Jan. 3 - Moving on

In a brave move, Shani’s driver Lal agrees to chaperone us on our next adventure. He & another driver show up at the Galle Face in a party bus to take 15 of us to Sri Lanka’s “Cultural Triangle” in the center of the country. We leave around 2:30 pm for the 4+ hour drive.


Whoop whoop: the party bus.

Along the way, we stop in a village to buy cashews at a road-side stand. We also take a break at a traditional Sri Lankan rest stop, which is actually a really charming restaurant with a little gift shop and restrooms. Not at all like service stations in the U.S. where you want to do your thing & leave as quickly as possible.

Sri Lanka is such a lush country, even Colombo is rather lush. Everywhere you look, there are palm trees, flowers, plants, shrubs, vines and vegetation. I’m very inspired by all the green on this trip.


Palm trees galore.

This part of Sri Lanka looks very much like rural Bulloch Co. (where I grew up). There are country homes, fields of crops, roadside stands where fruit and Coca-Colas are sold, and even red dirt. Some subtle differences, though, like mailboxes made out of woven reeds.

We arrive at Kandalama at dusk. It’s an eco-hotel built into the face of a rock, designed by the renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. Much of the hotel is open-air; bats are flying around the lobby when we check in. A man is playing the lute on the outside terrace, so we hang out there for a while and enjoy the beautiful full moon. Poya (the first night of the full moon) is considered a religious holiday in Sri Lanka. No alcohol can be sold/served, so fruit juice is the stiffest drink we’ll be getting tonight. Everyone’s pretty knackered from the wedding and the drive, so we have a quick dinner and turn in by 10 pm.