On Friday it was full moon which as I've mentioned is always a bank holiday in Sri Lanka. But this months was extra special as Buddha was born, enlightened and died this day. It's the biggest day of the year for Buddhists, so the towns are covered with lights and lanterns.
All of the volunteers were up at 5:30am to go to our local temple and hand out food. Our host Janaka does so much for the local area, he pretty much built the library and surrounding buildings at the temple and was the person to provide the food for the local people.
Before serving the food, we had to place both hands over the dish to bless it. Then when serving we could only serve with the right hand, as Buddhists think of this as the clean hand, however the yoghurt was to be given one at a time with both hands. No idea of the logic here...
We were then given some (strange) rice by a monk which symbolised Buddhas first meal. We had to eat it out of both hands (a bit like a dog). Again, no idea why. But that's rituals for you! After trying a little and wanting to vom, I swiftly handed it over to another volunteer to finish. Sorry Buddha.
When we left, we had to get down on the floor and pray and touch the Buddhas feet. As I knelt I accidentally crushed Daisy's feet so was trying to contain my laughter throughout. I'm hoping the Monk just thought that I was extra happy to see him!
After the temple, we still had morning project, so I went to the orphanage. I now have an ultimate favourite baby who is the cutest and most well-behaved baby ever.
In the evening we went into Galle to see all of the lights and lanterns for Vesak. The town was buzzing with people and I don't think we came across a single other tourist. It's really interesting to be in a place that hasn't been ruined by tourism!
On the Saturday we went to a different beach called jungle beach which was so beautiful. There was also a temple by the beach which was so white that I felt like my eyes were burning! It had a great view at the top (look at me being all adult and appreciating views).
The beach was a little busy as so many Sri Lankans had travelled to Galle for Vesak....and with them all fully clothed, I felt a little self-conscious striping down to a bikini! But when the beach is quiet as it usually is, I can't imagine it just being paradise!
In the afternoon, the water started coming up so high that it covered the entire beach, so we moved on to our regular spot at Unawatuna. The waves are always massive in the sea so we decided to do a spot of body boarding. I'll tell you what, it was a lot harder than I thought! (And my bikini was definitely not the right attire, if you know what I mean...). It was really good fun anyway and we took loads of snaps with my underwater camera which will be flooding Facebook when I got the chance!
Whilst we were cutting some shapes in the water with our body boards, our sik skills attracted some South African guys. We got chatted to them and it was really refreshing to speak to the first group of guys who weren't irritating weirdos.
Having decided that they were normal, we had a few drinks with them and found out that most of them came across from Dubai where they work in the 7* hotel (perhaps that can be my next holiday... I can dream).
When we left to go home, unusually, it was almost impossible to find an available tuk tuk. After some confusion, three of us ended up on a bus whilst the other three got a tuk tuk. What a mistake that was. As we neared Galle, there was so much traffic due to Vesak, that we decided to abandon the bus and walk. I've never seen anything like it, the streets were flooded. Single lane roads were filled with six lanes of cars as everyone attempted to push further forward.
We'd pass car after car and each was crammed with people. Motorbikes were carrying full families. It was crazy!
Finally, after an hour of walking and finally finding a tuk tuk. We made it home 2 hours after leaving the beach (the journey is usually 15 mins).
As tired as we were, it was actually so interesting to see! I've definitely learnt to be laid back and soak up every experience whilst being here.
Ciao x
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