I left Shantivanam as it was getting too hot to sleep at night, spent 3 days in an air conditioned hotel in Trichy and then joined a friend that I had met at the ashram to fly to Colombo. There we were met by our host from Kandy and we drove for a couple of hours up hill to the delightful city of Kandy. I am staying with a wonderful family here and it is very comfortable. I awoke the first morning to find the trees outside my room full of monkeys and watched them tightrope walking on the wires. Apparently they know which ones are safe to walk on.I am a bit tired of sightseeing so am just content to join the family in their every day activities. Their 15 year old daughter is a chess champion who has travelled all over the world to compete in tournaments.
Sri Lanka is very different from India even though it is just a 40 minute air trip away. This is predominantly Sinhalese Budddhists and the country is much cleaner and more progressive.
Unfortunately the civil war here with the Tamil Tigers is still in its last days and there are soldiers with machine guns, check points and barricades everywhere, but I am finding it very peacerful where I am.
There is a large temple here that has a tooth from the Buddha and is one of the holiest shrines in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers bombed it in 1998 so security is very tight now. They will be showing the tooth on the 6th and already are preparing for huge line ups. There are buddhist monks and buddha statues and shrines everywhere.
Sri Lanka is definitely worth a visit and I expect that I may return here some day. I also hope to return to Shantivanam. But now I am looking forward to returning to my comfortable home in Canada and integrating all that I have learned and experienced here. It has been an amazing journey!
