The Colors of India & Sri Lanka

In January, Petra G. delighted fellow travelers and O.A.T. Travel Forum members with a day-by-day account of her adventures in Dubai, Sri Lanka, and South India—which we’ve excerpted here.

By Petra G., 10-time traveler from Saint Simons Island, GA

January 10, 2019

In a few hours, I will be boarding a plane from Atlanta to Amsterdam and then on to Dubai. I am stopping over in Dubai for a few days where I am starting my own pre-trip with DIY Adventures. My husband and I traveled through the UAE independently several years ago, but I am looking forward to exploring some new attractions and to refreshing fond memories of previously-visited sights. I am meeting up with my fellow travelers for the O.A.T. Sri Lanka extension in Dubai. Soul of India is my second trip to this amazing country after falling in love with India and the wonderful people we encountered on the Heart of India trip in 2016.

January 12, 2019

Before an all-inclusive three-course dinner in a desert camp, we went dune bashing for about an hour. It is not for the faint of heart and reminded me a lot of a roller coaster ride, but I had so much fun. We enjoyed a fabulous sunset over the dunes and we were treated to a falconry demonstration, camel rides, and henna tattoos.

Petra poses with the star attraction of a falconry demo in Dubai.

January 13, 2019

This morning I decided to revisit Old Dubai doing my own walking tour through the souks and the Al Fahidi historical neighborhood. It was great. I love the old buildings and their wind towers as well as all the art studios and museums.

Old Dubai provides a welcome contrast to the city’s ultra-modern attractions.

This afternoon I treated myself to High Tea at the Burj Al Arab. It was definitely the most expensive dining I have ever done, but honestly, for me, it was worth every penny or dirham. I was served a seven-course menu with champagne while overlooking the spectacular coastline and skyline of Dubai. I had a corner table right by the windows and truly enjoyed every minute. My fellow travelers are arriving tonight and we will all meet up at the airport. Looking forward to more adventures in Sri Lanka!

January 16, 2019

We are headed north to Habarana, Sri Lanka. On our way we stopped at the free trade zone in Colombo where our Trip Experience Leader noticed a lot of garment workers protesting by the entrance to their factory. We found out that they had walked away from their jobs for the third day now to support two fellow workers who were laid off for organizing a blood drive after working hours, but did not consult management. A meeting was scheduled for the afternoon and they were hoping to resolve the situation soon.

We left the city behind and approached the rural areas with coconut, banana, and pineapple plantations where we got out of the bus for a tasting experience. The fruit was absolutely delicious.

Soon after we noticed a lot of brick makers along the road and asked our Trip Experience Leader to stop the van again to learn about this trade. The mud for the bricks gets delivered by the truckload from the nearby river and is dumped right next to the work station where the brick maker mixes more water into the dirt with his bare feet. He then sprinkles sawdust on a wooden mold and forms his brick, then removes the brick from the mold and sets it out to dry for several days. The gentleman we encountered makes about 400 bricks per day and gets paid about nine Sri Lankan rupees per brick.

While talking to him, we found out that he had his own business but unfortunately lost seven million rupees when a contractor did not pay him for a job. The person is now in jail, but the brick maker had to sell his vehicle, lost his business, and worst of all, had to send his wife to Kuwait to work there as a house maid to help in getting out of debt. A lot of her salary goes directly to his creditors. His four children are so sad that they won’t be able to see their mother for two years (the minimum a foreign employment agency will sign a worker up for). It broke my heart when the gentleman started to cry while telling us his story and ran into the nearby house to show us pictures of his wife and children. All I wanted to do is hug him! Everyone in our group of four was moved to tears.

After lunch we had a few hours of free time. I walked to the nearby town and explored with my camera. Everybody I encountered was extremely friendly. I met the local shoe repair man, the barber, and the bicycle repair person, who all had little shops right by the road.

A vendor selling dried fish by the road.

I felt very safe. Sri Lanka is a very clean country with no trash lying around. There are also very few beggars. Our Trip Experience Leader explained that begging is foreign to their culture. Sri Lankans don’t ask for anything if they can’t produce something in return.

January 23, 2019

I am back in India! I can’t believe it! Went for a long walk by myself today and realized that I actually really missed the amazing colors, the fabulous people, and even the crazy, horn-honking traffic chaos with cows and goats in the mix. Everything is a feast for the senses and my camera is working overtime.

Petra didn’t realize how much she missed India’s colors and chaos.

January 25, 2019

The last two days have been amazing and incredibly busy. On our way to Chennai, we visited the school and met all of the 46 students. They were getting an English lesson and afterwards a few members of our group who are teachers volunteered to teach the kids about grammar and physics. It always makes me happy to see how enthusiastic and respectful the children are. They are so thrilled to learn. The kids sang a few songs in English for us and afterwards, we played a few games together before moving on to explore the village.

En route to Chennai, Petra visited a local school.

We visited several homes, talked to a farmer who offered to take all of us on an ox cart ride, and then we helped to prepare lunch. The food was served under a beautiful shade tree on a traditional banana leaf. Lots of us also opted to eat with our fingers, the traditional way. The food was incredibly tasty!

After our arrival at the hotel in Chennai in the late afternoon, our Trip Experience Leader took two of us by tuk tuk on an optional excursion to Ranganatha Street, a major local shopping area. It was very busy, but we really enjoyed seeing the local sari stores filled with thousands of colorful creations.

A few of us had a very early start this morning. Our Trip Experience Leader, who is like the energizer bunny, offered a trip to the local Sikh Temple. We met one of the officials there who was very gracious and explained his religion to us. We were able to visit the temple’s kitchen where food was being prepared to feed the poor and also listened to the chanting and music in the temple. After breakfast, all of us departed to experience the body guard ritual for our bus. The bus was blessed by a priest and a garland was hung on the front bumper to ensure a safe passage. Lemons were placed under each tire. Smashing them by driving over them later on symbolizes the avoidance of all evil and a safe passage.

A Sadhu delivers a mobile blessing.

We witnessed lots of new car and motorcycle owners who waited in line to receive the same blessings. We also met a Sadhu (holy person) who stopped on his motorcycle to bless all of us. Only in India!

February 04, 2019

I had to take a break from posting for a few days because we were “disconnected” on the houseboat. WiFi is great again at the hotel in Cochin and I can get caught up.

On our last day in Periyar, we had to get up early to participate in a two-hour walk through the reserve with a ranger. We saw buffalo, monkeys, deer, and lots of birds and the hike was good exercise. We were split up into two groups and could chose the appropriate level of difficulty.

After a late breakfast, the chef at the hotel gave a fabulous cooking demonstration preparing a fish and a vegetable curry. It was great fun to see the “snack” being made from scratch. The five of us who participated received the recipes in a printed form and had a delicious free lunch.

In the afternoon we visited an organic spice plantation and learned more about all the wonderful spices the chef used for our lunch. My “wow” moment of the day occurred when I saw a gentleman picking pepper from this enormous probably 15-foot-tall pepper vine. He was balancing on a homemade bamboo ladder way up there. Harvesting pepper is not easy and definitely not for people afraid of heights.

As I am writing this, I am sitting right next to the captain of our absolutely amazing house boat while we are cruising through the back waters of Kerala in the morning haze. The scenery is so beautiful. We are floating through patches of lavender-colored water hyacinths, which are unfortunately creating problems with overgrowth now since they were accidentally introduced to the ecosystem through ballast water. Hibiscus, bougainvillea, and purple water lilies are adding lots of color to the houses which are lined up on the banks of the canals.

A serene scene from the backwaters of Kerala.

We are watching the people living on the canals going on about their daily lives. It is fairly early in the morning and some residents are taking their baths while others are doing their laundry and their dishes. Palm trees are lining the water ways and school children are waiting for the “water” bus to take them to school. Fishermen in their small, colorful canoes are returning home with their early morning catch. Life seems so peaceful and worry-free.

We can observe the irrigation system to the rice patties. The manmade canals were finished in the early 70s to bring fresh water from a huge lake to the rice and vegetable fields which are located below water level. A paradise for birds was created. Egrets, herons, and cormorants are wading through the shallow waters to find their breakfast. It is very quiet out here. No street noise or honking cars, just the sounds of nature and our houseboat moving through the still waters. It is hard to believe that just eight months ago, the whole area was flooded due to heavy monsoon rains and thousands of people were displaced.

Petra’s "fabulous" houseboat.

The boat itself is fabulous. An air-conditioned dining and living area, furnished with beautiful leather couches invites you to lounge in a cooler environment. I personally enjoy the open deck and the warm breeze. The cabins are very, very nice and feature beautiful picture windows to enjoy the view while lying in your bed.

The crew is spoiling us with tasty and freshly-prepared meals and snacks. It is a dream come true! Nobody minds the absence of WiFi. It is somehow liberating to be disconnected.

A colorfully costumed Kathakali performer.

We are off to eclectic Cochin today and reached the final destination of the main trip after a two-hour drive. After lunch, we were treated to a Kathakali performance. We were able to observe the male actors while they were applying their make-up and getting dressed in their costumes weighing about 100 pounds. The costumes are made up out of up to 20 layers. The actors don’t dance, sing, or speak on stage, but portray their emotions and the story through facial expressions and body language. It requires 16 years of training before an actor is allowed on stage. The performance was fabulous.

In the evening around sunset, I walked around the waterfront with the Chinese fishing nets. It has a Key West atmosphere. Everybody wants to see the big fireball disappear into the ocean. Cochin has a lot of street art, art galleries, and cute, inviting looking cafés. I had a great time and enjoyed people watching and my street photography.

Safety first on a motorcycle ride through Kerala.

February 08, 2019

Our last morning in Kerala was thrilling and fun-filled with a motorcycle ride through the city. I loved it! We cruised by the locals in their rickshaws and squeezed through narrow streets where cars can’t go. We also stopped for a few minutes at one of the beaches and dipped our toes (in my case accidentally half of my legs) into the Arabian Sea.

We had a goodbye meeting in the late afternoon and sadly had to say farewell and safe travels to new friends we made on the trip. It was a wonderful, well balanced adventure with lots of personal, cultural interactions with the amazing locals. The mix of historical and religious sights was perfect for me. I did not get overwhelmed and actually am still able to recall the major differences in the all the temples we visited. My personal highlights of the trip were the slow motorcycle and pedi-cab rides through the neighborhoods. The children and adults alike stopped what they were doing and waved to us with big smiles on their faces. We were able to talk to so many people about their daily lives, visit their homes and learn about their families. Memories I will never forget!

Embark on your own adventure in Sri Lanka and India when you join O.A.T. for Soul of India: The Colorful South