April 22, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. As we sail from India's east coast toward its west coast, we stop to visit Sri Lanka. Until today I knew nothing about this country. Now, after a full day here I know some basics. Sri Lanka is an island nation near the southern tip of India. Roughly 25,000 square miles with a population around 20 million. It's a hot and humid place with lush green tropical landscape. A major producer of cinnamon, tea, coffee, coconuts and rubber.
Formerly a British colony, they gained independence in 1948. For much of the past few decades, they kept busy with their very own civil war. That intramural event began in 1983, and except for a few time-outs, lasted until 2009. It was mostly confined to the northern part of the island. It ended in a tie, though it did claim some 100,000 lives and temporarily reduced tourism revenue. Today they are at peace and everyone says that matters are well under control - no current military threats, stable politics.
In Trincomalee we enjoy a relaxed thirty minute bus ride to our destination. We drive along a barely paved road, past the same makeshift style of buildings we have seen throughout Asia. To me it appears that all poor societies use the same architectural firm - Corrugated Solutions, Inc. Ramshackle assemblies of whatever is available, topped with either thatch or some corrugated material. Some concrete buildings appear more substantial. On this less populous side of Sri Lanka the people and buildings are low density, not crowded at all. Quite a few homes are painted with bright colors, as you would expect in Caribbean islands. People wave and smile as we pass by. We wave back. Like the people and buildings, the trash is much less dense here. Skinny cows and goats wander around, though without that air of entitlement displayed by India's sacred cows. Every so often a building posts a guard outside, armed with a rifle slung over his shoulder. We wonder if they are cattle guards, there to guard the cattle, or just regular guards? Either way, they seem out of place to us - more dangerous than useful.
The traffic rolls down the middle of the road in a sort of mesmerizing collision course with oncoming objects. There are no painted lines, and any traffic rules that might exist are strictly hypothetical. The general practice seems to be that the smaller objects give way to bigger objects. So a car moves out of the way of a bus, a motorbike gives way to a car, and so on. Warm-blooded critters, such as people and cows and goats, are all given a bit of extra space. When two vehicles of the same perceived size approach, it gets more interesting. Both seem to move just far enough to avoid collision. Thankfully the traffic moves slowly and there is not very much of it. It's fun to watch for a while.
We arrive at a beachside resort to spend a lazy day. The Sri Lankan people I meet here are genuinely friendly, eager to please the tourists who bring much needed business. The food is excellent, the beach and ocean are clean. The water is very warm, great for swimming. I learn that a standard room in the hotel, including three meals/day and unlimited internet, costs $150. Brigit gets massage treatments - a shirodhara and deep Swedish massage. The massage facilities are rustic, not in the way of some chic design, but in the way of an authentic jungle facility. The spa staff however are excellent, and Brigit emerges a satisfied customer. Cost for the two hour treatment is just $80 - low, but not as low as we expect considering their weak economy and low wages. Similar treatments are no doubt available outside of the resort at a fraction of that price. The hotel is not the fanciest place by any means, but the people are very nice, the food is excellent, the air and water are clean. With no expectations, this turns into a very pleasant day.
I speak at length with Upul, one of the hotel staff anxious to meet foreigners and learn about them. He is 23 years old, so the first 20 years of his life were amidst civil war. He speaks very good English as well as his native Sinhala. He tells me about his country. About 70% Buddhist, the rest being Christian, Muslim, or Hindu. Not much industry, so jobs are scarce. His parents are rice farmers. Many are fishermen, some work in textiles. Others simply do what poor people in all countries do: they move to a rich country to work and send remittances back home. Upul does not have a computer and rarely get access to one. Would like to go to college but has no money. He gives me his phone number (doesn't have email) and says he can provide tourist services if I return to visit Sri Lanka. Says there are also very nice resorts in the mountains and nice villas to rent.
We leave the resort and ride back to the ship, past more smiling faces, more skinny cows, into the light traffic that meanders randomly on the road. As the ship pulls away from the dock, a few dozen people stand at the edge of the pier and wave. So from our balcony we wave back, touched by their warm appreciation for our patronage.
No comments:
Post a Comment