Skip to main content

Unfinished business in Sri Lanka


When I decided to go to Sri Lanka for my spring break this year, I truly did not have too many expectations. I did not know much about the small country located just under India.

Approximately a week before I left, I purchased a Lonely Planet guide book to begin finding information about my destination. I instantly found out that there was lots to discover: beaches, tea plantations, national parks, forts, temples… Unfortunately,  I knew right away that I would not be able to see everything Sri Lanka had to offer during my short stay.

After landing in Colombo on Saturday, March 23rd 2013, I was headed straight to the Southern part of the country where I was set to stay at The Three by TPV, a wonderful boutique hotel. This classy place was just perfect; lovely staff, nice pool, good food, beautiful view of the Indian Ocean…
On Sunday, March 24th 2013, I went to Galle to get a look at the beloved Fort, a quiet old town filled with little shops and cafés. I’ll be honest, I was expecting something a little more exciting, but still, it was a cute little place.

For the rest of my stay, I got more familiar with the stunning beaches. I was forced to relax and to become a total beach bum. For me, this was not easy. I wanted to go do stuff, see things, explore the country, but sadly everything I wanted seemed a little too far away from where we were staying.
Mirissa Beach
Unawatuna Beach 
Hikkaduwa Beach
So, out of the top 20 experiences suggested by my guide book, I was able to fulfill only 2 (#1- Stunning Beaches & #9 - Beloved Fort). I admit, besides my crazy rides to and from the airport and back and forth around town (OMG! The DRIVING, especially the HONKING is CRAZY!), my time in the Southern part of Sri Lanka was pretty “chill”. Even so, the people and their culture still found ways to impress me. I feel like there is still lots I would like to see in Sri Lanka: I have some unfinished business that I will hopefully be able to attend to in the future! 
Tuk Tuk

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Locked in.

“ The successful warrior is the average (wo)man , with laser-like focus. ” Life’s been feeling a little dull lately, but there’s one thing keeping me fired up; the experience of a lifetime is just around the corner. In just four weeks, I’ll be heading to Chicago to compete in the Hyrox World Championships, and I’m locked in. For many competitive and athletic kids, the dream is to make it to the Olympics or stand on a world championship stage in their sport. While Hyrox may not be the Olympics, for me, this is kind of that moment. This is my ‘world stage’; I can’t wait to soak it all in and add it to the list of things I’m proud of. This idea sort of started on my 40th birthday this year. While most people celebrate with a party and cake or a getaway, I made a wild choice: I booked my place in the Hyrox World Championships with my doubles partner. Bold? Definitely. Crazy? Probably. Worth it? Without a doubt. The last time I pushed myself this hard was back in 2019 when I trained for a C...

In a World Full of Noise, Let’s Show Understanding

“Not everyone processes uncertainty the same way, and that’s okay.” The past few days have been unexpected. What started as a normal Saturday - coaching at the gym, breakfast with a friend, catching up on work with the TV on in the background - quickly changed when I heard a loud “boom” coming from outside my apartment. At first, many of us in the community assumed it came from one of the many nearby construction sites. But, within the next few hours, the loud sounds came again and again, and word spread that these were missiles and drones being intercepted in the sky. I’ve always felt safe here in the UAE, and believe it or not, to a certain extent, I still do. Like many other residents here, I have a lot of trust in the country I’ve chosen to call home for over 11 years. I’ve seen it overcome challenges in the past, such as COVID and floods, and I’ve witnessed how much the leadership cares for the residents, particularly over the last few days.  That said, it’s no secret that I a...

Momentum Reset

"Momentum doesn’t just return; you rebuild it, one choice at a time." Before summer began, I was feeling a little low. The tipping point came when I found out my HYROX competition partner’s visa had been denied, meaning we wouldn’t be able to compete at the HYROX World Championships in Chicago. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t the end of the world, but I was still pretty bummed. I thrive when I have a goal, something to work toward, and for nearly two months, I’d been all-in. That training gave me momentum, purpose and energy. When that goal disappeared, so did my drive. Suddenly, my energy shifted in the wrong direction. I slipped into autopilot, stuck in the routine of daily life, work, and thought patterns that were becoming more and more negative. Social media didn’t help. It felt like everyone else was out there doing so much, and I had nothing exciting happening. I would catch myself comparing and as my thoughts spiraled, my body started responding, and not in a good way. Th...