Bustling Bangkok to Remote Sri Lankna

When we left Myanmar, we had an 8  hour lay-over in Bangkok. Bill (the event producer) had us store our luggage and rush out of the airport to experience a little bit of Thailand in just a few hours. This was a type of  timed trial where you did not  get any points but every team  had to complete 6 scavenges. It made it a much less hectic day.  Some favorite scavenges: We had to go to a market (I bought a sack of guava and mangos), visit Wat Pho (a wonderful reclining Buddha), get a Thai massage and take a ride on the river.  The pace was almost leisurely and – for the first time since we started this trip 11 days ago – we got to relax and have a long lunch (with real food) at a nice restaurant next to the river. It was heaven. We still got sweaty as hell because it is hot as hell here - and had to take a wet-wipe rub-down at the airport before boarding the plane for… Colombo, Sri Lanka.

As soon as we got the scavenge books at 9 AM we decided to head out of town. Historically this has been the smartest play for all of the legs that you have to travel overland. We stuff 2-3 days of clothes in a backpack and head out of the city as quickly as possible and pick up the points for that city at the end of the leg (at the end of our travels).  So off we set for the South.  We were in Sri Lanka 2 years ago and went to the North and Center of the country so this time we headed South.  The train was slow, hot and VERY over-crowded (with people literally hanging off the edges). About 2 hours into our trip to Galle, we stopped at a small city (Kalutara) which was a scavenge city.  The train conductor told us that the next train to Galle was in 1 ½ hours (which would have been more than enough time to do what we needed in Kalutara). So off we got.. visited the market and a temple in Kalutara.  We arrived at lunch-time which involves a ceremony with a small musical band and a canopy as they bring today’s selection of curries to offer to the Buddha statue. It is quite an event which is repeated every day at noon. We also took blessed water and fed it into a funnel system that leads to a giant Boya tree in the middle of the temple. This apparently will bring good luck and health to all of our family, so you can all thank us now. And here’s a creepy painting in the temple.. the cycle of life from death to decomposing to birds eating your flesh to skeleton…etc. Not a pretty picture when you look at it like that. 

We then went on to Galle,  a beach city with an old walled city that was formerly a Dutch fort.  We had to find several things in the fort and do a taste test of 3 different kind of fruit juices.. here I am testing a fruit punch versus coconut milk versus a very tart limeade at a rooftop cafe.

That evening we took a very long – very bumpy (doesn’t this sound like a common theme for our South East Asia legs?) up to the Uda Walara national park. At 6 AM the next day, we went on a safari to see the wild elephant herds. And we saw dozens of them plus some very playful babies.

We then headed for Sinhajara Rainforest for a hike.  This seemed like an easy excursion until our taxi got lost in the hills of tea plantations and a 2 hour drive turned into a 5 hour drive.  When we finally got there it was so great to actually stretch our legs and hike into the rainforest. Lots of waterfalls and lush greenery.  Unfortunately it was a wet afternoon so we ended up in rain jackets most of the time. 

The next morning in Colombo  we spent almost all of our time before  check-in buying stuff for a boy’s home (for mentally disabled boys), going to the home and playing cricket with them and coloring.

I love the colors of the Devil Masks. If I did not have to haul it back halfway around the world I would have bought one. 

We are about to go and meet the group to open the Oman leg...and to find out how badly we got beaten by going to the South of Sri Lanka (URRGHH...!!!)  Seems a little unfair that one part of the country (where several of the teams had already gone) was worth so  much more points than another part.... but that's life!!! 

For Angel's mom... We are loving having Angel on this trip. He has been a true pleasure and is having a great time. He's eaten some of the weirdest food -and added spices and chili paste to everything.  He is going to have 1,000 stories to tell when he gets back.