Sri Lanka
Cultural Triangle Pictorial
By Tony on February 14, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Many Westerners are not aware of the fact that Buddhism originated in south Asia. Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal and traveled widely throughout Nepal and India spreading his philosophy where he could. In the 3rd century BC, Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka where it took hold and, unlike India, never let go. It was in the great Sri Lankan cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, where the Theravada school of Buddhism was refined before the philosophy moved on to Burma and Southeast Asia. Not surprisingly, many of early Buddhism’s greatest monuments are here in Sri Lanka.
But somebody was asleep during Buddhism class. After two thousand years of talking about rejecting materialism, you would think that some of that philosophy might have seeped into the super-Buddhists’ heads. But no, Theravada-land has decided to honor Buddha by charging foreigners extortionate fees to visit all the monuments dedicated to he-who-rejected-wealth. In a land where much of the population earns a few dollars a day, foreigners are charged $25 US a pop to visit each of the more famous sites. Or, you can purchase a Cultural Triangle Pass for a mere $50 US which allows foreigners to visit all the sites except those which are not included. (You seriously need to read the fine print.) I can say without any doubt that Buddha would be appalled.
However, if you follow our blog, then you know I’m an architecture junkie, and Sri Lanka is the king of the giant dagobahs. If you want to see the history, you’ve got to pay up. But don’t think I didn’t share a few thoughts of my own on Buddhism at the ticket booth. Since we payed though the nose (and since it was quite beautiful), we thought the Cultural Triangle merited a full pictorial of its own.
Sri Lankan Fried Bat
By Thomas on February 12, 2009 | No Comments »
…not a national dish but an unfortunate sleeping accident. And this wasn’t just a single dimwitted fruit bat which failed to understand the danger of power lines. We’ve seen them all over the place, sometimes four or five in a row hanging awkwardly from their charred, twig-like legs.
Apparently caused by the closely grouped wires, this problem seems to be specific to Sri Lanka because we haven’t noticed toasted bats anywhere else. What a SHOCKING way to go! 
Ancient Trivia and 360 Panoramas
By Tony on February 10, 2009 | No Comments »
It’s the third century AD and you are on a tour of the world’s tallest structures. You’ve already visited the Pyramids of Khufu and Khafre in Egypt and you are on your way to view the world’s third tallest structure. What ancient structure are you on your way to visit? (Hint: It’s in Sri Lanka.) » Continue reading this post »
Sacred Temples and Trees
By Thomas on February 7, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Buddhism is central to the Sri Lankan way of life, and with so many important Buddhist sites around the island, much of Southeast Asia regards Sri Lanka as a spiritual leader.
Two of the most frequented pilgrimage sites are the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, and, further up north, the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura.
From the second floor veranda of our colonial hotel, the Olde Empire, we had a perfect view of the heavily guarded entrance to the tooth temple. You might wonder how Buddha came to loose his tooth. » Continue reading this post »
Memories of the Tsunami
By Tony on February 5, 2009 | No Comments »
Wherever we go along the coast, Sri Lankans tell tales of their survival in the world’s worst natural disaster in living memory – the tsunami. Over 30,000 Sri Lankans were killed in the disaster. Here, the disaster lives on.
Even years after the giant wave struck the eastern and southern coasts of the country, visible signs of the destruction can be found on virtually every beach. Abandoned houses, huge boulders, missing vegetation, odd sand banks, the list goes on. The tsunami did an incredible amount of damage. But it’s the locals’ accounts of the tragedy » Continue reading this post »
