Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Sri Lanka: Odds and Ends


There is so much more I could write about our trip to Sri Lanka, but life moves so fast, and we are already preparing for another trip - two months in Utah.  So I thought I had better have some way to tie a ribbon on this great vacation.  From the time we arrived at the airport in Colombo and saw weird appliance stores IN the airport (how many travelers are desperate for a washer/dryer combo?), Teacher brand whiskey bottles, and the Speedzilla Taxis pulling up to the curb we had some high adventure.


The beaches were brilliant and relaxing.  The Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, close to Bentota, was fascinating.  There are few things more amazing than holding a one day old green turtle, knowing that it will be released into the wild in three days.  The eggs are brought to the hatchery by local residents and the hatchery buys them so that they won't be sold for various gourmet delicacies.  They then bury the eggs in a protected area and wait for them to hatch.  After they hatch the turtles are put into water holding tanks and rotated until they reach three days old.  Then, at night when there are less predators about, the turtles are released into the Indian Ocean with crossed fingers.  The whole hatchery was destroyed with the tsunami, so they are still trying to rebuild after six years.  It was still very impressive.


We stopped by the roadside and had some coconut milk straight from the coconut - not my favorite, but a must for any Sri Lankan visitor.


We had time to relax and a lot of time appreciating a new part of this glorious world.  The more we travel the more we realize how magnificent God's creations are.  I think Abbey's favorite activity was trying to jump each wave that came onto the shore.  Brett and I watched her and spent a lot of time appreciating our own little creation.  We thought she might show signs of tiring as she chased the wind and the waves, but we got tired of watching long before she got tired of jumping.  She is an amazing traveler and has had some unique experiences for her young life, but then so have Brett and I, for our old lives that is!


4 comments:

Amy said...

I love the last series of photos with Brett/Abbey, and you two holding hands. That one needs to be put on a wall! I saw a documentary about sea turtles, and I'm always amazed how any make it to the ocean with all the predators standing by for a free lunch! That's great that people are helping nature along in the best of ways! Have fun in UT.

Kristy said...

You guys are so awesome! I've loved these posts about Sri Lanka.

terahreu said...

That last photo is heavenly! We missed the turtle hatchery so I appreciate the pictures. I am a fan of coconut milk. To me, it is so refreshing! I also remember the strange assortment at the airport. You never know when you might need a dryer/washer combo!

Amy said...

You are so so beautiful!

What a lovely trip. I'm glad you got to go! (even if you did have to drink yucky coconut milk.....)