This is my mantra I use when I find myself with eyes squeezed shut, breath held, and fists balled. Reminding myself that the driver wants to live to see tomorrow seems to help calm me down. I haven't yet decided if it's better to watch where were going or not. Today I was forced to watch, crammed in the front of the bus, practically sitting in the windshield with standing room only and bodies pressed up behind me. For two hours. I should have been wary when the bus attendant let Tammy and I board with full backpacks on an already stuffed bus. We weren't the last people to get on. If I could have loosened my grip to take out my camera you would be able to learn a lot about Sri Lankan daily life from that trip.
The bus trip usually starts off with a quick offering and prayer to a roadside deity. Insurance so to speak. Yesterday, we were on a bus decked out in Jesus wear and we stopped to pray to Lakshmi, just to cover all the bases. The bus, a cacophony of blaring Hindi pop, constant honking and blinking lights, takes full advantage of both lanes of traffic swerving around people walking and on bikes, the errant cow grazing its cud or dog scratching its fleas, tractors, and other vehicles. Driving is a constant game of chicken on windy roads. The driver is upshifting and downshifting, jerking the steering wheel and breaking hard to let passengers on or off, all while adjusting the music, using his cell phone or talking to the attendant. The alternative is the train where it took 6 hours for a 3.5 hour trip. But it's beautiful countryside.
I didn't imagine Sri Lanka to be so lush and green. Palm and mango trees, hibiscus flowers and other unidentifiable foliage, emerald green rice paddies. I never get tired of looking out the window. Men wear sarongs with or without a shirt, the women in saris and dark chocolate skin with the whitest teeth I've ever seen. The people are very friendly and the children treat us like celebrities. I still can't determine if the head wobble means yes or no. Besides the cows and dogs, there are gaggles of monkey, the most amazing birds and reptiles, elephants and yesterday a gigantic "not a garder" snake crossed our path. We haven't even been on safari yet. I can't wait to see crocidiles, sloths, panthers, more elephants and whatever else this tiny teardrop island nation holds (except the mosquitoes).
Thus far, we've ventured to the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Sigiriya. To be fair, we've both been to Angkor Wat, I've been to Macchu Picchu and Tammy's been to Burma, so we might be less appreciative than we should. I've also learned that a World Heritage Site designation by Unesco makes a huge difference in the quality of the experience. Sigiriya has been designated WHS but not Anuradhapura and it was obvious in the amount of trash, lack of information, and quality of upkeep.
Please forgive me as I geology geek out. Sigiriya, literally 'Lion Rock" in Singhalese, is a volcanic plug formed from hardened lava in the mouth of a volcano that has since eroded away. Then 1600 years ago a Sri Lankan king with an ego problem and poor familial relations decided to build his summer home on top of it. Of course he made sure to stock it with his 15,000 concubines and lest he should have to walk up the 1200 steps to his bedroom, had his soldiers ferry him up. He took extreme security measures to guard against his brothers, one of whom already killed their father, with 2 crocodile filled moats, ramparts, an army and rocks set ready to come rocketing down the hill should someone get too far in. But the aesthetic side of him insisted on a water garden, fountain garden, and boulder garden with like 6 swimming pools. Of course, this being his summer cabin, someone had to hand pump the water to his rock top swimming pool 200 meters up. For further appreciation of the female form, concubines were painted on the walls. Although the setting was amazing, it was a little too windy for me.
Disclaimer: It's been quite a pain to download photos so there may not be any for a while. Please forgive me. Try to use your imagination instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment