It is currently pouring down rain with gusto, and the street outside of this small internet nook has become a lake. In the spirit of monsoon my travel buddy and I have purchased one large rainbow umbrella each. They are brand Penguin ("Sheltering the nation!"), and we are calling them our Wayfaring Staffs.
Thus far Sri Lanka has been the perfect combination of interesting, ridiculous, awkward, and adventurous. This country alternates between monsoon rain and overexposed tropical sunlight, the people here are almost unbelievably friendly, and my fingernails are perpetually curried from eating with my hands. I have found myself lost at random train stops in the hills as the night came out with giant fruit bats (like crows gone wrong) and curious men chewing leaves asked me, "What island are you from?" I have watched the lightning in the sky reflected in lightning bug butts while sipping tea on jungle evenings. I met the governor of a Western province after an elaborate alms-giving ceremony, and then found myself at a temple in the misty hills that was in fact a rehab center for recovering drug addicts run by an awesome and inspiring monk with a fluffy dog named Bhintu. I walked through the leafy earthy smell and whirring machinery of "number one" tea factory in Sri Lanka, and waved to small women in uniform sweeping tea leaves into large plastic bins. I have had several interesting conversations with monks and laypeople alike about what it means to love someone when all of existence is slippery and impermanent. And now I am in Colombo, with an awesome umbrella.
So it's been just under a week, but these six days in Ceylon have proven to me (yet again) that a) the universe is beautiful, and b) if you walk into an experience with open arms and no expectations ridiculous things are bound to happen. According to my guide book, the word "serendipity" shares etymological roots with the word "Sri Lanka." I like that.
Now it is time to puddle-wade.
No comments:
Post a Comment