My apologies for a lack of a post yesterday, but we have been going to the beach everyday, and I didn’t want to post something that was full of filler. I’d rather just write one good post that’s full of goings-on, rather than try to stretch out everyday activities like eating breakfast and swimming in crystal-blue water. I’ve heard the weather at home is terrible, so I’m going to try and transport you via blog post to Sri Lanka, even if it’s only for a few minutes. I’m not really looking forward to going back in two weeks. I’d much rather stay here, and ride out the arctic temperatures and the frigid snow. Alas, I digress, back to the story. There might be some overlap from previous days but I’ll keep it minimal.
Beach again today. We are all trying to avoid the sun at this point because we are all beginning to resemble Maine lobsters after they’ve been cooked, it’s not a good look for anyone involved. Kasey was rocking zinc on her nose and lips, it looked like she had just eaten a powdered donut. The water was incredibly warm; you can sit in it like a hot tub and not move, just sort of float. The waves had picked up a little bit today, there must be storm coming. I didn’t mind it actually, the water had been so placid the first few days, I’d like to body surf or boogie board at some point. We made sure not to go too deep in because the undertow is pretty ridiculous
Our fruit guy returned today, and Zoe and I got into a bit of an argument. After he sat down with me and chatted for a bit, he came back later and Zoe and I split a mango and a pineapple. The cost of the pineapple was 800 rupees (I’m still trying to get a handle on the exchange rate, but that’s still pretty expensive regardless). Zoe handed him 1,000 since the mango was 300 rupees and we tried to haggle a bit. This rubbed our guy the wrong way, maybe that’s not something that happens in Sri Lanka. After a bit of an exchange, our fruit guy picked up his giant metallic bowl and took off down the beach. I have to say though, argument aside; he did a phenomenal job of cutting the pineapple (picture(s) to follow).
After a late afternoon shisha session (we chose strawberry as our flavor, which was absolutely delicious), we sat and relaxed and people-watched on the beach. It’s amazing how far the tide comes up. Restaurants are forced to reconfigure their tables and chairs so that people are not carried away into the Indian Ocean. The view was beautiful, and finally some ominous clouds came into view. The juxtaposition of the storm clouds and the regular clouds was truly something to see. There was a blinking strand of red lights that hung over the restaurant, which I tried to capture in the picture as well. I’ll need to get a picture of the shoreline at night. Places put up all sorts of blinking lights and the reflection on the water is incredible.
We decided to have a bit of a night out last night. We went to a bar and sat out on the beach, having a family-style dinner of curry, calamari, shrimp, and some sort of seafood pasta. We then drank and chewed the fat for a while, eventually grabbing a banana split for dessert. We headed to the bar next-door for some drinking and dancing. Dochi taught us her funky chicken move, which ended up being a huge hit, and is definitely a move that I will add to the repertoire. Zoe taught us the baby, where you cradle and imaginary child, and you can add your own twist to it (I chose to toss mine up in the air before finally catching it). Kasey introduced us to the deer and the archer (the name might not be correct on that one), where I ran in a zigzag pattern trying to imitate a deer, and when I turned to look at her, she shot me with an imaginary arrow. We met an English dude named Simon who was pretty chatty, and Mike who worked with tiles from Germany. It’s always interesting to come to these sorts of places where everyone is from somewhere else. People can be so shy, and it’s understandable, but also a little ridiculous. There really aren’t any cliques or groups, everyone knows no one save for the friend (s) they are traveling with. There are no ramifications or repercussions if you make a fool of yourself. The music consisted of a DJ remixing some pretty old songs. The standouts were “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins and “Wicked Game,” by Chris Isaak (which I just found out was called Wicked Game). All of these songs were on a loop, which we heard multiple times.
The next day, while Kasey and I swam in the water, Dochi and Zoe built a really detailed mermaid out of sand on the beach (I will try and add a picture at some point). It made me think of the castles that I used to build when my age was in the single digits. I’d pick up some wet sand and let it drip on the top of my poorly-constructed turrets, thinking that it was the coolest thing ever. I could lose hours doing that, just building my own imaginary worlds. Lunch was an array of fish and noodles, and Kasey and I split a Greek salad. Every ingredient was so fresh, I might have to start cooking my own food when I get back to New York (laugh here).
Last night ended up being pretty low-key, but when Kasey and I went for a swim in the pool, we started to witness some pretty cool wildlife. Copious fireflies emerged and illuminated the bushes and surrounding trees. I wanted to immediately grab a jar and try and catch a few of them. We also saw, albeit briefly, one of the biggest bats that I have ever seen, flying through the trees. I’m definitely not in New York anymore. I think I might try and catch a bat and keep it as a pet (any suggestions on a name?)
Last day in paradise tomorrow, before we head to Colombo (which could also be paradise) to start work. The Patriots game will be on at 3am tomorrow morning, not sure I’ll be able to watch it. We shall see.
Pictures: the meal last night (one of the plates), pictures of the sky, and Zoe with her pineapple.
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