Bombs over Sri Lanka

Unawatuna

Pagoda next to the Beach

Buddha loves to catch some rays to

Mambo in Hikkaduwa

January 16, 2008: "More than 28 civilians were killed and dozens wounded when a roadside bomb blew up a crowded bus in southern Sri Lanka, as a six-year ceasefire between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels ran out."


It seems so strange in a country full of people that are so kind and so gentle that something like this can happen. No worries, I wasn't on that bus,(obviously I am here now writing this blog) it was a few hundred miles away.But it's crazyto think about because the people who were killedwere riding in the same bus cross country that we have been riding in this whole trip. Apparently there was a bomb on the bus, followed by snipers killing those who weren't blown up. I am not sure what international news reaches home...as I am a little out of touch what's going on in the rest of the world. Some friends in India had heard the news so I wanted to write to tell everyone we were safe and OK.


My last week in Sri Lanka has been sooo nice. Traveling, traveling, traveling, followed by ahhhhh beach :) I have been a bum much of the last week, lounging in the sun and loving the empty Sri Lankan beaches. Even though Unawatuna, the city where we've been staying, is considered "touristy" by Sri Lankan standards, we've seen very few people. The beaches are not crowded at all, we have trouble finding a restaurant in the evening with more than 2 people eating there, and we never heard a peep outside our window during the night. We befriended several of the local stray dogs, feeding them cookies and playing fetch beside the ocean. By the end of the week we have gathered quite a fan club... Last night 4 dogs slept under our feet as we ate dinner at a beachside restaraunt, including the dog whose back legs don't work, but drags himself enthusiastically around the beach to follow us. We keep getting in trouble by the drunken hotel owner for trying to bring them back to our room with us, but they are so cute and in desperate need of some lovin', I don't mind.


Everything in Sri Lanka has been rather peacful since we've arrived. The people here are very trusting. Aside from our buses being stopped several times with police security identity checks, its been rather uneventful in that matter.When we arrived at our hotel in Nuwara Eliya, they didn't ask for our names, passports, credit card info, money- nothing. Just gave us a key and some fresh towels and said "enjoy". We stayed for 2 nights and said we were leavign early the next morning. The man told us no onw would probably be up so he would leave the door unlocked for us. We woke up early the next morning, no one was up as he had said, and were packed and ready to leave when we realized...we hadn't paid and no one was there to stop of us from leaving. Being a strong beleiver in karma, we left the money with a little note under the front desk and trotted out into the rani to catch our bus. The people here beleive so much in us. Not that I would ever sneak out of a hotel and not pay, but the fact that I could so easily was such a shock.


I am in Colombo now, wasting time before catching our 4 am flight to the United Arab Emirates where we'll hang out for 24 hours, before jetting off to Nepal. I got Bob Segar singing in my ear, " I'm going to Kath-man-duuu, yeah that's really what I'm gonna doooooo, if I ever get out of herem I'm going to Kathmandu"