Ancient Ruins
My first reaction to seeing, “Visit Sri Lanka’s ancient ruins,” on my itinerary was, “Sri Lanka has ancient ruins?” From that point on, I was looking forward to learning about the ancient civilization and I was extremely excited to visit the site of Sri Lanka’s early ancestors.
Whenever someone back home would ask, “What the hell are you going to do in Sri Lanka?” I would respond with the answer of visiting ancient ruins. I am a history concentration; therefore I am completely fascinated with anything that happened in the past. Being able to physically see the structures that people lived in hundreds of years ago was nothing short of a dream come true to me.
The aspect that I found most interesting was the magnitude of the royal palaces’. The ancient Sri Lankan’s possessed the ability to build massive palaces. My favorite was Vijayotpaya, built by King Parakramabaha the Great. When the palace was erected it stood seven stories tall. Currently it has been reduced to only three, however standing at the base of the palace, I can’t even imagine how massive it must have been. Something to consider would be adding recreations to the each structure.
There was an added beauty to the ancient ruins. We had started our tour around 5:30, just as the sun was starting to set. I would say that this was the most magical time to visit. The way the sun was positioned in the sky released all of Mother Nature’s colors. Together they released colors on the ancient brick that made them look even more spectacular. Anyone interested in capturing a surreal photo would be smart to plan his or her tour during sunset.
The trip to Sri Lanka’s ancient ruins was much anticipated. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there learning some of the history of Sri Lanka’s ancestors. Even for as much as I enjoyed the ruins, I feel that there is tremendous potential for the grounds to attract not only American tourists, but people from around the world.
Elephant Orphanage
Sri Lanka is a land ruled by elephants. Standing well over eight feet tall and weighing several tons, the presence of any elephant does not go unnoticed. Elephant figurines are sold in most shops, a symbol of just how important they are to the Sri Lankan people. Sri Lanka boasts several different ways for a tourist to interact with the world’s largest land creature.
Perhaps the most interesting way to find elephants is to simply drive. The elephants are part of the landscape. They inhabit every corner of the country that we visited. Even after our 50th sighting, you couldn’t keep us from snapping pics of the enormous, yet elegant creatures. The aspect of the wild being so close intrigued all of us. Even all the monkeys and lizards that run around peak my interest. Sri Lanka’s animals create a great amount of adventure that you can’t capture in the United States.
The one thing I will brag to all my friends about is how I rode an elephant. As we approached Raja, he greeted each of us with his thick trunk. Sniffing and prodding each of us, he was more than happy to be our chauffer for the afternoon. He took us on an hour-long ride that made me feel like a little kid again. The massive elephant was able to cart six of us around at one time with complete control. He even managed to go on a swim with us on his back. With each of us laughing and screaming, Raja paraded around as if we were no more than a pesky fly on his backside. Raja is incredibly intelligent, knowing 26 commands, he responds immediately to the trainer’s orders. Despite his overwhelming size, I had no fear of him. He was as friendly as any American house pet. Raja gave us an unforgettable experience, all for the price of only $15 U.S. Dollars, far cheaper than any zoo back home.
My favorite part of the entire trip, including our time in Singapore and Malaysia was our trip to the elephant orphanage. The orphanage takes care of elephants from all different walks of life, from the young and motherless, to the old and blind. Easily the saddest story is of an elephant that had its foot blown off by a landmine. The full-grown elephant is now forced to hobble on three limbs. She walks by pushing off on her back legs and sort of lunging forward. Without the care and effort of the workers at the orphanage the elephant would not be able to fend for herself. She is a true success story for an organization that is doing the right thing to protect one of Sri Lanka’s most proud elements of nature.
If one wants to truly experience the elephant orphanage for all its worth then you must go around 1 O’clock in the afternoon. Around that time, the herd of 80+ is lead down to the river nearby. It is a majestic seen watching the families trot around the water to cool and clean themselves. Be sure to grab a bite at the restaurant that sits right above the water to watch all the excitement unfold. For nearly two hours we were able to watch them act as if they were in their natural habitat, but then again, in Sri Lanka, everywhere is the elephants home, because in Sri Lanka, the wild comes to you.
Some of the ancient ruins, the rock we climbed today and some of the 1,202 stairs. (glad its over.) And the elephant I rode. Raja was his name and he was awesome. We went swimming together.
A Diamond in the Rough
Sri Lanka was the country I had known the most about before taking this trip. However, what I had known was brought to me via the tsunami coverage that devastated the East Coast of the country. As I write this blog, I am sitting 50 feet off that same battered beach. Our resort is beautiful and the view is indescribable.
For the past two days we have traveled to ancient ruins, climbed 1,202 stairs and ridden an elephant. It is a shame that my western knowledge of Sri Lanka was limited to the thought of a third world country on the brink of civil war, recently ravaged by one of the world’s deadliest natural disaster.
The country is developing and rebuilding. Of the three countries we visit on this trip, Sri Lanka is the most raw. It has the most spirit. The people here are so polite and are so intrigued by the sight of a white face. I kind of feel like a celebrity/giant, as being 6 foot 2, I shadow every Sri Lankan. Yet they are not one bit intimidated. They will approach you at any hour, day or night. The only thing you have to do to make a child smile here is wave. It is indeed the little things in life that make a Sri Lankan person happy.
No GUM!!!
Out of all of our destinations, Singapore was the one I was most looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. For an island that is the fraction of the size of Nebraska, it is the most developed city I have ever visited. That last includes New York, Boston, LA and Kansas City mind you. Seemingly unphased by the limited space, the massive population of 6 million people is thriving.
There is tremendous attention to detail. I actually think the bottoms of my shoes are cleaner after walking around the streets of Singapore. There is no chewing gum and you can get ticketed for spitting, (this was a serious problem for me, since I spit like a camel. Gross I know.)
In all seriousness, the city is beautiful. Extremely modern, Singapore possesses a futuristic feel. We were told in Malaysia that Singaporians travel across the border to eat the Malaysian food, because supposedly theirs has more taste. I am going to set the record straight and say that was a lie. The food in Singapore was awesome. The best we’d had so far in my opinion. Additionally, Frank and I had McDonald’s delivered to our room. I know that sounds completely stupid, but we had to do that, American McDonald’s needs to step up.
The coolest part of the stop in Singapore, or for the entire trip for that matter was our visits to McCann Worldgroup and BBDO. Both international powerhouses in the realm of advertising, we were allowed to sit with some of the company’s big wigs to pick their brains and gain advice. I loved this so much. Since I only have one year left to get as much under my belt as possible, I feel like the 2 hours at McCann was more worthwhile than all my ad classes I’ve taken over the past years.
Luckily we have one more stop at an ad agency in Sri Lanka before the trip is said and done. We head to Sri Lanka tomorrow and I got to say aside from another visit to an agency, I can’t wait to sprawl out with a coconut drink on the East Coast of the island.
