Sri Lanka - In Pictures

Between the lion's paws at Sigiriya

Where do you go after a month in the Emirates to unwind on short notice? Mel and I pondered this question just a week before we were due to catch the plan in Vancouver to Abu Dhabi. In our minds, we both wanted to return to India and spend time in either the north or the east, but we both knew it wasn't going to happen because of the long and sticky visa process, which we simply didn't have time for. 

I was randomly surfing maps on the lonely planet website when Mel yelled from the next room, "What about Sri Lanka?"  I did a quick search, and learned that Canadians could enter Sri Lanka visa free. Our decision was made. 

To even further confirm our plan was a good idea, our good friend Jonny who lived in Colombo for years turned us onto a few "must see" places. Other friends, Dave and Sandra, who we'd also met in Istanbul had just moved to the island and offered us a room in their gorgeous villa to base ourselves.

How much do I love travelling by train? A whole lot! These are kitchen workers watching another train pass us somewhere in the mountains between Kandy and Ella, where the temperature was downright chilly!

Mel taking pictures out of the window of the same train. 

Travelling by bus. This is how it looked at the beginning of the trip. Notice how skinny the seats are? Not a comfortable ride. This bus filled to well-past capacity in lass than 20 minutes. I spent a larger part of the trip sitting on that yellow bag of onions. 

The children of Sri Lanka are gorgeous and polite. Unlike the kids over in India who chase you down for "One pen! One pen!", the Sri Lankan kids are content with a wave and a smile. 

Stupa and prayer flags in Anurahapura - we were fortunate to have hit nice weather in that part of the island's rainy season.

The wildlife in Sri Lanka is probably the most prevalent and diverse I've ever come across, (except maybe Naramata!) Mahout washing his elephant in lake near Anuradhapura.

Old mosque in Galle, a small, relaxed colonial town we really loved. Unfortunately, the walled town lost thousands of inhabitants in the 2006 tsunami. 

Boys from the nearby Islamic school leaving the mosque.

Inside of a church in Galle. The floor is paved with tombstones, 

the bodies are in a crypt outside.

The beach at Unawatuna. Even though we hit this beach at the worst possible time, (huge Buddhist festival that involved crowds of people and near 24 hour chanting over loudspeakers hooked up to every corner of the town), we really enjoyed this place. Also notable as our friend Jonny met his wife on this beach.

This area was hard hit by the 2006 Tsunami. 

A few reminders remain.

Early morning fishing up the road from Unawatuna with a very simple set up - a bamboo stick, a hook and line and  plastic bag.

He caught this little guy within the first 3 minutes of fishing. 

No idea what kind of fish this is. He said it's a baby barracuda, 

but I really don't think so. 

The most frightening part of our trip. We decided to take a boat out and around to see the coastline. We were the first into the boat and watched as more and more people piled in. By the time we pulled away from the shore there were 36 people in our little boat. We tipped dangerously from side to side as people wiggled for a spot where they could see over the side. 

To make matters worse, as we got further from the shore, the waves got bigger and the boat rocked dangerously. The ride didn't last long, and we gave the boat operators a piece of our minds back on the beach.

Lastly, I love the facade of this old Dutch church - like dusty chalk on a blackboard. We spied this church from the train station, bought a ticket, ditched out bags in the baggage check, and set out to find this church before our train departed.

Sri Lanka was such a surprise! The weather varied from blistering hot to chilly, we visited churches, mosques, plus both Buddhist and Hindu temples. We tramped through ancient cities, climbed mountains and relaxed on pristine beaches. We met a few travellers along the way, mostly from Europe and many people travelling with kids. I'd definitely go back, particularly to the south end which was hit badly by the tsunami.

More to come....

Back in Al Ain

These are Fatima's hands. 

Fatima is a high school student who's landed a spot in my morning class. Although she let me photograph her hands, capturing her face would be out of the question.

Being back here in the emirates is strange, the babble of Arabic and the colourless landscape become so familiar so fast, we feel we've never left. Is that good or bad? We'll let you know.

Very little has changed here over the last year. We were picked up by the same driver we had a year ago, (although our villa has changed.) We were greeted at ADU by the same smiles and hugs we exchanged a year ago when we said goodbye. We moved back into the same classrooms and greeted the girls, with their hennaed hands clutching their precious cell phones, the familiar scent of Oud, and of course - their yards and yards of shifting black fabric.

And just like last year, the majority of girls could not care less about us, we just get in the way of their socializing with our pesky "lesson plans" and silly blabber about "verbs" and "adjectives".

But there are a few who do care; mostly the girls in the morning classes. Rana takes home every handout she receives and recopies them into a huge book in multi-coloured pens. Amna makes little vocab flash cards for herself. These girls are such a lovely change from... say Reem, who flipped me a dismissive, "Whatever!", when I asked her to come to class on time, or Samoya, who snapped a sharp, "So do you!", when I told her group they talk to much. Unfortunately there are far more Reem's than Rana's. Nothing has changed there either.

I hope to be able to catch up on all the things I want to write about. There's a wedding, and a restaurant, a special student and some very cool people here this year. And then there are the girls. Know-it-all teenagers who want for nothing more than to talk to the boys they are forbidden to be in the same room with.

Stay tuned!

14 Photos From 2009

While organizing photos this weekend I came across several photos I haven't shared on this blog, but I still like. They were all taken by me in 2009. Here they are, hope you like them!

Gypsy flower sellers in Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey.

I love their mishmash of prints.

A man and wife's catch of the day in Chios, Greece.

They were quite proud, this was tonight's dinner. 

Balloons at sunrise over Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey.

Every morning 40-50 balloons hover over the town at sunrise, 

well worth running to the roof in your pajamas.

Upon landing in a field outside Goreme, 

our balloon operators deal with the rapidly deflating balloon.

I was actually still in the basket when I took this shot.

My hometown of Naramata, BC on Christmas Day. 

That's my sis on the far dock.

The Bosphorus at sunset, Istanbul, Turkey.

My old apartment is left of the mosque.

My mom inside an old abandoned windmill, Chios Greece.

It was Mom's lifelong dream to visit Greece.

Romanian priests in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Taken outside the cave churches at the Open Air Museum in Goreme.

Woman in a church, Mytillini, Lesvos Greece. 

I love Greek churches and the people who visit them.

 

Mom, Mel and I all taking photos in Pyrgi, Chios, Greece.

Mel's putting her yoga skills to work. 

Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, UAE. 

Taken from the plane. It's huge.

Sunday Morning at a cafe in Al Ain, UAE.

Almonds on ice, Cesme, Turkey.

Street treats are seasonal; iced almonds are only available in summer.

Balat, Istanbul - Tourists rarely visit 

this old Greek and Jewish area, 

but it was one of my favorite areas to wander.

Rene and Melanie do South India!

Last week we had a whole day of Indian cooking, a classmate asked me about Hampi, the Globe and Mail published and article on the caves of Ethiopia that remind me of the Ajanta and Ellora caves near Pune and then my Sis goes and writes this, can it be a sign??

Mother India is calling! (She wants to know why you haven't visited her in so long! Mothers!)

Day Trip From Istanbul: Iznik

As the deadline for our departure back to Canada loomed, we knew we had to get organised. Too many little things needed to be done, and time was slipping away. Mel and I sat down a drafted a list. Most of the items were mundane like "repair jewelry" and "get quotes on shipping", but number 11 sat in amongst these tasks like a jewel.

11. Go to Iznik.

Iznik had long occupied a place on my "to do" list. Always put off in favor of other trips and excursions, her number was up. Mel and I were determined not to leave Turkey without a visit.

We set a day.

I got the flu and postponed the trip.

We set another day.

The day before we were to leave, we learned there was going to be a public transport strike and all busses and ferries were going to be cancelled for the day. The information was incomplete and unclear, but on Thursday morning bright and early we made our way to Yenikapi ferry terminal and (thankfully) boarded the ferry for Yalova.

We stood on the ferry and watched the sun rise over the Marmara sea and thousands of seagulls swarm the fishing boats as they steamed into the Kumkapi market with their catches destined for the tables of the classy Balik Sokak (Fish Street) restaurants.

The Blue Mosque, along with our little apartment in the background, fade off in the distance. This was in late November, when morning fog is a normal occurrence.

Off the boat in Yalova, we hopped a

local minibus, an hour later we arrived in Iznik.

I was pleasantly surprised by Iznik, and immediately wished I'd made the trip sooner. The small cobbled streets were lined with huge maple trees, displaying bright fall colours. Mosques, museums and ruined Byzantine churches lined the quaint narrow streets, and of course local shops sold Iznik-style ceramics. (Back in the 17th century, Iznik was an important centre producing ceramic tiles for all of the Ottoman mosques and palaces. Although little is produced here these days, the design of tile still holds the name "Iznik".) One man beckoned us to take pictures of his antique hamam.

"That's the men's section!" I feigned shock.

"Haha! No problem! I'll kick the men out!" he joked.

Transportation of choice in this agricultural town in definitely the tractor. Brightly painted and parked outside of houses, these vehicles hauled the towns produce from field to market. I asked one man what he was hauling, it turned out to be olives, on the way to the mill to be pressed for oil. Other tractor's wagons were full of walnuts, sheep, massive cabbages and bright persimmons.

The green Mosque, with it's original

Iznik tile decoration around the minaret.

We wandered the streets with a little map from the information centre, stumbling upon buildings and sites. We visited the city wall and gates and stumbled upon the Green Mosque, among the top sites in Iznik. Mel and I adored this building, its proportion, decoration and design had our cameras busily working away from every angle.

Front door of the Green Mosque.

Iznik is located on the shores of Iznik Lake. We quickly fount that walking from one of end of the town to the other took about 20 minutes at a leisurely pace, within minutes we found ourselves slipping through a little doorway in the city wall and standing on a very nicely kept beach. Here we met Mehmet and his little dog - Raki. (Best name ever for this little white dog with attitude!)

Mehmet and Raki

Glass-like waters of Iznik Lake.

The next day would be Kurban Bayram, or the "Sacrifice Holiday". Traditionally, families sacrifice a sheep or cow and distribute a portion of the meat to poor families. All over Iznik we saw sheep being taken home in preparation for the next day's activities. They were carted around in trucks, on tractors and even walked home on leashes like the family dog. Poor sheep.

Unwilling. Do they know?

We loved Iznik for many obvious reasons - its interesting buildings, friendly locals and small town vibe, but what makes this place stands out from other day trips from Istanbul is its lack of tourism in a place that would be IDEAL for summer vacations. A large lake for swimming and boating, flat terrain for cycling, and gorgeous fresh produce!

We left Iznik for Yalova in the evening, as the sun set on this precious little town, and I finally crossed number 11 of my list.

Mardin! (as promised)

Can we put our finger on what makes us love Mardin so? Is it the gorgeous setting on the side of a mountain with the dramatic scenery of patchwork plains spread out before us? Is it the local arts and crafts that are still practiced with masterful skill in the shops and bazaars everyday? Or is it the exotic honey-coloured stone buildings, intricately carved into flowers and geometric designs?

Mardin bazaar, where you can buy anything from a wedding dress to live chickens!

Obviously we love Mardin. An ancient, multi-ethnic, busy town that makes you feel you’ve stepped back in time. Donkeys click-clack through the streets, mosques with unique little pomegranate tops and people who still welcome visitors with a heartfelt “Hosgeldiniz!”

Ablutions before prayers.

Mardin minaret and plateau of farmland that stretches all the way to Syria.

Olive oil soap in the bazaar carved in the style of local mosques.

Time spent wandering the streets and bazaars of this town is well spent. Wood and metal workers create unique little pieces in tiny little workshops, inviting you in for tea and showing you their wares.

Mosques with ornate Syrian-style minarets and ribbed domes litter the hillside. In the evening when the temperature cools, everyone comes outdoors to socialize and children fly kites high above the town. It’s rumored the Garden of Eden may have been located near here, and we believe it!

Above: View from (and of) our hotel, a 500-year old caravansary!

Below: More ablutions...