Alone again
Past three weeks have been the happiest time of my life… and now it is history. Paula came to Sri Lanka on 17 December. It was so amazingly nice to welcome her to “my hoods” and show her around. Luxurious life
The very next day we started off to Kandalama Hotel, that is five star luxury designed by Geoffrey Bava, Sri Lanka’s most recognized architect. Three nights that we spent in Kandalama were eerily fantastic. On one hand it was superb to treat you like a king (and queen) and not to care about spending money. On the other hand, it felt even a bit too much luxurious. Whatever the case may be, it was dream-like. We ate from the best buffets, savored expensive wine, took dips in an “edgeless” swimming pool, had sauna (!) that overlooks the Kandalama Lake and got ourselves massaged in the spa.
Kandy (eli Carkki)
From Kandalama we rode off to Nuwara Eliya, bypassing Kandy on the way. In Kandy the first thing to do was to go and pay my debt for post cards that I had bought on my last visit (with Pike). Those 100 rupees (75 cents) might have not been the most crucial money earned for the people who sold them to us but at least it made them burst in laughter. Is there any other nationality as honest as Finns? I wanted Paula to see the Kandyan dancers so we lingered on for the show and only after that started off towards Nuwara Eliya again. Oh yeah, we also stopped in a spice garden where you can buy all kinds of herbal products that ought to make miracles western medicine is unable to do. I bought powder that is supposed to cleanse your teeth and no matter how skeptic I was it worked the first time! All the black stuff covering my front teeth was removed after a good five-minute rub with the magic powder. Long live ayurveda!
Driver-kenek
The road to Nuwara Eliya (the highest city of Sri Lanka, in some 2500 m above sea level) was crap! No, it wasn’t even a road, but a path. Luckily we had a driver who took every curve quite safely without too many unnenessary risks. “Driver?” you might ask. It’s customary to rent a car and a driver in Sri Lanka. I know it sounds a bit colonial but that’s how it works here. Actually we started to feel a bit sentimental for our driver in the very beginning. In Kandalama he was the only Tamil in the drivers’ accommodation and the other (Sinhalese) drivers bullied on him. Wankers! He had a family quite close by Nuwara Eliya, in Hatton, so we decided that he could visit his wife and two kids while we were there. That, however, didn’t go without problems. Seemingly, it’s unheard of that the clients would release the driver to meet his family, and Sasi (the driver) needed to get confirmation from us about five times before calling his boss and still confirming from him that it was an okay thing to do. I must say it was a bit stressful situation also for us because his English is not that good and it was quite tiring to try and solve what he wants to tell us. Still, we were happy that he could go home just before Christmas (although Hindus don’t celebrate it).
A different kind of x-mas
So, we spent the days just before, during and after Christmas in Nuwara Eliya and around. It’s a peculiar British-style town with horses walking the streets (!) and a climate that makes even a Finn shiver at night. We arrived there quite late and were just happy to get to sleep after dinner. However, the place where we stayed has got to be the gloomiest, dampest and darkest Victorian hell hole I’ve ever been in. After two nights we couldn’t take it anymore but changed to a much cozier place. It was warm one-storey hotel with nice bar, huge pool table upstairs, home-like living room with sofas and TV and an ok restaurant. There we had our Christmas dinner before heading for one of the key highlights of the vacation: Adam’s Peak. On Christmas morning 2:15 we started ascending the 5200 steps to the third highest mountain of Sri Lanka. It was a tiring effort at times but somehow by 5:30 we reached the peak and settled to wait for the sunrise, with hundreds of pilgrims and a few tourists who shared our anticipation. Though it was cloudy and thus we didn’t see the magical shadow triangle formed by the mountain in the sunrise, it was still an once-in-a-lifetime experience… and something that you would not do with every other girlfriend. When we came running down the steps we were amazed by the sheer amount of them. We couldn’t recollect climbing that many of them!
Some of the other highlights in the hill country were spending time with Ralph and Manon (two dinners, a bottle of house wine and visiting Horton Plains), strolling around in Victoria Park where birch trees are just next to the palm trees, visiting a tea factory where the guide speaks Finnish, and popping in to read newspapers in Hill Club that once used to be the British “boy’s club” where even Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinborough have stayed.
Blood sucking freaks
As we continued down south for more pleasant climate, we stopped for two nights in Belihuloya where I sometimes work with Wild Drift. We stayed in a tent, went canoying, plaid cards and ate a lot. Still the peak was to take Paula through the semi-jungle voyage that I’ve already done a few times before. For her it was at times burdening to jump from a rock to rock, pass river and run through mud. We also experienced the notorious leeches that stick to your skin and suck your blood. Other than that it was nice experience, I hope also for her.
As we proceeded down south, we decided to visit Uda Walawe National Park that can be easily compared to African savannahs. We managed to bum a ride in a Jeep from a nice Sri Lankan expat family who were on vacation from California. That was a lot of fun. By this time we were, however, a bit frustrated with our driver. He didn’t seem to know directions that well and his unexistent self-confidence didn’t help much. Then it finally happened, we got lost somewhere in the backwoods of Sri Lankan mountain villages where the uneducated hillbillies dwell. He stopped for asking directions (once again) from a guy who was packing a lorry in the middle of the road. After a brief conversation, we saw a tuk-tuk (auto rickshaw) accelerating down the hill straight towards this poor fellow. He didn’t break, he didn’t stop. No, he just smashed the guy between the tuk-tuk and the lorry. And what did our driver do? He speeds off in a maniac frenzy babbling that it was not his fault. A glance through the rear window shows the guy leaning on the ground with a wide cut in his back and others wawing us to stop and come back. I shout at our driver to slow down (didn’t want him to get us killed) and Paula shouts at me to shut up. Later I learned that if he had stayed there, the local (Sinhalese) people would have asked no questions but started blaming and shooting this poor Tamil fellow. So, in a sense, he was just protecting us by leaving the scene.
Beaches, beaches…
When we finally reached Unawatuna, the first beach destination of our journey, I was really tense but so glad to get rid of the driver. Don’t get me wrong, he was a nice lad and having a driver and a car saved us from so much trouble and enabled loads of flexibity, but at this point it was a real relief to let him go. Yet the best part of that day was to see how flabbergasted Paula was to see and feel the waves of Indian Ocean smoothly splashing into the shore of golden white sand as we walked for our dinner at the beach. That was worth all the agony we went through during the trip.
Friends from Colombo (other trainees, boy and girlfriends, and some local friends) joined us for the New Year’s celebrations in Unawatuna. It has got to be the best place where I’ve spent a new year’s eve: Lots of fireworks, good company and oh-so romantic environment.
After Unawatuna we set off for Mirissa, my favourite beach. We stopped for one night in Ahangama, had our lobster dinner and fell asleep. Next day we endulged ourselves taking an Ayurvedic massage and face treatment before leaving for Mirissa for the rest of the vacation. I had been praising to Paula that Mirissa is even a better beach, but little did she know what I actually meant. Previously it had been a paradise beach with long sandy stretches just for you, but now as the season had started it came alive: about 50 tourists were enjoying the numerous restaurants and guest houses that had re-openeded their doors in the hope of some income. We checked in to my usual place Ocean Moon and headed for beach. I introduced her to Sudu Weli restaurant where I’ve already spent so many magical evenings. Nala, the owner of the place, offered us to use his “body board” (or wake board) to ride the waves. That was something Paula had already heard of in the airplane, and it was worth wating: She was like a kid again playing with the board in the waves and enjoyed every minute of it. I like it too, but the best thing for me was to see how she genuinely enjoyed the best sides of this beautiful country that has become my second home.
Farewell
The last day we spent “sightseeing” and shopping in Colombo, using public transportation and our feet for moving around. I took her to my office too. The day was finished off in a spectacular Japanese restaurant eating a lot and enjoying the last moments together in Sri Lanka.
This morning she left, and I saw her off to the airport. On our way in the van I could hardly speak anymore. It’s so sad to let go off someone who you know is just the right for you, and with whom you’ve just spent the time of your life. Finnish prime minister just said for the press “I’m alone, not lonely”. Well, I’m both again. I know that we’ll meet again and meanwhile we can be constantly in touch over skype and SMS but still I feel lonely. To be honest with you, I don’t have as close friendships here as I should. I left my most important people back in Finland. You know who you are, and I need you. I love the country and I love the work, but something is missing. I feel ready for settling down with the love of my life and building my daily life around that beautiful relationship. Where? That’s still a question mark. When? Less than 13 months. Why? I feel that after this experience one era of my life comes to an end and a new one starts. I’m already quite aware of who I am, what I want to do, what’s important for me and with whom I want to lead my life.
Without wining too much, I have to say that the past three weeks showed a way forward. I couldn’t be surer of my feelings towards you Paula. Until we meet again. All my love… Yours, Tomi.
(PS: Ill upload the pics once I get my camera fixed. Too much humidity for my Olympus!)
