My day was pretty good today. Erandi and I bussed into Colombo to begin our day at Gangaramaya Temple, which is very famous. First, however, we were dropped off at this beautiful lake in the middle of the city! It was here we saw Seema Malakaya, a Buddhist temple on an island in the lake! We could also see the Colombo skyline from all points at the lake.
The temple area boasted many beautiful statues of Buddha and had a Bodhi tree. This is the tree where Buddha received enlightenment. Erandi explained to me that throughout life we go through suffering. When we die, we are reincarnated and experience suffering. To escape the path of suffering we must give up worldly goods and possessions. Once this is done, you can achieve enlightenment, which stops the cycle of reincarnation, and therefore the cycle of suffering. This is what I understand to be true, I may have missed something though. Anyways, since Buddha achieved enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, they are now present at most temples. Foreigners had to give a 125Rs donation. One thing I don't like is that since I am a foreigner I am subject to higher prices and can't even negotiate that because I am obviously not Sri Lankan. Erandi is Sri Lankan (but lives in the USA) and since she can speak Sinhalese, gets the cheap 'resident' price.
Next we went to the children's park, which is also on an island in the lake. Turns out it is not a children's park but just a space filled with couples! They were all smooching and happy. There were also paddle boat rides in swan-paddle boats. We didn't stay on this island for a long time.
It was at this time that Erandi's aunt came to meet us. She took us to Gangaramaya Temple, which was close by. It was tucked away in a residential area but was very alive with what appeared to be a Sunday School class (or 2... or 3...). Inside the temple there were many images of Buddha and also historical items, such as jewelry and the belongings of past royalty. Outside, I saw the spot where the famous pictures of the temple are taken. It is like steps going up and on each step are several statues of Buddha in various positions. It was incredible! Erandi and her aunt made some offerings of flowers around the temple so I wandered around and saw the resident elephant. It was cool to see one up close but sad to see it held in place by chains. It was eating so I couldn't tell how much it could wander about in its enclosed area. There was a large stupa in the middle of the temple area with more images of Buddha and places to offer flowers, money, or other things. There were many oil lamps burning as well as a lot of incense. I would have liked to see it more as the holy place it is, rather than with all the kids running around. But it was still a good time.
We then went out for lunch to get hot dogs. I was so excited. I had been craving a hot dog with mustard, ketchup, and relish for so long. When we got it, I was surprised to see it was a hot dog in a bun covered in curry. What was I expecting? I'm in Sri Lanka. While I was disappointed, I still enjoyed it.
Next we went to Union Place and saw some of the fancy hotels that line the ocean. Unfortunately the water was too rough to go into (strike 2!) but we walked up the promenade which was surrounded by food stalls. Apparently this area comes alive at night with even more food stalls. Also, there was a nice green space where people were flying kites. We had some ice cream and moved on to see the lighthouse. It was so lame it doesn't even get a write up. I thought I'd get to climb up or walk about it and see what the inside looks like but no. So we stopped briefly for a couple pictures.
Erandi's aunt then took us to the bus stop and dropped us off. We took a bus to Dehiwala to see the zoo, which was fantastic! From our stop we took a tuk tuk to the zoo and payed the steep 2000Rs entrance fee. Erandi payed 100Rs because she is Sri Lankan. She was very nice to split the cost of my 2000Rs fee, and gave me 1000Rs. It was super nice. The zoo covered many acres and boasts so many different types of fish, birds, and monkeys! We saw rhinos, hippos, giraffes, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, elephants, as well as different African and Asian animals like the Guanaco (pictured below) and the Mongolian Wild Horse. There were many mawcaws, cockatoos, hornbilled birds, as well as chimps, baboons, monkeys, and even crocodiles. There were also many different types of snakes, like an anaconda that was as thick as a tire. It was crazy huge! It was at this point that my camera died so I will have to steal some of Erandi's photos later. We were there for about 2 hours and then took a tuk tuk back to the main road and a bus home.
We both went to our separate rooms and had a nap. We were so exhausted from the walking, heat, and travel. I have a bad headache, presumably from being out in the sun. However, I had a really good day. Erandi's aunt brought us 'take away meals' to bring with us incase we got hungry later and also some flavored milk. It was like capri sun, or kool-aid-jammers but it was milk in a pouch! It was so refreshing and kind of her to not only bring us food and drink but to drive us around Colombo.
I'm now getting ready for dinner, will shower, and then Skype with my family. Hopefully our Skype works today, as it hasn't really been recently. Tomorrow begins my second week of work, and perhaps planning next weekend's adventure!
The temple area boasted many beautiful statues of Buddha and had a Bodhi tree. This is the tree where Buddha received enlightenment. Erandi explained to me that throughout life we go through suffering. When we die, we are reincarnated and experience suffering. To escape the path of suffering we must give up worldly goods and possessions. Once this is done, you can achieve enlightenment, which stops the cycle of reincarnation, and therefore the cycle of suffering. This is what I understand to be true, I may have missed something though. Anyways, since Buddha achieved enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, they are now present at most temples. Foreigners had to give a 125Rs donation. One thing I don't like is that since I am a foreigner I am subject to higher prices and can't even negotiate that because I am obviously not Sri Lankan. Erandi is Sri Lankan (but lives in the USA) and since she can speak Sinhalese, gets the cheap 'resident' price.
Next we went to the children's park, which is also on an island in the lake. Turns out it is not a children's park but just a space filled with couples! They were all smooching and happy. There were also paddle boat rides in swan-paddle boats. We didn't stay on this island for a long time.
It was at this time that Erandi's aunt came to meet us. She took us to Gangaramaya Temple, which was close by. It was tucked away in a residential area but was very alive with what appeared to be a Sunday School class (or 2... or 3...). Inside the temple there were many images of Buddha and also historical items, such as jewelry and the belongings of past royalty. Outside, I saw the spot where the famous pictures of the temple are taken. It is like steps going up and on each step are several statues of Buddha in various positions. It was incredible! Erandi and her aunt made some offerings of flowers around the temple so I wandered around and saw the resident elephant. It was cool to see one up close but sad to see it held in place by chains. It was eating so I couldn't tell how much it could wander about in its enclosed area. There was a large stupa in the middle of the temple area with more images of Buddha and places to offer flowers, money, or other things. There were many oil lamps burning as well as a lot of incense. I would have liked to see it more as the holy place it is, rather than with all the kids running around. But it was still a good time.
We then went out for lunch to get hot dogs. I was so excited. I had been craving a hot dog with mustard, ketchup, and relish for so long. When we got it, I was surprised to see it was a hot dog in a bun covered in curry. What was I expecting? I'm in Sri Lanka. While I was disappointed, I still enjoyed it.
Next we went to Union Place and saw some of the fancy hotels that line the ocean. Unfortunately the water was too rough to go into (strike 2!) but we walked up the promenade which was surrounded by food stalls. Apparently this area comes alive at night with even more food stalls. Also, there was a nice green space where people were flying kites. We had some ice cream and moved on to see the lighthouse. It was so lame it doesn't even get a write up. I thought I'd get to climb up or walk about it and see what the inside looks like but no. So we stopped briefly for a couple pictures.
Erandi's aunt then took us to the bus stop and dropped us off. We took a bus to Dehiwala to see the zoo, which was fantastic! From our stop we took a tuk tuk to the zoo and payed the steep 2000Rs entrance fee. Erandi payed 100Rs because she is Sri Lankan. She was very nice to split the cost of my 2000Rs fee, and gave me 1000Rs. It was super nice. The zoo covered many acres and boasts so many different types of fish, birds, and monkeys! We saw rhinos, hippos, giraffes, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, elephants, as well as different African and Asian animals like the Guanaco (pictured below) and the Mongolian Wild Horse. There were many mawcaws, cockatoos, hornbilled birds, as well as chimps, baboons, monkeys, and even crocodiles. There were also many different types of snakes, like an anaconda that was as thick as a tire. It was crazy huge! It was at this point that my camera died so I will have to steal some of Erandi's photos later. We were there for about 2 hours and then took a tuk tuk back to the main road and a bus home.
We both went to our separate rooms and had a nap. We were so exhausted from the walking, heat, and travel. I have a bad headache, presumably from being out in the sun. However, I had a really good day. Erandi's aunt brought us 'take away meals' to bring with us incase we got hungry later and also some flavored milk. It was like capri sun, or kool-aid-jammers but it was milk in a pouch! It was so refreshing and kind of her to not only bring us food and drink but to drive us around Colombo.
I'm now getting ready for dinner, will shower, and then Skype with my family. Hopefully our Skype works today, as it hasn't really been recently. Tomorrow begins my second week of work, and perhaps planning next weekend's adventure!
Sounds like a fun, busy day!!
ReplyDeleteLyndsay
You take great pictures.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am almost there.
Paps