The Wandering LeJones

[vlecaine]

Observations of Hong Kong

We weren’t here long enough to really learn lessons so here are some observations....

It hot AF here especially with the humidity. When the sun is out, it’s like being seared in a frying pan. And yet, you need to carry a sweater. Because inside, the AC is out of control and you’ll be freezing in no time. No mid ground here. And you might want an umbrella either for the spontaneous rain or to block the sun!

What’s up with the Roller suitcases? 1 in 3 people are pushing around a roller suitcase and seem to be using them instead of backpacks. Watch out, it makes moving around an already crowded city even more crowded!

There’s a market for everything - Ladies market, Goldfish market, bird market, jade market. And if you can’t find what you are looking for, head to Temple Street market where you can buy underwear, laser pointers, watches, lightbulbs and just about anything else! This is in addition to all the food markets.

Get the Octopus Card- it’s a metro/bus card that you can also use in convenience stores and hundreds of other places! You can even use you Octopus card to buy ice cream from the ice cream cart guy. The MTR is a highly efficient way of getting around the city and outer islands. Plus you look cool when you swipe your card like all the locals instead of fiddling around with change at every station.

Food is love! You can eat anything from around the world but we stuck with local type food and street food because it doesn’t get better or weirder than here! Fish balls, intestines on a stick, mango everything... you can eat at places that have earned Michelin stars without having to get dressed up or spend a fortune. We ate a lot in HK but probably walked most of it off everyday.

HK is more than just big city and people. On 2 of our 4 days we got out of the main city and went to the beach and outer islands. The MTR/bus got us there efficiently and comfortably and we were able to enjoy the vastly green spaces surrounding the city. We even went to the park beside our hotel each day to unwind.

There’s a lot of energy here - come here with a sense of adventure!

[vlecaine]

Lessons Sri Lanka Taught me

1. Why you lock everything: rooms, bags, balconies - monkeys. The people are fine but the monkeys will get you every time.

2. There will always be rice and curry- every single meal. Eat it, it’s what the country is known for! And then when you get sick of it, eat the hoppers and Kotthu

3. You were given ten fingers - you can use them to eat any meal. There’s a bit of a science to it but no more utensils! And no one here wears shoes...ever.

4. You can use some part of a coconut for ANYTHING.

5. It’s more than just archaeology here- There are animals here! Monkeys, elephants, giant water monitors and fruit bats and sooo many dogs. The landscape changes with the altitude. Make sure you are looking up.

6. Be respectful - honor other people’s way of life. That means no posing with Buddha. And covering up. It’s hot here so the covering up is multipurpose. Elders here will go pilgrimages, help them up and down the stairs, give up your seat on the train.

7. It will always sound like a hurricane at night and always look like it will rain in the morning. Neither will happen.

8. Beware the fire bread. Both the vegetable bun and vegetable roti will seem like the safest “short eat”/quick food. But they are often he hottest. Even the locals eat them with caution.

9. When you eat out, you will wait. Nothing comes quickly, a typical order takes 30-45 minutes to get to you once you’ve ordered. Even if you’ve only ordered a cup of tea.

10. The people here are the nicest you’ll ever know. Waves, smiles, blessings. Sincere, from-the-heart kind. Most with no expectations in return. Give back what you receive and you’ll have learned the best lesson that Sri Lanka can teach you.

[vlecaine]

Last day in the Sri

Our flight was cancelled so we got rebooked to an earlier red eye to Hong Kong which means that last night was our last night in Sri Lanka.

We get up super early ( 5:45) so we have time to get packed, eat breakfast and meet the morning train to Columbo. Breakfast is served in the garden and feel a little like a scene from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. In our way to the train station, we pass the central square of the fort and there are 11 wedding parties at 6:40am, taking wedding pictures. Only one bride is in white, many in rose gold and many in “country” wedding attire which is more like a costume. Men wear a black velvet outfit with ornate gold embellishments, shoulder pads, and jodhpurs type pants. It’s quite a sight!

We arrive at the train station and the train is already full to the gills so we wait for the next one. It’s a morning commuter train so it’s standing room only. We rush the train to get on and about half of us get seats.

We finagle a few more after the first spot but it really is a push, shove situation. And we have 2nd class tickets! The upside is that the rail line runs along the ocean for most of the journey so it’s a pretty nice ride.

Arriving in Columbo is like arriving in any Asian city. It’s growing exponentially, we see beggars for the first time ( and only 1 or 2). Columbo is building a number of huge 5 star hotels and because the city is running out of space, they are in the process of “reclaiming” the land from the ocean by pumping in sand and rock. It’s a joint project with China which will see China get the land lease for 99 years. China has also been super friendly to the Sri Lankan’s and built them an Opera House and convention center....as gifts. I let you form your own opinion of that one!

A quick city tour, a stop for real coffee and a visit to an ethical trade shop, we stop for lunch at the Sri Lankan version of a food court. There’s a Pizza Hut but everything has chili’s or curries as toppings ( not kidding) and then three or 4 restaurants that look the the Chinese food section of the food court. But they have nasi goring, devil chicken, squid and fried eggs instead. And stuff is served either on a huge round silver tray that is sectioned or on a bamboo tray covered in a lotus leaf.

Powell orders noodles which is actually squid and we share the nasi goring.

It’s finally late enough to check into our hotel and we get a couple hours to explore before our final dinner. Powell and I want to see the Red Mosque up close and the crazy market streets that surround it.

Full disclosure- we barely slept the night before waiting to hear about our flight, then we had the early train and now it’s 1:30 in the afternoon with searing heat and roughly 99% humidity. We walk about 15 min through the insanity that is traffic here, having to cross 2 major roads with no lights or crosswalks ( follow a local) and arrive at the mosque. On our way, every single male wants to talk to Powell and give him a tour or a tuk tuk ride. Once he starts, he gets 60 seconds then I take part in the Powell Jones Abandonment program and begin to walk away. Best advice for the big city- say no thanks once and disengage. Or be prepared to have a tail , your choice!

When we get to the Mosque it really is spectacular. This part of Columbo is very Muslim and many of the woman here are covered head to toe, hands included, in black.

We find a guy making fresh “potato” chips which turn out to be cassava. He puts this spice on them and they are soooo good ( and only 50 rupees a bag).

We munch away, throwing caution to the wind and eat the street food as we walk about the busy market. Eventually the heat and humidity win and we trek back to the room for showers and naps.

Final dinner with our crew and now we are at the airport. Tried to upgrade but their machines will not take our credit cards. They threw mercy on us and gave us a bulkhead because Powell is a giant and everyone feels kinda bad for him ( not bad enough to comp us the emergency seats but bad enough to chase us down in the airport to give us a little more leg room. #CathayPacificforthewin

[vlecaine]

Galle

Late start today as Galle is only an hour drive from Mirissa. Walked the beach and had one last coconut for the road. On the way to Galle are the stilt fisherman. It really has become just a tourist thing now. The stilts are empty until a bus pulls out, then someone collected money as some guys jump up on the pole. It even looks cheesy as you drive by. If you come, get a carving of a stilt fisherman to remember how it used to be.

Galle is a town with a small town inside it- think Quebec City and Old Quebec. Galle Fort is a small walled city approximately 500m wide by 550 m long. And the streets are super narrow. Built by the Dutch East India trading company the homes/shops are tight together and small. We are staying at one of the few guest houses right in the fort. There are 10 rooms in this sweeping three story house with a grand staircase. Powell and I have the penthouse suite. We found out we are also the only ones with a fridge. We seem to get the 4* room at each location ( because we are nice and never complain!)

We wandered a bit this afternoon but it is Hotter than hell’s basement so we’ll wait till it cools a bit and walk all away around the fort.

At 4 pm, we took a stroll around the ramparts and saw the remains of the fort. The walls are super thick and have withstood enemies and tsunami ‘s! The lighthouse, clock tower and bastions are still in great shape.

Finishing up our final Sri Lankan food journeys- had curry hoppers for lunch with chicken in this crazy good sauce and breaded jackfruit stuffed with prawns. Yum! Dinner was last Kotthu and banana roti. Kotthu is a fish where they chop up roti and fry it up with egg and whatever else you want in it. Kind of their versio. Of fried rice. When they make it they rap these blades of the cook top to cut up the roti, eggs, veg and what ever else and it’s crazy loud. We have been calling it Choppy- Choppy the whole trip.

These are things I will definitely miss but my goal is to find a hopper pan in Columbo tomorrow.

Or maybe the next day as we just got word our Friday flight has been cancelled and the new flight is Saturday. We are scrambling a bit but still trying to get out of here Friday.

[vlecaine]

Mirissa Beach and the day I became a Puffer Fish.

We get a day of nothing here at Mirissa. So after breakfast we head out in search of the famous coconut grove that is in a million Instagram pics. It’s 2 coves away which in Alberta standards would be long but this country is so small that everything seems far away but it literally around the corner!

We walk along the beaches and take a few detours - A tiny island, watching a guy fish is what is definitely something I would call, “ an angry” sea. We spot the grove on the horizon and head over. For a famous site it’s pretty quiet but it’s also 9:15 in the morning! We get in a few shots, admire the view and head back.

We run into a man who has pole-caught a huge puffer fish. He unhooks it and uses his pole to roll it back towards the ocean. The fish is all sandy and I’m worried he won’t get in the water fast enough. But damn it, that puffy is tough. A wave rolls over him, he gets wedged in a rock then another big wave comes and carries him away. Off you go Puff Daddy, beware the hook!

By the time we are back to our beach, suns out and even though it’s rough, people are swimming. We head up to the room to change. And this is where I turn into a puffer fish! At breakfast, totally fine. 3 minutes later we are in our room to get water and my left eye begins to swell up. By the time we leave the hotel, I look like I have elephantiasis of the eyes. But... it didn’t really bother me, didn’t hurt or itch so we went to the grove. However, on return to the hotel and a mirror, I am a little more than shocked at my own face. I take another antihistamine ( I take one every morning for allergies), wash my face ( has to be a contact allergy?), and tell Powell we’ll wait an hour before heading to the beach for a swim.

An hour later, not better. I put on my suit and we go to the beach!! Maybe the sea will cure me!

There are a string of resto’s on the beach and during the day they put out daybeds, umbrellas and body boards for free use. The hope is that you’ll have a few drinks and maybe lunch and that you’ll come back for dinner in the evening.

We settle in to a couple of chairs and the wind snaps both of our umbrellas in the first 20 minutes so we head into the water to cool down. The surf is strong and there are these weird back waves that look like a line a explosives when they hit an oncoming waves. Finally it gets too hot and we stroll down the beach to check out other places, stopping at a shady beach cafe in the sand for lunch. And I get a coconut! Which they make into a mouse! Powell gets a tropical fruit milkshake and all is right with the world!

We finish lunch and head to the pool for a bit of fresh water. Our Australian friend gives me an antihistamine but no one has straight up Benadryl so I’m 3 pills in to the allergy meds and the swelling is coming down a little. I realized that if I wear sunnies, it hides it so that’s the plan to sunset!

We meet up with some of our peeps before dinner. One of them really wants to see the pole fisherman and try sitting in the pole so he takes a tuk tuk 15 kms up the road and even though he’s been told, he finds out it’s a scam. The guy wants 1500 rupees for a photos, then 1000 then finally Mark gives him 500 but he’s so put off, he just catches the local bus back.

We’ve been warned that the pole fishing is no longer a traditional craft. Fishing this way happens early in the morning or late in the evening because the poles are set in really shallow water and you can see the fish. Because you are competing with birds for these fish, you have to do it when the light strikes the water the right way. If you ever see them any other time, it’s a lie. And they will expect to be paid if you take a picture. If you want a great picture, there’s one on the cover of the Lonely Planet guide, otherwise, you are getting a picture of a circus!

We take him with us to this Roti place way off the beach , and it’s totally worth it! ( again, way off the beach in SL means an 8 minute walk).

Dewmini Roti Shop is our new favourite! We each had a roti with different fillings, I got an iced milk tea ( first time!), Powell had a shake and we each had a desert roti with bananas, choc and ice cream- for less than $10! The rotis were hand made before our eyes and served hot with both a dhal sauce and a hot chicken curry sauce. They were so good and both of ours had big chunks of prawns in them.

The owner came out to check on us, service was awesome and the ambience perfect! Eat here! It is Pufferfish recommended ( aka by me!)

Update: swelling has gone down considerably, no one stares and points anymore, small children have stopped crying. I have, however, retained the nickname of Puffy.

[vlecaine]

Road to Mirissa

We left Bandarawela this morning on our longest travel day yet. We are going from the central mountains to the coast but there really is no direct route so is was a long and winding road. And I mean that literally! The road down was a harrowing journey with the vehicle riding the edge of a cliff most of the way. Buses are passing us going uphill and dogs are lying in the Road. Thank Buddha our driver is the best.

The road is soooo bad that there is a Buddhist temple at the top and our driver gets out, makes an offering, says a short prayer and gets back in the car! We drive through Ella, where all the tourists want to go because it has the “best air”. It looks like mini-Jasper when we drive through and is clearly catering to a different crowd here. Right after Ella is another temple and we stop at this one too! ( none of us have seen the road yet, we just think the driver is religious).

As the road began to level out, we end up driving another elephant corridor between 2 parks. No Ellie’s here but lots of evidence.

At the end of Unawatuna Natl Park is an elephant transit home we’re going to stop at. There’s a huge man made lake before the entrance and there are double electric fences cause wouldn’t you know it, elephants like to swim. In fact, as we approach the end of the lake, there’s an elephant on the side of the bank. She has managed to “hop” the inner fence and is right up by the road.

We stop and say hi but move along because the transit home has 40 babies that have been orphaned or separated from their herd. They come to this transit home until they are 4, then park staff reintroduce them to a herd and they go back to the wild. Park staff do not unnecessarily touch or interact because they are trying to keep the babies wild. But....they need to be fed every three hours so, every 3 hours, they wander up to this paddock and 4 elephants are released at a time and they sprint to the feeding station to get their share of milk. Then a human seats them away to a big grass pile to eat while 4 more get sent in. It’s hilarious! They run up, jockey for position, then some won’t leave and they yell at the humans who give them a seat to send them away. The smart ones wait till the human is preoccupied with someone else then try to circle back for more.

Once everyone is fed, they are sent back out into the their section of the park to be wild and to learn how to interact with each other. They are not allowed to stay with the humans.

Every once in a while, a wild herd goes through that section and just adopts an elephant or two and off they go! This is different from the elephant orphanage not far from here where it’s like a zoo. The goal is not to reintroduce them and often tourists can feed the babies for a few. These are bad- elephants belong in the wild!

We stop at a bakery in the next town so we can grab food for the road and so far, meat dishes have been the spiciest. So I think I’ll be pretty safe with the veggie roti. And I get me and Powell one. Powell bites into his first and says, it’s spicy but OK. Then the trouble starts. Almost everyone has purchased a vegetable roti and within minutes, everyone is abandoning them. Sweat was rolling, tongues wagging - these were the dreaded FIRE buns!! Even the Sri Lankan’s said they were spicy! I’m pretty sure they use ghost chili’s!

Luckily for me, I bought that avocado at the veggie market in Dambulla and it was ripe! So I cracked that sucker and just mashed it in the shell and dunked crackers in it!

Meanwhile we’ve gone from cool and overcast back to hot and sunny - we are at Mirissa and the beach! Our hotel is not directly on the beach but it’s 12 feet from the sand.

I have prebooked a massage at an Ayurvedic spa and our guide is worried I’ll get lost so he asks the hotel to take me in a tuk tuk then I’ll walk back. I get in the tuk tuk, he drive 150 meters, makes a left and goes up a sidewalk for about 600 m and I’m at the spa. He looks at me and says, “can you find your way back?” Since I can still see the hotel, I apologize for making him drive me here and he says no worries ( because the people here are chill) and heads back.

Massage was one of the best I’ve had - he was a trained masseuse, and cost me a whopping $28 for the hour. Everyone else is now trying to book for tomorrow.

After the 6 minute walk back to the hotel, that includes a detour to the beach, I find Powell and we head out for seafood, glorious seafood!

We go to a place ON the beach, 5 feet from the crazy surf and I buy tiger prawns and a squid from a fisherman and the restaurant cooks it right there. Powell also gets banana fritters and ice cream so everyone is happy.

Tomorrow is a free day so we’re sleeping in. Powell just looked at me and said, this is the latest we’ve been up! It’s 9:45pm.

[vlecaine]

Saree not sorry

I do love a beautiful textile and after being here long enough, I decided I wanted a Saree. Then I waited until the second last big town to ask our guide where I could get a Saree. (Turns out, everywhere). However, given the limited time, it needed to be ready made and pre-pleated. Not sure how they do it in India but there are some complicated pleats if you do it the Sri Lankan way.

We get a recommendation from Shiva and head into town. The first shop has LOTS of saris but no ready-made blouses and the girl in the shop seems bored. Shop #2, no ready made blouses but they’ll make one in a couple of hours. Meh. 5 shops later we find the little place with 4 young girls and a guy who is likely their dad.

Do you have ready made blouses? The girls whip out 2 giant bags. In every colour! Not fancy ones but nice, every day ones. It is at this point I know I will not be able to where a ready-made anything. The blouses wouldn’t contain one of the girls even stretched to the limit! But, the Australian girl we are traveling with is a size zero so we are still on the hunt.

And then the sarees start getting pulled out. Each Saree is 6 yards of material...it’s starts to look like the scene from Cinderella where birds drape her in yards of fabric. Finally- a fabric is chosen and they dress her up and it’s beautiful! Mission accomplished. She gets the Saree, blouse and underskirt for 4200 rupees which is $40. I bought a sari but our guide calls it a “curtain Saree” because the fabric is amazing but I will likely make curtains out of it!

Turns out, sarees are multi purpose!

We are out for dinner on our own and in search of somewhere without rice and curry ( sorry Sri Lanka, I need a break!)

#isittoolatenowtosaysaree

[vlecaine]

Adventures in Trekking Day 2

Whenever I have a guide, I stick to them like a bad date and pump them for information that you don’t usually get from a guide book. It starts out with

Me: I have a question

Guide: ask away!

Me: 3 hours worth of questions about families, religious practices, food prep, average earnings of whatever job I’m learning about, how the country generates power, how they really feel about the tourist trade, what’s in a pakora, why does that flower smell weird....

Honestly, 99% of the time, the guides are thrilled to be asked questions about themselves and their country and even to share recipes! Never overlook the value of what a guide can tell you if you aren’t afraid to ask the questions!

Lesson 1:Wake up call

Although most of the country is Buddhist, this area is Tamil. Which means a 4:45 am wake up call-to-prayer blasted out on a loudspeaker to the entire mountain. The dogs here are also Tamil so they chime in and of course, there are chickens.

In addition, it’s windy as hell up here at night. It has howled here both nights and the powers kicks in and out. By morning, it’s mostly calm again.

Up early to catch the 7:50 train up the mountain. Travel in 3rd class cattle car, no seat but it’s one stop, told to jump off at the stop. We go up for a couple of Km’s then the rest is a downhill trek. Going for 12 km today.

Lesson 2: How to be Tamil

I get a lesson in Tamil from Shiva. Although they have an evening and morning call to prayer it is NOT the same as Muslims. They are their own Indo religion - women and men have no dress codes but each morning after morning prayer, many Tamils will have a mark of white ash on their forehead. This is a morning ritual for good health - both men and women get it. It also symbolizes the circle of life as Tamils cremate their dead. The ash is a reminder that we are part of the circle. ( we have not even finished the first 2 k yet!!)

There are also Bindis which are spots of colour or can be a decorative sticker - only worn by women. White is the holiest colour. You have white if you are unmarried. If you have red, you are married and if you have a second red bindi at your Centre part, your husband is alive. If you are a widow, you can wear a black bindi. Gold is for decorations and special occasions. Makes dating much easier!

Tamil and Sinhalese also wear strings around a part of their body with a tiny copper tube woven into it. The tube carries a message about long life and health ( think St Christopher Medal). Here’s the interesting part....you can wear the string anywhere ( neck, arm, waist) but they hide them so no one can take their message! ( I get to see Shiva’s string thingy AND Asa’s)

Sunday is feast day for Tamil families and they always have chicken on Sunday. I also learned a recipe that involves crushing a chicken but that’s for a later post. ( I’ve got recipes people)

Lesson 3: Organic Tea Plantations

Mostly locally owned ( and they grow a small amount of coffee mixed between tea bushes). The organic tea is geographically separated from other tea. This side is wetter and more jungly. The tea is smokier. I know this because , like yesterday, some rando pops out of the jungle with a silver tray, makes a small fire and makes me some tea. ☕️

Only cow poop ( which, surprisingly also smells like tea) and decomposing leaves are used as fertilizer here.

Lesson 4

Shiva yelled something to Dosa and I looked at him and said, “ I totally understood that- you just said- Hurry up there are jaguars under the tree!”

He burst out laughing. When I asked him how my Sinhalese was coming along, he gave me a thumbs up!

(Disclaimer: he actually said, we’ll catch up with you at the Banyon tree, wait there. AND he said it in Tamil so my Sinhalese continues to be terrible)

It was a lovely day at the top of Sri Lanka ( or as they call it, the end of the world)

[vlecaine]

Trekking the Tea Fields with Dosha and Shiva

Today’s hike was 13-15 km through two tea plantations and with surprisingly different view points. The workers in the tea plantations are primarily Tamil and they have small villages throughout these massive plantations with houses, schools, and tea factories. These are not rolling hills but sometimes steep sided mountains with tea planted amongst huge rock slides. The pickers work a regulated 8 hour day, receive a salary of about 950 rupees per day and are expected to pick around 16kg/day ( with Sat and Sundays off!). They get a tea break ad a lunch break are finish work each day but 4:30pm. Tea really is quite a civilized business!

At breaks, one plucker starts s small fire and makes tea for everyone. The pluckers meet at a spot and weight in their haul twice a day. One plantation had a beautiful hut and a large urn of clean, clear water with a sign that said, “ for anyone who needs water”. And they’d left a coconut husk on top as a cup!

We started our day with an offering to a small Hindu temple set up but a eucalyptus tree. Dosha cracked a coconut slightly, used the oil to light it a bit, and used that dose to light incense. Then he smashed the coconut on the ground like a cricket pitcher, scaring the bejesus, or Hindi equivalent, out of us. But because we were civilized, we picked up the pieces and then ate them.

The Tamil workers say a little prayer each day and Dosha said a little prayer for our safe travel- a prayer that came with snacks!

The itinerary was to go up a little, go level, then go up a bit more, level off, then down.

What actually happened: we went up a little, leveled off , hit an amazing viewpoint and stopped to look around. On the very top of the mountain we’re white dots that were actually pluckers. Dosha said we’d be able to get a better idea of picking when we met them. Wait, what? They were literally dots, clinging to the top of the mountain. Surely I heard wrong?

We went up, up, hit another amazing viewpoint, and a Tamil village ad finally, took a break...for tea!

Out of no where, a man shows up with a huge silver tea pot, China mugs and a silver tea tray. We are on the side of the mountain!

Tea drank, we head on our way, which I assume is now the downhill part. Nope, we are going to see the dots! So, up, up, up we go. Incredible scenery and the hiking is cobbled roads, grass fields, rock quarry, rock steps, everything you could imagine. The uphill was not bad at all.

We slow it down a bit so we can stop to enjoy the view. Others want to race the circuit so off they go. I hang back with a couple of plodders like myself and get our guide, Asa to myself to ask questions about the area. We also come up with a new tour idea for Intrepid called , “Try it for a day, a cultural experience”. We will start in SL and people can sign up for an optional one day experience of being a tea pluckers for a day, being a batik maker for a day, being a stilt fisherman for a day ( that one is from Shiva who thinks our idea is awesome).

A few rest stops along the way, and we arrived at Dosha’s house. His wife has made us lunch!

Tamil food is a little different than SL food. Less rice, almost no meat, lots of eggs. We have dosas ( big savoury pancakes), idly ( rice version of a polenta cake), egg dhal, coconut sambal with almost no chili and small, fried pakoras.

The pakoras were the hit of the day! Dosha kept putting more on Powell’s plate and he proclaimed it to be his favorite thing so far ( I hope so cause he ate 20 of them!)

Dessert was a warm thin tapioca pudding made with cardamom, cinnamon and sultanas. You crush up a papadum into the pudding and eat it.

I honestly spend a good portion of the day lamenting how full I am.

Lunch is a 20 min walk to our hotel. We walk it in and our hotel overlooks the entire valley. Because it’s a Tamil town, there is a town-wide call to prayer that echos out across the whole valley.

We’ll only be here one night to shower and rest then we take the train up to the summit tomorrow and hike back down to Bandarawela.

[vlecaine]

Bandarawela Cooking School

Nothing connects you more to the place you are in than food! It can make or break you. This trip has been full up and f rice and curry. But not the curry we get at home. Every place you go it’s 4-5 curries, a sambal, a pickle, salad type dish, etc.. and locals always cook enough for themselves and at least four other people, just in case! If no one shows up, they have it for lunch the next day.

Curries have been different everywhere and tonight we went to cooking school! We made 4 curries, rice, eggplant pickle, pol sambal, snake gourd salad and even our own coconut milk and cream - from SCRATCH!

It was an awesome experience and Marlee and Kumarlee ( mother and mother in law) taught us how to layer spices and cook the over wood fires with clay pots. Everything was done in an hour, start to finish and we tucked in. The food here has been great but having it super fresh was something else. Finished her up with a plate of fresh fruit and 🎤 we were outta there.

Things I learned:

1. Coconut oil for everything

2. Garlic in everything

3. Fresh herbs whenever possible

4. There a secret that makes the Dhal here awesome ( won’t tell but I’ll cook for you)

5. You gotta later and use lots of spice and aromatics

6. Clay pots make everything better

I will be looking for one when I get home!

If you can learn to cook from a local - do it. Unless you are in England and the local is Gordon Ramsey. Hell just call you a jackass no matter what you do!

[vlecaine]

A short note about the uncomfortable stuff...

Traveling can throw your body out of whack. You may go through 1 or 2( or 9 times zones), you often go harder in the day, your body may not be used to local cuisine or even food prep methods. You touch tons of stuff that others have, blah, blah, blah. Even with persistent diligence, things can happen. I am NOT talking about me- I am not diligent and if you come to the window of the train I’m on with a local treat, I’ll probably eat it.

If you get into trouble-take the Imodium. There’s a bunch of nonsense that says “let it run its course”, “your body is trying to get rid of toxins”. When your nose runs from a cold, you take cold medicine for comfort- no one ever tells you that you are preventing stuff from coming out!

You do not want to miss ANYTHING when you travel ( except the Vietnamese Water Puppet show in Hanoi- oi!) Take the Imodium, you’ll feel so much better and you can get on with it! I just survived a 7 hour train ride through the Sri Lankan highlands without a worry. #justdoit #immodiumforthewin

[vlecaine]

Bandarawela

Taking the train from Kandy to Bandarawela is a must do! We had seats in third class reserved which, compared to the cattle car next to us with wooden benches, was luxury! No AC but windows that open and fans in the car. The scenery is stunning- tea plantations, huge trees, greenery. The train is as loud as hell and it makes an alarming screeching noise every time we go around a bend but people are hanging out windows and doors. It started to rain part way up to the highest part of the train journey and a hundred hands stuck out the windows, feeling the raindrops.

Kids wave every time we pass a town or a school. There are local vendors running up and down the train selling peanuts, mangos, snacks.

We are next to very young French couple. In the last two hours it is clear that he cares way more than her and that she will break up with him at the end of the trip. Poor sap.

We have intermittently crossed paths with an Intrepid Family tour and found out they are getting on the train for the last 2 hours. I have told our guide that I am automatically exempted from sitting anywhere near them ( for Pete’s sake, I flew half way around the world to avoid them!).

And yet, they have arrived. The bigger ones have turned to rear car into a party car with no regard for others. Their parents are clearly road weary and regretting both their decision to take their children on this type of trip and possibly, the decision to have kids at all. I am considering tossing them off the train at a rate of 1 / km to make the journey more educational ( everyone loves math).

We’ve reached the highest point and are careening down the mountain. The train sounds like it’s on a rickety wooden track ( like the noise they pipe in at Disney’s Big Thunder Mtn).

As we come out of a tunnel just near the pass, everyone literally “ooooo’s” when we see the deep valley to the left. Then “oooo’s” again when they realize it is also on the left. We are basically riding the spine of this mountain. The weather warms us as we descend but locals are still in toques ( it’s 24 degrees!)

We have arrive in Bandarawela. Our room is like some weird sultan suite and because the hotel is built into the mountain, our third floor room has a walk out balcony!

Quick rest then off to a local families home for a cooking lesson.

[vlecaine]

That kind of day

When you travel with grassroots companies, they often take you to a local craftsman to show you how things were done in the old ways. Lots of “crafts” are large scale commercially produced now so it’s hard to find true craftsman.

Today, in Kandy, we packed all the craftsman you could into one morning. First stop, wood carvings, learned about native woods, carving techniques, natural dyes, etc... Then off to the Tea Factory. We’re doing a 2-day trek through the tea fields so we just went to the factory. Lots of interesting stuff for me as both a tea drinker and a science nerd. Drank some tea, bought some tea. Off to the Batik factory - super cool process but super smelly, surprised the woman don’t pass out! And finally, the gem place. Sri Lanka mines sapphires and rubies but we are not really the gem kinda folks.

Dropped off some of the group downtown and PJ and I headed back to the hotel so I could nap ( still recovering from yesterday).

Had the option of seeing a cultural show tonight before dinner with fire dancers but we passed. After the Vietnamese water puppet “cultural” experience we voided never again!

Dinner was Indian, yup, Indian. When I asked our guide what the main difference was he said that you never get rice with Indian food- only flour breads like naan . And he said, “ it can be really spicy”. This coming from a man who eats chili’s at breakfast and puts coconut sambal on everything.

Tomorrow will be a highlight- train to Bandarawela, supposed to be spectacular scenery through the mountains and then a cooking lesson when we arrive!

[vlecaine]

Learning to slow down or..when will I ever learn?

Sometimes you just want to take in everything, and do everything and you forget that your body and mind may need to rest!

Today, I am forcedly slowing down.

We got up at 6:00am to climb Sigiriya rock. Then we showed, headed to the wholesale market, wandered there. Then on the bus to Kandy, stopping at a spice garden to eat and get an Ayurvedic lesson. Then off to Kandy, Temple of the Tooth, dinner, tuktuks to our amazing hotel up the mountain and bed.

This may have been fine if I didn’t start mixing foods!

6:00am dhal bun( from yesterday, a little greasy but good) 500 mL water

9:30 post hike bfast on the truck of biscuit ( choc and lemon), crackers and cheese ( la cache qui ri), watermelon, bananas and sesame snacks . Not a lot but a really weird mixture. 250 mL water

10:30 vegetable market: mangosteen ( delicious but I might be allergic to- this is the 2nd mangosteen incident), longan

11:00 curries vegetable bun from shop in town. Basically fire sauce in bread. Will not order again!

11:30 we stop at a street market to get water and jackfruit( it’s delicious, I have 2 pieces)

12:30 Spice garden- fish curry, dhal, eggplant, rice, chapati ( pretty typical lunch) lime soda ( no water)

As I’m typing this I’m not sure it’s just the weird food but the lack of water, especially after the huge hike (head slap)

1:10 feeling Iike death but soldier on in lesson on Ayurvedic medicine.

1:30 run to bathroom, throw up a lot but I know there’s more in there. Return to lesson because we are getting massages for 500 rupees. Make half the massage, back to the bathroom, back to the massage( it was a massage!!!)

1:45 witch doctor gives me some distillation of nutmeg, cloves and something else. It tastes awful, so I slam it back, cowboy-style, and he tells me I won’t throw up again. He is not wrong.

1:45-3:30 long and winding road to Kandy . I cannot sleep, I am uncharacteristically freezing and I get a little bit of the shakes. And I know there still stuff in me that has to come out.

3:30 I lie down( we aren’t meeting until 5:30) and have had a few sips of water but my throat is sore.

5:30 Powell gets me a ginger beer and I send him on his way. I got time tomorrow afternoon if the Tooth Temple is the best yet, I’ll just take a tuktuk down. And I’m done eating for today I’m chilling on our crazy balcony ( looking out for the monkeys) and attempting to rehydrate!

I’ve been so careful about water ( 2-3 L/day) I let this one get away from me. Already feeling better and ready for a new day.

[vlecaine]

Sigiryia

A giant fortress rising 200m above the rest of the landscape is one of Sri Lanka’s premier sites to see. The site sprawls all around the base of the mountain with fountains and gardens . You climb up a bit, there is another terrace and on it goes for about 4 terraces.

Then the real climb begins. It is polished quartz steps built specifically to ensure that a foot does NOT fit on it. It’s part of the defense mechanism to ensure the “storming the castle” would be difficult. Up, up , up to a platform from where you can take a spiral staircase up to Au cave platform to see paintings. Then a spiral staircase back down to the stairs. I went up which was terrifying but Powell didn’t fit so he waited at the bottom.

Up again with amazing views all around ( and wind!). We arrived at the Lions Paw staircase which is literally a metal staircase bolted to the side of the mountain. This is where lots of people bail because the climb up is on open stairs and next to massive hanging wasps nests.

You don’t really want to go all that way and not go the last leg...so up we went. The top had the remains of a kings fortress with swimming pools, remains of brick buildings, all that needed to be carried up the mountain ( and there was no iron staircase, it was a rope ladder)!

Coming down was much easier and you go a separate way so that there is not a crush of people going up and down the same stairs. We missed the heat and the throng of tourists heading into the site as we were leaving.

After a quick shower, we stopped at the wholesale fruit and veggie market to see all the produce from around the country. Most vendors only sold in bulk but we were able to get some mangosteens and avocados ( 20 rupees each!)

Now..off to Kandy

[vlecaine]

The thing about elephant safaris is....

The thing about elephant safaris is that you get to head out into the wild and see elephants in their natural habitat. However, sometimes the safari leaves you with more questions and then answers you might not be comfortable with.

We went to Minnerya and saw 100+ Jeep’s waiting to take people in. Literally parked everywhere, jockeying for position and trying to get in first. We finally got into the park and saw a small heard by the lake. We had about 20 Jeep’s behind us and lots in front and everyone kept to the roadways, more of less.

Just after seeing a huge herd of water buffalo, we saw our first elephant herd...and first Jeep herd. Ignoring the others, we watched the elephants play and eat for quite awhile. We finally got turned around and left the pack of Jerps behind and headed to another area of the park. Along the way, lots of solitary males dotted the landscape. The second herd was 20+ elephants with lots of babies and ones that looked just days old. Lots of other Jeeps here but we were further out so less company!

We stayed until the big momma called them all and they wandered down by the lake. A couple of deer, some cool birds and we were off.

My questions were:

Are there designated times the Jeep’s could go in ( aka why so many at 3pm)? No designated times but in the morning and heat of the day, the elephants stay in the jungle. In the afternoon they migrate to the water so you can see them best then

Are there a limited number Jeep’s allowed in per day? No. And this is the low season

Are their rangers? Yes, they were in with us but they just want people to be happy

Are they licensed? No

So we talked about sustainability and animal welfare and lots of other deep stuff that made me feel differently about this particular park and how they manage animals. Sri Lanka is a small country, it easily fits in Alberta with LOTS of room to spare. And there are 25 national parks. So the park is small and there are 300 elephants in the park. And tourism is just taking off so they have some things to learn. And we have some things to learn like not all countries have the same practices! Gotta ask lots questions.Still we had a respectful driver and kept a good distance and got to see some incredible animals.

[vlecaine]

Dambulla

At Dambulla there are sacred caves. You climb a “mountain”, then explore the insides. To get there, we needed to backtrack through Minnerya Natl Park where life and behold, an animal-jam occurred. Because an elephant was trying to cross the road!

After slowing down to ensure the elephant didn’t hit us, we drove on to Dambulla. You can see the effects of monsoon season here more in the interior because it’s more hilly. But, it’s also windy so sometimes it starts to spit and then the wind just blows the clouds away!

We started the morning at the Buddhist Monastery where there is a massive golden Buddha. It looked like he was growing a goatee but it turns out that was a giant bee’s nest. Then up the mountain about half way and up the stairs, and up the stairs and finally we reached the entrance to the caves. They are from the 1st century and full of statues of Buddha is many poses. The inside is covered floor to ceiling in cave paintings. We explored the 5 caves and then headed back down.

We stopped in town for lunch and got something called Lump Rice. It is spicy rice wrapped in a lotus leaf with chicken, and egg, eggplant curry, onions, dhal and some other stuff! They steam it all together and it was delicious and so filling for $3! I ate mine Sri Lankan style ( using my hand instead of utensil) to the Approval of the locals!

An hour at the pool then headed off to the Elephant safari!