OK…Picture this. Gorgeous blue, sunny skies. Palm trees cascading out over crystal clear, turquoise water. Velvety, cream-colored sand that slips between your toes unnoticed. And perhaps the best part of all? No crowds…in fact practically no people at all, except for maybe the cow that’s found her way to your beach by mistake. For me, this image of paradise is simply a figment of my little Dachshund imagination, but for my parents, it was a reality. These beaches may seem far-fetched, but in Sri Lanka they’re plentiful! At least I can daydream about our trip to Hua Hin a while back…those memories should curb my jealously a bit.
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| Liquid Gooooold!!! |
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| Happy cows come from Sri Lanka! And California too!!! |
The day my parents arrived in Mirissa Beach, Sri Lanka, after a long drive from the airport, they were warmly greeted with what at first looked like a local Mardi Gras celebration. Loud music, elaborate body art, incredible costumes, and hundreds of dancing, topless….*men*. I mean, if somehow we threw in some boobies and beads this could be a scene straight out of New Orleans! Lucky for my parents though, it was the annual Mirissa Fishermen’s Festival. The men paraded around town, dancing and celebrating all the year’s hard work and countless hours at sea away from their families. The parade ended at a school where the men divided into two teams. They then began throwing coconuts at one another, and the team who smashed the most coconuts won. Sounds pretty crazy and I’m not sure of the exact rules of this game, but that was the basic description given to my parents by a local bystander. Sounds like fun, but I try to avoid any activities where nuts fly at my face.
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| Sassy Party Girl! |
Later that afternoon my parents headed to the stunning beach not more than a two minutes’ walk away to soak up some sun. While relaxing under a beach cabana and sipping fresh watermelon juice, they were suddenly in awe at what they saw next. A SEA TURTLE had swam ashore!!! It was no accident either. She was on a mission to lay her eggs on this beach, despite the small group of eager bystanders that had gathered around to witness this once in a lifetime sight. My parents watched as she diligently and patiently dug her nest, did her duty, covered her precious eggs with sand, and then mysteriously headed back to sea. An absolutely surreal moment they will never forget. I can only imagine what an amazing feeling this must have been to be part of such a rare moment for Mother Nature.
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| It's Baby Makin' Time! |
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| Just grabbing a few coconuts! |
Day two of their spectacular Sri Lankan adventure was all about worshipping the sun, swimming in the cerulean bath-water warm ocean, and really, REALLY good seafood, washed down of course with more than a few local Lion beers! They ended their evening at a small café on the beach, utterly and completely relaxed as they watched surfers from around the world take turns trying to get the best ride on the point break waves at Mirissa. As if this wasn’t enough to define a perfect day, the late-night walk back to their beach bungalow was marked by abundant fireflies kindly guiding them home. I seriously only thought fireflies were in movies…kind of a big deal for us Californians. It was magical to say the least.
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| Ahhhhhhhh.... |
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| Surf's Up Dude!!! |
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| Not a person in sight :) |
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| Sharing a few glasses of arrack (fermented coconut fire water) with the owner of Club Mirissa Guest House and a few of his friends! |
After a restful night under the protection of their mosquito net and the cool breezes from the ocean nearby, they decided to get adventurous on their third and final day in Mirissa. My parents hired a tuk tuk driver to tour them around the SouthWest coastal cities. When I say tuk tuk driver I want to be very clear: She isn’t just any tuk tuk driver, she is the only female tuk tuk driver in all of Mirissa! Malika was an excellent driver, and knew both the popular destinations as well as the hidden gems they had to see. It also seemed like she knew someone in every place they stopped, including even the local police!
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| Girl Power!! |
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| Cricket on the beach |
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| Swing batta batta sccchhwiiiiiing!!! |
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| They loved getting their picture taken! Say cheese! |
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| Sinhala = @@@@@&@@@&....Say whaaaatt?!? |
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| Cruisin'! |
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| Malika :) |
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| Stick Fishermen in Sri Lanka |
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| Skip the utensils and hands mommy! Just stick your face straight in there like I do! |
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| Enjoying a cold POP on a HOT afternoon |
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| Policia!!! |
Day number four, my parents decided to forego the traditional transfer by car and instead hopped on an old diesel locomotive train for their journey back to Colombo. This was easily one of the highlights of the entire trip, and seriously recommended if you ever want to see the “real” Sri Lanka. The beaches were beyond beautiful and hold a special place in their heart, but this train ride was unlike anything either of them had ever done. The train hugged the coastline the entire journey, passing through ancient villages and small towns along the way, many of which were sadly destroyed by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (which also greatly damaged parts of southern Thailand). There was no air conditioning and the seats were of course first-come, first-serve. But the tickets cost a whopping 80 Sri Lankan Rupees ($0.64), and they traveled over 45km with some of the most picturesque scenery they had ever seen just outside their rail car. $0.64...that’s freakin’ ridiculous! Why even charge!?! The breeze through the open-air windows and the occasional kiss of saltwater splashing against the train made for a very relaxing ride. Mommy and daddy were the only foreigners on the train, but quickly got lost in the crowd of Sri Lankans leaning/dangling/hanging outside the windows. In a nutshell…Absolutely amazing, and something they will hold very dear for years to come!
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| Chugga chugga chugga chugga CHOOOOOO CHOOOOOO!!! |
My parents finished off their trip with a delightful afternoon of people watching and yummy beachside snacks at the Galle Face in Colombo. Seeing family and friends fly kites, splash in the warm waters of the Indian ocean, and enjoy their carefree Sunday afternoon was quite a treat for mommy and daddy. After the sun had dipped well below the horizon they retired for the night, memory cards full of vivid images they will never forget for the rest of their life…eager to return to this little slice of Heaven on Earth.
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| What's so funny fellas??? |
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| Kissy Kissy! |
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| Security Check Point.....Yikes! |
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| Cricket games everywhere on the streets in Colombo |
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| Gun Show |
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| Not a clue what this little snack is, but it looks fun! |
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| Shrimp cake |
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| Dahl (Lentil Curry) |
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| Heaven on Earth |
