Welcome to Paradise - and looking forward to seeing you again!

The 14th day of our tour allows us to experience elephants once more; we see them right by the roadside. At the edge of Udawalawa National Park, they stand by fences, thin wires secured with electricity. Some wear GPS trackers around their necks - these are the 'problem elephants' - clever enough to escape and then stir things up in the next village. Smart enough to wait for tourists who might have a banana or two to spare. The tour in the park is refreshingly different; we do not approach the animals closely; instead, they come to us. Fearless and curious, we stop and let them pass. It is beautiful to see a flooded expanse that gives a sense of ample space. A newborn elephant, just a few days old, is cared for by the herd; a young bull is on the lookout for a mate and flirts, while an old bull emerges from the clear water to cover himself in mud. This protects him from heat and insects.

The 15th tour day takes us to Hikkaduwa; we bid farewell to Manoj and begin our week of relaxation, 7 nights in paradise: beach, sea, sound of the waves... a week for sunsets, lazing around, reading, hanging out - we enjoy it all after deciding to take control of our own destinies. We do not wait for Etihad to offer us an alternative to our flight on March 19; we cancel, as the uncertainty blocks us too much, and book a return flight from Bangkok with Turkish Airlines, via Istanbul back to Frankfurt. On March 25, one week later than planned - good thing we have the time. We talk to other travelers; many of them have rebooked, waiting, not knowing how to get home. Flights are getting more expensive, travel times sometimes stretch to 2-3 days, it is adventurous. Nonetheless, it is a luxury problem; we will make it home; we have no doubt about that. Here in Sri Lanka, it is about bare existence. Fuel supplies are limited, gas is rationed. Trips cannot take place. There are fewer tourists, and many cancellations are happening. No work, no income - there is no insurance for that - a world collapses quickly. Meanwhile, we are witnessing how severely the war is affecting Asian countries dependent on energy supplies from the Gulf states. As I write this, we have been in Bangkok for a few days. Here too, there are lines at gas stations, or they are closed because there are no supplies left.

We conclude our time in Sri Lanka with the city of Galle. Galle's old town lies within a fortress, a fort, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is beautiful to look at; traces of the Portuguese, Dutch, and English can be found and shape the atmosphere. Mentally, we are preparing for the journey home. We feel grateful, fulfilled, and sense that it is time - we do not know where we would like to go next; our ideas, wishes, expectations are more than fulfilled.

Sri Lanka has greatly impressed us. Not only the beautiful nature, but also its preservation, the cleanliness outside the cities, the good infrastructure, and the appreciative atmosphere. We also notice that we do not see any oil palm plantations - a political decision made in 2021 not to allow them anymore. Those that already exist are being dismantled. Congratulations! We know from Malaysia, Sumatra, and also Thailand how they act as monocultures and how much nature is destroyed because of that. We won't lean out the window to criticize when I think of Germany, we better keep 'the ball flat'. We still find it remarkable - a decision against commerce.

We will come back and can highly recommend a trip to Sri Lanka. We find the idea of exploring the island with a rented TukTuk exciting - we have seen and met tourists with a 'TukTuk Rental'. Great idea!