Rhinos and Tigers and Bears, Oh My

Despite the title, I didn't see a tiger or a bear. I did, however, see a one-horned rhino. We were on elephants and he was just sitting in a pond while it rained. Since it was raining, that photo isn't going to be very good (just a warning). Also, in case you are wondering, elephants are not comfortable transportation. And they are prickly.

Yep, it rained our first day in Chitwan, but it was sunny the second. Oh course, we saw a lot more in the rain than on the sunny day. We saw that rhino. We saw rhesus monkeys (which you can see at the temples, but it nice to see them in their natural habitat) and we saw a spotted deer run away (oh wait, that was on the dry day).

The resort, I use that term loosely, was very nice. It is funny how everyone hangs out separately. Sabine and I befriended an Australian/Nepalese couple and when they left everyone in the hotel wondered why our group was splitting up. It was hard to convince them that we actually just met at the resort and we had different travel plans.

And now Sabine and I have parted also. She is in Pokhara about to start an 8-day trek, and I'm back in Kathmandu ready to get back to my freelance job. Plus, various stars are aligning and I have many people here that I need to meet. Weird, huh.

Is it wrong that after four days of Nepalese food I want pizza?

The Road to Patan -- Where is it?

I was supposed to start my little free-lance job yesterday, but the boss was sick. This gave me another day to hang out with my new friend, Sabine, and enjoy some more Kathmandu area sightseeing.

We decided to walk to Patan, the town just south of Kathmandu. This was supposed to be easy and we are both completely capable of reading a map. Of course, it helps when the map is correct, which ours was not. So we spend a few hours wandering the streets of southern Kathmandu. We happened upon a funeral -- always a nice highlight of your day.

Patan seems to be a bit wealthier than Kathmandu and the office location for every NGO present in the country. The roads are in better shape and there is less traffic. Although, what traffic does exist is mostly giant SUVs.

We went to Patan to experience its old town and Durbur Square. Again, Durbur Square is where the king used to live -- at one point there were three palaces with three kings ruling the Kathmandu Valley (the three kings were brothers and were constantly fighting for power). Patan's Durbur Square is much more compact than Kathmandu's, but it seems to have more architectural details.

No one asked us for tickets to the square, so we didn't pay. Is that wrong?

We then went on the Patan Walking Tour, which is self-guided. This takes you around the old city. We found the Golden Temple (a UNESCO sight) where I was finally able to convince a ticket booth that I should be charged the SAARC price since I have resident visa for Sri Lanka. That saved me a whole $.75.

Since we had such a time finding the back roads to Patan, we took the main bridge back to Kathmandu. After a couple of wrong turns, which can also be blamed on the map, we randomly found the office for the resort I wanted to stay at in Chitwan. Sabine, good sport that she is, agreed to follow me to this National Park during monsoon and thus leech season, which means I don't have to pay 50% more for being single. After Chitwan we are parting ways as she is making her way to Pokhara for trekking and I'm coming back to Kathmandu for my free-lance gig. I could go to Pokhara for trekking, if I could afford it, so this decision is not based on my working rather than playing while in Nepal.

Anyway, we booked our trip to Chitwan for Wednesday! Yeah. One-horned rhino here I come. The naturalist that booked us also said there have been many sloth bear sightings! Finally, I'll get to see a wild sloth bear. There is also a remote possibility of seeing a river dolphin -- they are blind in Nepal and find their food via sonar (weird wildlife fact that you will remember for the rest of your life).

This means I won't be writing again until next week. Hope you all have a lovely time while I'm enjoying the wilds of Nepal.

Monsoon Rains

Today Sabine and I ventured out to the Monkey Temple just outside of Kathmandu. We thought we'd head over and see the National Museum and then go to the temple in order to be there for the daily puja.

The National Museum was an interesting mix of Hindu and Buddhist art and then an odd selection of plastic dolls from around the world and taxidermy animals from Nepal plus two whale bones and two emu eggs (why, I can't say). The dolls were definitely the weirdest bit. The one they had from the U.S. included a doll that looked like it was wearing a Korean dress. I'd thought they'd have had a Barbie for the States, but no. The U.S.S.R. dolls did not include any from Central Asia or the Caucuses (yes, they were still labeled U.S.S.R.). Sabine did not recognize the traditional clothes worn by most of the German dolls.

Then, just as gray clouds were beginning to form, we headed over to the temple. Basically my entire time in Nepal has had gray skies, so I wasn't too worried, but I should have been. We climbed the many stairs to the top and turned around to look at our view -- which was a giant wall of water about to pour on our heads.

We took cover and when it was clear this was not a short rain shower, we headed over to a cafe for soup and tea to warm up.

Luckily, by the time we were done with lunch, the clouds parted and we were able to see why the temple is nicknamed after monkeys. The monkeys hang out in the temple and eat the offerings. They seemed like rather nice monkeys -- no one was attacked while we were there. They were quite content to just eat the bits of rice and flowers left before the Buddhas.

On the walk home we got a bit lost as we went a different route. But all roads lead to Thamel (the backpacker area) so we were never in any real danger of getting lost.

Tonight I had pizza for dinner and basically broke my budget. Serves me right for having Western food.

Impressions of Kathmandu

So now I've had a full two days to wander the streets of Kathmandu and I have to say, I'm totally bewitched. I can see why people get stuck here for long periods of time, it is really lovely and there seem to be several coffee houses with press coffee!

My first impressions? Well, for one, people don't bother you too much. Yes, you get a lot of people saying hello and in the tourist areas they are generally trying to sell you something, but I'd much rather people bother me to sell me something than to be rude (which was, sadly, the case most of the time in Sri Lanka, and by rude I mean sexually harrassed).

For photography there are all these beautiful architectural details to be snapped. Children run up to you asking, "One photo please," generally demanding several (and you have to be careful because they like to grab at the camera). In a twist, the older women do not like having their photos taken. So for Sri Lanka I have a ton of old ladies and no children (kids were very shy in front of the camera) and in Nepal I'll have many photos of children, but no old ladies.

Yesterday I just sort of wandered around and tried to get lost (but not too lost). Last night I was very daring and went up to the people sitting at the computers at the hotel and asked if anyone was interested in having dinner with me. One German girl, Sabeina, said yes and now I have a companion. Today we did the two walking tours listed in Lonely Planet. With another person you definitely do not get bothered as much as when you are alone.

I'm eating really well now that I have cash and a plethora of food options. There seem to be so many different types of food represented here and it isn't too expensive (though I admit it is a bit more than I had anticipated, but that is definitely because I'm hanging out in tourist areas). Nepali food seems to be loosly based on Indian food with a bit more potato.

I found my roadblock delay in the paper. Apparently three people were killed by a police truck. The families were insisting on declaring the people as matyrs, 5 million rupees and punishment for the guilty. Agitators vandalized two vehicles for defying the strike over the three days.

But my bus chose to just sit there, so I wasn't really in any danger. The conflict here is very similar to Sri Lanka in that the opposing sides have both said they are not interested in involving tourists. So don't worry about me. Plus, I'm staying out of the areas that are heavily patroled by Maoists, but that is really in the hopes of keeping my camera and not in concern for my safety (apparently the Maoists will often insist on tourists paying and fine and even taking their camera equipment, but they provide a receipt for the theft!).

Before I forget, I promised details on my rickshaw accident in Delhi. I was traveling out to Noida to leave my excess luggage with a friend of a friend. I had actually just gotten into the rickshaw when a car suddenly stopped up ahead, another car ran into it and then we ran into that car. My rickshaw driver, always the gentleman, managed to swerve so that I actually ran into the car (rather than risk a head-on collision). My bag was on that side and I like to think my now destroyed coffee mug (goodbye Cafe' Wren, you served me well!) saved my rather more expensive computer and hard drive. And this bag o'stuff saved me from serious injury. I was a little sore afterwards, but not too bad. Definitely not as beaten up as I was after my tuk accident in Sri Lanka.

In Delhi I decided I could walk from my hotel to my bank to get cash. I headed out and of course, went the wrong way. But I welcome these wrong turns because they always lead to something interesting. This is the time of year when devout Hindus visit the Ganges to collect water to take back to their home temples. They can drive to the Ganges, but they have to walk back and the water cannot touch the ground. So they carry these rather elaborate wooden structures decked out in crape paper and streamers. I happened upon the market where one goes to buy a water carrying structure and where they also sell many other religious items for the pilgrims. See, I wouldn't have seen that without the wrong turn.

After I figured out I was walking the wrong way I noticed there were hundreds of hawks in the sky and I wondered why. Turns out, there was a little garbage dump there on the side of the road, of which I quickly crossed to the other side to avoid the rats (which is why the hawks were there).

So that was Delhi. I'll be back in a month for it to redeem itself. Honestly, I actually like Delhi, but I'm not a huge fan of the travel agency I used to buy my bus ticket to Kathmandu!

I, Jessica Leas, hereby swear to always listen to travel advice...

Everyone told me, don't go by land. I thought they were all wussies. I mean it is around $200 to fly one way to Kathmandu and $50 to take the bus. No contest.

Well, first my travel agent totally ripped me off (and how sad for them that I am actually returning to Delhi and will definitely be in to see them). The bus is actually only $25. I was told the bus was 'delux' and there would be many other foreigners (important for me because I'm alone and it would have been nice to connect with people prior to arriving to tag along with), etc. The bus, shall we say was less than my definition of 'delux' (no rear shocks, no AC, most of the seats were broken, etc.) and I was the only foreigner. Oh, and the only one stupid enough to pay $50 for the fare.

But I was willing to allow all that to pass because I really wanted to get to Nepal. I didn't want to loose another day by going immediately back to the travel agent to get a refund and then finding another bus company. I did actually call the travel agent to complain and they have said they will refund my money when I return.

I should have listened to everyone and my gut and not gotten on that bus! It was supposed to take 18 hours to the Nepal border and then 6 more to Kathmandu. We left four hours late and then our drivers apeared to be lost for a good three hours somewhere in the middle. We got to the border 28 hours after we departed. I got my newly overpriced visa (Nepal just raised their prices and they didn't tell their consulate in Sri Lanka) re-boarded the bus and waited for my fellow passengers to eat dinner. It was late so all the money changing places were closed. Hey Rach, is this sounding familiar?

Then we sat there all night. In the morning we moved about 5 km. And we sat some more. Finally I was told that five people were killed up ahead and they aren't letting anyone by.

We sat there for three days!

The story, as well as I can pieced it together (no one spoke English very well on my bus) is that three (notice the number reduced) people were killed by passing traffic and the village was holding the highway hostage until they received money from the government. Apparently these negotiations took three days. I was told we couldn't go forward because they would set the bus on fire. I was also told this happened all the time on this route to Kathmandu.

And apparently we couldn't go back because the rich foreigner, who had already paid twice as much as everyone else, was not willing to pay for the petrol for the entire bus to go a different route. That is right, they wanted me to pay for the extra petrol. They said they asked everyone, but when I refused to pay another cent, it was clear I was the only one asked and the others were not willing to split the bill. Well that and the fact that they wanted 500 Indian rupees each, which is more than $10 (like I don't know how much petrol would cost for a 100 km detour).

So we sat.

I was actually routinely verbally abused by the bus operators for my lack of financial sponsorship. So I totally broke down on the morning of day three and started yelling and screaming (and yes, crying) that we needed to move the bus. Remember, I was hot and dirty and tired (this is day four of sitting on a bus) and I hadn't been eating. I didn't have any Nepali money. So I mentioned this, "how do you expect me to pay for petrol when I can't even afford to eat." I was just hoping this out burst would shut them up, but it made some of the other passengers feel bad for me and they kept buying me food, which was actually very nice (I gave them dollars to pay them back and I did have to beg them to take the money).

Anyway, after 108 hours of sitting on the bus, I have arrived in Kathmandu. Yeah!

I'll have to tell you about my rickshaw accident in Delhi another time. Now I need to find coffee (I changed some money).

Five hours and twenty minutes, and counting...

I leave for the airport in a little more than an hour. I'm sort of packed. I have to readjust because my backpack isn't fitting inside my duffel very well. Basically I have three pieces of luggage, but only enough stuff for one, so I'm trying to fit everything inside one bag. It will work, but not with everything packed inside the backpack.

I'm sure you care about my packing issues.

I spent the morning trying to put everything that has been left in the house in one room. I failed. There is a cabinet upstairs that I'm just unwilling to empty out. I'm sure that will be o.k. Everything else in in the living room and dining room. I really do not envy the person that has to move everything.

So tonight I'll be in Delhi. Yeah!

Love Letter to Sri Lanka

I know I've been fairly negative on this blog and Sri Lanka has beaten me pretty good, but I am actually going to be sad to leave. Every place has its redeeming qualities and Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with an interesting history and seriously incredible biodiversity (and, I might add, a fairly reliable electricity system -- unlike some Siberian towns). So, while I'm excited about my future travels and all, I am going to miss this place.

And, I might add, that although I have taken some space to complain about my trials and tribulations at work, I do really like my coworkers. They are very nice people and they have actually warmed to me over the year that I've been here. But the environment program is being left in very capable hands and it really is time that they were set free of foreign oversight, so I'm happy to be moving on in the hopes that they will also move on to bigger and brighter things.

And we all know that I can be a bit of an overzealous watch-dog, so it might be better for this non-environmentally focused organization to not have to answer to such strict ideas of sustainability.

What brought on this bought of nostalgia? Sewalanka threw a little going away party for me today. It was very sweet. Since the party several people have come up to me to say they are sad to see me go. It is funny because I've spent the year feeling very frustrated because I didn't believe I was making an impact, but of course once the decision to leave is reached, the impact begins to show its silly head. Oh well. I could have anticipated this -- it happened in Kazakhstan too.

That isn't to say I'm not happy to go to. I've learned a lot about myself here and frankly, I allow myself to take on too much stress when I'm living abroad. In the States I don't really worry about my overall "impact" on an organization. I think I just believe I have an "impact" on any organization I work at when I'm home. But abroad it is an obsession and I never seem to be satisfied. So for the foreseeable future I'm just going to stay in the States -- if only so my eczema can clear up.

Twitterlicious

You may have noticed that the "Quote of the Day" feature has changed (if you haven't, it was in the box to the right). Here is the deal, I'm going to be traveling soon and I'll be paying for each minute of internet use. Thus, I've decided these extraneous features on my blog are no longer necessary. Instead, I will be using twitter to provide minute-by-minute updates of my adventures.

I actually signed up for Twitter last year and then never used it. I signed up so that while I was away from Colombo I could still provide updates via cell phone. But my cell phone didn't work with Twitter.

There is no guarantee that my service will allow this in India and Nepal, but I am going into this with a positive attitude.

So the hope here is once I purchase a phone (yes, I know, no lectures) I'll be able to update without ever finding an internet cafe. Pretty snazzy eh?

Further Adventures at the Sri Lankan Post Office

I'm telling you, they could do an entire sitcom at the Sri Lankan Post Office. I mean the talent fees would be incredible, what with the very large ensemble cast, but it would be freakin' hilarious.

Scene 1: Very tired and soaking wet foreigner arrives at the dingy post office exactly 30 minutes after it should open. No one is around except one guy by the door to make sure there is no bomb in her packages and a few people who should be considered extras, but who seem to actually work at the post office.

Scene 2: About 15 minutes later and it is obvious no one has even spoken to the poor foreigner. She begins to inquire with extras, who completely ignore her. Then one goes and finds forms and hands them to foreigner. She dutifully fills them out, being careful to write each item being shipped in the duty section. When she motions that she is done, the formerly nice guy just stares at her. Finally he indicates that it isn't his job and foreigner is once again standing by herself with no indication when the process will actually begin.

Scene 3: Another 15 minutes later and finally the guy whose job it is to weight packages has arrived.

Weighing guy: "It is raining. See, I am wet."
Foreigner: "Yes, I'm wet too, so are my packages."

He indicates she should bring her packages in to be weighed. The weight each package and say all together 30 kg.

Weighing guy: "If they were all one package we'd charge you for 30 Kg. but since they are in three packages we have to charge you for one 15 kg and two 10 kg packages.
Foreigner: "But that isn't how much they weigh. One package is only 7 kg and the other is 8. Please just charge me for 30."
Weighing guy: "O.k. just tape them up."

Foreigner looks surprised because she had been told that they would go through each box and charge a duty on every single item. She takes this as a positive sign and begins the arduous process of taping her boxes. Two rolls of tape later she is satisfied with her job.

Foreigner: "O.k. all taped up."
Weighing guy: "That will be three packages... this one is 5,800 ruppees, and the two smaller ones are 4,000 rupees each."
Foreigner: "But you said you'd just charge me for 30 kg. That would be 5000 rupees less!"
Weighing guy: "No miss, these are government rules."
Foreigner: "Can I tape the two smaller boxes together and just be charged at the 15 kg price?"
Weighing guy: "You have three boxes."
Foreigner: "Yes, I know, but I'm asking if I tape them together to make one box, will you accept that?"
Weighing guy: "You have three boxes."
Foreigner: "Please just listen to me. Can I tape them together to make one box?"
Weighing guy: "You have three boxes."

Scene 4: Cut back to 15 minutes later and the same conversation continues.

Finally a nice man comes up and actually listens to the foreigner.

Nice man: "Of course, tape them together and we'll charge you for one package."
Foreigner: "Can you swear you will only charge me for one, because I've already been told once you would and now I've spent the last 15 minutes trying to find another solution."
Nice man: "Yes miss, tape them together."

Scene 5: 10 minutes later and the foreigner has used yet another roll of tape to tape together the two boxes. Another nice man comes out to use some twine and tie the boxes together.

Foreigner: "There, just two boxes total now."
Weighing man: "So that is one box at 15 kg and one at 20."
Foreigner: "What. No, they are both 15 kg."
Weighing man: "No, the second box is 15.4 kg."
Foreigner: "I think your scale is broken. When I weighted them at home with a new scale they were a little less, which would make it only 15 kg. Have a heart, I'm on local wages. As it is this is going to cost one-third of my monthly salary."

Scene 6: Cut to 10 minutes later.

Weighing man: "Fine, here is your receipt."
Foreigner: "Thank you very much."

Scene 7: Cut to three months later. Foreigner is enjoying a cup of coffee at home when packages arrive completely destroyed and with nothing in them.

The End of the International Hostel

I can't remember if I ever mentioned this, but Sewalanka calls my house the "international hostel." This has been slightly problematic because 1) it causes people to treat it like a hotel rather than someone's home, and 2) I've been the only foreigner there for a while.

Well apparently the name means something because when I leave on Saturday the house will be closed. Sewalanka doesn't own the house, so I guess they figure without a full-time staff member there they don't need it anymore. They were using it to house senior female staff when they are in town (this, alone didn't actually bother me, it was the fact that no one felt I needed to know when people would be there that bothered me) and special international guests, but I guess they are going to figure something else out for that.

I guess this also means that Sewalanka is serious about no more foreigners.

Since Barbara left people have been asking me who else lives in the house and what they are going to do about it. I think a lot of people are irritated that I have this huge house to myself. Heck, I don't want to live in this huge house by myself, but there are no other foreigners (Jo-Anne is VSO and they get their own housing).

I didn't have an answer for the house question before, but today as I left the security guard asked if I was leaving for America this month. I said, "yes, this week in fact," (it is just easier to say I'm going home then to try and explain four months of travel). Then he started to cry and explained that they are closing the house and he is out of a job.

I'm not sure what to do about this information. I can tell that the situation with the security guards is going to be a bit uncomfortable for the next few days. I don't really know what he wants me to do. I'm not going to stay to keep him in a job.

And I really don't understand the problem. He is not directly hired by Sewalanka, he works for a service. Can't this service find him a new place? I mean I'm sure that might take some time, but it doesn't seem like he'll be out of work forever. Isn't that sort of the point of working for a service -- they find you a position?

So that was my morning. Now I can appreciate the fact that Sewalanka is paying me for the pots I bought because they won't actually need them. I wonder what they will do with all the stuff in the house. I wonder if they will let Jo-Anne have the washing machine? Hmm.

Off-Shore Drilling Anyone?

While the President of Sri Lanka is selling off his, possible, off-shore oil reserves to an Indian company for $1 billion, President Bush is opening up the possibility in the U.S. as well. Seriously people, just drive less. Is it really worth the damage to our oceans that will surely happen? We banned this 27 years ago -- his dad instated the ban! I thought he was really religious. What happen to "honor they father and mother?" Congress, I'm expecting you to hold tough. This is in your hands now.

By the way, in case you were wondering, there is not enough oil anywhere in the U.S. (I mean anywhere!) to make us independent from foreign oil. We could drill in every single spot where oil is just suspected and it will not be enough. This is fact. There is no argument here. The only way we are going to be independent is if we use less oil.

In the most recent Sun magazine a reader wrote to the magazine to comment on something written in a past issue. She wrote,

"Activists seem to assume that everyone is young and single, and lives in California. You cannot transport kids and groceries on a bicycle in a snowstorm in Canada; nor can you find public transportation."

I found this very interesting. I lived in Siberia for a couple of years. Very few people had a car in my town and I don't know anyone who used that vehicle to go shopping. Granted, we had public transportation in my town, but amazingly enough, we also had feet. I know it is hard to believe, but we walked in -35 degree weather (Fahrenheit and Celsius meet at -30) to go shopping in the bazaar, which was also outside. People pulled their small children on sleds. Also, believe it or not, people biked in this weather, on the ice!

Now I live in a tropical country. A place where, trust me, people are far poorer than the low-income people about which the reader was writing. They bike their children (note the multiple there) to school. One on the front bar and one on the rack in back. If they are lucky enough to have a motor bike they can transport a family of five.

My point: buck up people. I'm so, so sick of hearing people complain that they might actually have to work a bit to counter climate change. I'm not saying you have to give up your car, but if you are driving to places that are less than two miles away, well you are just stupid. Yes, I said it. This is how irritated I am -- I'm willing to insult my readers.

While in Deniyaya the Sewa Finance VSO said he doesn't necessarily believe in climate change. He didn't explain further because our conversation was interrupted, but I want to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was going to go on and say he thinks the calls for change are still warranted. Here is the thing people, everything that we need to do to stop climate change will have other positive benefits in our lives. Seriously, there isn't really anything bad involved. During these really awful economic times, the push for alternative energy will create jobs. Less carbon dioxide in the air means cleaner air. Is there such a thing as having air that is too clean? NO.

Plus, if we don't drive everywhere we'll be healthier. Is this a bad thing? NO.

And we won't be so dependent on foreign oil. Is this a bad thing? NO.

Alternative energy is cheaper in the long run (yes, there will be some up front costs, but I would argue the U.S. government should pay for that since they subsidize gasoline right now -- fair is fair people). Is saving money in 15 years a bad thing? NO.

[Side note: as oil prices rise this initial cost that everyone freaks out about may soon not be more than paying for gasoline. Just a thought.]

I know a lot of you hate it when I get preachy here, but I just spent the weekend biking around Colombo and listening to various news podcasts. It frustrates me no end. I'm out there biking the 15-20 km to town, breathing in the awful, fully-leaded, air here and you guys are complaining about having to reduce how much you drive. Give me a break!

India Is Waiting

Meghan made a map of our plans for India. I'm so excited! You should all be jealous.


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A Beautiful Day in Sri Lanka

O.k. this doesn't happen very often, but today I had a wonderful day that went without a hitch.

First, I woke up early and without the alarm clock. This meant I wasn't too tired and could linger over a cup of coffee while I read e-mails before heading out the door.

The weather was actually not too hot as it rained last night, so my bike ride into town was fairly comfortable. And no one tried to kill me.

The guards at the parking lot of the Galle Face Hotel did not even blink when I asked if I could leave my bike there while I went to the Indian High Commission.

At the High Commission I only had to wait an hour for my visa (last time I was there for more than two hours!) and there were no problems -- visa received and good until January 18th.

Then I headed down to my bank to close my accounts (remember the money changing incident last fall? -- these are the accounts from that episode) and get my dollars transfered to my account in the U.S. The only slight delay was a request that I sign everything again in order to better mimic my signature in my passport (which was put there eight years ago -- my signature has evolved a bit since). Accounts were closed and the transfer process begun in less than 15 minutes. I was promised I'd see the money in my U.S. account by Wednesday.

I had to wait a bit at the dermatologist, but he did confirm my diagnosis (eczema -- something is apparently stressing me out) and prescribed some pills and cream. I kindly rejected the pills at the pharmacist, but took the cream (I've had this before and there is no reason for oral medication).

On the bike ride home, no one tried to kill me.

Once home I took a quick shower and headed over to accounts where although the woman who hands out money was at lunch, they actually got her so she could give me my money!

Over to Sewalanka where I got approval to be paid back for the kitchen pots I brought from America (I was going to take them home, but now that I have to ship stuff I don't want to pay to ship them back) and was promised water would be brought to my house this afternoon.

The supermarket below the office had two wine bottle boxes available. I still need another, longer box to ship two skinny but long items, but otherwise I should be o.k. with boxes to ship stuff home.

Now I'm at home working while drinking coffee with vanilla ice cream (this is what they call an iced coffee here) and eating cereal that was on sale at Crescat last week. Yep, I'm living the high life my last week in country.

And that my friends is what makes a beautiful day in Sri Lanka. A beautiful day is when everything works out even if there are a few delays.

One week to go.

Kataragama Security

So I'm back from Kataragama. This year's trip was decidedly different from last year's. Security was an issue last year, particularly as bad advice had caused me to not take i.d. last year, but this year it was a theme. Security was the reason we didn't walk this year. Apparently people are allowed to walk, but not in large groups, which is why Sewalanka was denied. So we drove to Okanda, did a puja and then drove around Yala to Kataragama and did another puja. "Puja" is the word used here for religious ceremony. Since the walking was my favorite part last year I was prepared to be disappointed this year.Okanda was crazy. We walked very early during the festival last year, so the shops and crowds were not at Okanda yet. Plus, because we were walking, the lights and talking stopped very early in the evening so we'd be ready for the walk, but this year I swear there were people who stayed up all night talking. So I didn't get such a great night's sleep.

It was fun to take photos of people cooking though. Cooking for more than 200 people, especially when considering how much Sri Lankans eat at each meal, is no easy task, let me tell you.Also, I should mention that we rode in the same car with Manju Sri, Sewalanka's resident monk, and Kruckle, Sewalanka's resident swami (actually Kruckle is what they call swami's here -- his name is not Kruckle and I'm not sure I'm spelling that correctly). This was great because we had experts with us most of the time to explain things and they both speak English, which is how they speak to each other. It is rather nice because the two of them are really good friends. This also rocked because we had a monk in our car, so we squeezed through a lot of the security checks without having to get out.

Anyway, we woke up early in the morning for our puja in Okanda. This year because there was such a crowd and our Kruckle is quite an important Kruckle in Sri Lanka, there were a lot of people at Okanda Temple. Thus, I couldn't see anything. As we were leaving Okanda a claymore bomb went off along the road we were traveling -- just ten minutes before we were at that spot. I never actually noticed the area, but this could be because quite a bit of slash and burn was happening and it was just difficult to see what was farming and what was bomb burn.

So the security between Okanda and Katargama was incredible. There were about 15 checkpoints and we were stopped at all of them. Even Manjusri had to show his i.d. once. He said he has carried his i.d. for four years and that was the first time anyone had ever asked to look at it. To his credit he feels they should check monks because, as he said, it is actually pretty easy to dress like a monk.

At Kataragama we were able to take a little nap before the puja. I have to say last year's puja was far better organized. We seemed to all be winging it this time around. It was nice that Mr. Aruna seemed to be concerned that we were involved and kept making sure we got flower offerings and lit a lantern, etc. But he was no where to be found when it was time to get your blessed string, so we didn't get one. Honestly, I'm over the fact that people push in front of you here. These are my coworkers and they can't even be considerate enough to wait their turn (this happened at all the meals too -- it is so frustrating!).
The Kataragama perahera was spectacular this year. Since we were there in the height of the festival, the perahera was in full swing with about 20 elephants and hundreds of kids and young adults dancing in costumes. I took about a million photos, which you can look at on Flickr, but here are some highlights.
I almost cried as we drove home through the surrounding area of Bandula Wildlife Sanctuary. For miles they had burned all the trees in a fifty foot buffer of the road on both sides. I guess this was for security, but you could just see what must have been really majestic banyan trees burning on the ground -- huge trunks cut down in the prime of their life. The smoke only made it spookier. It was a forest graveyard in the middle of the massacre. It was incredible and terribly depressing and sort of felt like a symbol of the entire three days.

The ride home was long. We stopped about every 15 minutes and then took a two-hour break so the men could bathe. I guess a few women went, but it would have been terribly uncomfortable for us, so we just stayed at the car. They couldn't figure out why we were so upset, but clearly sitting around for 2 hours while they had fun isn't a joy for us. Chairman's mother was just sitting around too, so it seems like they could have organized one car to go on ahead rather than making a few people sit around and do nothing.

Which just reminds me of why I'm leaving soon. One week and two days to go!

[Editor's note: I edited this entry on July 20, 2008 to delete a friend's name who requested this edit. So now my friends and I are just called "we" or "us" in this entry.]

Off to Kataragama

So to bookend my year in Sri Lanka, I'm off to Kataragama this week. There will be no pilgrimage because the conflict is too hot (Yala, the National Park we walk through on the pilgrimage is closed yet again, another theme of my year).

I'll be gone until Thursday, which is poya. My last poya in Sri Lanka. I'll be experiencing the next poya in Nepal. Very exciting.

Another Failed Attempt at Sinharaja

Wednesday Paolo, the new VSO volunteer at Sewa Finance, came to visit Sewalanka to check out the office and learn a bit more about Sewa Finance's sister organization. Jo-Anne and I took him out to the exciting (read sarcasm) bakery next door for lunch. He mentioned he was going to Deniyaya the next day and I felt compelled to mention that I'd been promised a trip to this now mythical town many times that never happened (o.k. I was whining). In fact a trip had been schedule at least once a month over the entire year I've been here (yes, more than 12 trips were scheduled). Every single trip canceled for unknown reasons.So Paolo, feeling adequately bad for me and my crazy place at Sewalanka, said I could come with him. He called his co-workers at Sewa Finance and they said it was o.k. Thus, yesterday, two weeks before I leave Sewalanka, I got my trip to Deniyaya.
Deniyaya is the town on the eastern side of Sinharaja -- the last of the primary rainforest left in Sri Lanka and a UNESCO site. It is very different from the western side, where there is actually a buffer zone of secondary forest for about a kilometer before you reach the actual park. On the Deniyaya side it is tea cultivation all the way to the park line.
Also, I'd like to note here, that the staff at Sewa Finance rock! They explained everything to us -- everything. They showed us the CBO books they were there to review. They introduced us to the CBO members and allowed us to ask questions. After the CBO members left they would say what decisions they made on the micr0-loans that were being sought and why. I've never, ever been provided so much unrequested, but desired information on a field trip. Usually it is like pulling teeth to get people to explain things to you.So clearly my issues have been related to Sewalanka and not to Sri Lankans in general.

That said, they still have the problem of not telling you things prior to doing it. At some point they decided we needed to go to Sinharaja even though they had a very long day planned. Yes, I went hoping to go into they park, but I also did not want to get in the way of their jobs. So we took the van, then a tuk and then we walked, trying to reach the park. We weren't told of the intention of going to the park until a tuk was hired. As we were walking the Sewa Finance guy got tired from our half-kilometer trek towards the park border and we turned around. Thwarted again!Still, I could see the forest at a distance and thus be happy it exists. It would have been nice to go in before I left Sri Lanka, but clearly it is not meant to be.

The Indian High Commission Sucks!

See on Monday I applied for a 6-month visa to India. Yes, I currently have a valid visa, but since they wouldn't allow me to apply for a year (even though they say on their website that you can and if I were in the States I could get a 10-year visa) I need another so I'm covered for my entire trip. My current visa expires Oct. 8th and I will be traveling in India until Nov. 25. For this privilege I was charged another $70 (I swear it was $50 when I applied in the States) and a little trip through hell.

That's right, because apparently they have something against me and insist on calling me every time I apply. Last time it was because they took my money and application for a year and then decided they don't give out year visas (um, but you have a price for them and a box on the application).

So my problem this time is that I don't have a U.S. address. See my parents have once again moved -- last week. They now live in Tampa, FL. I've never lived in Tampa, FL and I haven't had a chance to change my credit card and bank addresses to this address, so I can't actually say that is my residence. I can't put their old address because no one lives there now, so if the High Commission actually checked up on this they would find an abandoned house (I don't know what they do with this information, but they charge you a fee for an international fax to send the page to the U.S., so I assume something is being checked).

Anyway, it just asks for your address, and as I have a resident visa for Sri Lanka I put my address here. I'm legit people, I have a work permit and everything, I'm completely and legally living and working here. But this is just too much for the High Commission to comprehend.

So I'm asking my guy on the phone what I should do. Should I put my parent's old address; should I put my sister's address; should I put my old address in DC? He doesn't listen to a word I say and we go back and force with this, I ask him various questions and he says, "o.k. miss. What is your address?"

"No, see, that is what I'm asking you. What address do I give you -- I live here, I don't have an official residence in the States."

"o.k. miss, what is your address?"

"Please, please listen to what I'm saying. I don't have an address in the States. My question is what address should I give you -- my parent's old address or my sister's address."

Mind you I've never lived in either house, but I do receive mail at both addresses on occasion.

One hour later, he finally said I should give him my sister's address. I did actually ask if it would be a problem that she has a different last name. He said it would be o.k.

I also tried to call the High Commission so that I could speak to someone who has a clue, but all five of their numbers are busy and have been for 30 minutes straight! Ugh.

I'm sure I'll get another call tomorrow. Oh and now the visa won't be ready until Monday and I'll be east. So then I had to try to figure out if it is o.k. to pick up the visa late.

"Is it o.k. if I collect the visa on July 18th -- next Friday?"

"You see miss, this is a new process and we don't have control over when the visa is ready. It will be ready on Monday."

"No, that is fine, I just want to know if there will be a problem if I pick it up later. On Friday the 18th."

"The visa won't be ready until Monday."

"Please listen to me...."

So nothing is for sure. I may be begging the consulate in Nepal to give me a visa. I get it is hard to get a visa to the U.S. and I understand a lot of this is just revenge. But seriously, there is little to no chance that I will stay in India past my visa (I have had two visas prior to this and always left, thank you). All I will be doing is spending money -- I will not be working in India. Just give me the damn visa already!

Then the travel agent calls to get my name so she can reserve my plane ticket. She hasn't actually shown me an itinerary, so I'm a little concerned that this ticket will not be what I'm looking for, but I faxed a copy of my passport all the same. When I tried to spell my name she couldn't understand me. The guy at the visa place also couldn't understand me when I spelled my sister's address. I had to spell the word 'Faith' (yes she lives on Faith Street, I'd appreciate no PK jokes about that thank you) about 10 times. I even did the little word association thing, but to no avail. People don't even try to understand me here. What would they do if I still spoke with a southern accent. I think they would believe I was speaking German or something.

Cross your fingers I get a visa. Meghan, how about we travel to Myanmar? I think getting a visa there might be easier.

Ice Cream Makes It All Better

So if you couldn't tell from my entry earlier today, I was having a relatively bad day. So I bought some ice cream to make me feel better. I've only bought ice cream here once before, because it is too hot to actually get home without it melting. We have a new Arpico in town and they have new freezers, so I thought it might be more frozen than in our sad little Laugfs. It made it home, but our miserable little freezer can't handle the responsibility. So I've eaten half the liter in hopes of not wasting too much.

And I feel much better now. Thank you. I'll try to keep my racist rantings to myself from now on.

I bought Butter Pecan, which is totally not a Jessica flavor. I was completely taken in by the pecans and they are indeed making me happy. I can't say I've ever bought Butter Pecan before.

17 days left in a few hours!

So I just found this dancing guy on the net. Some gum company paid him to travel the world and do his little dance! Why can't I be so blessed? I'm hereby announcing that I am entertaining sponsorship proposals for my wild and crazy four-month adventure through Nepal and India (notice Tibet is out -- China is being unreasonable, but they may come around before I leave). I don't know what my gimmick would be (clearly dancing is taken), so if you have an idea let me know.

You Can Tell a Lot about a People...

I feel that the heart of a culture can be understood by how they treat cyclists and pedestrians. For instance, in the U.S. people don't pay much attention to them, but when it is brought to their attention three out of five drivers are generally remorseful that they almost killed a person. I know this because I did a survey before I left the States. A few people argued with me that I shouldn't be on the road (um, check your laws people, bikes are SUPPOSED to be on the road) and the others were actually sorry. I mean that literally, they apologized to me. This was quite eye-opening for me because prior to this experiment I figured people were out to get cyclists and thus, frankly, I was rather rude when people almost killed me. Now I know I should just talk to them about it. I became a little education machine my last two months in DC.

What does that say about the States? It says we are a very diverse lot, but at the core we are fairly considerate and basically respect human life (granted there are still those two out of five people who would be happy to see me dead -- that is the diversity I love so much).

Here, people want to kill me. That is all I can figure, since they laugh when almost running me over. Tuk drivers purposely push me off the road to ask if I need a taxi -- all they see are dollar signs when they see me, not a human life. The other night I waited for more than five minutes to get across a road, to turn right, because no one would let me turn. They were driving very slowly, but every time I tried to just push in the driver would honk and I know that means, "hey, I'll kill you before I let you in." How do I know that -- because drivers have told me as much. The worst part is that people slow down to stare at the crazy sight of a white person on a bike, but they still won't let me pass! That is so infuriating. This says that they are a curious people, but they have little respect for life. This can also be seen via the suicide rate here (apparently another person committed suicide in Una -- he threw himself in the family well, which they didn't discover until they started to get sick from the water).

And why do I care? I'm out of here in three weeks. I should just move on, right? But I do actually care about this country I've called home for a year and seriously, there is going to be a major problem here in a few years (o.k. now). There are more cars on the road then when I arrived and the number is only increasing (despite the horrible economy -- someone explain this to me). There are, as far as I can tell, only two roads in the entire country with more than one lane. And while the rest of the world is actually turning to public transportation and biking, Sri Lanka is turning away. This is a problem. The road system can not handle this amount of traffic. And their air quality is being seriously degraded and death by motored vehicles is on the rise. And the petrol is leaded, so even better for your little lungs (I don't want to see what mine look like after only a year).

I see the learner cars (they have red "L's" on them) and they drive the speed limit and such, so people are actually taught the rules of the road. They choose to ignore them and the fact that the police couldn't be bothered to enforce them just makes people ignore them even more. I realize Sri Lanka is in the middle of a war, but I think it would really benefit from some civil obedience in regards to mundane road rules. The VSO language teacher when asked about Stop signs had to have them explained to her and then she responded, "Oh, no one would pay attention to that so we don't have them." And it is true -- they don't even follow traffic lights. I have to slow down at intersections even when I have a green light.

Sri Lanka's Tourism Board wants to make Sri Lanka a "Carbon Lung" for travelers, but as long as they basically discourage tourists from biking and walking, by making it impossible, there is no way they can claim traveling in Sri Lanka is carbon neutral. They don't have enough tree canopy to argue there is a counter-balance.

And they'll have to do something about the men if they want to encourage tourists to walk. Because being constantly harassed doesn't exactly make you feel safe.

And I realize this is not a new topic for my blog. I understand I talk about this all the time. But seriously, it is a constant pain in my neck here. Literally, my neck is in serious pain today and I believe part of it is stress related to biking.

I'm saying all this to reiterate that I'm ready to leave. Yep, just 18 days to go and I'm quite happy about it. Not that I really think Nepal and India will be better, but I have noticed that I'm better able to deal with the frustrations when I'm a tourist and not a resident. I think because you know you will be moving on in a few days.

This experience has caused me to re-evaluate my desire to work abroad. Maybe if I were making a real salary and didn't have to worry about money on a minute-by-minute basis it would be different, but as it stands now, I won't be looking for another job abroad. I just don't enjoy myself enough. Not that I was seriously happy in the States, but at least I could pay my bills and visit my family and friends.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy I had a year here and I did learn a lot, but the stress is not worth it. Plus, with climate change finally being dealt with in the States, there is probably more good I could do there than abroad. I'll move to the utopia that is Portland, OR and enjoy at least a couple of months of biking euphoria and being surrounded by people who actually care what happens to this planet we call home. Before Dick left he asked why I was moving to Portland, since environmentally they are done (I'm not sure that could ever be completely possible). He had a good point, but I feel I deserve a break. I'm tired of fighting. I want to just enjoy the fruits of my labor for a bit. Even if it is only two months (that is how long I'm giving my job search -- since I didn't make any money this last year I can't afford to be unemployed much longer than that). I want to bike while breathing clean air and drinking clean tap water! What a luxury.

P.S. If this entry sounds racist that is because it is. Yep, this year in Sri Lanka has taken perhaps the most open-minded, liberal person in the world and made her a racist. I must leave and soon! Also, I am totally aware that I'm idealizing the U.S. That is what happens when you live abroad, you become terribly patriotic. It doesn't matter what country you hail from, live away from it for any amount of time and it will become the greatest place on earth.

To Hell and Back

Just a warning: I've had three cups of very strong coffee and almost an entire quart of caffeinated iced tea today, so this may not be completely coherent.

O.k. so instead of doing my work for my free Tibet tour (I swear I'll finish it tomorrow!), I edited photos today. So now I'm ready to write about my crazy weekend with Kristine and Joe.

I was able to fit in an amazing amount of travel into Kristine and Joe's measly five days here. I'm very happy they came to visit, but it just wasn't long enough. They probably had the craziest off-the-beaten track trip ever planned though. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.I picked them up at the airport and we drove directly to Uda Walawe. You have to hire a jeep when you get there, which is a bit irritating when you are already paying for a car and driver. I was really upset by this, but once we were in and saw the roads, well, o.k. it was a necessary hire. We went out for a three-hour tour (which was only 2.5 hours, this usually happens in Sri Lanka). The highlight: a two-month old baby elephant. So cute, though the herd refused to allow him out in the sun so I could get a good photo. Elephants are really not very helpful in regards to allowing you to take photos of their babies. I did finally get a presentable photo of painted storks and a peacock.The next day it was off toward Tangalle to see the various funky temples in the south. See the south doesn't ancient temples like in the north, so instead they have embraced kitsch in hopes of attracting tourists. First we went to the Rock Temple otherwise known as Mulkirigala temple-monastery. This is the oldest temple in the South (dates to the 3rd century B.C.), so not so kitschy. There is a parinirvana Buddha here -- a dead Buddha. You climb 700 steps to the top, but really you only need to climb to the caves. The last bit of stairs (I don't know, maybe the last 100) just takes you up to a dagoba, which isn't really worth seeing. The view is good though.
Since it was Sunday, Buddhist Sunday School was in session. The kids were very excited to see us and even more excited to see our cameras. I swear I feared a death by trampling -- these kids were serious about having their photo taken. Actually, I feared I might be trampled as they kept moving forward trying to be in front for the photo (at one point practically stepping on my feet until I explained they had to stand back to be in the photo).
Then we headed over to the much anticipated "Hell Temple." Wewurukannala is home to the largest Buddha statue on the island (I think this really is the largest) -- he is 50 meters high, or 8-stories (as evident by the eight-story building behind him). Inside the building behind the Buddha is a comic rendition of the lives and times of Buddha. Apparently he was reincarnated 500 times before finding enlightenment and becoming Buddha. There is another building with a 3-d version of these lives. In his last life he left his wife and child to become Buddha. I think there is a movie possibility there. Kristine, Joe and I were all amazed that one can reach enlightenment after abandoning one's family.Anyway, underneath the giant Buddha is a "cave" where one can learn all the things you can do to be sent to Buddhist hell. First, I had no idea Buddhists believed in hell. Second, I had no idea hell could be so gruesome. With more comic book paintings and 3-d plaster statues, really it is something to see. Most important lesson? Overcharging is a hell offense. That is right -- I'll be reminding trishaw drivers of this in the future.Then we headed over to the Comic Book Temple, known as Weherehena Temple. At this point we were a little templed-out, so we didn't actually go see the cartoon paintings. I did get some nice photos of small headless Buddha statues placed around the bodhi tree.
I decided we should sleep in Galle Fort that night since I missed my opportunity when Rachel was here. We went to one guesthouse, but considering he had no guests I wasn't satisfied with the price he was giving. And good thing, because at Joe's urging I called Galle Fort Hotel. This is one of the nicest hotels in Fort -- one of Sri Lanka's famous boutique hotels. Of course, my phone died as I was just about ready to seriously bargain. So we walked over. The owner offered us space for $100 a night since they are painting, "and I'll give you two rooms." This implies we would get both rooms for the $100 price, but the next day's bill had $200. Clearly we were had, but my very diplomatic sponsors (Joe and Kristine kindly paid for this entire trip!) did not want to argue since we had such a lovely stay. So I'm using the blogosphere to send out this warning -- make sure you get in writing what deal you finagle with Galle Fort Hotel.And Joe was right, it was a lovely stay. Galle Fort Hotel is breathtaking. The pool was lovely (went for an evening and morning swim); the showers incredible (took three -- yes this environmentally unfriendly, but I don't have hot water at home, so I felt the excess permit-able); the food delicious.The next morning we wandered around the fort (after a lovely breakfast and a leisurely swim!).
Then we took our time making our way up the coast. We stopped to see the train wreckage created by the December 2004 tsunami. We stopped to see the big Buddha donated by the Japanese in remembrance of those who lost their lives to the tsunami.As we were driving away from this Buddha we saw several ambulances and fire trucks and our driver immediately said it must have been a bomb. Since we were in the south I didn't believe him (bombs don't happen in the south as much as they do in Colombo and regions north), but then we came to the scene and the train did indeed look as if it had been bombed with one car totally blackened out. According to the news it was merely a train derailment.
Still thinking we saw a bomb scene (because we weren't told of the news until we got to Colombo), we stopped in Kosgoda to see a turtle hatchery. Here they pay fishermen seven rupees per egg for turtle eggs and clearly it works. They had hundreds of one-, two- and three-day old babies. They release the babies in the night of their third day. They do the releases at night to avoid predators. When the fishermen bring the eggs they bury them in a netted enclosure and put a little sign that says the date, type of turtle (most of the eggs are from green turtles, but every so often they find one from another type of the five turtles that nest on the shores of Sri Lanka) and how many. The hatchery also had a few injured adult turtles. One was blind and one had no front flippers -- these two will not be released. The others were being nursed until healthy and then they will be put back into the ocean. One was ready to be sent out with the three-day olds that evening.Once back in town, Tharushi had reserved a table at Mt. Lavinia Hotel for their Sri Lankan buffet. It was a good way for Kristine and Joe to try all of the various Sri Lankan dishes in one meal. Mt. Lavinia also had a little tourist dance and drum show -- so Kristine and Joe also got to hear some Kandy drumming.The next day they slept -- I clearly had worn them out. Luckily they woke up in time for high tea at Galle Face Hotel and a little shopping. Just to continue our bought of gluttony, we had dessert at Gallery Cafe.

What a lovely weekend. Unfortunately, they flew to Indonesia on Wednesday.