Cultural Enrichment

My friends and I landed in Sri Lanka in the morning at around 3 am, still dark, but a hot humid breeze definitely hit us the moment we stepped outside. Our designated driver, Damitha, was waiting outside holding a board with my name on it. He was a very humble bloke with a questionable beard. We set out to Negombo and arrived within the span of 45 minutes. Absolutely drained of our energy, we went to the hotel, and slept for a few hours. We woke up to the sound of waves crashing, birds chirping, and a howling wind. My friend, Darcy, was outside staring at something with immense mesmerization. I went outside, I found myself greeted with  the picturesque beauty of the hotel, alongside the natural aesthetic of the beach, It almost makes me want to be poetic, but I save you from the pain. Jetwing blue has a brilliant atmosphere to it. Damitha had messaged us that we were leaving to Dambulla tomorrow. Today was a day of relaxation. This is one of the best things that people can do in Sri Lanka. The cultural triangle is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka, other than the beach here. My friends and I landed in Sri Lanka in the morning at around 3 am, still dark, but a hot humid breeze definitely hit us the moment we stepped outside. Our designated driver, Damitha, was waiting outside holding a board with my name on it. He was a very humble bloke with a questionable beard. We set out to Negombo and arrived within the span of 45 minutes. Absolutely drained of our energy, we went to the hotel, and slept for a few hours. We woke up to the sound of waves crashing, birds chirping, and a howling wind. My friend, Darcy, was outside staring at something with immense mesmerization. I went outside, I found myself greeted with  the picturesque beauty of the hotel, alongside the natural aesthetic of the beach, It almost makes me want to be poetic, but I save you from the pain. Jetwing blue has a brilliant atmosphere to it. Damitha had messaged us that we were leaving to Dambulla tomorrow. Today was a day of relaxation. This is one of the best things that people can do in Sri Lanka. The cultural triangle is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka, other than the beach here. 

After all of us, James, Scott, Darcy, Cheryl, and I, had finished getting acquainted with the bed we went for lunch. Nothing to be said there, we ate until our stomachs were completely bloated. James tried to eat crab and that was one of the best laughs that my friends and I have experienced in a while. He didn’t know how to break open the shell and get the meat, so we basically saw a “suda”, as the Sri Lankans call him, attempt to eat crab with curry dripping down his chin. James, oblivious to it all, didn’t realize that half the people were staring at him, so we put him out of his misery and let him know that it had all gone wrong. Shortly after that we went to the pool to chill. The heat was melting us and now I understand why the local men here wear sarongs and nothing else, perfect ventilation through the whole body, and the upper was exposed. I will get one of those sarongs before I leave, one for each of my friends with the same pattern. 

We had the best sleep and woke up early to go to Anuradhapura. Our driver was up and told us that there are a lot of scams, especially with people on the side of the rode who give their own prices for products. Apparently many foreigners have been ripped off. That’s all he said to watch out for before we started the journey. When it comes to prices and bargain, without a doubt, we go to Damitha. I’m making him sound like a rogue agent, but he really does know the ways of Sri Lanka.

Once we were on the road for a bit we wanted to stop by for some tea. Damitha was notified and we stopped by a street shop. We had a great cup of tea, there were children running around, and monkeys seemed to roam freely in close proximity to us. They didn’t seem to care that we were there, they just came by did their thing and left. When we got the bill we realized the low cost of Sri Lankan street food, and keep in mind that we ordered a lot of the Coconut filled pancake called Pani Pol. One thing that anyone who visits Sri Lanka must do is to eat out at a Sri Lankan street food shop. Make sure that your guide suggests the place because we heard stories about people having food poisoning because of choosing a shady place. 

We arrived at Anuradhapura. Our hotel is called Cinnamon Lodge. As Darcy says “Sri Lanka is truly the Paragon of beauty”. I must say that she was speaking for all of us, this place was amazing, and the rooms were perfect for a group of people like us. We had a great time, playing cards, games, talking, drinking tea, I mean we had genuinely interacted with each other, and put our phones aside. I think we need to keep our phones aside a lot more. Anyways, as the night went on Darcy and Cheryl needed to go to the pharmacy to restock on some of the things that they needed, thank god Damitha was there because there weren’t any taxis (tuk tuks) at that time of night. He drove them all the way to the center of the city. 

The next day Damith drove us to Ruwanwelisaya, a buddhist stupa, which from ground view was almost impossible to comprehend its colossal nature. Where many Buddhists from all around the world come to pay homage to this massive structure. It is said that Gautama Buddha’s relics reside in the stupa. A key characteristic of all stupas is that they have some sort of valuable treasure or artifact in each stupa. I don’t know what it was but that place really had something that calmed even the hyped-up of people. My Friend James was rather quiet and that was not like him. Either way the visit was a good experience.

We then went to Sri Maha Bodiya, which was around 10 minutes away from Ruwanwelisaya. My friends and I are very much engrossed in the study of history. We are aspiring to know the most we can about one place, absorb the information we need, and spread what we find interesting. We even asked what Damitha thought of the tree, he gave us his religious viewpoint of it, and it was very fantastical. We then went for some late lunch, the food here is so freshly made, and warm. Then after a filling meal, which Scott seemed to like a lot, we went with Damitha to our last destination for the day Mihintale. We soon realized that it was a heavy pilgrimage site, packed with Sri Lankans wearing their pearly white clothes; a very soothing colour. It took around thirty minutes to reach the location. We gathered all the information and pictures that both us and a camera could handle, and went back to the hotel as it was getting late.

We had another one of those familiar nights of camaraderie. Then the next morning Damitha drove us to Sigiriya, There was a brilliant history to the rock. The lion’s paws were the highlight of my climb to the top, it is truly remarkable how people were so advanced in a time where they didn’t have the luxuries of today. However, my friends and I were so mesmerized when we reached the top.I mean think about it, 660 foot high rock, that is a major feat to conquer at the time of King Kashyapa. The view was amazing and there were ancient fountains. How in the world they got water all the way up there, I have no idea, but what I do know is that this visit to Sri Lanka has already been one of the best ones yet for me. I can say, based on the captivated nature of my friends when we reached the top that they were having an amazing time as well. 

We came back down and went to the hotel that we were staying at called Sigiriya Village. Another beautiful accommodation, I swear the agency has done a good job of choosing wholesome places: https://absolutesrilanka.asia/accommodation/view/96. We had a great traditional rice and curry lunch, then we decided to stay in and rest up until we went to minneriya National Park early in the morning the next day. More time for wholesome card games and the feeling of being youthful again, not saying that we aren’t youthful, but you know; not old. Damitha was awake and ready to make sure we go on the right safari jeep at 6:30 am. Our group is notorious for mistakes, and being clumsy, but despite all odds the morning (7:00 am) went smoothly. We explored the national park and Scott, our bird enthusiast was hyped up for high bird population density in the area. Painted storks, Green Bee-eaters, and herds of elephants had dotted the plain with their daily routines. There were buffalos, the question is when aren’t they there, and covered in mud. There were monkeys, lots of them, and there were peacocks, which was a rarity where I’m from; Canada. The tour was an overall success after my friends saw the baby elephants, they were happy and content after that. We went back to the hotel and chilled by the pool, where we were surprised by some champagne courtesy of Absolute, which was very nice of them, but the bottle last that long. 

 We then checked out and in the evening  and went to The Gal Vihara and absorbed all the information we could about this Budhist Temple Rock. We saw statue carved into granite rocks, which I can say was one of the coolest things I have seen, amazing craftsmanship. Damitha was kind enough to tell us to watch our for the monkeys that they steal things right out of your hand. Damitha then drove us to our hotel. It took us around 3 hours, which inlcludes 1 hour 10 minutes of travelling to the  to properly explore that temple and we were exhausted so we spent the rest of the day resting and talking to each other, and having a few beers. Our flight was the next day at 1am so we wanted to spend the rest of the trip exploring the city and walking around. We bought Damitha a bottle of wine for being such a good and humble person. This was an amazing trip it was a good choice to pick Absolute Sri Lanka. They genuinely know how to show us a good time.There were some good decisions made by absolute and we couldn’t have gotten the good deals that we got if it weren’t for them so all in all it was a great trip.

By: Thomas Tremblay

After all of us, James, Scott, Darcy, Cheryl, and I, had finished getting acquainted with the bed we went for lunch. Nothing to be said there, we ate until our stomachs were completely bloated. James tried to eat crab and that was one of the best laughs that my friends and I have experienced in a while. He didn’t know how to break open the shell and get the meat, so we basically saw a “suda”, as the Sri Lankans call him, attempt to eat crab with curry dripping down his chin. James, oblivious to it all, didn’t realize that half the people were staring at him, so we put him out of his misery and let him know that it had all gone wrong. Shortly after that we went to the pool to chill. The heat was melting us and now I understand why the local men here wear sarongs and nothing else, perfect ventilation through the whole body, and the upper was exposed. I will get one of those sarongs before I leave, one for each of my friends with the same pattern. 

We had the best sleep and woke up early to go to Anuradhapura. Our driver was up and told us that there are a lot of scams, especially with people on the side of the rode who give their own prices for products. Apparently many foreigners have been ripped off. That’s all he said to watch out for before we started the journey. When it comes to prices and bargain, without a doubt, we go to Damitha. I’m making him sound like a rogue agent, but he really does know the ways of Sri Lanka.

Once we were on the road for a bit we wanted to stop by for some tea. Damitha was notified and we stopped by a street shop. We had a great cup of tea, there were children running around, and monkeys seemed to roam freely in close proximity to us. They didn’t seem to care that we were there, they just came by did their thing and left. When we got the bill we realized the low cost of Sri Lankan street food, and keep in mind that we ordered a lot of the Coconut filled pancake called Pani Pol. One thing that anyone who visits Sri Lanka must do is to eat out at a Sri Lankan street food shop. Make sure that your guide suggests the place because we heard stories about people having food poisoning because of choosing a shady place. 

We arrived at Anuradhapura. Our hotel is called Cinnamon Lodge. As Darcy says “Sri Lanka is truly the Paragon of beauty”. I must say that she was speaking for all of us, this place was amazing, and the rooms were perfect for a group of people like us. We had a great time, playing cards, games, talking, drinking tea, I mean we had genuinely interacted with each other, and put our phones aside. I think we need to keep our phones aside a lot more. Anyways, as the night went on Darcy and Cheryl needed to go to the pharmacy to restock on some of the things that they needed, thank god Damitha was there because there weren’t any taxis (tuk tuks) at that time of night. He drove them all the way to the center of the city. 

The next day Damith drove us to Ruwanwelisaya, a buddhist stupa, which from ground view was almost impossible to comprehend its colossal nature. Where many Buddhists from all around the world come to pay homage to this massive structure. It is said that Gautama Buddha’s relics reside in the stupa. A key characteristic of all stupas is that they have some sort of valuable treasure or artifact in each stupa. I don’t know what it was but that place really had something that calmed even the hyped-up of people. My Friend James was rather quiet and that was not like him. Either way the visit was a good experience.

We then went to Sri Maha Bodiya, which was around 10 minutes away from Ruwanwelisaya. My friends and I are very much engrossed in the study of history.

 We are aspiring to know the most we can about one place, absorb the information we need, and spread what we find interesting. We even asked what Damitha thought of the tree, he gave us his religious viewpoint of it, and it was very fantastical. We then went for some late lunch, the food here is so freshly made, and warm. Then after a filling meal, which Scott seemed to like a lot, we went with Damitha to our last destination for the day Mihintale. We soon realized that it was a heavy pilgrimage site, packed with Sri Lankans wearing their pearly white clothes; a very soothing colour. It took around thirty minutes to reach the location. We gathered all the information and pictures that both us and a camera could handle, and went back to the hotel as it was getting late.

We had another one of those familiar nights of camaraderie. Then the next morning Damitha drove us to Sigiriya, There was a brilliant history to the rock. The lion’s paws were the highlight of my climb to the top, it is truly remarkable how people were so advanced in a time where they didn’t have the luxuries of today.

 However, my friends and I were so mesmerized when we reached the top.I mean think about it, 660 foot high rock, that is a major feat to conquer at the time of King Kashyapa. The view was amazing and there were ancient fountains. How in the world they got water all the way up there, I have no idea, but what I do know is that this visit to Sri Lanka has already been one of the best ones yet for me. I can say, based on the captivated nature of my friends when we reached the top that they were having an amazing time as well. 

We came back down and went to the hotel that we were staying at called Sigiriya Village. Another beautiful accommodation, I swear the agency has done a good job of choosing wholesome places: https://absolutesrilanka.asia/accommodation/view/96. We had a great traditional rice and curry lunch, then we decided to stay in and rest up until we went to minneriya National Park early in the morning the next day. More time for wholesome card games and the feeling of being youthful again, not saying that we aren’t youthful, but you know; not old. Damitha was awake and ready to make sure we go on the right safari jeep at 6:30 am. Our group is notorious for mistakes, and being clumsy, but despite all odds the morning (7:00 am) went smoothly. We explored the national park and Scott, our bird enthusiast was hyped up for high bird population density in the area. Painted storks, Green Bee-eaters, and herds of elephants had dotted the plain with their daily routines. There were buffalos, the question is when aren’t they there, and covered in mud. There were monkeys, lots of them, and there were peacocks, which was a rarity where I’m from; Canada. The tour was an overall success after my friends saw the baby elephants, they were happy and content after that. We went back to the hotel and chilled by the pool, where we were surprised by some champagne courtesy of Absolute, which was very nice of them, but the bottle last that long. 

 We then checked out and in the evening  and went to The Gal Vihara and absorbed all the information we could about this Budhist Temple Rock. We saw statue carved into granite rocks, which I can say was one of the coolest things I have seen, amazing craftsmanship. Damitha was kind enough to tell us to watch out for the monkeys that they steal things right out of your hand. Damitha then drove us to our hotel. It took us around 3 hours, which inlcludes 1 hour 10 minutes of travelling to the  to properly explore that temple and we were exhausted so we spent the rest of the day resting and talking to each other, and having a few beers. Our flight was the next day at 1am so we wanted to spend the rest of the trip exploring the city and walking around. We bought Damitha a bottle of wine for being such a good and humble person. This was an amazing trip it was a good choice to pick Absolute Sri Lanka. They genuinely know how to show us a good time.There were some good decisions made by absolute and we couldn’t have gotten the good deals that we got if it weren’t for them so all in all it was a great trip.

By: Thomas Tremblay