The worst and the best of Sri Lanka

Ahhh... Sri Lanka: crazy driving, beautiful mountains, friendly people...and a fair amount of irritation over the UN (not from people I knew, but from others)... While I was in Sri Lanka, the UN was in the midst of deciding whether the Sri Lankan government should be brought up on charges of war crimes for how they handled the end of the civil war. We never felt any animosity, but there were huge banners in Colombo and in the airport condemning the international community...

The worst thing I ever faced, though, was the driving. :) I'm pretty much up for driving anywhere...but I'm not so sure I'd drive here! It absolutely insane: curving mountainous roads barely wide enough to have two cars pass...and they drive at neck break speeds and have no problem with passing on blind corners! I was never worried about it...but it's one place where I'm not so sure I'd join in!

The best we faced was the people. :) I loved the people I met in Sri Lanka—kind, hospitable, and full of laughter! I loved getting to know people a bit better on this trip.

And the food! Fantastic! Very similar to Indian, really, but not exactly the same either... Yum! My wonderful host family (see picture) were fantastic people... and wonderful chefs!

The scenery was also a highlight--it was absolutely stunning! Mountains, rice paddies, sunsets, beaches: it was all fantastic.

As always, the trip was insanely short and I wish I'd been able to spend 4 times as long...however, it was still a lovely tiny snapshot of the country!