Sri Lanka - Day 6

When we checked into our hotel room in Kandy we thought these signs on the doors were so funny!

The next morning we definitely understood why the signs were posted all over the room. At about 5:30 a.m. we noticed a commotion on the balcony and as soon as we opened the curtains we were greeted by about 10 monkeys sitting on our patio. It was so awesome to be so close to them. There were lots of different ages of monkeys and they played and climbed and swung all over the patio for a couple hours. It was fascinating to watch them. They interacted with us a ton and would mimic some of our gestures. The kids had the best time watching them and we could barely tear them away to get onto the days activities.

Our favorites were the two nursing babies that rode on their moms backs and played and wrestled together. The kids thought it was funny to watch them nurse.

As we were walking to breakfast in the hotel we noticed a wedding party having their pictures taken. Their attire was so beautiful and intricate. I didn't want to seem weird taking pictures of them but now I wish I would have asked them to pose for me so we could see the dresses better. The little girls had exact replicas of the bridesmaids dresses.

The groom and men of the wedding party:

After breakfast we hopped into the car and headed to the elephant orphanage. This was the other thing I really wanted to see in Sri Lanka and even though it was a bit of a haul it was well worth the effort. The orphanage houses elephants whose parents have been killed for ivory. Once at the the orphanage they stay there for the duration of their lives. We especially LOVED watching the babies being fed. They are fed huge bottles of cows milk (about a 1.5 gallons per bottle) and can down the entire thing in about 30 seconds. We were so close to the babies and got to pet and touch them a lot. This little guy loved my big girls. He kept feeling Addie with his trunk and wrapping his trunk around Makenna's legs. It was so so amazing.

Right at the end of the feeding time our family was invited up to feed this little guy and I'm so thrilled we were able to get this picture. We were continually surprised at how hairy elephants are. The hair is very bristly and was uncomfortable to touch.

After the feeding we walked around to see the elephants in their habitats. They are able to roam freely and live close to how they would in the wild

We headed over to the river to watch the elephants be bathed. I though they would have a few elephants taking baths and that is what happened at first.

However, after a few minutes the workers come through and clear out the path to bring all 85 elephants down to the river. It was a breathtaking sight watch these magnificent creatures.

I took hundreds of pictures and every time I look through them I feel like I need to pinch myself that we were actually there and witnessed such an amazing thing. It was so fun to watch the elephants splash and play in the water and get their baths in something so close to their natural habitat!

I laugh when I see these pictures because it almost looks like we are standing in front of a fake mural or something but I assure you that it was real.

After several hours we very reluctantly left the elephant orphanage to head to the airport. We needed to stop somewhere for lunch and we were all kind of tired of Sri Lankan food and looked for an American chain to stop at. Since the country is predominantly Buddhist (who don't eat beef) there are no hamburger places but we did finally find a Pizza Hut. The kids were so excited and we got a big kick out the funny things on the menu (diced mutton pizza, anyone?) We played it safe with cheese and pepperoni and pizza has never tasted so good!

Our last day was a perfect way to wrap up our amazing trip. We saw and experienced so many things that I never imagined. I recently found this quote about traveling: 

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

This is how I feel about our trip to Sri Lanka. Our perceptions are changing as we experience more of the world and see the different ways that people live. Seeing the extreme poverty of some of the people was revealing to ourselves and our kids. Seeing how happy the Sri Lankans are with a much simpler and quieter life than we live was extremely humbling. I am so grateful every day for the opportunity to expand my own understanding of the world we live in and especially grateful that I am able to share it with my children.