Welcome to my country, Sri Lanka.
I was born on 23rd of June 1988, in Colombo. By then a few years had passed since the start of the civil war and the country was at an age where our people were adapting to the constant threat while trying to make ends meat. The chances of randomly dying (getting blown to bits or shot at) while going about your daily business was a little higher than usual. People were still happy, it takes a lot to dampen the spirit of a true Sri Lankan. We celebrate everything from drinking to coming of age, so war was just another dilemma that made sense of the term 'The show must go on'. Life continued, it helped us adapt to the worst case scenario and we came out of it swinging like the Bruce Lee fans that we are.
In the early 90's I remember how everything on the TV was a 'hand me down' from the States or England. I was fortunate enough to grow up watching the best re-runs on the planet. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman the Animated Series, GI JOE, Care Bears, GEM, the list goes on. You name a cliché 80's cartoon or TV series and I'm sure they aired it on the local telly over here and I'm sure they still do.
Life was simple, it has always been. The roads were not that congested, everyone I knew could speak in English (at least get by) and the country was slowly catching up to the rest of the world (slowly, very slowly but steadily). Thanks to our pop culture exposure we knew by then that the western world had Thanks Giving, Halloween and Christmas, we obviously had Christmas too but it didn't snow here, so it wasn't the same. As children, we always looked forward to our special holidays like the Sinhala Tamil New Year, Vesak, Poson and well our tropical version of Christmas. Those holidays divided the year for us kids, not seasons. But I'm sure the most loved holiday or festival in Sri Lanka is Vesak. Being the day The Lord Buddha was born and also passed on, made it extremely significant to the occupants of this predominantly Buddhist nation. Vesak to me was when all Sri Lankan's came out of Hibernation. The streets lit up and massive crowds of people flocked to them to partake in the festivities. Vibrant colored lights flickered around almost every house, looping around trees and lamp posts, and in lanterns that were bigger than tuk-tuks. Ah the lantern, to us that was the symbol that signified Vesak, like the Pine tree signifies Christmas. You could call it the festival of lights. I remember just sitting there and listening to the streets break out with voices, laughing, gossiping and shouting out with joy and amazement. It was like the annual spark that awoke the slumbering islander to go do good and erupt with creativity all in the name of canceling out their Karma.
Our country was built on a strong creative culture that dated back almost two thousand years. It's pretty obvious too, you see it everywhere on the walls in temples, castle ruins and catacombs. But being creative comes with a price (I know cause I'm a creative person my self by profession). Being lazy is part of life here, we have at least one holiday per month. We called it Poya (Full Moon days). Every Poya is a holiday so that's at least 12 holidays per year. I don't know if I should call it a bad trait but us Sri Lankan's are lazy and we own it. We are lazy because we just love to take time and enjoy the flowers or make the most of break time at school or at work. A laid-back culture that keeps us going because there's always something to look for when the going gets tough on the daily grind.
Sri Lanka has come a long way since the 90's. We are now racing alongside the western world, but we make sure we stay true to our culture and its influence on our lives. Sri Lanka is tropical in every sense. The sites and sounds come together with the culture and different personalities of our people. Our country is a small but beautiful island that does justice to every sense of the word tropical. Come see for yourself what we have in store for you. You won't regret it.
Sri Lanka is an island that is smaller than Texas. It resembles a drop of dew that trickled down from India and was creatively captured in mid-motion before it hit the ground. Some say it resembles a teardrop that symbolizes our remarkable resilience. We are minute in size but tropical magnificence can be found in any direction. Our country speaks of our past through the ambiance of color, culture and colonial architecture.
Its hard to not be poetic when describing the many different adventures you can go on in Sri Lanka. Our little country is blessed with breathtaking beaches, lush green meadow filled mountains, bountiful plains, jungles, and a Rain Forest which is an untouched marvel of nature that thrived in spite of our destructive past.
Blissful bounty stretches 150 miles in any direction. Take the train, ride a motorcycle, take the bus, drive, be driven, walk or cycle. It doesn't matter what you choose, you'll make amazing memories and meet the friendly locals along the way. But the train takes the trophy for taking the scenic route. You'll experience the remnants of colonialism first hand. The upcountry railroad was used to transport tea to the harbor back then but it still survives serviced and always ready for duty. The 'Udarata Manike' will take you from Fort Station (Colombo) right up to Elle via Kandy. You'll cover all the best scenic sites along the way and it only takes roughly 7 – 8 hours or so, depending on the weather. But if you chose the railroad be ready for constant rattling and swaying followed by a repetitive clank that will make your wife's nagging sound like Celine Dion in her prime.
“When in Rome, do what the Roman's do”. If you seek the real tropical experience push yourself to step out of the comforts of your hotel. Go meet the people, see what they are up to, taste the street treats and take a dip in the nearest river or lake instead of the hotel pool. But always remember to be safe. Stay tuned for detailed safety tips. Until the next blog, Think Happy Tropical Thought!
