Ever since getting my first dive certification in 2006, I toyed with giving up the "rat race" at my young age and living the island life. Getting my dive masters and instructors license always seemed like the perfect way to permanently defer the real world and adulthood. Well, I think after tearing my ear drum today for the sixth time in seven years, I may finally have to concede my future may not lie thirty meters below sea level.
Just to clarify, tearing your ear drum is a bit different than rupturing it (which I've never done thank god). A normal person might rupture (or pop) their ear drum while diving or other activities causing excruciating pain and potential hearing damage. My issues are brought on by having tubes in my ears as a small child from repeat ear infections. The tubes left a lot of scar tissue on my ear drums which in addition to making it at times quite hard and painful to equalize my ear pressure while descending on a dive, it also makes it a lot easier to cause tiny perforations in scar tissue. The result is pretty intense pain after completing a dive and a general feeling of drunkenness and poor coordination. Alas, might have to become a sky dive instructor instead.
Up until this moment (where I am actually drinking a beer in hopes of reversing the "drunk" effect), my time in the South has been quite lovely. I've spent the past bit skirting along the southern coast from Tangalla to Mirissa and now Unawantuna. The highlight so far being my four days staying at Dewmini Rotti Shop in Mirissa with Gayani and her lovely family. A Sri Lankan rotti is in many ways like a thinner version of a crepe, which can also be either sweet or savory. The owner of this little shop and guesthouse is a goddess. One of the kindest women I've met in my entire life and an absolutely phenomenal chef! I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon in the kitchen with her. In addition to being scolded when she learned I never wash my rice at home, I learned four vegetable curries, chicken curry, potato sambol and a few other odds and ends. Please don't expect reproductions at home, I'm an awful student.
Over the past couple weeks I've been pretty active outdoors and hiking. Made a cameo for an early morning safari at Udawalawe national park, home to more than 500 Asian Elephants. Pretty amazing, considering the last time I went to see wildlife in Asia, enter Chitwan national park in Nepal, a morning of trekking and an afternoon of driving in a jeep amounted to one lousy elephant from a distance and only on "up close" asiatic rhino.
Uda was a whole 'nother story. You could trip over the elephants in this place. It almost became like the buffalo in Yellowstone, at first they're so exciting and by the end, you just want them to get out of the way on the road!
Nonetheless, the babies were especially adorable! We also saw a lot of water buffalo, eagles, tons of peacocks, crocodiles, a fox-like creature whose name is escaping me, and a myriad of other birds and snakes. All in all a pretty successful wildlife viewing day. Nearby Yala park, offered opportunities to see wild leopards but reports from fellow travelers described it as a caravan of jeeps chasing one elusive cat, eventually scaring away any other wildlife nearby.
I did a fair bit of hiking around the hill country. Intentionally skipped the landmark hike of Sri Lanka : Adam's Peak. A perfect pinnacle mountain that is by Christian's believed to be the first spot Adam stepped foot on earth. By Buddhists believed to be the footprint of Buddha. Blah blah blah. You wake up at 2am and hike till sunrise, mostly up a set of stairs behind dozens to hundreds of pilgrims. Not my cup of tea. However, the less spiritually rewarding hikes I did around Ella especially were quite rewarding.
Just to clarify, tearing your ear drum is a bit different than rupturing it (which I've never done thank god). A normal person might rupture (or pop) their ear drum while diving or other activities causing excruciating pain and potential hearing damage. My issues are brought on by having tubes in my ears as a small child from repeat ear infections. The tubes left a lot of scar tissue on my ear drums which in addition to making it at times quite hard and painful to equalize my ear pressure while descending on a dive, it also makes it a lot easier to cause tiny perforations in scar tissue. The result is pretty intense pain after completing a dive and a general feeling of drunkenness and poor coordination. Alas, might have to become a sky dive instructor instead.
Up until this moment (where I am actually drinking a beer in hopes of reversing the "drunk" effect), my time in the South has been quite lovely. I've spent the past bit skirting along the southern coast from Tangalla to Mirissa and now Unawantuna. The highlight so far being my four days staying at Dewmini Rotti Shop in Mirissa with Gayani and her lovely family. A Sri Lankan rotti is in many ways like a thinner version of a crepe, which can also be either sweet or savory. The owner of this little shop and guesthouse is a goddess. One of the kindest women I've met in my entire life and an absolutely phenomenal chef! I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon in the kitchen with her. In addition to being scolded when she learned I never wash my rice at home, I learned four vegetable curries, chicken curry, potato sambol and a few other odds and ends. Please don't expect reproductions at home, I'm an awful student.
Over the past couple weeks I've been pretty active outdoors and hiking. Made a cameo for an early morning safari at Udawalawe national park, home to more than 500 Asian Elephants. Pretty amazing, considering the last time I went to see wildlife in Asia, enter Chitwan national park in Nepal, a morning of trekking and an afternoon of driving in a jeep amounted to one lousy elephant from a distance and only on "up close" asiatic rhino.
Uda was a whole 'nother story. You could trip over the elephants in this place. It almost became like the buffalo in Yellowstone, at first they're so exciting and by the end, you just want them to get out of the way on the road!
Nonetheless, the babies were especially adorable! We also saw a lot of water buffalo, eagles, tons of peacocks, crocodiles, a fox-like creature whose name is escaping me, and a myriad of other birds and snakes. All in all a pretty successful wildlife viewing day. Nearby Yala park, offered opportunities to see wild leopards but reports from fellow travelers described it as a caravan of jeeps chasing one elusive cat, eventually scaring away any other wildlife nearby.
I did a fair bit of hiking around the hill country. Intentionally skipped the landmark hike of Sri Lanka : Adam's Peak. A perfect pinnacle mountain that is by Christian's believed to be the first spot Adam stepped foot on earth. By Buddhists believed to be the footprint of Buddha. Blah blah blah. You wake up at 2am and hike till sunrise, mostly up a set of stairs behind dozens to hundreds of pilgrims. Not my cup of tea. However, the less spiritually rewarding hikes I did around Ella especially were quite rewarding.
Some trails are marked better than others. I made it to Ella rock (above) via an adorable hand drawn map by my guesthouse in town!
To come full circle if you've read thus far, one dream deferred a different one granted. I have officially accepted admission to Tulane's MSc in Disaster Resilience and Leadership. Classes start August 26 and I guess I'll be moving to New Orleans sometime shortly before that.
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