Eighteenth Section: Rain and Sea

As the automatic sliding doors of the airport in Colombo opened, we were greeted by a wall of hot, humid air. Colombo is terribly warm. So we went in search of our Uber driver, dripping with sweat, who then brought us to our hostel with a nice conversation about the surprisingly calm, paved streets. Our hostel was very dingy and also way too hot. We immediately met a nice Swiss guy, with whom we had pizza and spent a nice evening. The next day we took the train to Kandy. Train rides through Sri Lanka are a popular tourist attraction. The train meanders through tea plantations, mountains and valleys at a speed of about 20km/h. A fast cyclist would overtake you. But it is precisely this tranquility that makes the train ride special. People lean out of the doors, enjoy the cool breeze, the landscape and of course the perfect backdrop for Instagram. So on our first ride we watched a group of 16-year-old girls running from door to door for the perfect shot.

Arriving in Kandy, we then went to our very nice hostel, which was a bit outside the city. Since René had Skype flatshare castings in the evening, we didn't do much on this day. But the next morning we wanted to conquer Kandy! We had planned to visit the temple and the botanical garden. Unfortunately, we couldn't get into the temple because René was wearing shorts, while I, being foresighted, wore long pants despite the 367 degrees outside. So no temple then. We have already seen enough temples in the last few months. On the bus to the botanical garden, we got stuck in a long traffic jam. When we decided to get off and walk the rest of the way, it started pouring rain. Soaking wet and super annoyed, we took a bus back, just to avoid standing in the rain. But the evening was still very pleasant. We went to a nice restaurant, waited for our food, when two people were seated at our table. These people were Bibi and Marc, a couple from the Netherlands, with whom we immediately got along well. So we decided to meet again the next evening. Then the time had come. Finally, we went to the botanical garden. We had wisely decided to go in the morning, as it often starts raining in the afternoon. (We learn from our mistakes). And the garden was simply beautiful. It is very peaceful, the air is clean and you can find some shade under the tall trees. The numerous different trees and flowers create an idyllic atmosphere. However, most of the time we spent under a tall tree where countless bats were hanging. They fanned themselves with their wings, making the tree look like a single swirling creature. Every now and then you could see one of the large animals flying. When we left, the whole sky was covered with bats. As expected, it started raining in the afternoon.

However, on this day I got diarrhea again (it had been coming and going for six weeks) so we decided to see a doctor. Since my time at AHAH, my digestive system had not been quite right. From a friend who got sick at the same time as me, I found out that he had a parasite that can stay in the stomach for a long time and that we probably all had it. So I told a doctor about my suspicion and showed him the medication I would like to have. While a woman at the other end of the hallway collapsed, the doctor had his full focus on us. A relative of the woman ran to me, grabbed my water bottle and poured its contents over her head. The doctor did the whole action with a smile and said, "You only experience something like this in Sri Lanka!" So I took the antibiotic, without any package insert or instructions. However, the friend of AHAH told us that his doctor said that alcohol should not be consumed for two days after taking the medication, as it cannot be metabolized due to the active ingredient (this will be important later).

In the evening we met Bibi and Marc again and had a nice evening. The next day we set off for Hatton. When we arrived, we quickly grabbed something to eat and then went to bed at 8 p.m. sharp. Our plan was to get up at 12:30 a.m. and climb Adam's Peak to watch the sunrise. So we climbed another holy mountain in the middle of the night. About 1200 steps rise up the mountain. The path is lit and you see many people going up the steps even at night. It is particularly beautiful to see parents carrying their babies in their arms, and others helping their frail parents and grandparents. Generations support each other to reach this holy place.

We were very glad that we didn't have to carry anyone up, as the path is really exhausting. When we arrived at the top, we saw a very unspectacular footprint in a crowded temple, where believers would even push you aside. The Hindus say that the footprint belongs to Shiva, the Buddhists say it belongs to Buddha, and the Muslims and Christians actually think that their saints also made it to Sri Lanka: so it is, depending on who you ask, the footprint of Mohammed or that of St. Thomas.

Unfortunately, we were much too fast and much too early at the top, so we had to wait for 1.5 hours in the cold. Many locals had wisely brought blankets with them and now cuddled up with up to five people under a small blanket on the cold stone floor. René and I were so cold that we were shivering all the time. But luckily we stayed, because the sunrise was truly breathtaking. We could look over hills to the sea, the sky was shining in its most magnificent shades of red and orange, and it was gradually getting warmer. Then we made our way back, all the way down the steps, to enjoy a wonderful breakfast at the hotel and then sleep for another hour. And then we were already on the train to Ella, probably the most touristy place in all of Sri Lanka. The train ride was beautiful. We had a whole compartment to ourselves, so we took train photos (well, you want to have a fancy traveler picture when you're there) and could enjoy the stunning view of women picking tea among the mountains. The next day we climbed Ella Rock, which is less spectacular and high than Adam's Peak, but stands out for its confusing path. So we got lost together with a large group of lovely people, which in the end was a lot of fun. With a couple, he from New Zealand, she from Switzerland, we even missed the way back, so we fought our way through an idyllic mountain landscape until we finally found our way back to our hostels. Ironically, we were neighbors and decided to go out for dinner together that evening. The following day we climbed Little Adam's Peak, which lives up to its name and is quickly climbed. But you still have a good view from up there. After that, we walked to the Nine Arches Bridge, which also stands out for its Instagram charm. We had seen a great picture on an empty bridge from a friend of mine (thanks to Saskia, who really gave us false expectations). But the bridge was packed, so we didn't get a nice picture. The view was still very impressive, as you could look deep down into a jungle-like area. On the way back, as expected, it started raining again. So we were soaked again when we got back to the hostel. In the evening, we had some cocktails with Bibi and Marc. It had been two days since I took my last pill, so what could possibly happen? Well. The doctor had apparently made a mistake. My body couldn't metabolize the alcohol and I became terribly sick. The next morning, we wanted to visit a tea factory. Unfortunately, I could barely move and had to vomit eight times that day. I can't remember the last time I felt so miserable. Luckily, we quickly figured out where my "illness" came from and René took very loving care of me.

After a day of pain, I was fit again and we continued to Galle, a city by the sea that was once dominated by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, and finally the British as colonial rulers. One fort remains from that time, which now houses not only beautiful houses and some churches, but also many shops and restaurants. Our hostel was a bit outside the city and by the sea. Here we splashed around in the huge waves. The next day, before our onward journey to a hotel with a pool (yay), we wanted to take some nice beach photos. Unfortunately, there was nothing left of the beautiful beach. Everything was full of plastic waste that the waves had washed up overnight. So we mustered up the courage and asked for a garbage bag, with which we contributed our tiny part and picked up at least some of the trash. It should be mentioned that our hostel owner was now forced to take care of our trash and burn it. So in the end, he had more work to do than we did with our cleaning up action. A big thank you to the kind man.

The most trash we collected was empty plastic bottles. Here you realize how great it actually is that Germany has a deposit system. During our time at All Hands, we talked to many people from all over the world about this. Even in countries like France, there is no uniform recycling system for bottles. So, a very good idea that Mr. Bottle Deposit had and maybe something we should be grateful for more often, instead of going to Holland to avoid the deposit.

After a day at the pool in a beautiful but slightly too expensive hotel, we decided to spend one more night in Colombo. In the cheapest dive in a dorm, we slept the next night, after spending a rather boring day in the not so exciting and much too hot city of Colombo. The next morning, once again, we met Bibi and Marc and said goodbye to both of them.

The last two days before the end of our Asia trip, we were in Negombo, near the airport, by the beach. We spent two days swimming a thousand laps in the pool with our new swim goggles, went to the beach a few times, and had a fancy dinner in the evening. We really felt like we were on vacation now.

And now we're on the plane. In almost 30 hours, we'll be back home. (We're flying to Doha first, then to London where we have to change airports, and then on to Cologne where my parents will pick us up)

We are very much looking forward to seeing all of you and are super excited to see what the future holds. A new degree for me, work life for René, and a new flatshare. But much will stay the same. We're excited to sit by the canal, go on hiking trips and bike tours, plan concerts and the next festivals, have a beer at the kiosk corner, and finally see all of you again.

Postscript

When we landed in Cologne after a stopover in London, I was already very excited about going through the gate. We turned the corner and saw my dad, who greeted us with a big smile. And there they were: Sina, a friend from Cologne, and my mom, who held up a banner that said "Welcome World Travelers" and blew carnival horns loudly. We could hardly stop hugging each other, everyone was so happy to see each other again. At home, we thought only Helena, my best friend, would be waiting for us. But anyone who believes that doesn't know my mom well. She had not only conjured up asparagus from somewhere, just because I wanted it even though it was the wrong season, but had also gathered many relatives who wanted to celebrate our homecoming with us. My grandpa and grandma, Max and Helena, Sina, Christiane, René's mom, and even my aunt from Bremen had made the trip. We had the most wonderful and beautiful homecoming we could have wished for.