, does make you grow.

Being exposed to lacks of respect in human dignity, i.e sexual violence against women in Sri Lanka, makes me much more appreciative of values such as connection, inspiration, and peace; and much less obsessed with the pursuit of instant gratification and superficial pleasures.

It gives me perspective. By stepping away from my usual crowd, I get to see other ways of living and thinking. I also realise what was bugging me at home is actually not that hard to fix. Up to 90% of it is really just mind-set.

The break from my normal routine gives me renewed ideas and a fresh outlook on my career. It also great to avoid burnouts. Basically the touted advantages of sabbaticals.

I find myself somewhat, or more I become more aware of who I am at the core. Some traits just never change no matter which country I am in.

I realise that most of the planet is too focused on the perception of their own lives to really care that much about yours. So it’s pretty much a green light to be who you want to be really.

And you truly learn how to enjoy things knowing you’ll have to let them go sooner rather than later.

I will definitely take a plane again for a long-term surf holiday, just because I am fervent believer in the power of sabbaticals. With my surf instructor card I can invest and contribute myself in the community. I’d never go for a full-year though. And most likely in a familiar place that has enough expats to drown out the local culture yet cheap enough to work with my annual income –Costa Rica is a good contender. Or a Western country where I can work legally, Spain, New-Zealand and France are possibilities. As for discovering new unpaved roads, maybe through arranged tours which I could hop on as a surf coach at a fraction of the cost. But it’s just not worth the hassle as a single female traveller if all I want to do is surf.  

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Trip to Galle

Grabbed souvenirs for friends  at my favorite shop, StickNoBills!

http://sticknobillsonline.com/collections/vintage-film-posters

It was in Galle. The Dutch know their architecture.

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Animals I came across in Sri Lanka

-surfed with a small reef shark. Great, on my first session in Sri Lanka. Thank gosh they are harmless. - I missed the crocodile that surfed across 4 breaks, silly me walking on a stretch of road with no visual on the water. - Cows, lots of them, refer to Instagram, I want to ride one at my wedding. - The elephant being trucked around for a wedding on the coastline. Poor elephant. - A snake tried to sneak in my bedroom through the living room in broad daylight!!!! - turtles, turtles and more turtles

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Stupidest Cultural Conversation overheard in Sri Lanka

(No offence to my great American friends who know better) 1. ‘’It does not make sense that Britain has their own units, it’s such a small country’’-oblivious 24 year-old guy from San Francisco 2. ‘’Where do you think the Americans took the idea of inventing themselves a different measurement for gallons’’-disgruntled Canadian Female engineer 3. Answer from oblivious San Francisco guy ‘’America is from America’’ ; 4. British dude: ‘’you speak English or American?’’ LOL.

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Most memorable quotes in Sri Lanka

1. ‘’Sri Lanka is worst place to try and get laid, the local guys can't stop harassing all the birds!’’- 22 year old British surfer 2. ‘’You are like the worst of both worlds, French and American at the same time’’-same British guy in reference to me 3. ‘’Oreos are not from America, aren’t they from Spain?’’-Some French guy from the Basque country. My response: ‘’I’ve been splitting Oreos and licking the cream off since 1986, and you?’’. His answer, ‘’1997’’. Nuf said.

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Top cutest things in Sri Lanka

1. The surf school dog, so old I am surprised every time I see it run. The old dog chased down the tuktuk I was in and hoped in the back with me. Took Sri lankans 5 minutes to pull him out. 2. The yoga teacher from NYC made me an original ‘’crazy sacks’’ t-shirt. Drew a testicule man riding my surf board with a back drop of Canadian forest on my surf t-shirt. Rock on North America. I’ll sport it when river surfing.  3. The old doctor I saw for a tuberculosis check-up told me I looked like Shania Twain.

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Top 5 annoyances of Sri Lanka

1. That it’s a mission to post these notes, damn internet billing structure. And I don't know what's wrong with ''Facebook'' notes function. 2. Women pushing and shoving on the bus to get off first; but then waddle clumsily down the steps holding up the whole bus. 3. Local Guys constantly cat-calling and harassing you on the street as if we were prostitutes, than shove you to take an empty seat or cut you in line. Swell. 4. The blaring horns. 5. Getting served the bad-tasting Sri Lankan version of Coca-Cola’s ginger beer. Really, the only thing I like about the food here is American made and Sri Lankans managed to create a shitty version of it they sell for the same price. Sigh.

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Top 5 sucky things about Sri Lanka:

- The fake dry season. So wet in created mud slides in the hillsides and profuse amounts of mosquitoes. - The darn bugs. From ants in my bed to the spider in my toilet bowl to fireflies ambushing my mosquito net blinking green lights…. Oh, and the sand flies and the damn mosquitoes. - Wanker corner aka Midigama town. Hotel staff had to grab a local dude jerking off up in coconut tree - only vantage point to white women sunbathing on the beach forbidden to locals. Pretty committed. Usually they just ‘’swim in front’’ or hide in a bush. Rise of sex crimes on western women is actually becoming a problem threatening tourism according to local news. - The food. I do not want to hear the word curry for at least a year. I don’t want to see a bone unless it’s a T-Bone. My favorite food discovery has been ginger beer-and that’s produced by Coca-Cola. - The greed. After succumbing to poverty and alcoholism after the tsunami, some local people are getting rich fast in the tourism boom. Pay close attention enough and locals fight over access to tourists all the time. Hell locals will fight with a white guy ‘’hogging’’ too many white women (locals don’t understand the concept of cock-blocking).

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Top 5 good things about Sri Lanka

1. Live reef surf breaks. I get the hype now. 2. Ginger beer (coca cola's local version of root beer) 3. The Sri Lankan family that has made me feel like part of theirs. Love ya Dee. 4. The small surf coach community in Midigama and Weligama. 5. If all the things I disliked have not killed me, it has made me stronger.

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Morning life in Sri Lanka

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Train Rides in Sri Lanka

Sure love the long-distance train rides around here, no need to close the doors. Who cares if the seats are oversold. 

At least there is a nice view!

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Cricket!!!!!

Went to Colombo for a 9 hour cricket match between England and Sri Lanka. We had lunch in a cricket themed sports bar held by ozzies. As a cricket match ''virgin'', got a great explanation on what to do at a cricket match by the lovely owner: ''Just drink beer''. Gotcha. From my perspective, cricket is a mix between capture the flag, bowling and baseball. Not to be confused with polo, playing golf on horses.

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We saw this poor elephant on a flatbed truck twice, then tended to by the side of the road, this for a British wedding. Wanna Holstein cow at my wedding

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Weligama Area-Sri Lanka November 2014

Such a weird month in Sri Lanka.

Apart from surfing live reef, I’ve been watching the news in Canada and Quebec. Euh, what’s all that austerity business about in LaPresse? Reducing access to health care will suddenly destroy women’s gains in equity!? What? Damsel can’t just ask for a raise or get a lucrative job!? Did they cut funding to education?

Mind you, women have been shot for attending engineering school in Canada. Remember December 6th 25 years ago, the Montreal massacre? Just by respect for these women, don’t march the streets chanting about how fragile you are without government handouts, stand proud for your right to education.

These women might think differently if they walked around Sri Lanka by themselves. A healthy dose of street smarts is required here to ward off potential attacks and I had my fair share. Mind you, a woman is often bestowed with more responsibility towards her own security in western countries than in developing nations. For instance, fifty young men simply walked out of an engineering classroom upon a gunman’s request in Canada and listened in from the hallway to nine of their peers, all women, get shot. During the last moments preceding the shots, one of the women denied being a feminist and simply wanting to pursue a career an engineering. That sums up the Montreal Massacre. Is that equality or a sorry excuse for guys wimping out? I mean, most of the British sank with the Titanic after kissing their wives and children farewell onto lifeboats early 20th century…No wonder some of those Canadian men committed suicide. The masculinity crisis costs were far too great on that dreary day in December 1989.

Having equal access to jobs and opportunities when both have equivalent skills is equity in my opinion. For firefighters we need big burly men who can run through a raging fire. Women just don’t cut it. If someone tries to attack me, I want a man to step in to throw punches on my behalf.

However women should avoid using their mouths as a weapon. Stop playing hard to get and all that crap, there is a better way to be feminine. Stand up for yourself, be willing to walk away from ‘’Beta’’ jerks, and maybe the jerks will straighten up and the world would be a better place.

Oh, and let’s not get started on the Jian Ghomeshi scandal that’s all over social media in Canada. That journalist going around date raping women and female journalists. Well, the ‘’victims’’ used their writing skills to destroy his career through social media. Kudos to them for not caving into victim mentality. The justice system is evidently ill-fit to handle crimes such as sexual assault and harassment: ‘’Are you sure you were not too drunk to realise you were being raped miss?’’  These women may be unequal to men because they lacked muscle to overpower the guy, but had the communication skills to get back using social media. That’s equity and the product of access to education. The web-connected world we live in is truly promising. 

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November in Sri Lanka

After forty hours or travel time from Paris, I finally landed in Colombo.

My first impressions of Sri Lankans:

Friendly but useless compared to the Chinese and Vietnamese. Communism did something right. Had to ask the google gods after being misdirected to the post office by the six guys at the hostel reception

Like the Vietnamese, they also harass you for taxis as if it was illegal for white people to use sidewalks. Obviously, taxis can never be found when you want one.

Sri Lankans speak English somewhat, can be a real curse for solo female travellers: 

‘’Hello! Are you married? Where are you going? Where are you from? Where do you stay now? Are you an actress? Are you related to Shania Twain? ‘’

One female expat explained to me they don’t know how rude and creepy this is but once you explain it, they most gladly switch to more appropriate conversation starters.

However, others catcall worse than in Latin America. I was not expecting that. Canada’s travel advisory did not bring this up. It is that bad. A word of caution to all western women who travel solo.

 After such a ‘’great’’ start in Colombo, I was stuck standing for 2 hours on a train heading to the south-west. This well versed in English Sri Lankan desperately wanted my contact information; in hopes of immigrating to Canada. Sigh. When I did finally get a seat, an old lady tried extorting me for 20 USD equivalent in local currency with a very intricate story using the 2004 Tsunami as the instigator for all that has befallen her. She needed money to pay for a transfusion upon which her life depended on. I was taken by it at first. But upon my comment ‘’Transfusions are free in Canada, aren’t they in Sri Lanka?’’. Her response was: ‘’ The offer and demand curves, its expensive to get O negative like me, only AB+ is free’’.

‘’You little lying witch giving me an economics and a biology class in perfect English! ‘’

I managed to keep my cool: ‘’ I am very sorry but I am from a country where transfusions are free. So as a sign of respect to the principles put forth by my country, I can’t give you this money, you will have to find another way.’’ She stood up and probably tried her lines on somebody else.

(By the way, transfusions are free in Sri Lanka)

Some locals are getting so bloody rich off the tourism boom down south that using a 10-year old natural disaster has to be a con. I’ll gladly pay the ‘’white person surcharge’’ for my bloody rhottis. They are at least trying to run a business. I am a true North American.

When I finally did get to my final destination, Gurubebila a surf town, it started raining, the surf conditions were sub-par, the Sri Lankan owner of the guest house had that look and everything was expensive -damn Europeans with their euros. 

I was pissed off.

Actually I was having a proper culture shock.

Sri Lanka is supposedly a soft version of India. India made it to my blacklist.

After two days of rain and acting PMS-like, looked for lodging alternatives. It took me 10 minutes to find a more budget friendly option with a family. Then, went longboarding on the beginner beach break at Weligama to remember that surfing was supposed to be fun. I also started ‘’job-hunting’’ for my surf instructor internship-the whole point of being in Sri Lanka.

On my way to a French surf school on foot, it started down pouring. Sigh. Right next to a newly opened coffee shop. Hun. The Sri Lankan owner was a savior. About my age, she just moved back to her hometown to start her own business after spending 15 years in Colombo and Dubai. Spoke marvelous English. Knew how to make proper coffee.  After hanging out with her for two hours, I met two French budget travellers with whom I was able to swap surf and budget travel tips. The gal had a similar surf level to me, sweet, a surfing buddy!

Within ten days managed to slash spending by half, drink better coffee, surf fun waves, get some sun, sort out an internship and meet great people from the surf-yoga industry. Maybe things turned around because I went to the temple on full moon for a Buddhist celebration. Kharma. 

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Espagne

Le départ de la France s’est fait tout tranquillement, un de mes amis du cours de surf a été assez généreux pour m’offrir un ‘’lift’’ jusqu’à Hendaye en France près de la frontière espagnole ou le train de banlieue de San Sebastian se rend.

Et hop, me voilà à San Sebastian. La ville est magnifique d’un point de vue architectural et la plage est en pleine ville. De plus, on me dit que la densité de restaurants ‘’coté Michelin’’ pour la population est énorme (so it’s a foodie town). J’ai pu surfer un peu, et au faite j’ai réussi à surfer la plus minuscule vague avec mon shortboard; mais qui dit ville touristique avec plage à même la ville égale plage bondée. Je n’ai jamais vu autant de monde à l’eau pour des conditions si moches. Au minimum ca m’as fait réfléchir si ça me plairait d’avoir un job de bureau à même une ville avec une plage de surf et de gérer tous les gens à l’eau. Faudrait à tout le moins que le spot ne soit pas touristique à mon avis pour que ca soit convenable.

Après mes 4 jours à San Sebastian, j’ai traversé de la côte Atlantique à la cote méditerranéenne rejoindre une amie canadienne à Barcelone. En tout cas, si jamais vous vous sentez un jour ‘’home sick’’ en Europe, allez à Barcelone, c’est bondé de nord-américains. Et étant donné l’objectif du weekend était pour mon amie ‘’a getaway’’- et non une appréciation de culture, c’était parfait. Et pour ma part, mon départ pour le sous-continent indien approche donc fallait profiter un peu des bonnes choses avant de perdre le café, le vin, le cidre, le fromage et les croissants.

Notre auberge de jeunesse était sur la Plaza Real près de la Rambla (Kabul-merci à Monsieur X pour la recommandation). Nous avons pu faire la tournée de pleins de bars sympas grâce à des New Yorkais qui avaient des amis expats qui demeuraient à Barcelone. Des places remplis d’expats américains...une nationalité qui saura toujours me faire rire aux éclats. Mais j’ai trouvé du CIDRE!!!! Dans un irish pub!

J’ai parlé beaucoup en anglais en Espagne, et j’ai pu pratiquer un peu mon espagnol, malgré qu’à chaque fois j’ouvrais la bouche pour parler en Espagnol, on me répondait en francais…mon accent est apparemment épouvantable.

En perspective, je me rends compte j’ai eu de la chance jusqu’à date durant mon voyage car j’ai pu rencontrer et échanger avec beaucoup de gens locaux et je n’ai pas été obligé de faire la tournée des auberges de jeunesse pendant toutes ces dernières semaines. Ça va 2-3 jours par-ci par-là, mais le faire 6 semaines en ligne à changer de grande ville européenne à tous les 2-3 jours…Ouais, les auberges de jeunesse, ça va quand c’est à côté d’une plage de surf, mais je ne serais pas chaude de faire une telle tournée de villes sur un autre continent. Et d’ailleurs pour le reste de mon voyage suivant l’Europe, 20% du temps je vais jouer au touriste et la balance je vais m’investir dans des projets comme mon stage d’instructeur de surf, et p-e du bénévolat en construction dans un resort de yoga ou je suis logé, nourrie et peux prendre des cours en échange (Thailande)- à suivre.

Mais, avant de prendre le long et pénible chemin pour le Sri Lanka via Frankfort, j’ai fait un tour à Ste-Colombe, invitée par le frère de mon amie pour son 30e anniversaire. Un weekend fort amusant. A Barcelone, je n’avais pas eu la chance de danser  malgré mes sorties, mais j’ai pu me reprendre. Couplé avec des promenades en campagne, le beau temps et le vin; encore une belle fin de semaine.

Prochain post sera sur le Sri Lanka.