I’m on the Other Side of the World!
I spent three months in Sri Lanka in the “winter” of 2018-19. (They really don’t have winter—just monsoon season and dry season.) Last week, I arrived here —finally after several years of trying to get back.
The months from November to March are busy on Sri Lanka’s west coast as Russian and European “snow birds” fly south to lay on the beach and not think about the fridgid weather back home. This time, it seems busier than I remember. I feel like there are fewer empty buildings and a lot more tourists walking the streets of this seaside town of Hikkaduwa.
I will be here for at least three months again. For the first three weeks I am in a nice little guesthouse not too far from the beach. One “feature” of this place is the regular passenger trains that speed by throughout the day and into the evening. The front of the guesthouse is about as close to the tracks as it could be built.
I think you know where I am going with this. Trains are noisy creatures. I have learned that some engines are much louder than others. There is one that comes by a couple times a day that is so loud that I literally jump, even though I should be used to it by now.
Here is what it looks like from my balcony.
These are passenger trains and are usually PACKED with people. It only takes about 10 seconds for them to pass by.
I referred to this as a “feature” because as a guest, one either enjoys this noisy interruption, or hates it. On the evening I checked in, I was told that on the following day, I could change to a room at the back of the building. I never did. The occasional cacophony reminds me that I am in a new and exotic place. Back in New Orleans I lived near the intersections of two major expressways. The drone was obnoxiously ever-present—only quieting a bit during the wee hours of the morning. This periodic railway interruption, in contrast, renders my location kind of romantic. Also, as many of you know, I love passenger trains. After all, I spent three months traveling by rail from Georgia through Europe a couple years ago and never tired of them.
It has taken me almost two weeks to overcome the challenging flight from the United States to Sri Lanka. It involved over 21 hours of travel time. Despite choosing a high-quality airline (Qatar Airways), I arrived completely spent. At first, I was discouraged that it was taking so long to get back to myself again. But then I stopped and thought about it. Since I last traveled a couple years ago, I had a couple set-backs—a little challenge with cancer (from which I am recovered) and new medications that I am convinced affect my energy levels. I also turned 70 years old. Let’s face it, I’m no spring chicken!
Once I started doing the (somewhat-challenging) yoga every other day, I immediately noticed that I was sleeping better and not so light-headed all the time. Also, it looks like my blood pressure is starting to drop!
In December two friends who travel much the same way I do will join me and we have rented a nearby house. But for now, I am falling into a contented routine in this lovely guesthouse. I won’t bore you with the details. But currently, my three main occupations are: a yoga class every other day, learning to swim in open water every second day, and attempting to finally work on a book of my travel stories.
Learning how to swim in open water is a challenge. I am not a strong swimmer. In the past, I always seemed to just get seasick. But before coming this time, I did some research, and I have been more confident in the water. I feel like I am back to square one as far as distance goes, but…baby steps! At least the water is warm! This is the beach where I am practicing.
In my next blog post, I will tell you about the little setback I had in Colombo as I traveled from the airport south to Hikkaduwa. Stay tuned…
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I’m on the Other Side of the World!
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1 thought on “I’m on the Other Side of the World!”
Keep the updates coming… love reading them. Our big getaway will be Kansas for Thanksgiving but will enjoy their paved streets and working traffic lights, etc……