Foreigner

That was a Coles notes version of the 4 days in the Cultural Triangle; I really enjoyed visiting the various sites, but it is hard to get all of them covered in any depth with that timeframe.

In Sri Lanka, there is a tourist or foreigner fee for most sites, and a local price. The local price is often not advertised. For the major cities in the Cultural Triangle, Sigiriya, Polonnoruwa and Anuradhapura, the fee for locals is 20 rupees (rs) and 2080 rs (~ $20 US) for tourists. The first site we went to, Sigiriya, I was decked out in jeans, a t-shirt, a nice Tilley hat I got as a gift, and glasses. I apparently (and in retrospect I see why) smelled like a foreigner. They nailed me for the tourist fee, though my friends (also Canadians, but dressed more local-like) got past 'em.

Thinking it was my hat that gave me away, and likely the glasses (not many people wear glasses here, despite a need), I resolved not to get caught at the next stop, Polonnoruwa. Unfortunately, as we were driving up to the gate, I didn’t remove my glasses in time, and that, in conjunction with a driver who may or may not have accidentally let slip I’m not a SL national, resulted in me purchasing another ticket. Now I’ve paid $40 dollars while the locals would pay less than two quarters. The cultural triangle pass, if I’d purchased it in the beginning, costs $40. Now, regardless of what I did, I would have to pay $60 for the pleasure of visiting those three sites.

But I resolved not to get caught in Anuradhapura. I put in my contacts, left the hat in the car, and just kept my head down…and I managed to avoid getting caught a third time. So, any brown folk that find themselves in a similar situation in Sri Lanka, you’ve been warned. Sorry, this trick won’t work for any other skin colour.

Also, in an attempt to try every antibiotic on the planet, I got sick on Thursday evening. I went to the local medical clinic the doc prescribed Erythromycin, which I would rank higher than Tetracycline, but still lower than Amoxillin. I’ll keep you posted if I ever need to break out the Cipro.

My parents asked about the mosquito problem here. It’s not a mosquito problem per say, it’s more like the human infestation here on Mosquito Isle that’s the real problem. The first few days I was being bit on my feet, and then I applied some repellent. So the mosquitoes moved up to my arms. So I thought quickly, and applied repellent on my arms as well. They moved onto my neck. I could sense a pattern emerging, but I needed more evidence. So I put repellent on my feet, my arms, and my neck. I currently have two giant bites on either ear. My ears! Not even the juicy lobes, but at the top, which is like all cartilage. I believe this is the mosquito mafia equivalent of putting a horse’s head in your bed; just letting me know who calls the shots. Last night I installed a mosquito net finally, and that seems to have worked. Haran: 1, Mosquitoes: 25+

Anyway, I this'll be my last post before the new year, so I'd like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday, and have a great New Year's.

Sri Lanka