Colombo

Well I didn't do too much in Colombo since I only had one night. And I'm glad that I only allotted one night. However, I will remember the city for 2 key things. And they weren't good things. One for trying to fix my phone, and the other for trying to not miss my flight to India. Since I'm sitting in Delhi right now, I was successful on the latter. Not on the former.

Remember that 20-miler I went on? Well my phone stopped working after that run. I pretty much killed it with my sweat. The humidity was so bad, and I sweat just walking, let alone running for several miles, I'm not entirely surprised. However, the phone should still be working. Aren't you supposed to be able to run with it? There are all these exercise apps already built in. Anyway, I waited until I got to Colombo to see if anything could be done. I tried an online Samsung support chat, with no luck. After multiple stops in Samsung stores, I was led to a hole-in-wall place where these IT guys were going to attemp to fix it. Or at least I had hoped, and they were feeling good about it. I waited for the initial diagnosis, and sure enough the guys kept asking me if I dropped it in water. I said I did not. I went running with it and it seems like it got sweat inside. He returned to his work station and attempted to fix it. Over an hour later, he returned and after a couple of them conversed (not in English), I was informed my phone wasn't fixable. Awesome. I have insurance, so that should cover getting a new phone not at full price. I still have to pay something, which is annoying. And I'm going to have to download all my apps again and all that. Mostly everything is backed up. I did lose some photos while I was running though. I guess it's ok since I have a ton of photos on my camera. So I'll get over it. Now the next step is to actually file the claim, get it delivered to my friend, have her activate it, and  bring it with her to Vietnam where I'm meeting her. No biggie. Having a phone makes such a difference when youa are traveling though. I want to avoid pulling out my tablet as much as possible. I also was given an India Lonely Planet book. Which is great (and heavy), but again, it brings more attention to me than I want. A phone is way more manageable to navigate all these new places (or play games). 

So onto the better news. After exploring Colombo (I'll get to that in a minute. Or two.), I started the trek to the airport. I left myself 4 hours to get there in time for my flight. You'd think that would be enough time. But no. I walked to the bus station to catch the express bus to the airport. After waiting for over 30 minutes, I was getting a little nervous, but just brushed it off as other travelers were showing up. Finally the express bus pulled up. And then pulled away. I have no idea why they weren't turning around to go back to the airport. After some discussions, we found out that the buses weren't even coming into the station, and only pulling over on the side of the road. Seriously. Why is there a stand if they don't pull up to it like every other bus. Fortunately we caught one right away. Unfortunately, we got stuck in traffic. Af this point, I had 3 hours left. Ok, no problem. The ride in from the airport was pretty quick, so hopefully the city bus wouldn't take that much longer. Well it did. It's now a little over an hour before my flight is leaving. And guess what? They need to stop for gas. 2 kilometers before the airport and all of a sudden they need gas. I'm convinced it's some sort of conspiracy that the bus drivers have with the tuk tuk drivers. They drop you off in the middle of nowhere, amongst half the tuk tuks in Sri Lanka, so that you need to take one if you are late. Well I was and I did. So I ran off the bus, grabbed a tuk tuk and we drove the 2 mintues to the airport. I ran up to counter looking for someone to help me. And all I see are cleaning ladies. Finally, I notice a woman on the phone who hung up to help me out. After getting connected to the internet and showing her my India visa and my flight out of India, I was able to go to security. Just as I was waiting, they called out last call for my flight. Of course once I got through, I ran to the gate. The person there reassured me I was good. But of course I was all sweaty and rushed by that point, so it didn't matter. I had to pull up the visa and flight info again before boarding. And I was finally in my seat. Where I could resume to a normal breathing pattern. Man, I'm going to have to leave even more time for my next flight. It's around midnight, so I may as well as get to the airport nice and early to get comfortable.

So I made it to India, but I'm carrying a phone that doesn't work.

What else did I do in Colombo you may be wondering. I pretty much walked around and drank tea. I walked along the ocean, checked out a few temples, explored a few parks, and did a tea crawl. There really isn't much else to do in Colombo. Or at least not that I was aware of or interested in doing. I needed some time to catch up on my next steps so it was fine with me. 

Indian Ocean and Colombo.

Viharamahadevi Park.

Sambodhi temple.

1st stop on tea crawl.

Unawatuna

After hanging out in the hill country for a good part of the trip, I was ready for the beach. I was going back and forth whether to stay in Galle, a Dutch fort town, or the beach. The Chinese couple I was hanging out with were leaning towards Unawatuna, so I went for it. And I'm glad I did.

Of course getting there was an adventure. We took 2 buses from Tissa to Unawatuna. The first one started out ok as all the school boys just wanted to talk to the white girl sitting next to them. So I obliged. One of them complimented my glasses or my eyes. Not sure. Maybe he liked both. They all got off and I had shuffled my seat around a bit to get comfortable. I chose poorly since a drunk guy (I learned later) sat down next to me at some point during the ride. He started a conversation but I wasn't having it as I didn't like the vibe he was giving off. I made it clear that I wasn't interested in talking. It was a crowded bus but he sat too close and again I made clear with body language to not get that close. Totally not necessary. He didn't try anything and I was just hoping he'd get off soon. Once he did, this other guy told me what was up. And everyone around, including the women seemed to be in agreement so I trusted what he was saying. It's just like that guy standing too close to you on a crowded subway. If he had tried anything, I had my massage stick in easy reach. 

On our second bus, there was another incident. The fare collector wouldn't give me the proper change. He said he'd be back and when I flagged him down he refused to give it to me. I spoke up and continued to until he would give me my change. He did not. He even tried to kick us off. I refused. My change wasn't much, but the principle mattered. I also wanted to be sure my friends got the right change as I'm sure they were owed more. I know I've been getting ripped off and overcharged but I think it's been worse for them as English isn't their first language. Since I made a big stink they dropped us off further down the road in Unawatuna. Stuff like that infuriates me and you shouldn't be able to get away with it on public transportation. I know they want to make as much money as possible, but not be honest about it isn't ok. I end up taking the train to Colombo, where the fares are made clear, and probably end of being cheaper for tourists. And more comfortable. 

I finally made it to the beach and it was time to relax and forget about the bus rides. I walked to the ocean even though it was dark and stuck my feet in. I totally wanted to jump in, but really couldn't see anything and didn't know the lay of the land. I couldn't wait to come back the next morning. I grabbed dinner with my friends at the Roti Hut, where I'd eat a few times during my stay. Good juice and good kothu. 

Kothu and papaya juice.

The next few days involved running in the jungle and along the beach, swimming in the Indian Ocean, and exploring the area. It was definitely perfect beach weather, when it wasn't raining of course. Which, fortunately, wasn't as much as elsewhere. I even got a tan. Only several months and halfway around the world later. Did I mention that I didn't really have a summer? Well I'm getting it now. The water was beautiful and there were waves to play in. Not like the Northeast, but good enough. It was also relatively quiet, and not as many crowds as I expected. Which I liked as I don't enjoy crowded beaches. Hello Long Beach. 

The Indian Ocean.

I ran most mornings and got a 20-miler in. Was it good? Perfect beach weather doesn't make for perfect running weather. I was definitely wishing I had cooler temps about 5 miles into my long run. I knew the shorter runs would end soon so I put up with the humidity but that 20-miler was rough. I drank so much water. Good thing for all the stands by the roads. I did see some great spots along the ocean and ran through the jungle. The ocean was a little bit of a tease though since all I wanted to do was jump in. During my runs, it wasn't monkeys or lizards I was afraid of, it was the dogs. The dogs in Unawatuna bark at you. Elsewhere they pretty much leave you alone. One chased after me and was right on my heels. After I felt it grab me, I turned and yelled at it in English. It at least understood my tone as it backed off. Give me a lizard over these dogs. 

One afternoon, I reluctantly left the beach to explore the nearby Dutch fort town of Galle. I had thought about staying here or at least spending one night. But I didn't feel like switching spots for one night when I could do it in a day. And it turns out that all I needed was a few hours. It was a nice little town and the fort walls surrounding the town had some really great views. But since it was so hot, I'm glad I stayed near the beach. From the city walls, I took a look at the cricket stadium and then made my way around the perimeter of the town towards the lighthouse. A lot of locals also take the opportunity to walk the wall, so I saw lots of people out and about. And of course I continued to draw attention wherever I went. I think there must be  sign on me that says "talk to the white girl". Mostly I don't mind, especially with the women and children. Children are not shy and they give me a lot of smiles. Which puts a smile on my face. 

Galle fort.

After my fill of the wall, and before the sunset, I wandered around the cute streets. There were a lot of ruined places among the newer places. I think some places were just left deserted from the tsunami. Others were completely renovated and looked pretty nice. There was some construction going on throughout the town and I do hope they can get back to what it was like before. I then went to catch the sunset, but then then it decided to rain. And it was time to go back to Unawatuna. 

Old versus new. 

I had a lovely stay and would think about returning to the area someday to see more and do more. Definitely a top recommendation. And one more ocean checked off my list. 

Tissa

On Tuesday, I made my way down a very curvy mountain road to Tissamaharama. The bus was jam packed with people and I actually felt a little nauseous part of the way. Usually my stomach can hold it together for most things, but I had to focus on not moving much. Without realizing, my neighbor had shared a fruit candy that helped. Once we made it further down, the ride got a bit smoother. And people were getting off here and there. Somehow I got stuck trying to keep the luggage from falling all over the place and all over me. I was unsuccessful. Later in the ride, I moved over and even though we weren't on the mountain anymore, the buses are still not the best as they brake a lot and wind around on the roads. So of course, I managed to get stuck in a corner with all of this luggage blocking my exit. If you are traveling with a rolly suitcase, maybe you should take a tuk tuk around.

Stuck.

A few hours later, I made it to the town where I needed to catch another bus to Tissa (shorten name that everyone uses). Of course as a group of people got off at the stop, we were bombarded with tuk tuk drivers. I wish I had a dollar for every driver that offered a ride. There was a couple from China that were also headed in the same direction, and they kind of stuck by me as I investigated the bus situation. I had planned on waiting, but one driver offered 100 rupees for the 3 of us. I know the bus still should have been cheaper. But they probably would have overcharged us anyway. So into the tuk tuk we went. The couple were from China and we actually ended up hanging out for a few days. The girl said I looked like Carrie Bradshaw, so I liked her right away. Not sure how I managed to do that all sweaty and gross. It must have been the fedora.

We made our way to the hotel, but not after the tuk tuk driver tried to have us stay at his place and do a safari with his group. I had my hotel confirmed and somewhat committed to their safari already. The couple had not, but I think they wanted to see where I was staying. And that's where they ended up. First thing that I did, was hang up all my wet clothes. I was hoping they would dry before morning when I had to pack it all up again. Second, food. Every time you get food you need to get some sort of juice to offset the heat. The food comes out piping hot and since the temperatures are high, I'm constantly sweating. It's obvious I don't live here. Although I'm not convinced I could ever get used to it.

Later on we decided to go for a walk to check out Tissa Lake at sunset. We took our time and checked out the temple nearby. We eventually found a good spot to watch the sun go down. But of course the locals had to try to sell us something. This time a boat ride. I understand why they do it but it's exhausting to be asked nonstop for something. We politely declined and proceeded to take in the sunset. The guy lowered his price dramatically and it sounded like it was now free. We decided to do it since they had kept asking. We proceeded to ride around for about 10 minutes on the lake to watch the reflections of the surrounding area. We did give them money in the end. They made some money and we got a nice ending to the day. Well not quite ending as it was only 6pm. Since it feels like summer, when the sun goes down I keep thinking it's later like 8pm. Which is good since I still have a few hours before bed. Especially with our early morning ahead of us.

Tissa Lake sunset.

At 5am, after some tea, our jeep picked us up for our safari. We passed many jeeps on our way to Yala National Park in order to get our tickets first. It worked out as we were in the park shortly after it opened. We really optimized our time with viewing all the different animals. And we saw a lot. Birds, deer, buffalo, lizards, crocodiles, and many others. Including elephants. We finally saw elephants towards the end. Elephants and leopards are the key highlights, but unfortunately didn't see the latter. But seeing 5 elephants made up for it. Although one of them was angry. A girl had dropped her phone from her selfie stick and the driver had to open the door to retrieve it. You are not allowed to get out of the jeeps and this is probably why. The elephant stared the jeeps down, and I was convinced focused on ours specifically. After a few more minutes of observation we safely drove away.

Elephants.

Another key highlight of the safari was the stop at the Indian Ocean. We were able to get out here and I immediately stuck my feet into the ocean. I would have gone swimming if I could have. But that would wait one more day. I had noticed some sort of structure that was destroyed and a memorial close by. The driver explained it was from the 2004 tsunami. I remember when that had happened and supporting some fundraising on campus that spring semester. But I didn't fully comprehend that I was now at one of the sites of destruction. People had died in the park but apparently the animals felt something and most had escaped to higher ground. After reading a bit more, Sri Lanka was the 2nd country (past Indonesia) that was impacted. This is something I thought about a lot during my stay and saw remnants of in the days following.

2004 tsunami memorial.

My next stop was the beach town of Unawatuna.

Ella

The rain just doesn't want to stop. It really inhibits my exploring.  Or forces me to relax and do other things that I need to (like get visas and book flights). But still, who wants to walk around in the rain? Especially when nothing gets dry? I did laundry and it took over 2 days to dry. Carrying around damp items is the worst. Someone did tell me it's rainy season, even though I looked it up again and it's really not supposed to be raining this much. Maybe all those websites are wrong. Oh well. There does seem to be a pattern though. Nice in the morning and rain in the afternoon. Which means I have to do whatever I want in the morning. Like with Kandy, I may not have done everything I wanted, but still enjoyed the non-raining portion of my visit to Ella. I actually decided to stay another night, partly due to the rain and not seeing everything, partly due to it being a cute little town.

Ella Main Street.

One of the first things I did in Ella was run 18 miles. And it was actually very pleasant. Way better than last week's long run in Amman. I got the full distance in, even though it was pretty hilly and humid. I started in Ella town, and did 3 out and backs on the roads leading out of town. The area is so beautiful, just like the train ride to Ella. I feel like my photos won't do it justice. As I ran around all the tea plantations, all the locals were very supportive of my run. They all said 'hello', 'good morning', and I got a few cheers along the way. Way better than honks and catcalls. One local girl asked me why I was running. As I ran off, I yelled out, 'because I like it'. And then she told me good luck as I went on my way. During my run, all the support I was getting, I was sending off to NYC to my sisters and all my friends who were running the marathon later that day. Even though I was halfway around the world, technology is so great that I was able to follow along like I was there.  I planted myself at a local roti shop for dinner and streamed the marathon. I was also texting my friend in Texas during the entire thing as we watched the elite, and tracked my sisters and friends. I end up falling asleep before one of my friends finished her very first marathon, but I woke up to news on a great finish. It was weird not being on 1st Avenue cheering, but this was a good alternative. 

Streaming the NYC Marathon during dinner.

After my long run, I decided to do a little hiking and check out the area. Now I didn't think I was going to go very far, so began my trek down the railroad tracks to Ella Rock. At first I was a little hesitant whether it was the right way. And who walks on on a railroad track? Besides the locals of course. But I saw many others coming back, so along I went. Now, did I make it to Ella rock? I don't think so. I made it to a rock, which had a great view of the Ravana waterfalls. Then I decided to turn around. I figured I ran 18 miles, and I was hungry. Turns out that I most likely didn't make it. I think it was a further hike and much higher up. But nothing was clearly marked, so I probably would have wandered around aimlessly anyway. 

Railroad hike.

On my way back, I stopped at one of the random restaurants on the side of the railroad. I was the only customer, and ordered some fried rice and tea. That's what you do in Sri Lanka. Rice and tea. And it was delicious. The portions are so big, but I'm always hungry, so I eat it all up.

Fried rice for lunch.

Since I was in Ella, right in the middle of the tea plantations, I had to check out a tea factory the following morning. I decided on the Newburgh Green Tea Factory since I'm a green tea drinker, although really not recently since everyone serves black tea. It was an interesting tour where you learn that all tea is from the same plant, but the process is different for each type. For green tea, you go through a series of heating and drying processes. However, this took all of 10 minutes to go through. I was a little disappointed that the tour was so quick, especially as the price had also gone up a lot from what I had researched. The TV in the waiting room area went through the process so I could have just sat there. I got a cup of green tea as part of the tour, but it was at the beginning instead of the end and had to rush through it since the woman was then waiting on me. This was really a shame and I do wish maybe I went to a different one. But it could have all been the same. I didn't even get to walk around the plantation, which was what I was hoping to do. When I was looking for Ella Rock, I happened to walk through a few fields, so I guess that was ok, but was still hoping to learn a bit more.

Newburgh Green Tea Factory.

After that, I decided to do a bit more hiking and this time went in search of the Nine Arches Bridge. And fortunately I found it. After getting direction from some locals, I made my way down what seemed to be the backyards of various homes to the bridge and walked along it for a bit. After the train went by of course. It looked like there was room to stand of on the side, and I did notice some people stayed put on the bridge. But since I have minimal experience of dodging trains, I plan to stay a little further back from the tracks when a train is approaching. 

Nine Arches Bridge.

On my hike down, a man flagged me down to see if I was interested in a snack or tea. I told him I was, so when I hiked back up, he prepared lunch for me. A guest book was brought out by one of his sons to show how popular of a spot it was. Now, I don't think this was a legitimate restaurant or cafe as they claimed. And I'm finding this is pretty norm for the country. You don't need to be a store to sell water, or a restaurant to sell food, or a licenced taxi driver to sell tuk tuk rides. This was something I figured out later. Since he was preparing the food from scratch, it took a while. But since it had started raining, I was in no hurry. After getting my fill of a huge lunch which consisted of various items like roti, curry, and a few other items that I couldn't quite catch the name of. I then topped it off with some more tea. After hanging out for a couple of hours and learning about his family and other visitors, I was ready to pay. I didn't quite understand at first, but finally figured out that it was based on donation. Which is when I realized maybe this wasn't a real cafe. Based on how full I was, I left behind what I thought was a suitable amount that I would have paid elsewhere. I hope it was enough. If anything, I had an nice experience with a nice man and 3 of his 4 sons. I also helped them out by giving them a geography lesson of the USA as they get pictures sent to them from their visitors. And if you find yourself in Ella, Sri Lanka and hiked to Nine Arches Bridge, tell them I sent you. 

Nice people and nice view.

I could have stayed in Ella for a few more days I think. But I was also itching to get out of the rain. And closer to the beach. But before the beach, I had to stop and visit Yala National Park. Stay tuned. 

Kandy

I made it to Ella, Sri Lanka. Yesterday was pretty much a travel day as I spent about 7 hours on a train. But fortunately it went by relatively quick since the ride was so beautiful as the train slowly went through the hill country. I feel like I saw where the entire world's tea supply comes from. When I arrived at the train station, the owner of the hotel I was staying at met me and had my name on a piece of paper and all. Which was a nice surprise as I messaged her earlier to avoid any google maps issues. It was really great of her and appreciate it, especially as I'm sure I would have missed the stairs that may or may not be considered a road. It was a little bit of a hike up with my backpacks. It's a nice place to stay so far. 

Train travel.

Which takes me back to Kandy. I had opted to sleep in a capsule in the hotel I was staying in. It came up as an option and the reviews were pretty decent. And I figured 'why not'. That's my saying for this trip whenever people ask me to do things. I mean, within reason of course. I didn't have much space to put my bag, but I made do. And I was the only one up there on the roof, so I took over to some degree with hanging up all my wet things.

On Monday, I flew from Amman, Jordan to Colombo, Sri Lanka, with a layover in Muscat, Oman. I'm obviously not including countries where I only see the airport on my list, but I am keeping track of those airports for fun. It was overnight travel, but nice since I caught a couple of movies, Insurgent and Pitch Perfect 2. I'm not watching TV on this trip so much, which is what I want. But every once in a while, it's nice to catch some American cinema.

I took the bus from the Colombo airport to downtown Colombo. I only got a glimpse of the city as I made my way to the train station. I'm flying out of Colombo when I head to India, so I'll be back to check it out. The train ride to Kandy was pleasant. Also very nice views. And I chatted with a Sri Lankan girl for a bit. Her nephews were very cute and smiley. But it started raining halfway through the ride. This I was not happy about. I had hoped it would stop before we arrived in Kandy, but no such luck. And unfortunately it rained every day I was there. Well maybe not yesterday as it looked like it was going to be a great day when I left. I know it's not rainy season (I looked it up), and I hope it lets up soon. It was a bit drizzly and foggy in Ella when I arrived. Although today may be better. 

Because of the rain, my time in Kandy probably wasn't as best utilized as it could have been. However, it did force me to do a few things like get sorted out for upcoming portions of my trip. The first day was probably the most productive in the sightseeing department. I explore the Sri Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. I walked around the grounds for a bit and took it all in. 

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

After I had my fill of the temple, I went for a walk around Kandy Lake. And that was slightly eventful as there were so many animals. Kandy is the 2nd largest city Sri Lanka (which is still quite small), but it was still strange to see all these animals. There were birds, bats, lizards, fish, monkeys and who knows what else. As I was looking at the lizards, I made conversation with a French couple. They were very nice and we actually got lunch together. We shared a few dishes so we were able to try multiple traditional dishes. I ordered the Chicken Kottu, which was so good that I got it again a couple of nights later.

City animals.

On a full stomach, I hiked up to the Big Buddha, who you can see everywhere in town it seems like. I got a pretty great view of the town and lake below. I was ready to relax after that. I made a pit stop at the grocery store to grab a few items, including peanut butter. However I couldn't find any. Maybe they don't have peanut butter in Sri Lanka? I thought as much since the multiple people I asked had no idea what I was talking about. However, I went to another grocery store the following day and found it. So now I have Nutella and peanut butter to consume for my long runs.

The Big Buddha.

I was too wiped out from traveling to run on Tuesday, and then Wednesday, I just couldn't get up. The time difference from Jordan was 2.5 hours, which isn't major, but still enough for me to want to keep sleeping. On Thursday I got my butt up and ran 6+ miles around the lake and out of the city a bit. It was a very pleasant experience as I did get a lot of smiles, especially from the women. There were a few disbelieving looks a well, but overall a good vibe from most people. I also went running the morning I left Kandy and saw a guy who looked pretty legit, like he should have been in NYC running the marathon. And I saw another woman doing laps around the lake. We smiled at each other in solidarity.

I didn't really do too much else because of the rain. I went into Udawatta Kele Sanctuary for a little bit to hike around, but it started pouring not too far into it. After getting another view of the city, I had to abandon the hike and run out of the forest. I was probably a sight for those 2 guys that decided it was a good idea to hike in the rain and hang out with the leeches. I for one was out of there. Which was a shame since I paid the entrance fee, and didn't get to see everything. Maybe it was for the best.

Escaping the leeches.

I will remember Kandy for the rain, the tuks tuks fighting for traffic, and the nice people. Oh and the delicious food. But there's more of that to come.