Sri Lanka - the unknown island - is our last country

Sri Lanka. A few weeks ago, the desire to visit an unknown country solidified. Finally, as a conclusion, on the way home.

Sri Lanka had been a travel wish of ours for years. This time we are fulfilling it. A new country. Everything is different, even how we start. At the airport, we book our return flight home. Out of necessity. We don't have a confirmed visa or any flight out of the country - so the airline won't take us - Sri Lanka's rules. Understandable, but we were initially taken aback; now we have been traveling for almost 5 months without further flights and have never encountered this situation before. However, until now, we only needed a registration for each country - no visa that requires an application to be reviewed and approved. So: are we stubborn and fly directly home or set a date for leaving Sri Lanka - also home? The latter. We set March 19 as the date, thus maximizing the 30-day visa validity. The freedom to fly home early if we are not excited about it is no longer as flexible as it once was.

We start in Colombo, trying to develop a feeling - we fail; having seen one thing, something else awaits us just around the corner. A city, half under construction, half in decay, unfinished, ruins, and modern glass buildings. Wealth and poverty. Living and life situations in broken, dirty, openly visible simplicity - out comes a well-groomed individual. Life on the streets, separated by a makeshift wooden wall, with no water, no electricity - a cloth protects their intimacy. Life in empty factory halls, dark, wooden frames with mattresses, waste in the corners - a shower booth built by themselves, colorful clothes fluttering on a small washing line. A parking lot attendant, dressed in a neat uniform, sits in a booth that also seems to be his home. The state provides healthcare; everyone receives medical treatment. With subsequent complaints, each person has to figure out how to proceed. Begging women and men, sometimes there is nothing left but that...
And/But/Of course: Everyone has a smile, nods 'Indian-style' with their head, looks friendly, acknowledges, waves, and greets. That reaches our hearts :-)

Young people celebrating exuberantly, surprising small gifts, some unobtrusive inquiries about where we come from, whether this is our first time in Sri Lanka, if we enjoyed it, how long we are staying. 30 days - initially without a plan. We want to book a train from Colombo to the highlands, Anuradhapura. At the station, we learn that the cyclone last November damaged train routes; currently, only 30% of the train routes are operational. We find this out at a tourist information desk at the main station, which is also a travel agency. Just as Sri Lanka began, it continues - we let ourselves be advised and book a 14-day tour through the highlands of Sri Lanka, with all the sights, a car with a driver, and the freedom to flexibly shape the itinerary in these 14 days. We have never done anything like this before - it feels good, it relieves us; these days are secured, we know when and where we are, do not have to decide daily, and can simply enjoy. From this, we realize that we are 'full and travel-sated.' We have always done 1-3 day tours, and a nice relationship has always developed with the drivers and guides. Often, one learns personal opinions, backgrounds, stories in conversations. That would be exciting.

We wanted to learn something about the colonial period and its effects at the National Museum - we sought a somewhat more critical representation but did not find it. We were particularly interested in the history of the recent past, the civil war, which lasted over 30 years until 2007. There was not even a hint of that at the National Museum. Sometimes, silence speaks volumes.

The highlights of Sri Lanka are not in Colombo. Sri Lanka has 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Surely we will find the beauty of these landscapes and places - Colombo has shown us the whole face of Sri Lanka. Thank you for that.