- Sri Lanka has turtle hatcheries. You read that right. What’s more, you might come across an albino turtle. You read that right too. This guy is named Michael Jackson.
- YMBA. That’s not a funny word. It’s an acronym for the Young Men’s Buddhist Association. There is a Buddhist version of the YMCA– what d’you know?! Apparently, it’s a legit organization, and a widespread one at that. I did a double take when I saw it and then I stood staring for a good ten seconds. One of those occasions when travel makes you do a double take.
- Burgher is also not a funny word and it’s definitely not the same as burger (as in hamburger) only spelled wrong. To save you the embarrassment I had to undergo the first time when I encountered this piece of information, here is what a Burgher actually is: a descendant of a Eurasian colonialist who was either born or currently resides in Sri Lanka. Another classic example of travel smirking and saying, “You know nothing, Jon Snow.”
- Who knew colonialism had such a strong presence in Sri Lanka? Colombo is dotted with beautiful, old colonial buildings and a visit to Galle is like travelling back in time to Europe circa early 1900s. Check out these gorgeous old ladies..
- Forget Dubai because Sri Lanka is your Sarojini Nagar for shopping by the truckload. Colombo is the global flea market for top fashion labels sold at factory rates. Tiffany, Gucci, Prada- you name it and it’s here.
- Fancy a pedicure, au naturel? Those are my feet getting nibbled by pedicure-fish bang in the middle of a riverine estuary surrounded by sweet-smelling cinnamon plantations. How’s that for getting one with nature?
- Sri Lankans don’t like their temples to be just temples. Why would anybody want a temple to be just a regular old temple when it could be all sorts of wonderful things, like say, a quirky museum? Or how about a garage for vintage cars? I mean, there’s no good reason temples have to be stuffy, boring places where all you do is come to pray. This Sri Lankan temple has a museum..
an elephant..
a lion..
a warship..
AND two vintage cars..
How rad is that! If they had more space, I bet they’d store a lot more fascinating stuff.
- Sri Lanka is a hop, skip and jump away from India and yet it is so very different- other than the steamy flora, which is exactly like the sort you see in Kerala. We really should explore our neighbourhood more often.
Check out more photos of SL here..
and here.
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If you liked this, check out:
How Not To Be A Human Yo-Yo Part 1
