Last year after the rush of the start of the year, several of my colleagues jetted off for short beach trips to remedy a hectic start to the year. I had just started and didn't have vacation days or an exit permit to let me out of the country ( that came several months later after the end of my probationary period) so needless to say, I didn't go.
So over the summer I dreamed of my own beach vacation this year. After enduring the stresses of trainings for both professional and paraprofessional staff and running orientation (along with a team of great professionals), the time came to make my own beach vacation.: Sri Lanka.
Dalia and I came to Doha about the same time last year and our schedules didn't slow a lot of travel together in our first year. However a short weekend in Sri Lanka was the perfect trip for two girls who needed a little get away.
We jumped on a plane after work on Wednesday and by Thursday morning we arrived in Colombo. My colleague Gaffoor, who is originally from Sri Lanka, set us up with his nephew, who happened to double as a local driver. That's all we needed. With a beautiful county and a personal driver, we were off to see the elephant orphanage north of Colombo in Pinnwala. The ride was just over 100 kilometers, but the trip took over three hours (with very little traffic). We watched the sun rise over the lush green forest and saw cows wondering along the side of the road and hillsides. I have to admit, rural countryside is my weakness. I love it.
We stopped for a quick halal breakfast on the way. This consisted of a morning cup of joe and some yummy pastries (that my family would call "pigs in a blanket" but would most certainly be named something else at the halal restaurant).
We arrived early at the elephant orphanage just in time to witness wedding photos taken of a traditional ceremony.
The wedding fashion was certainly beautiful and we watched the picture taking adventure which was very similar to our American custom. The children were especially beautiful and just like kids, were fiddling and inching at rough steams in their beautiful dresses.
The elephants were indeed well worth the drive and adventure. Massive animals that seemed quite content to eat their morning breakfasts together. The orphanage is home to over 80 elephants, from 75 years old to recently birthed and still nursing. It was an awesome site and we sat and enjoyed watching them with their morning routine. Eat. Bathe. Eat. Walk. Eat. You get the idea.
The highlights of the trip were feeding elephants and getting to pet them. Their skin is prinkly with individual hairs that stood up like thousands of little Antenanas on their back. It was a thrill to touch the baby while it nursed with its mother. This was one of those moments that was very cool. For those that don't know, elephants are wild animals, so it was amazing that we were able to walk right up next to this mother and child combo. Just like humans, mothers are very protective of their little ones, so I felt very lucky (and a little scared) for this experience!
Although there was a giant warning sign, the orphanage staff promised us that it was safe to feed them.
So, we stopped by the fruit station where we hand fed the elephant watermellons and banans right onto their tongue with their trunks raised high above our heads. Even without teeth, these massive animals were daunting and could have certainly used their trunk with over 40.000 muscles to do some damage to me. Instead, they just wanted watermelons.
After a few hours with the elephants ( which I enjoyed tremendously!), we headed to Galle where we stayed in a perfect hideaway on the beach. After 13 hours on the road, we arrived at our prebooked oasis. The place was outstanding and overed both serenity from and connection to the world. And for the next day and half we swam, napped, and sat and enjoyed the beauty.
Katie received her oh-so-famous yearly sunburn ( they called me tandoori chicken when I arrived back to the office) and dailia completed her homework for her doctorate. I can't believe that just over a year ago, I was dragging dissertation articles around the world with me too. I hope my words were somewhat encouraging when I said, it will be over soon. Just keep plugging away at it.
The trip albeit short, was a much needed break away from the hectic work environment and helped me remember the beauty of the world and it's people. The Sri lankan people are soft spoken, kind, generous, orderly and warm. It is certainly a place I will visit again...I just hope that it isn't too long before I get there! :)
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