After being gone for a while, we return to the tropical island of Sri Lanka, our home base.
It is good to be home.
We invite you to our neighborhood Buddhist temple at full moon, known as “Poya” here, for a 15 second experience of the chanting which goes on for several hours and which will get you in a Sri Lankan ambience for this post. (The temple is just a few minutes away from the house, by motor scooter.)
A multi-cultural environment
Buddhists make up 70% of the population in Sri Lanka and in Galle, in the South, where we live, they constitute 80% of the population. (The rest being Muslim and Catholic). This large crimson red Buddha sculpture is outside a small temple on one of the busiest shopping and market streets in Galle. To get an idea of size of this Buddha, you can see Ben standing in front of Buddha’s feet.
One small shrine of many, everywhere.
The colorful stairs which lead to a small Buddhist shrine on the top of a hill. One can just make out the white stupa at the top of the stairs.
There are a handful of small Hindu temples in Galle, colorful and ornate as always.
The very thing that makes Sri Lanka so attractive to us ~ the multi-cultural, multi-religious influences and how they manifest themselves through the architecture, the foods, the dress, the people’s attitudes and priorities and so on, is also what continues to eat at the core of Sri Lanka’s body politic.
Political Tsunami – “So Sri Lanka”
As we return home, we return to a tsunami of political activities that throw Sri Lanka’s government not just into chaos, but into an existential fight between those who wish to protect Sri Lanka’s multi-decade commitment to democracy and others that are a little more power hungry.
As well….
There is a geo-political fight that pits China versus the West. China’s relentless drive to establish dominance in the South China Sea has now spilled over to the Indian Ocean region, where we live. The so called ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ was structured to plow massive Chinese investments and loans into Indian Ocean economies, securing a friendly foothold at strategic locations, that can help China expand its presence in the region. The Chinese government nearly succeeded in locking up a geographically important position in the Maldives. But after massive bribery issues were surfaced, a popular vote in the Maldives essentially kicked out the incumbent, very much pro China President, and replaced him with a pro Western leader. Similarly, Pakistan was a key ally of China as it could be counted, or manipulated, to start skirmishes with its traditional enemy, India. But after billions of debts incurred by Pakistan, a recent election threw out the pro-Chinese regime and installed a telegenic, pro West ex Cricketer as Prime Minister. Suddenly all Chinese mega projects are up for review and many of them do not withstand the scrutiny, i.e. they were merely intended to create a debt trap from which the Chinese government would extract political compliance from Pakistan.
And so, the last chance for a major Chinese position in the Indian ocean region, is in Sri Lanka.
It is in this context of geopolitical maneuvering that the sudden reappearance of Sri Lanka’s former pro China “strongman” President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, resurfaced. He was brought back in a surprise (and illegal and unconstitutional) move by the President of Sri Lanka, to the position of Prime Minister.
In essence, what we are observing / living through right now, is a slow motion Presidential Coup.
This is Rajapaksa, the ex President, who was pushed out 3 years ago by the very same President who now has tried to bring him back into power. He ended the civil war, so is seen by some as a hero, and by others as a war criminal, as he was responsible for the killing of 40-70,000 Tamil civilians.
Ranil is the legal current Prime Minister, who the President sacked and tried to push out, illegally. He is pro West and has wanted to balance the significant influence of the Chinese.
This is almost a war by proxy. On one level it is a battle between 2 Sri Lankan politicians. But on another level, it is a battle between China and the West.
Will Democracy survive? Time will tell….
When in doubt, go to the beach!
Enough politics, we plan on taking advantage of the fact that we live but a mere 5 minute motor scooter ride from the beach.
We are really fortunate that we have a choice of beautiful beaches… Late afternoon is often our choice time for an ocean swim.
We bought snorkels in Spain and now have them hanging in a priority bag on the front door… to be grabbed on our way out, to the nearest beach, which has a protected cove area, blocked from waves by a rock formation (at back of the photo). This creates a lagoon like environment, perfect for snorkeling. The plentiful tropical fish that make this cove their habitat, are easily seen during low tide.
At first we thought that our cove was suddenly full of seaweed.. but as we went into the shallow waters, we soon realized that it was not seaweed after all, but trillions of small fish moving together through the water. (Zoom in).
What an incredible delight to find the bay, frequented by 1 or 2 turtles for a few days.The water on this first day of our turtle encounter, is clear and shallow, allowing us to easily see the turtle. We swim alongside him, mesmerized by his beautiful colors and patterned shell and peaceful presence. He is huge! Almost 6 feet and very wide, and a surprisingly fast swimmer! Peta is pretty happy….
The size of these turtles is deceptive ~ they look smaller than they are. Once one swims alongside, you realize they are longer and definitely wider than humans. Beautiful peaceful creatures of the sea. What a privilege it is to be so close to them in their natural habitat.
This is the view from the ocean to the coastline… Sri Lanka is very much a paradise with it’s beautiful beaches and extensive wildlife. We appreciate it even more, after we spend time away… Living so close to the ocean is something we both really want to take advantage of while we are here.
Small hotels line the coast, literally 10 ft from the ocean. No big developments here (thankfully.. ) yet, however, one has to wonder about the proximity of buildings to an ocean ever rising, especially after the Tsunami years back.
Our jungle nest
These are the rice paddies a minute away from our house. Currently the rice farmers are ploughing the fields preparing for the next planting, and this brings out the white egrets in droves.
The view directly across the narrow road which runs in front of our house…. Idyllic scene with a cow resting under the shade of the palm trees. Other times, local kids use the open space to play cricket.
Our little house, nestled in the jungle now has a lilac colored front, a stone entranceway and cinnamon wood gate. Progress!
This front area becomes a mud bath during rainy season. We recently put as much turf as we could fit in a car on a drive back from the city of Colombo. Clearly not enough for the whole area, so we created a checkerboard pattern which will be interesting to watch to see how it fills in and if the grass survives in the shade. Two of the dogs that live here, Whitesox and Cubs are using our meditation/yoga platform for dog wrestling.
The biggest improvement we made on the house during this period of being in country, was the removal of the straw tatami style mats, which we always thought of as temporary, but in fact have actually lasted 2 years. We can no longer procrastinate because the mats are a potential health hazard due to the humidity and are also hard to keep clean. Ta da….. we now have polished concrete floors in the living room and bedroom. It’s a very common type of flooring here, it’s practical, easy to clean and super modern looking. Very happy with our new floors.
Our favorite “room’ of the house, is still the bathroom! The garden was of course rather sad when we got back, having been somewhat neglected. But a few weeks of tending to it and it is back on track and looking better than ever. We added compost, new plants, cleaned up, watered….
Ben snuck this photo without my knowledge ~ capturing a midday soak and read in the tub. The garden here is on it’s way to recovery…
A lilac orchid hangs on the weathered teal concrete wall that surrounds the outdoor bathroom. (The lines are from the rain….lots of rain, in the rainy season)
A white frog lives in one of the stems of the huge elephant ear plant in the corner.
Sri Lankan Curries
How blessed we are to have Nilu in our lives. After her husband Bandu died, almost a year ago now, we initiated a monthly salary so that she could rest easy about providing for her family. She loves cooking, and it certainly shows in her dishes. We have become addicted to her traditional Sri Lankan vegetable curries. (When we do home exchanges, Nilu is our house manager, cleaner and can make curries to order for our guests.)
Sri Lankans typically eat “big rice, little curry”, as Nilu explains. Ben and I favor “big curry, little rice”.. much to Nilu’s amusement.
When we go shopping for our fruit at the little fruit and veggie stands on the side of the road, we sometimes select veggies that look strange to us as they are island vegetables and we would not know how to prepare them, so we bring them home, Nilu tells us the Sinhalese name, and almost invariably says “good curry” ~ spices: coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, or lemon grass are added, sometimes fresh coconut milk is made and the veggies are converted into delicious new curries.
Here is a sampling of some of the types of curries that Nilu has made for us: pumpkin, green bean, eggplant, mushroom, pineapple, sweet potato, mango, fern, squash, okra, morning glory, lady fingers, spinach and lentil dahl, crab, mackarrel and octopus.
Mushroom curry with curry leaves and tomatoes and garlic.
One of our all time favorites, pineapple curry cooked in fresh coconut milk for that sweet spicy flavor! Mango curry is great as well.
A pile of string hoppers atop a banana leaf. These are made from rice flour paste which is pushed through a hand held machine which creates the spaghetti like appearance which is then boiled atop little resting trays in a pot, to create individual “pancakes”. Great for sopping up the curry juices. No one uses cutlery in Sri Lanka, much the same as India. Touch is another sensory element which is added to meals.
Oh and then.. there is breakfast, which Nilu delivers to us once in a while, after we receive a text from her which reads “madam, I bring breakfast tomorrow”. Nilu wakes up at 4 a.m. every day in order to cook curries for her family for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes she makes extra for us and brings it in Indian tiffin boxes and the string hoppers are wrapped either in a banana leaf or wax paper inside newspaper. Above breakfast: okra curry, dahl with spinach and coconut sambal with chili. We usually add either fresh mangoes and or bananas.
Sometimes we get invited to go and eat curry at Nilu’s house. She has been working on her house, improving it in advance of the important upcoming first year anniversary of Bandu’s passing to the other side. She is very proud of the new floor, new doors, windows and plaster on the walls which formerly were just concrete blocks.
Our hosts for an evening of curries, under Bandu’s watchful eye. Isuru far left, is now 17, and Dimalsha is 11.
What’s for dinner? Curry… of course. Lots of different ones.
Ben gets a lesson in making string hoppers.
So as we said earlier, these are political times of upheaval. Dimalsha proudly shows us a playing card which has a photo of the ex president Rajapaksa on it. The family is Buddhist, like most families in this region and most Buddhists favor Rajapaksa.
It’s all about the fruit
Sri Lanka is blessed with an abundance of tropical fruit and we are taking advantage of this by incorporating way more fruit than ever before. We are not fruitarians yet, but we sure are consuming large quantities of health giving fruit.
Our favorite place to buy our fruit and veggies are the small stores which sell them, on the sides of the road everywhere. We have a few favorite spots. There are multiple varieties of bananas, but how fun is it to buy them off the stalk rather than from a supermarket.
This place has great mangoes, watermelon and papaya. We load up with as much as we can carry on our motor scooter, very Asian style!
This is one of our fruit hauls which will last 2 days. Red bananas, huge mangoes, papaya, fresh coconuts, passion fruit, dragon fruit, rambutan, starfruit, watermelon, jackfruit (cut open) and lemons.
Jackfruit has two edible parts: the juicy fruit gum flavored fruit to the right and the seeds, which when cooked taste like a cross between chestnuts and potatoes. At the bottom you can see how the jackfruit looks once the fruit has been taken out of the skin.
Our ideal breakfast ~ a papaya each, after our celery juice or lemon water. Gotta start the day right. If Nilu brings breakfast curry, we usually eat it as an early lunch of lentil spinach dahl with bananas and string hoppers.
and we are off…. this is how we get… everywhere! (Except for the city of Colombo which is a 2 hour drive by car.)
And another good day in the land of paradise
~ You can also find us on instagram @greenglobaltrek and @greenglobalbites ~
I can tell how contented you both are with your life in Sri Lanka, and I can see why. The beach and turtles would be enough to have me stay forever, and your home looks so warm and inviting. Love the new floors.
Alison, you hit the nail on the head. We are very content with life here. It is simple and somewhat rustic but we feel as though we are living in paradise. The turtles, the fish, the birds, the monkeys.. it is really wonderful to have easy access to watching wildlife in their natural habitat.
Thanks for the lovely compliment on our home.
Peta
Hope the political turmoil calms soon. How lucky to swim with turtles. And even luckier to have Nilu cooking for you. What bliss.
Peggy, the political turmoil will no doubt get worse before it gets better, but we are optimistic that democracy will prevail. Sri Lankans as a whole have been through multiple upheavals in their history and are generally a pretty resilient bunch. We just have to hope that the selfish interests of some politicians does not lead them to exacerbate the ethnic tensions that remain close to the surface.
The fact that a beach where turtles and fish are visible, is a very positive addition to our lives. Since we first saw the turtles, we have gone back to the beach way more than we used to. One gets busy and so on.. but now we make the time to prioritize going. The tropical fish while not on a coral reef, are wildly colorful and so easy to watch.
We are spoilt by Nilu, that is for sure. She makes our lives very “cushy”.
Peta
What a beautiful place you live in and I can understand that you love it even more after being away for a while.
Thanks Tracey.. It is definitely nice for us to have a home base again. Prior to this we were “homeless” for quite a few years, and while that afforded us a lot of wonderful travel opportunities, it feels good to have a base.
Peta
Such a peaceful, harmonious scene, with all that political skullduggery bubbling under the surface, Peta. I hope it doesn’t impact your way of life.
Thanks Johanna. Like your word there “skullduggery” haha, that is exactly what it is. The country has had so much political turmoil in the past, after all, the civil war only ended 7 years ago. So hopefully this will all quieten down in due time.
Our way of life cannot really be impacted, as at a macro level, we are fundamentally nomadic, able to extricate ourselves if need be and move on to somewhere else. We hope that doesn’t happen of course as we love Sri Lanka and the life we have here, but we are pretty good at “rolling with the punches” if need be…
Ben
Where to start?! So many wonderful things here – except, of course, for the politics. Thank you for that very lucid explanation pulling the relationships between China and Indian Ocean countries altogether for me. Sri Lanka doesn’t really get a mention here in mainstream news (or not at the level I read it anyway, I obviously haven’t dug far enough) so i’ve learned something.
Anabel, thank you for mentioning the political chapter of this blog post.. it is always a balancing act with our respective subject matter interests and backgrounds how much travel versus culture versus food versus politics, to cover in our blog. But every so often a political update is inevitable and given my interest in politics it comes naturally to write about it.
Ben
Your curries look so delicious. Do you ever sprinkle lime juice on your papaya, or pawpaw as we call it in Australia? It’s very tasty and brings out the flavour of the fruit.
The curries ARE yummy. YES, we always sprinkle or more like douse our papaya with lime. Absolutely agree that it is a critical component to the dish. The papayas are cheap and readily available here!
In South Africa where I grew up, we called it a paw paw too.
Peta
Wow wow wow!! Sri Lanks is Nathan’s favorite country he’s ever visited. I notice wondering how I could design my life for these kinds of excursions. Love to you!!
Thanks Lola, that’s great that Nathan considers Sri Lanka his favorite country. Before we came here, we had never met anyone that had travelled to Sri Lanka.
The first step in designing your life to continuous globe trotting, is to decide if you actually do want that. It is not for everyone and is a trade off between collecting experiences and collecting stuff.
Love to you too.
xo
Peta
Paradise indeed! Nilu seems really awesome
Johnny, don’t know if you read our earlier posts about Nilu and how we met, but if you didn’t you might be interested to look through the archives to about a year and a half ago, or sort under the name Bandu, which was her husband.
Thanks for stopping by to read and for commenting.
Peta
Nice floors! Love the checkerboard grass!
Yay! So glad to know you reading us!
“Necessity is the mother of invention” ~ hence the checkerboard design.
xoxo
P&B
Dear Peta, This was an absolutely delightful post, thank you for sharing a slice of Sri Lankan life with us. I have been concerned for you both lately, with the eruption of political turmoil; and appreciated hearing your perspective and the background.
I SO enjoyed riding on the scooter with you both, seeing your neighborhood, your back yard, your life here. Loved seeing Nilu again with her family; clearly remembering your eloquent post from last year, and the heart-breaking loss of her husband and the children’s father; and seeing them now, smiles, recovering, preparing for the one-year anniversary of his passing.
Those mouth-watering curries, the different fruits. I have seen jackfruit in Hawaii, never knew what it looked like inside until now. I laughed out loud at the beautiful tray of fruits, to read that it was a two-day supply. I would partake of these exotic fruits too, and have, in tropical lands.
Thank you, too, for taking us inside your beautiful home, sharing the backyard, unique bathroom, showing us the rice paddies abundant with egrets, and the luscious beach and waves, teeming with fish. Truly a joy here, thank you.
Jet your generous and sweet comments are such a great start to our day!! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
It really is amazing how well Nilu and her sons are doing, considering that after all, it has only been a year since their lives changed so abruptly and tragically after Bandu died. After the dinner, we found out from Gayan that after the funeral, Nilu almost left this area with her two sons in order to go and live in the hometown with her parents. Because we offered her the security of monthly income, and her brother in law offered to help with whatever she might need, she decided to stay here in the house that Bandu built and not disrupt the children’s lives further.
Glad you enjoyed our fruit orgy.. we do that every 2 days!! The jackfruit can be a sticky mess to open, so we were happy to find that one of the little fruit stores had them freshly cut and ready to be eaten. Sri Lankans use them for curry, but we love it raw and cook only the large seeds inside which are yummy too.
So glad you enjoyed visiting our little house and neighborhood with us Jet.
Ben & Peta
From a completely selfish perspective, I’m glad to see you back and blogging about Sri Lanka.
Earlier this morning, Mike and I were browsing through Lonely Planet’s “top countries for 2019”. Guess what’s #1? Thanks for updating us on political turmoil in Sri Lanka. Much appreciated, and I enjoyed your wonderful segue into more uplifting topics— those amazing sea turtles, your gorgeous new floor and Nilu’s delicious curries.
Caroline so glad you enjoyed this “home base” post about our lives here.
We were excited to see that Lonely Planet awarded Sri Lanka the top spot for 2019. Before we came here, we had met but ONE person that we knew who had visited Sri Lanka, it definitely was not on most people’s radar or bucket list. So much diversity in one small island… that addresses many different interests and tastes. And then.. in the same week, to have the political turmoil begin is a bit crazy to say the least. (Talk about a country shooting itself in the foot, so to speak).
Glad you enjoyed the visit with us in our home base.
Peta
Mike and I have Sri Lanka on our shortlist for a trip in April. I’ll let you know.
Yes do!! If we are here, we would love to meet you… Just a heads up, April and May are the hottest months in Sri Lanka 🙂
Peta
Thanks for explaining the coup back story. Beautiful everything!
Thanks Sharon. Most welcome, as you know Ben loves politics and he is following all the twists and turns of this one very closely. (Also, it does impact his work directly.) So between this coup and the continuous circus in the U.S. it seems that dictatorship versus democracy is definitely a daily theme.
Peta
This is my favorite post since I’ve been following your blog. A great mix of topics, information and pictures. Although we don’t lead a nomadic life we travel about 6 months out of the year and visit many of the places you talk about.
What’s especially nice for me is that you stay in places for a while and thus get a better perspective of life in the places you visit. We are truly tourists just passing through, seeing sights – a choice that fits our lifestyle and personalities.
Sri Lanka is on our list for 2020 since this coming year is already planned early because of Antarctica. Above all, stay safe. It’s very difficult to know when it’s time to leave a place.
Steven, so glad you enjoyed this post so much about our home base of Sri Lanka.
For us, the longer we can stay in any place, the more we enjoy it. We are not good tourists as we hardly ever go to the “touristic” sites that attract the crowds. We definitely prefer creating our own off the beaten path way of doing things. So for instance, we skipped the Taj Mahal in preference for a few days in a bird park nearby. Still remain happy with our decision, but we get that most people would choose the Taj over a bird park!
I am sure you will both love your visit to Sri Lanka. We usually trust our gut instincts to guide us as to when to leave.. but given that we lived in Nicaragua and worked in Haiti and were in Bangkok at the time of their coup, we probably have more stomach for some turmoil, than others…
Thanks for your comments.
Peta
I am very much in awe of you both Peta, for taking the plunge and creating your homebase in a different culture. Love the swimming with the turtles. We have some wonderful memories of turtles in Turkey. Though they are not always treated well there and used as pawns in the tourism trade.
Thanks Suzanne, creating home base in different cultures is what we both thrive on and what we do best.
We were fortunate at the time we swam with the turtles that it was during the “off” season here and we had the beach and the turtles to ourselves. I definitely get upset when hordes of tourists are “chasing” them in the waters and even trying to feed them.
Peta
Gee these are wonderful pics which shows the life and culture of Sri Lanka. It was a great education for me. I must say that it appears you live a pretty charmed life there, sort of like almost having the best of two worlds -everything from great healthy food to beautiful scenery and friendly people. I really enjoyed this post.
Yvonne, we often feel like we do live a “charmed life” here. We feel very fortunate for our surroundings in nature, proximity to the ocean and Nilu and her family who really do take care of us.
On a broader level, we are thankful that as a couple we are so well matched in terms of our unquenchable thirst for travel, immersion in different cultures and willingness/ability to take the plunge and live in unpredictable places.
So glad you enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by to read and leaving your comments.
Ben & Peta
There is so much to love in this post. I had just been thinking of Nilu recently. I want to hug you both for helping her through such tragedy and ensuring she and the boys are thriving.
The new floors look so great! How your paradise has transformed since those early days. I have no doubt the checkerboard will fill in soon.
As to swimming with those turtles I couldn’t take my eyes off of the photos on Instagram. Extraordinary.
Hoping the political waters stay calm there and yes off to the beach when you can.
Sue such lovely heartwarming comments from you. Both smiling wide while reading this…
Seeing Nilu so happy and adjusted to her new reality makes us feel we helped to play a role during the transition period. But really, all credit to her for moving forward in such a positive way. In terms of our continuing role.. it is funny… it is in the little things. For example, the day that Nilu came over with her youngest, and asked Ben to do his tie for his school outing the next day. Or, his older brother Isuru coming over to get Ben’s English newspapers to improve his English.
Well, it has taken us two years to truly transform this storage shed into a cosy, comfy little house that we both love and which makes a great home exchange trade which allows us to travel to other places.
Peta
Like many others, I loved many parts of this long post that fairly shouts your contentment with your life in Sri Lanka. My main thought, though, was about how much you are learning! I suppose you have already amassed more information about living in faraway places than many of us, but each new location brings new educational opportunities – about the culture, the politics, the foods, etc. – and I think that’s such a positive. I am an information seeker at heart, so reading about your life in this unfamiliar place is great fun; I can only imagine the joy of actually living it.
PS We have polished concrete floors in our house here in Houston, and I love them! They can get wet or muddy and they wipe right up, they are cool in the hot summers, etc. Yours look amazing (the whole house does)!
Lex, we enjoyed your enthusiasm and you make a very interesting point; you point out the learning benefits of living in different countries. This is exactly what we both thrive on! And this is true in terms of our personalities, but perhaps equally important, we now know that brain health as one ages is directly linked to new stimuli, (why some do crossword puzzles, learn a new language or instrument…) the exponential learning that we do when exposed on deeper levels to new cultures, we believe acts in a similar way to help our brains stay active ~ definite side benefit of the fun we are having 🙂
We are loving the polished concrete floors. Very cool for our tropical climate and surprisingly soft to the feet! And yes, so easy to keep clean.
Peta
Another aspect of the beautiful life you have created with home exchanges, and now home again. I especially resonated with the ocean swimming. It is what I most look forward to, with my annual Barbados vacation. I have been lucky enough to encounter sea turtles too, in my daily swimming. My snorkel is a priority item as well!
Thank you for this wonderful post.
Deb
Thanks Deb!
We used to live in Nicaragua where two of the beaches were the prime sites for turtle egg laying and breeding. It was fascinating to watch the leatherback turtles make their way in the dark through the sand and then start to dig a hole for laying their ping pong ball shaped eggs. We never got to swim with them as we did here and happily we did it here in off season, so without any crowd.
We shlepped those snorkels we bought in Spain, with us to France, Morocco, Amsterdam, U.S and back to Sri Lanka. Seemed crazy at the time, but so glad we did it.
Ben & Peta
Your house is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing a little slice of your lives. I have been following the political situation in Sri Lanka since the President ousted the PM. I hope the situation calms down soon!
Hugs
Thanks Andrea, great to read you. Hear hear on the political situation, so far no major violence. Just chili powder and chair throwing in Parliament.
xoxo
Peta
What a beautiful and well-done (re)presentation of your tropical paradise country. I have high speed internet for a few weeks, so could finally watch your movies. Especially the scooter ride brought back memories of my explorations in SE Asia.
Sorry to hear about the political upheaval. Hopefully, there is a quick and peaceful solution soon.
The interior of your home looks so different from what I remember when you first moved in. The living room represents an art gallery! I assume the painting with the dog is one of Peta’s? Fabulous.
Now, you are making me jealous with your environment, especially the snorkeling with the turtles. I can’t wait to visit the tropics again in the future!
Thanks for all the lovely compliments Liesbet.
We haven’t owned a car in ten years, basically since we left the U.S. to move to Nicaragua. Getting around in a scooter is great in rural parts right around our house, but less fun on the main road where the buses are driven by crazy madmen.
Yes, the dog painting is from my series of works “Stray Dogs of Nicaragua”. There are also a bunch of others hanging, a goat from our travels in India, sculptures from travels in Paris (the burnt sienna one in the living room, I think it’s in one of the pics as well).. When we lived in an artist’s building in Chicago, our home doubled as an art gallery and once a month the building was open to the public at large. We augmented the gallery experience by having live jazz as well at those openings. So now in Sri Lanka, it still looks like an art gallery, sans the crowds…
Peta
That does look like a pretty nice place to live. (And I even like curries! 😉 ) It would take some adjusting for me. I suspect parts of it would be familiar to my wife, who grew up in the Philippines, especially some of the fruits.
Yes it is a pretty nice place to live! And of course, all new places do take adjusting. More for me than Ben, who always eases right in. The tropical fruits are fantastic, but I still miss berries, cherries, and peaches. But there are always papayas, watermelons, mangoes and coconuts!
Peta
Ah, Sri Lanka. Yes, it is indeed a paradise. That is a shame about the political situation. The country has so much potential and so much to offer. Hopefully they can get it sorted out.
Jeff it seems so many countries are in turmoil right now. We were simultaneously following the situation here, the one in the U.S. the one in Israel and the one in Brexit, and the election of an extreme with Nationalist in Brazil. Seems that there is a global trend away from democracy and in favor of totalitarian leadership, not good.
The turmoil here in Sri Lanka started days after Sri Lanka was named as the top country for 2019 for travel by Lonely Planet. So ironic.
Ben & Peta
Yes I am so happy I read this and although I have been ignoring the emails re’ politics, this was the best way for me to understand it…follow it with pictures of Sri Lankan curries haha. Your bathroom looks as though in a transition as well which is probably necessary right. Love your floors, however I hope Ben is doing zazen walking with every step! If not, ill be there soon to give his heels some love. Miss you guys so much and as always, thank you for your updates!
Brook Brook so nice to read you!!
Ya the curries make up for a LOT, and I do think of you every time we eat dahl with spinach (damn so good).
The bathroom garden was rather sad when we got back, needed attention, water etc but now is better than ever. You will just have to come and see it in person.
Surprisingly the floor is soft to the feet… don’t know how, but it is, so hopefully no heel spurs for Ben.
Can’t wait to see you back in Asia soon
Peta
I can feel your happiness at being home in Sri Lanka. The political situation is disturbing, though, as is the frightening political scene in the U.S. Let’s hope that democracy and sanity will prevail.
Your home is beautiful and the polished concrete floors are an excellent choice. I grew up in south Florida in a home with terrazzo floors, and I remember it as wonderfully cool in the tropical heat.
What an extraordinary experience to be in the presence of sea turtles. I would love that! It makes me feel peaceful just looking at your photos. And how wonderful to see Nilu and her family doing so well. You have been good friends to her. And she to you, with her delicious curries. 🙂
Laurel thank you for your thoughtful comments.
Strange how the politics in the U.S. and here in Sri Lanka are mirroring each other in certain regards. The theme of democracy versus authoritarianism is strong in both places.
The polished concrete floors are very common here. Cool in the heat as you say, and also so practical. We are really enjoying having them!
We were lucky to swim with the turtles during the slow season here. When it gets busy in December and January, there are way too many people to contend with.
Glad you enjoyed the update of Nilu and her sons. Having her in our lives here, makes a huge difference in many ways. It does feel like she and her family really “look out” for us, and vice versa, so it’s mutual.
Peta
Peta
I am delighted to hear that you are happy to be ‘home’ after your summer wanderings. Your visuals have me longing to return to Sri Lanka. Especially love that picture of Peta on the steps. And oh those turtles!!!
But I am mortified to learn of the political developments in Sri Lanka since we’ve left. With so much good is happening in the overall region it is sad to see Sri Lanka stepping backward. I am hopeful that law will prevail here and that in the end Ranil Wickremesinghe is granted a floor test to ‘prove his majority’ …although with families like Bandu’s preferring Rajapaksa, Ranil may fail that test.
Thought about you the whole time we were in Mozambique btw and really hope you get a chance to visit there. Are you still headed Africa way for a visit?
Lisa, we do hope you make it back to Sri Lanka some day!
With regard to the political situation, what has so far concretized as a three protagonist narrative, may ultimately require more creative thinking, introducing an acceptable government to enough parties, being neither Rajapaksa nor Ranil winding up as prime minister. So far so good, no violence in the street, just chili powder and chairs being thrown in parliament. Hoping for a peaceful resolution.
Still considering our options and lining up the vision of an Africa trip against our budget constraints and practical stuff like that.
Welcome back.
Peta & Ben
It was crazy to learn about the political turmoil in Sri Lanka right after reading that the country is listed as the #1 destination for 2019. The way China has been trying to assert its influence all over the world really is a contentious issue. I think countries in Asia learned about what happened to African countries which received huge amounts of loan from the new superpower but are now struggling to repay the debts. China should learn from Japan which was very aggressive in the early 20th century but now resorts to soft diplomacy to increase its influence worldwide. If China did the same I think people in other countries would have had a much positive opinion about it.
Back to Sri Lanka, I really hope that the political chaos will be over soon so normalcy can resume. It’s one of my favorite countries and it would be heartbreaking if it goes down the wrong path. Anyway, you’re so lucky to see that big turtle! I have snorkeled in some places in Indonesia but I have never seen any turtles. For some reason they prefer to show themselves to other people, not me.
Bama there is only one remedy for your turtle deficiency ~ you will need to come and visit our area in Sri Lanka where we are blessed with frequent visits and up North there are spinning dolphins to be seen.
With regard to China, one need not conjecture much. It suffices to observe the strategy and execution in Tibet, to see what Chinese cultural occupation looks like. It is good to have China as a friend but not so much as a landlord! Yup the timing of this political chaos right after being named Top Country to visit on 2019, was tge shortest fifteen minutes of glory under the sun.
We are hoping fr a return to calm and Democracy and no violence in the interim. The Sri Lankans have a long Democratic tradition and it is a valued asset not to be underestimated.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments and for reading us.
Peta & Ben
It seems you both have found your paradise. Your house looks amazing. That beach looks like the perfect place to de-stress from the world’s turbulence. Then you can come home to those amazing curries. So kind of you to help out Nilu. You both live an enviable life, but it’s one that you deserve.
Thanks J.D. As you know, the house has taken us two years to get it from being very basic to being super comfy now. A long haul to get here, but definitely worth it ~ a fun adventure of creating a home for ourselves on a low budget from a storage shed.
You got it right.. beach, curries, and nature. We can do it over and over. We did not always have this kind of life, but it is one we dreamt of creating one day. We built a house when we lived in Nicaragua, but it was not at the beach and not in nature. While the process was creative and we loved the end result, we knew we wanted our next home base, to be in a natural environment and if possible, close to the ocean.
Peta & Ben
What a beautiful place to call home, despite the unfortunate political turmoil..
I really love that new flooring, by the way! We have tiles here in Cairo and it’s so much cooler and easier to keep clean.
Thanks Dee… We are hoping that the political chaos will calm down soon and return to a democracy.
Tiles are nice and easy too and cool in summer. Cairo? Perhaps we can do an exchange one day as we have never been to Cairo but would certainly look forward to a visit.
Peta
Sweet post. I like reading the political stuff, the world is off-kilter right now and the major players making a play for parts of the globe. It’s not a good time.
But who cares when you have your own cook making that delicious looking food? Love curries.
And you’ve done great things with the house.
Looks like a good life in Sri Lanka.
Frank (bbqboy)
Frank, we read your comments as the newspaper is full of articles about America’s diminishing role in the world, evidenced at the G20 meeting in Argentina. The pattern under the current U.S. president is inescapable; dis and abuse America’s friends while playing up to the worlds current autocrats: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey…
Yup, the curries help. And on a culturally pertinent note… so far the extent (thankfully) of the violence in Sri Lanka has been the throwing of chili powder by parliament members. Spicy stuff!!
Ben & Peta
Western or Eastern, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The greed is inescapable, so I’m taking deep pleasure in this post in hearing that haunting prayer chant in the moonlight, in reflecting upon the lovely blues in your storm photo, and in the sight of all that delicious food.
That is how we view it too. Take pleasure in the small things that bring joy and peace at a micro personal level.
Peta
Politics will be politics. What’s happening in the political arena is usually worth taking notice because indirectly, it affects our lives and maybe even our paychecks.
It looks amazing swimming and snorkeling along the beach, and that is one massive turtle bigger than Peta! 😀 It also doesn’t look like the beach is overly crowded, which probably gives it its tranquil atmosphere.
Absolutely love the tour of your house. It’s so cute, tucked away among the lush leaves and you have Nilu to help you out. The home may be small, but you have all you need and appreciate that so much 😀
Ben is and has always been fascinated and interested in politics and it is interesting how there is a trickle down effect in countries, without a doubt.
It was low season in Sri Lanka when we met those turtles in the bay. And as a result, very few people. During peak times we see crowds of people in the sea following the turtles and just get so turned off by the mob scene that we had never joined in. Here we got our time….
Yes, our house is small. But it is cosy and it is very comfy. (Which by me means great bed, lots of hot water, and quiet!) The setting is unbeatable. And for all of it we are so grateful.
Peta
Your smiles show a life of contentment. Given the greenery that surrounds you, I can understand why. The food alone makes me want to visit. Thanks so much for the tour.
That sea turtle is by far the largest I have seen.
It is sad and somewhat scary to see how power and corruption is at the heart of politics in so many corners of the globe.
Thanks LuAnn… It is such a game changer to live so immersed in nature. Sometimes it feels as though we are “glamping”, living life in an upscale tent on the edge of the jungle. The sounds of nature at night and in the morning are something that I just love, and always miss when we are away.
I was really surprised by how big the turtle was. It was only evident when I swam alongside it and could compare my length 5’7 with his/hers.
It does seem that there is a definite trend toward authoritarian leaders and undemocratic practices. Only time will tell if this is a momentary blip or if Western style democracies have run their course an an era of 24/7 social media scrutiny.
B&P
I so much prefer a world ruled by cats, dogs, cows (even if they look at first glance like lions) and sea turtles than by ambitious politicians.
Sorry to read about the complex situation in Sri Lanka – much like the turmoil everywhere. All of it standing with daggers on the backs of people who just want to eat and sleep safely and love their kids.
Thank you for the lovely respite tour of your home. A calm breath at last. And a wish for peace. And democracy (please tell me if any still exists here on Earth.)
Sharon, yes we too as you know by now, are huge animal lovers. It does seem as if the world is currently being reshaped by power hungry autocrats. As we follow the political news in Sri Lanka, we follow that in the U.S. with equal interest and find that there are quite a few parallels. And by virtue of other places where we have lived, namely Nicaragua and Europe, we cannot help but monitor the political situation there, and that too leads to frazzled conclusions.
With regard to democracies. Yes absolutely there are many still fully functional. For example, if the oldest democracy in the world is France and the second most famous is the U.S., in fact, the largest democracy in the world by far, is India. (With 1.3 billion people.) India is a vibrant democracy and is soon to go to the polls to replace or continue with prime minister Modi who is leading the charge for India to take its proper spot in world leadership as the second most populous country in the world. And since we are currently in Indonesia right now, it is worth pointing out that Indonesia is a vibrant democracy and with 220 Muslims, is by very far, the largest Muslim country in the world thereby illustrating that there is absolutely no conflict between being an Islam state and being a democracy. One more… in the past I would have pointed to Israel as a vibrant democracy, even though it is a tiny state of less than 10 million people, because it is ensconced in a mostly undemocratic Middle East. This democracy is worth pointing out because they are on the verge of an existential crisis. Some forces in Israel wish to prioritise Israel as a Jewish state, by this meaning that Jews only would have the right to vote, which is slightly inconvenient to the reality that something like 20% is comprised of Israeli Arabs, i.e. Muslims, who today are allowed to vote. Others in Israel, wish to protect the concept of “one person one vote”, which due to demographic trends, means that the non Jewish vote over time will necessarily get larger and larger. So Israel has a choice to make. It is either a Jewish state or a democracy. It cannot be both.
Ben
Sadly, I think it’s exactly that unsustainable situation in Israel that’s attracting some American Jews to one side of the aisle or the other in US politics. We all want peace in the Middle East, we all want Israel to be a safe harbor for Jews, but how to achieve this is not easy to determine. I’ve heard from friends who have been recently to Israel that the mood there is one of hopelessness. I’m not educated enough to see a solution but the turmoil is obvious.
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