What I Love About the South…of Sri Lanka

Written on 11/30 and never published. Sorry it's late.


So, after staying in Matara for two nights, doing research, visiting the organization, and conducting the interview, I decided to stop off in Galle and visit my friend Jen before heading back to Colombo. Galle is about an hour or so West of Matara, and you must pass it on the bus route to Colombo anyway, so it wasn’t too far out of the way. Jen has been staying in Galle for her independent study, learning about marine archeology and the challenges of not having funding and supplies. We went to visit the place she is working at earlier during the Southern trip, and it was badly damaged by the tsunami. They had spent several years diving for artifacts, cleaning, cataloging, and preserving – and all of it was swept away when the tsunami hit the building. Now they are starting over again, but they have limited funding and supplies, so it is taking a while.
Anyways, I arrived at Jen’s place at around lunch time, and went to her resthouse to drop off my stuff. Jen was at work until 4ish, so I walked around the Fort a bit and explored. I took a few photos of the lighthouse, met “the Storyteller” of the Fort, and did a little shopping for gifts. I treated myself and had lunch at a very fancy hotel (I tend to do this a lot, because it feels nice to pretend that I am rich when I am a poor student). It was great to people-watch all of the tourists and rich Aussie’s in the hotel as I sat and wrote poetry in my journal.
Jen and I got together after she got off of work, and we walked around the Fort walls. We got to see the sun set along the walls, and people watch some more (although this time we were also watched). Amazingly we didn’t have too hard of a time with cat calling, even though there were groups of boys playing soccer and hanging out on the wall. Lucky us! We should hang together all the time! We decided to eat at this place called “India Hut.” I believe this is the long lost brother of Pizza Hut, but I am not so sure. It was good Indian food, but I have to admit that I like the Indian food on Ventura Blvd better than here. Maybe I like North Indian better. Not sure.
After dinner, we walked around the Fort a bit more, went into Barefoot, and looked at some jewelry. I bought this really cool silver ring in the shape of a cobra, with a blue sapphire in the middle. It is really cool!
On Saturday, Jen and I went to the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle and bought a day pass for the pool. It is one of the most beautiful hotels I have seen on the island, and probably costs several hundred dollars to stay there, but it only costs $5 to use the pool. Apparently Jen has gone there before and it is one of her havens when life gets too rough.
I should probably explain havens here, or at least how they work for us. I have noticed that every time I travel to a different city or country that is very different from my own, I have to find a place in the area that is a haven for me. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Western or pricy, but it tends to be, because these are the places where you are not hassled or harassed. In Kandy, by havens are the Queens Hotel, Devon Bakery, ICES, and the Pub. In Colombo, my havens are Barefoot, St. James Church, Arpico Supercenter, and the University Library. If I am having a bad day and need a break, I head to one of these places. Most of the time, I buy a cup of tea or something, and just sit for a while. I use these to get away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, the catcallers and payment guides, the hundreds of beggars grabbing at your purse, and the trishaw drivers calling to you. I know the ISLE program does not want us to only hang out in Westernized establishments, but sometimes these havens are necessary to keep sane. I must say that it is wonderful to be able to sit in a place and be completely ignored, expect by staff asking if you need anything. No touts, no horny men, no bothersome piercing stares. It is wonderful.
So, one of Jen’s places is this hotel. If you pay the $5, you get to use all of the pools, chairs, towels, changing room, and strip of ocean in front of the pool. There is a security guard who makes sure that touts and unwanted visitors do not come in to bother you, and you can order whatever you want poolside. Another fun thing about going to these ritzy establishments is having a clean slate. No one knows you, and you can be whoever you want. Jen, according to her persona, is the daughter of an Apple Executive and is vacationing for a month in Galle. She is staying at the most expensive hotel within the Fort, but like the pool at this hotel, so she comes here to bathe. When I came, I was her rich BFF who flew in to join her for a few days before flying back to my flat in Manhattan. Now, it is a total lie, but it is not hurting anyone, and sometimes it is nice to not have to be yourself for just a few hours – like doing plays and musical theater. We had a great time playing along and enjoying the high life, although we couldn’t actually afford to buy anything off the menu. You can only imagine to a certain extent, until a student budget stops you.
After relaxing at the pool, we jumped in a trishaw and drove back to reality. We were supposed to meet one of Jen’s work friends at our hotel and we were going to go over to her house to have tea. Instead, we ended up going to her friend’s friend’s Montessori school’s recital. We got to see all of these chhuuuttttiiii babaaaas dancing and singing in little costumes. The children were probably between the ages of 4 and 7, and they were too cute. Most of them went up on stage, only to dance with their backs to the audience, get into a fight with the boy next to them, or wave to their parents. But there was this one boy who stood in the middle during this one dance and did every move like he was Just Jack, from Will and Grace. He was a darling!!!! The performance lasted several hours, apparently, and was more of an all day play date at the school than anything else. We only stayed for a few hours, before heading back to the hotel. But, in between that, we were taken next door to the school and introduced to another friend of a friend and her family. It was really nice to meet them. They also had two young children who we got to play with, and I got to practice my Sinhala. Jen’s Sinhala is much better than mine because most of the people she works and lives with do not speak any English, whereas most of mine do. It was good to hang out with her and her friends because I was forced to practice. We have an oral exam on the 7th, so I better start practicing more!
Once we got back to the Fort, we were both very hungry, so we had an early dinner and the Pedler’s Inn. I recommend to anyone who goes to Galle Fort to eat at this place! I have been craving Italian food, and I had wonderful pesto pasta with a ginger beer, and it wasn’t that expensive either! I left for Colombo the next morning, and that is where I am now, in the little internet café down the street from my house.
I go home to Kandy on the 2nd, write my paper, and turn it in on the 7th. I’ll try to skype before that, and Reme, I will try to give you better notice this time.

Ps. 14 days.

Love from abroad,
Bryanna