WE HEART SRI LANKA!(Day 6)

2-22-14

We woke up with the realization that

THIS WAS OUR LAST DAY IN SRI LANKA!

Oh no! 

Time flies when you're having fun!

Four of us woke up early, packed, and took a walk

along the beach of the 

INDIAN OCEAN!

After breakfast, 
the guys loaded our luggage onto the bus

and off we drove!

I'm wondering if poor AROSH was thinking,
 "Hurray! Hurray! It's their last day!"

We stopped by YOSHITA'S Buddhist Temple

for a visit.

Obviously, YVONNE couldn't read!

(She's trouble, I tell ya!)

It had a beautiful courtyard to walk through,

with lots to see.

We were excited to learn that the temple's

HIGH PRIEST

was there -- a rarity, we were told.

He welcomed us with open arms and was oh so charming. 

It felt somewhat surreal being 

in his presence.

He took his time with us, was so gracious, and 

we really felt honored to be there listening to his wisdom. 

The temple was amazing to see.

Afterwards, we meandered through the museum,

filled with treasures he had collected
 throughout his lifetime.

IT.WAS.UNBELIEVABLE.

Outside, YOSHITA showed us this old Banyan tree.

I can't really remember its significance (sorry!),
however, we were instructed to walk around it seven times
and then to pour our cups of water onto the tree,
and say a prayer.

Here we all are, ready to pour out the water --

don't we all look hahaholyhaha?

We went to the 
GALLE FACE HOTEL

for our last meal together.

(It, by the way, is in 1,000 Places To See Before You Die.)

We enjoyed our last lunch together in
SRI LANKA.

And shared our last laughs

with the guys.

(I bet they couldn't wait to get rid of us!!!)

We boarded our beloved bus for

THE VERY LAST TIME

and set off toward the Colombo Airport 
for our journey home.

Of course, we had to share our very last cocktail!

Just so you know, 

all alcohol that was consumed on this trip 

was strictly for

MEDICINAL PURPOSES!

(That's our story and we're sticking with it!)

It was difficult saying farewell to these three guys!

AROSH, LUCKY and HARSH....

thanks for an amazing trip to SRI LANKA!

You made it fun, you made it flexible, 

you made it MEMORABLE!

And, just like that, it was time for all of us to say,

GOOD BYE, SRI LANKA!

WE HEART SRI LANKA!(Day 5)

2-21-14

We boarded our beloved bus

early in the morning.

DARLENE

said a prayer for all of us
(Bless her heart!)

and we all placed donations along this wall.

Our dear YVONNE was yet again

ready to party!

(That girl just never wears out!)

She certainly didn't have to twist anyone's arm!

Our first stop of the day was 

GALLE.

We got off the bus at

GALLE PORT

just in time to see the fish market in full swing.

You name it, it was there!

Big fish, little fish, stinky fish, crabs...

We all agreed it was a gorgeous morning 

to be beach side!

Next stop was the

SIPNARA CRAFT TRAINING CENTER.

We enjoyed looking at all the products that were displayed.

This little lady was of particular interest,

because she showed us how to make doilies.

 (I think that's what you call them.)

Anyway, it was amazing to watch how fast

and how accurate she was at it!

(None of us had ever seen anything like it!)

GALLE was a great area to walk around.

The big old BANYAN TREES were everywhere,

and there were charming buildings

all along the streets.

We even passed a mosque, 
which made us feel right at home!

We walked down by the water,

and saw school children gathering.

(And licking Popsicles!)

AMY became one with the children
(Can you pick her out?)

and stood waiting for a local guy to jump
off a steep cliff into the 

INDIAN OCEAN.

(Not the best picture, but can you see him jump?)

He survived, and made some RUPEES along the way!

I became one with a nearby MONK!

(He was the friendliest monk I'd ever met!)

YVONNE became one with him as well!

We all loved it there in beautiful

GALLE!

It didn't take long for us to spot a place to

SHOP TIL WE DROPPED!

(Goodness knows, we hadn't done that in a while!)

SHERRY, YVONNE and WENDY 

drove a hard bargain on each of their purchases!

Our next stop was at a wood carving place.

We got to watch the guys 

chip away at pieces of various woods.

Fascinating!

And then we got to go into the store to, once again,

SHOP TIL WE DROPPED!

We were STARVING by this time 

and we all had 

one thing on our minds for lunch....FISH!

Except for AMY, of course!

(She thought a McDonald's or a Pizza Hut sounded good!)

Luckily, we found a place that suited 

each and every one of us!

WENDY was served the world's tiniest glass of wine.

But she enjoyed every last drop of it!

After our spectacular lunch 

(KATHLEEN and I had fresh octopus....OMG!)

it was time to go to the

SEA TURTLE HATCHERY 

& RESCUE CENTER!

(I could barely contain myself, I was so excited!)

It was an amazing place

that had a very sad story indeed.

The operator of the center lost his entire family in the

TSUNAMI.

All the turtles at the center 

were lost as well.

He has spent the years since the tragedy trying to rebuild.

(Please help him and the turtles, if you can.)

We learned that three different kinds of turtles 

live in the area.

The center is a hatchery and uses the baby turtles

for educational purposes before 

they are released.

We all had a blast picking up the turtles!

I.LOVED.EVERY.SINGLE.SECOND.AND.

DID.NOT.WANT.TO.LEAVE!!!)

SHERRY loved the babies...

and, of course, so did I!

(I wanted to smuggle one back to Dubai!)

CAROLINE wanted a turn...

but I just didn't want to give this guy up!

Next up:

RIVER CRUISE AT MADU RIVER BALAPITIYA!

We didn't know what we were in for,

but we were ready!

We jumped into our boats,

and saw this boat approaching.

OMG, he had a monkey!

And suddenly, we all had that monkey!

DARLENE loved the little guy!

YOSHITA loved the little guy!

And YVONNE loved the little guy as well!

We jumped out of our boats
(in pouring rain)

and gathered inside a hut and watched this guy

make (and sell) cinnamon sticks.

(Man, did that place ever smell good!)

Next came the stop that we had all been waiting for!

Yes, it was high time for a

FISH PEDICURE!

Each one of us laughed 
our way through it!

YVONNE

kind of shrieked through it!

SHERRY 

was the first to get to hold the

baby crocodile!

(It is a crocodile, correct?)

Back on the bus,

it was time to chill and enjoy a cocktail!

We noticed that our Ipads matched our outfits for the day!

The sunset that evening was breathtaking.

We watched a dog as he watched the waves, 

totally mesmerized!

CAROLINE

came up with the idea --

"LET'S CLIMB THIS ROCK!"

And so YVONNE, YOSHITA and CAROLINE did!

The dog joined in the fun, while SHERRY looked on!

When we got close to our hotel,

YOSHITA

had another surprise for us!

Her Aunt and family lived right down the street!

So we got to meet them!

WOW, that was the icing on the cake 

after our amazing day!

It wasn't long before we all wearily said,

GOOD NIGHT, SRI LANKA!