သီရိလင်္ကာ အပိုင်း (၂)

Do you remember the world-famous blockbuster movie 'Speed' from 1994? For those who don't remember, in the movie Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock race through L.A. in a bus. After spending almost three weeks in Sri Lanka, I'm pretty sure that the movie was originally intended to be a documentary about bus rides in SL, but the director simply didn't want to fly halfway around the world. And not only in the movie there was a happy ending, but also I survived, although I had to take the bus more often than planned, because unfortunately Claus Weselsky (the guy from the Sixt commercials) is currently doing an internship at the Sri Lankan Railway. This has led to a strike for several days, because the train conductors are about to get a salary increase, but the hiring process is supposed to change for them.

Anyway, fortunately my Sri Lanka trip consists of more than just bus and train rides. For example, rain. Lots of rain. So much rain that we encountered turtles on the street and flip-flops floated away. By the way, that was tolerable, because as it turned out, my leather flip-flops are only suitable for rain to some extent. Actually, they are more like a simulator for walking in bowling shoes on ice. But we didn't let it spoil our mood and besides playing games, we also went on a safari in Yala National Park. There we went on a literal hunt for leopards and elephants with our cameras and ended the evening in a picturesque lodge. By the way, I can't fail to mention how Sri Lankans want to say 'yes' or 'ok' with a head nod. This movement is closest to a slightly intoxicated head shake turned 90 degrees, like a wobbly dog figure. By the way, it took me until today to understand that it was a head nod. Now it also explains some situations.

Unlike the first part of my stay in SL, the second half is clearly dedicated to 'relaxation', and I'm starting to look forward to my flight home in a few hours to finally be able to hug my loved ones again. The past four months have been the most exciting, adventurous, and diverse time of my life, with many highs and some lows, but my equipment and I are slowly realizing that it's time to come home.