Please don’t ask me to pronounce it, as I still can’t say it, and I have to look it up every time I type it.   But Anuradhapura is in the North Central Province of SL and is an ancient capital famous for its well-preserved ruins and was the centre of Theravada Buddhism for centuries.   It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a population of over 50,000.  We stayed here for two nights and it was the beginning of our wind-down and resort experience as it had a lovely swimming pool and we had two cottage-style rooms right next to it.   Arriving mid-afternoon we decided just to relax, swim, nap – you get the idea and by 5 p.m. we were revived for happy hour and supper which was quite yummy.   Early the next morning we were off to see the oldest tree in the world, apparently, and again it was the Bodhi tree where Buddha was enlightened.  The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree(sacred fig tree) grew from a branch taken from the bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India where Buddha attained enlightenment more than 2300 years ago.  The tree has died of course but a new tree propagated from the original now stands in its place in Mahamevnawa Park in Anuradhapura.  It is said to be the oldest living human planted tree in the world with a known planting date.  Every day thousands of pilgrims visit the Jaya Sri Maha and we were happy to be among the many men, women and children who were bringing flowers, rice and other gifts the day we were there.   Many were meditating, saying prayers and were just happy to be within its reach.  Buddhism is the main religion of Sri Lanka and it is estimated that 70% of the population are practicing Buddhists.

This was our last temple to visit – we’re done with temples and removing our shoes, which is mandatory, but also means walking in the hot sand and burning our feet.  Also mandatory is proper dress, i.e. no sleeveless tops or skirts that are knee length or above, or shorts for men that are not to the knees and we certainly respected their customs with no questions asked – on occasion this was not the case with some tourists.  We’re done with forts, UNESCO world heritage sites, archaeological digs, climbing rocks, tuk tuks and are ready just to relax on the beach.  So we’re off to Bentota and the Wunderbar Beach Resort for a few days of rest and relaxation before we head home to winter.  Sri Lanka has been a great place to visit and not really what we were expecting……..although I am not really sure what I was expecting!  It is a beautiful country although it is still reovering from the civil war which just ended in 2009.  The people, for the most part, have been very kind and welcoming and no doubt tourism is becoming increasingly important.  We have not met any Canadians or Americans in Sri Lanka and most tourists seems to be from Eastern Europe, Russia, Germany, England, Holland  and France – a lot closer for them than for us.  Poverty is still an issue, more in the rural areas I understand, but doesn’t seem to be as  obvious as it was in India but of course the population is so much smaller.  I don’t think we were ever approached by small children or mothers with babies begging for money.   I was expecting Sri Lanka to be a little more like India but it is not.  First of all it is definitely cleaner and this you notice right away.   Traffic is crazy but not as chaotic as India and on occasion they actually will stop at a crosswalk.  The food, although tasty, is not as good as in India as they seem to use fewer spices, I think.   A few facts I found that are worth noting to point out the differences even though the countries are only 30 miles apart.  If you were born in Sri Lanka you would live 8 1/2 years longer than if you were born in India.  There would be a 43% less chance of being unemployed, and you would make 62% more money.  There would be a 15% less chance of being murdered and a 68% less chance of getting AIDS.  On the other hand you would consume 52% more oil, use 28% less electricity and spend 44% more money on health care.  There would also be a 79% less chance you would die in infancy.  The people seem to be very proud of their country and on many occasions would ask “You like Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka good for you?”  The weather has been very hot here, more like southern India which is also cleaner than the north.  Overall our accommodation here has been better than in India and a whole lot cleaner.  So the two countries are not that similar but both have been fantastic places to visit! Our final few days have been on the beach and have been super relaxing.   A few pictures to point that out!

Tomorrow is flight day and we have to leave our hotel at 9:30 pm to catch a 2:20 a.m. flight from Colombo, SL via London and on to Halifax – yup it’s gonna be a very long day indeed!  But it’s been so worth it and feel very fortunate for having had this fabulous experience with two great friends, and guess what, even after six weeks together we’re still friends!  And, as always, love coming home to our special piece of the earth and more thankful for it this time after having seen so many less fortunate than us.  Getting very excited to see Andrea, Kathleen, family and friends and especially to see this little one, who turned one year old while we were away, very soon!

And of course can’t forget this guy who’s been hanging out with Linda and Pierre and no doubt getting excellent care – hope he’ll come home with us!   See you soon.