Tuesday 24th April 2012 - Colombo, Sri Lanka

Oh wonderful Sri Lanka! You are just what I needed! I got up this morning at 3.45am to go to the airport for my 7am flight to Sri Lanka. Again, at Bangkok airport i saw something else that reminded me of Hugh. Damn Hugh!! Lol!! Auntie Anne's. It was the place Hugh and I ate when we were leaving Thailand to come home last year. I decided to eat there and reminisce. I remember we were so hungry and scraped through the remainder of our Thai Baht to buy this amazing bacon, egg and cheese Pretzel. I enjoyed it so much that Hugh had bought a second one on his card for me but greedy lugs me couldn't finish it and ended up giving most of it to Hugh. I remember we laughed a lot during our time eating there despite being ridiculously tired as it was an early morning flight and I took a photo of Hugh shovelling his pretzel into his mouth.  Any-hooo, the flight was 3 and a half hours but was so good because there was maybe only 40 of us on a massive plane - basically everyone had 3 seats to themselves and sprawled all the way across them and slept - including me. I got to Sri Lanka and exited the plane and saw free internet. I thought that it would be a smart idea to email the meditation centre to say that I was finally going there but explained to them that I needed to speak with them first about meditation and techniques and that I would hold off coming there until they replied to me with a date and time for me to do this.  Once through customs and immigration, I went to try and change up my money. However, scatty me couldn't find my leftover Malaysian ringgit anywhere! The guys at the bureau de change just looked and laughed as all my stuff was being pulled out of my bags. Eventually I walked over to a bench and took the things out of my bag one by one trying to work out where the hell I had put everything. I had quite a few people standing around looking at me oddly as I giggled to myself about being such a peanut.  Eventually a tall guy came over and asked me what exactly I was looking for. I laughed and told him I was looking for my money. He asked where I was going and I told him that I was heading towards the mediation centre but wanted to stay somewhere near by until I heard back from Upul (my contact at the centre). He introduced himself, his name was Shana, and told me to go over to his counter when I was done and he would sort something out for me. I finally found my money after maybe 20minutes in a plastic wallet at the bottom of my rucksack that I had forgotten all about.  I walked towards the money counter again as the guys behind the desk jested with me for taking so long. They were young guys and really pleasant. They all spoke english too. I changed up my leftover Thai baht and malaysian ringgit, and then headed towards Shana's counter.  He suggested that possibly the cheapest and most convenient thing for me to do right now, rather than catching a taxi straight to the area around the meditation centre (costing me around $140), was to head towards Colombo, stay there until I heard from Upul and then catch the train or bus from there to the centre. It was actually a really good idea as it would allow me to buy stocks to take to the centre. For one, most people wear white to meditate at this place and I didn't have any white clothing with me, and two, they only feed you twice in the day (once at 5am and the next time at 12pm) so I wanted to get some snacks to take with me just in case.  He asked me what my budget was so I explained honestly that I had been paying around £5 or less for the past 5days and would ideally like something around that price so long as it didn't have bedbugs. Did I say that I have actually got scars on my arm from the damn bedbugs at R.A House in Krabi?! Anyway he told me accommodation that cheap was very rare here and seeing as I insisted on having Internet to check for updates from Upul, this probably wouldn't be possible. He seemed nice though and seemed to sympathise with the fact that the accommodation here was a lot more than I had experienced elsewhere.  After racking his brain a bit he came up with one place that would cost me around £10 per night but would mean sharing a bathroom. He called them to make sure they had vacancy. It wasn't a great deal but I didn't really have any other options right now so agreed reluctantly and figured I could do some research for somewhere else once I get there.  Shana started walking me to the taxi - the whole time it was like he was trying to work something out in his head. He would start to ask me a question but would then stop mid way through. Then, just as he was putting me in the taxi, he asked me if I would mind staying in a house. I excitedly said No, not at all. I had been speaking to Mihai previously and he told me how he always just turns up in countries and speaks to the locals to find people that will let him stay with them for an agreed rate. He told me of an amazing experience he had in Sri Lanka when a family invited him to stay with them and got him involved in a festival that was happening while he was there. I mean what better way could there be to really experience a culture than by staying with the local people. When Mihai had told me about that experience I had really hoped for the same thing but had no idea how I would go about it - I wouldn't have the guts to just walk up to people and ask them if they knew anyone I could stay with, so imagine my joy when this guy asked me if I would stay in a house. When I said yes he put me into the cab, said something to the driver and off I went. I had no idea whose house I was going to or what it would be like, or even where it was. I felt like it really was a massive blessing though given how bad I had been feeling recently - the idea of being a part of a homely atmosphere was just what I needed. But then the cab driver turned around and asked me where he was taking me....I was so confused and asked him if the man that put me in the cab had given him an address. He said no. There was nothing I could do so I just asked him to take me to Colombo and I would find accommodation when i got there. I started searching my bags and pockets to see if Shana had given me a contact number or something, but no. So I sat there and just thought, ah well. But then after maybe 10minutes the driver's phone rang. He spoke in Sinhala so I don't know who he was speaking to or what they spoke about, he didn't tell me either, but I hoped that maybe it had been Shana telling him where to take me.  Then after maybe another 20minutes the phone rang again and the driver handed the phone to me. It was Shana saying that I could use the Internet when I reached my destination and that I just needed to ask. I was like "thank you so much. Where am i going?!" He said something i didn't understand and then he was gone. I still had no idea where i was going but was happy again! Things were falling into place and Shana had come through.  Not only did he come through, he absolutely smashed it!!! The driver finally pulled up outside these big wooden gates that led to a bloody mansion!!! The driver looked at me and smiled as I wowed! I asked whose house it was and he told me "Shana's". An older looking version of Shana opened the gate with a big smile on his face - I figured it was his dad. We drove into the gates, I got out and said hi with a massive smile on my face and then a warm quiet lady with a soft smile on her face came downstairs and welcomed me. It was Shana's parents, they lived here and so did Sharna's cute little grandma. I was overjoyed! The house was massive and I had my own room. The room was basic with nothing but a bed, a ceiling fan, and an iron (an iron is another luxury i havent seen since travelling). I gave Shana's mum a kiss on her cheek and thanked her for letting me stay there. I sat on my bed smiling and thinking that God was really looking out for me. I'm really not a religious person but given that this was the path I came here to explore I feel that this was just the start of the great things to come. Shana's mum offered me tea. When she brought it into me i told her that it was so nice to be here with her family because I had been missing mine so much recently. She put her arm around me rubbing my shoulder and said that it was nice to have me here like her daughter. I loved her already! The tea was amazing too - so rich, creamy and sweet. I later read in my guidebook on Sri Lanka (thanks Mrs Rezel :-* ) that tea is massive here and probably the most exported item. This was since the British came to Sri Lanka in the 1800s and started tea plantations. Shana was not at the house as he was working still but his mum and nan made me food - I offered to help but they wouldn't hear of it. They made me rice, some green vegetable curry type dish, and a herby type dish with grated coconut. I had no idea what any of it was but I ate it all and it was delicious. I have already learnt that a clean dish means that you have not eaten enough apparently because when Shana's mum saw that I had finished she put more food on my plate!! I was actually stuffed. Then Shana's mum had to go out so it was just me and her mum in the house - her mum then brought me out chocolate ice cream. I loved this homely feeling of being cared for but damn, they are feeders!! Hahaha! Shana's nan looked amazing!! She was 80years old and as fit as a fiddle. She had the skin of a 50year old and had a beautiful smile - she in no way looked old enough to be Shana's mum's mum.  I really wanted to sit with the nan but we spoke for a while and she seemed happy to go about tottering around without me so I went back to my room and started reading. Then about half an hour later I went to the toilet and when I went back into my room there was another cup of tea, three slices of chocolate cake and some salted crackers waiting for me. I feel so content and blessed. I sat in my room all day reading my guidebook on Sri Lanka trying to fit in as much knowledge as possible until I was beckoned again. I followed Shana's mum who directed me to the dining table where there was another feast waiting for me. This was way too much!! So far on my trip I had been eating a small breakfast and dinner, that was it. I sat down completely overwhelmed. There were five different dishes. Dahl, fried fish and other things accompanied by rice. I really wasnt hungry but didn't want to be rude so I ate a small amount of everything and stood up to clear my plate. Shanas mum was so concerned that I only ate a small amount - I think she got the impression that I didn't like it although it was amazing.  I went to bed stuffed to the brim.