Sri Lanka

SRI LANKA

The Eid ul-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the Ramadan gave us a long holiday weekend at the end of September and we decided to take the time off and escape with our good friends, the Kotalawalas to the island nation of Sri Lanka.





















Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon prior to gaining its independence fron England in 1948, is located off the south eastern tip of the Indian subcontinent in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka has been struggling with an on-going civil war for over 20 years with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, otherwise known as the LTTE. This group has been fighting for the creation of an independent state. Fortunately, it appears that the conflict is nearing an end with the LTTE on the verge of defeat.

After a four hour flight from Dubai, we landed in the capitol Colombo late in the evening and settled in for a few hours of sleep before getting on the road the following morning. Our plan was to spend the holiday at a tea plantation bungalow situated deep in the high country. The interior of Sri Lanka is comprised of mountainous terrain with elevations exceeding 8000 feet. The environment is perfectly suited for the cultivation of tea and as such the area is covered in numerous tea plantations.

Our bungalow, which was actually a five bedroom house, was a former home to an assistant tea plantation manager. The house came staffed with a butler, cook, and two other staff to help around the house and the surrounding grounds. Situated on a side of a mountain, the front of the home looked out over several mountains and valleys below and was, of course, surrounded by a working tea plantation. The weather was a great relief from Dubai with temperatures in the mid 60s during the day.
















The main objective the first day was to settle in and relax around the bungalow. We interspersed our reading and idle chat with an impromptu game of cricket followed by a game of tag where Alex and Sanjeewa showcased just how old they've gotten. Outrunning boys less than half your age is no easy task. While Alex took advantage of the opportunity to nap; Vivian, Mish, Sanjeewa, and the boys explored the surrounding tea plantation. After a great BBQ dinner served outside on the lawn, it was off to sleep.

















Day two took us higher up into the mountains to the Horton Plains National Park. Set on a plateau, the area is a haven for wildlife and the setting for some beautiful views. Weather in the park is notoriously poor. Warm air from the Indian Ocean rushes up the sides of the mountains and as it does cools with the increasing elevation resulting in near constant fog, mist, and rain. This day would be no exception.

The weather seemed to be holding as we set out on the five mile hike to the World's End. About 20 minutes into the hike the rain moved in and it wasn't long before we were all on the wet side. The World's End is an abrupt end to the plateau where the cliff drops away to the valley a few thousand feet below. On a clear day, (of which this was not one), you are able to see out across the country to the Indian Ocean.

We made it back to our vehicle just as night fall was setting in and then slowly made our way home to our bungalow. After a hot shower and some good food we retired to the evening room to enjoy the fireplace and plan our next days activities.

The following day saw Alex awake with a cold, which kept his activities limited for the day. So while Alex, Sanjeewa, and the boys hung around the bungalow for the day, Vivian and Mish were off to explore the Dambatenne Tea factory and estate. Mr. Lipton used to own this plantation and estate. Lipton still sources tea from here. Over 70% of the tea produced at Dambatenne is sold to Lipton.



Tea is a critical component of the Sri Lankan economy and this particular factory and estate has been in production since the 1800s. The plantation manager, a friend of a friend of the Kotalawalas (as apparently most of the country is) was gracious enough to give a personal tour of the factory and his residence (which is where Lipton also resided). The process for harvesting and refining the tea leaves has not changed much over the years. Tea is still plucked by hand, sorted and then dired just as it was over one hundred years ago. Women clad in brightly colored clothing move up and down the hill sides filling their bags with tea leaves which are subsequently handed over to the plantation for processing and sale.


















The plantation house was absolutely amazing with gorgeous views out across the tea covered hills. Stunning gardens, all meticulously maintained around the house had a very English feel to them.
















With everyone back home at our bungalow, we all huddled around the television to watch the much anticipated debate between the vice presidential candidates. After the debate it was time to enjoy our last evening in the bungalow complete with another great dinner.


The following day, we got an early start for the four hour journey back to Colombo on the winding and narrow roadways.
















With an evening to ourselves we took in the sunset over the harbor from our hotel and packed our bags for our flight back home to Dubai.

To view the entire album of all our Sri Lanka photos please click on the link: http://vivianalex.shutterfly.com/

Beijing, China, 2008 Summer Olympics

As most of you know, Alex and I were lucky enough to go to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games. I must say, there was more to it than luck, though. Just getting our visas took more perseverance and determination than you can imagine. Between Alex and myself, we went to the Chinese consulate here in Dubai a grand total of NINE times in order to finally be approved! We had to submit applications, letters of permission from everyone you can think of, bank statements (yes, the government of China now has our bank account numbers!), hotel and flight reservations, proof of olympic event tickets, letter from hotel confirming our stay, I could go on and on, but you get the point. You would have thought we were seeking permission to take over the country! Alex's application was approved before mine. Mine was turned down as they asked for further paperwork more than 4 times. I actually had to have Alex write a letter for me (since I am in the UAE under his visa) stating that I had his permission to go to China and "guaranteeing" that I would abide by all Chinese laws while there! Yep, I had to get a permission slip from my husband! He will not likely let me forget this one for a while!
I flew to Beijing from Portland, Oregon (via Vancouver) with my friend Kelly (college roomie) and her boyfriend EJ. We came from the wedding of another one of our college roommates. Since the wedding was the night before we left for our long trip to Beijing, we ended up staying out ALL night and heading straight to the airport with no sleep. Alex flew from Dubai and met us in Beijing. We planned it well enough that our planes landed within 10 minutes of each other! Upon arriving in Beijing, we headed to the hotel to drop our bags and then went straight to a women's semi-final football game (aka: soccer). Although we did get some sleep on the flight over (thanks to EJ's prescription assistance!), I had been on the go for more than 48 hours. The only thing that kept me awake during the football game was the amusement of watching Kelly and EJ's heads bounce as they kept nodding off! We were just exhausted. I can assure you I am too old for these kind of marathon all-nighter antics! However, our very first olympic event was more fun than I could have imagined and very memorable. The next day we headed to the Olympic Green for a day of watching athletics (track and field events) at the newly built Bird's Nest.

Kelly's mom, Eileen, had been in Beijing since the opening ceremonies and was a fantastic tour guide! She had already scoped everything out and took us around the Olympic Green to see the many exhibits and displays. At one of the exhibit tents, they invited Kelly and me to sit down for a traditional tea ceremony. They were always so excited to see blonde haired people! We ended up all having tea as a group and then they asked us to autograph their sign and take photos with us. Everyone was so gracious and happy to have us as visitors to their country.

Also on the Olympic Green are the new buildings for the events including "The Bubble" in which all aquatic events were held and a building that we called "the torch building" due to it's shape. The TV screen on the side showed views of current events taking place and re-runs of past events.

That evening we headed out to meet some of Kelly's friends from Singapore who were also in town. We went to a bar that was absolutely packed with soccer fans who had just been to the Brazil vs. Argentina match. Much to Alex's chagrin, we ended up staying out late. He was tired and wanted to go back to the hotel. However, once he saw that it was nearing 2:00AM, he decided that we should all just stay up and go with Priscilla to see the flag raising ceremony at Tianamen Square at sunrise. Sooooo, at about 4:15 in the morning we left the bar (which was still wall to wall people), caught a taxi, and headed to Tianamen Square. It was humbling to be at the site of what all of us know to be a horrible moment in history where many student protesters lost their lives to violence. Needless to say, there are many guards here. Some are in uniform, but we were aware of many who were dressed in plain clothes as well. We decided this would not be the place to wear your Free Tibet t-shirt.

We look just a wee bit tired in the photo below...

One of the highlights of the trip was of course, The Great Wall of China. The pictures speak for themselves. Although I don't think they show you just how many and how steep the stairs are!

We toured the Forbidden City, also known as the Former Imperial Palace. This is where the emperor lived along with the princesses, concubines, etc. This is the walled city where the entire ruling family lived. It is called the Forbidden City since no "commoners" were allowed inside. The size of this place is gargantuan. There are still areas where the public is not allowed to go. The middle photo below gives you an idea of the size of this city and the opulence in which the ruling family lived.

We went to the Temple of Heaven during the evening, so not many of my pictures turned out. This temple is in a HUGE, beautiful park. It's an amazing getaway from the noise and bustle of the city and is located right in the middle of Beijing!

We had lots of great traditional Chinese food, spent quality time with good friends, and enjoyed the amazing sites Beijing had to offer. A HUGE thank you again to the Sonnack family, we would not have been able to do half the things we did without their assistance and generosity! Xie Xie!

To see the entire album of our China photos, please go to http://vivianalex.shutterfly.com/