The best is known to come last

And that's why I jump out of bed at 5.45 am, full of energy, to practice my last sun salutation, enjoy my last treatment, and immerse myself in a sea of flowers, called the flower bath. And all of this under the open sky. How beautiful, I think.

My final conversation with Ladies Doctor is approaching. She is satisfied with me. My dosha is balanced, snakes and frogs tamed, in short, I can be released back into the Western world. She gives me a list of foods to watch out for. Absolute no-gos include; peanuts, pineapple, beef, and shrimp and crabs. 🍤 🍍🦬Oh my God 😦

To end the day today, I can choose a dinner of my choice, and so it will be a mushroom soup, fish with mashed potatoes and fried vegetables, and a mixed salad for me. The dessert, pancakes with coconut and honey, triggers a taste explosion in my mouth. We'll toast with warm water. 🤪 I could have also wished for wine, beer, or espresso, but the day is not over for me yet, as a long journey back is ahead.

It's nice to sit together every evening in a pleasant company. And it reminds me of the movie "Evil Under the Sun" with the astute Hercules Poirot from 1982, played by the unforgettable Peter Ustinov. You live for days and weeks in a small house next to each other and see each other every day. Everyone follows their own rhythm, until mealtimes, where we all come together.

The only difference is that no murder happens here. 😇

However, before that, I visit my beach one last time, walk over a bridge that is no longer intact, say goodbye to my Jungle Beach service, finally try out what the switches on the street lamps are for, and almost fall over in surprise, because you can actually turn on each individual lamp as needed. 😂

A new couple joins us. Astrid and Jens from somewhere in the deep south of Germany. I become momentarily sentimental and think of my recently deceased mother, who was also named Astrid, and how nice it would be to tell her about the trip. As I am interrupted from my thoughts and answer Astrid's question about my name, she starts laughing and says, my mother's name is also Kristine. 😂

Astrid is a singer, and so every evening, right before dinner, we have the pleasure of enjoying her beautiful voice. She offers us a perfect performance of operettas, and it has something surreal, yet still beautiful, here in the middle of southern Sri Lanka. Inevitably, I think of "Fitzcarraldo" with Klaus Kinski from 1982, who wants to build an opera house in the heart of the jungle. 😅

It gets dark early here in the evening, but it is still pleasantly warm. In the vicinity, you can hear monkey cries, unknown bird songs, and everything around you is so peaceful.

The moon shows itself to me one last time while lying on my back. I think it's strange, but here's the explanation:

The moon is upside down! say New Zealand vacationers, Sri Lanka vacationers say the moon is lying on its back. But why is that so? In the evening, the observer looks in the western direction at the waxing crescent moon. So for the viewer, the moon at the South Pole appears like a C (or as a mnemonic, Z; for waxing), and the moon at the North Pole appears like a C rotated in the wrong direction (or as a mnemonic, a; for waning)

In the morning, the observer looks in the eastern direction at the waning crescent moon. So for the viewer, the moon at the South Pole appears like a C rotated in the wrong direction, and the moon at the North Pole appears like a C.

The observer's legs always point towards the center of the Earth, thus automatically changing the direction of view. And when the observer now looks at the moon from the equator, both the waning and the waxing moon lie on their backs.

The farewell is approaching, throughout the day, I say goodbye not only to the staff, but also leave a tip in their diligent hands. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

No, I'm not nostalgic. I'm actually looking forward to the bad weather, good food, my family, friends, colleagues, and the first beer (or gin and tonic) with my nice neighbors. 😍

It's 7:00 pm now, and still so warm. So I decide to travel with just a linen dress and flip-flops. 🤣

My driver picks me up on time, and for the next two hours, I take in the nightlife of the cities we leave behind on our way to Colombo.

At the airport, I am checked twice. Even the shoes have to be taken off. Nevertheless, I manage to smuggle in my drink. 🤪 It's kind of like a challenge for me. 😙

On the plane, tiredness overwhelms me, but I realize that either I need more space after these three weeks, even though I have lost 4 kilograms, or the space on the plane has shrunk. The situation resembles animal transports, at least I feel that way. It doesn't help much that I can watch the movie "Dial M for Murder" with Grace Kelly from 1954 by Alfred Hitchcock. 😬

This time, I actually skip the midnight meal. I just want to sleep, but it's not possible. The young guy next to me sniffs up his nose throughout the flight, and the Sinhalese woman to my right casually rests her head on my shoulder.🙄 And since there is no "mentos" left, I offer the woman my neck pillow and the young man a tissue.

After an 11-hour flight ✈️ and disembarking in cold Frankfurt, I want to go back to Sri Lanka.🏝 Shivering, I dig out my leggings and coat and buy myself a hot coffee for 5.20€ 😳 but I skip the sandwich for 7.50€.

From Frankfurt to Berlin, I travel with Lufthansa and finally feel at home.

Finally, space, cleanliness, and a piece of chocolate 🍫.

Only my brown elephant feet from the land of elephants 🐘 remind me of the long journey. 🤪

I'm back home.🏡

P.S. That's not the end of my blog.

Next, I will share what I have learned from this trip...