Gothic Buddhist Wedding and Trip Highlights

Gothic Buddhist Wedding and Trip Highlights

January 24

Hard to believe it is our last day in Sri Lanka.  Our breakfast is surprisingly interrupted by seeing an elephant walking down the beach.  


John and Steve wait for their chicken curry while Marie and I rush to the beach to discover a Gothic Buddhist wedding is taking place. Sri Lankan dancers welcome the Goth couple and a monk conducts the ceremony in Sinhalese. 

The German couple in their black Gothic dress seem a contradiction to the Buddhist ceremony but clearly are enamored with each other.  They have 2 cameramen filming the event but surprisingly there are no friends or family members as guests.  Marie is more entranced with the elephant than the ceremony. She still would like to ride the elephant. 

 However, I can’t  take my eyes off the wedding couple and am snapping pictures of them.  Then 

I am asked to stop taking pictures until the ceremony is finished ~ this is the first time I’ve had this request in Sri Lanka. 

Ring Exchange

After ring exchange oil poured over hands 

Happy Couple 

Okay now time for the elephant.

Buddhist Temple Walk

After breakfast we take a hike to a rather run down Buddhist temple. However, we enter the temple we find it is beautiful with models of monks of all cultures sitting and meditating in front of the Buddha. There are paintings covering the walls and ceiling. 

Buddha as a baby 

Buddha as an adolescent 

Buddha enlightened

Walking around outside we see the purple faced langurs we had not seen on the boat trip a day earlier. 


Also there are dozens of noisy, huge fruit-eating bats in the trees (knows as Indian flying foxes).  Surprisingly the Gothic married couple also arrives at this site with their camera crew.  We congratulate them and I think they must be steaming hot in their heavy and detailed black Gothic attire. Certainly I am dripping wet in the hottest weather I’ve experienced in a long time.

Trip Highlights

We head into town to have lunch at the Immune Restaurant.with John and Steve having fish curry again and asking for extra spices.  Marie and I again ordered grilled prawns and save enough for evening cocktails.  We wander the street afterwards and barter over some green and black tea.  Back at our villa we swim and reluctantly pack to leave.

We once again enjoy a wonderful meal and conversations reviewing the highlights of our trip together. We can’t decide what are the 5 highlights of this trip as we complete the evaluation forms for our guide Karu. In fact, we have had at least one unexpected surprise highlight or adventure every day. For example there was the day the toque macaques monkeys looking so cute with middle-parted hair and their babies ramshackled our hotel room and ate our last chocolate bar; 


Or, coming across a series of Sri Lankan weddings when we stopped to search for better coffee; 










Or, taking a spice tour which was less about spices and more about selling lotions to eliminate wrinkles, body hair and treat diabetes, high blood pressure and stress; 

Or spotting some astonishing birdlife in 2 parks and on a river cruise; 

Or, participating in picking tea with local Tamil tea pickers and learning how it is harvested; 

Or, watching Tamil people in markets treat Steve as a Hollywood star because he speaks Tamil; 

Or, being present for a historic election of a new President and seeing the hope in people’s eyes; 

Or, a beautiful bike ride among dilapidating stupas and rice paddies; 

Or, numerous spiritual moments in Hindu and Buddhist temples;

Or, amazing meals and exposure to new tastes and brinja;

Or, colorful markets full of energy and movement; 

Or, the gentle and refined walk of beautiful Sri Lanka women in their saris and the generosity of people who shared with us;

 
Or, spectacular views;

Or, spotting an elephant on the highway or on a beach at a Gothic Buddhist wedding;

 Or, holding a boa snake in terror around your neck;

Or, seeing how different ethnicities and religions have mostly learned to accept each other and learn to work together after years of war and a devastating tsunami. 

  

Or, viewing the beautiful children in their immaculate white uniforms. 

School Children 

Most of all we found the people to be welcoming, friendly, and gentle. We reluctantly leave our friends Marie and Steve who are staying for 3 more days and wonder how we will return to rain and less exotic dining. The good news is that when we get on the plane we find Sri Lankan chicken curry on the menu. We can postpone our Sri Lanka food withdrawal for a little longer. We hope that Sri Lankan people's hopes and dreams will materialize.