Short haul: Sri Lankan street life in pictures
Following on from my post last week about our stay at the Shangri-La Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa, I wanted to share some of our experiences outside of the hotel as there was just too much information to fit into one post (I told you I loved Sri Lanka!). So here's my experience of Sri Lankan street life in pictures.
As much as I love a resort hotel now for all the child friendly facilities they provide, I'd never have dreamed of setting foot inside one for many years before I had my son, and my itchy feet do still need satisfying so I do like to get out and about from resorts as much as I can to see the real world outside. So one morning we hopped into a tuk tuk from the hotel and set on out to explore the nearby town of Hambantota.
You've got to love a tuk-tuk ride, they're always pretty fun, and of course it was quite a novelty for the toddler too with the streets whizzing by at such close call!
Our first stop was at the local market. I do love a local market, and while many markets sell local arts and handicrafts, this one was purely functional, selling fruits, vegetables, dried foods and dried fish.
As well as being fascinating to look around and learn more about how people live from day-to-day in rural Sri Lanka, it was great to meet some of the locals - of course children are great at breaking the ice there! Sri Lankans are famous for their love of kids and before long the toddler was playing shop at some of the stalls and being offered fresh fruits from stall owners left, right and centre! He was in his element with his natural curiosity and made so welcome by the locals - even when he did drop some of their coins down the side of a heavily packed box!
Next stop was to the harbour and the site of the local fishing market for some more exploring. And one of the things that has to be said about Sri Lanka is that everything is so colourful, both literally and figuratively!
You do see some wonderful things and get to have some incredible experiences if you venture beyond the usual tourist trail, and this is something I love to try to do! Street life is just so interesting and so different to our own daily lives, it's hard not to be humbled and to reflect on your own life.
But more than anything, you just see so many incredible sights and find opportunities to meet amazing people and try things you otherwise might have missed. Sri Lanka I love you very much, and am certain that we will be back...