Update & Student Reflection

Before we share another student reflection, here's a quick rundown of what we've been up to the last couple of days:

Our 12-hour road trip from Dambulla to Yala was an event in and of itself. We covered so much ground - more than our guide has ever done in his 40 years in the business - but there was so much to see along the way that it wasn't nearly as tedious as we anticipated. Our route took us through the most breathtaking scenery; through tea plantations, past waterfalls, and over a 6000 foot mountain pass. The newly posted photos are best able to communicate the beauty of our surroundings. One of our stops along the way was at the Glenloch Tea Plantatnoon - one of the oldest on the island. Here we learned about the process of making tea and were able to do some taste testing and shopping after our tour. We arrived at our hotel near Yala National Park to be greeted by a candlelit "Jungle BBQ". A leisurely start to the following day was warmly welcomed by the students, after which we drove the 10 minutes to explore a nearby beach. Although the surf is often too high and dangerous to swim in during the monsoon season, we still had a fun time climbing the boulders and playing beach soccer. That afternoon was the much awaited jeep safari through Yala National Park. Although the elusive leopard didn't show its face this time around, within the first 10 minutes we had already spotted 6 different animal species: water buffalo, wild boar, peacocks, elephants, crocodiles, various birds, and monkeys. The evening light created the perfect glow as we explored dirt trails and snapped photos. Switching gears back at the hotel, the night concluded with a massive water balloon fight on the premises in the dark - even the hotel staff got involved! Lots of group bonding and carefree fun.

Today we ventured from Yala west around the southern tip of Sri Lanka, through the coastal villages toward our beach hotel. We stopped in the town of Galle to visit an old Fort and eat lunch, and then toured the only blue moonstone mine in the world and watched the process to extracting this precious gem. Our afternoon was spent on a boat safari through mangrove forests to "Cinnamon Island" where we watched a demonstration of how cinnamon sticks are made. Sri Lanka is the only place in the world where you can get this form of the popular spice. After another long day we made it to our hotel, a last-minute upgrade to a 5-star establishment outside the town of Kalutara, which is a little further north from our original stop in Hikkaduwa. Tomorrow is our first and only "free day"; e.g. sleeping in, no set itinerary, and lots of anticipated beach time. A day of relaxation before we head back to the hustle and bustle of Delhi for our last day.... wow, how time flies!


STUDENT REFLECTION by Val Pernas, Golden Temple, Amrisar, India:

After having already spent a day in the city of Amritsar- which is located in north west India in the state of Punjab- we traveled to one of India's most popular attractions, the Golden Temple.

            The Golden Temple is the holiest place for people of the Sikh religion. More than 100,000 people visit the temple and it's kitchen daily, and we got to experience everything that the temple had to offer; from eating lunch at the communal dining room, washing the dishes along with hundreds of others, dipping our feet in the lake that surrounds the temple, and more.

            Before heading to the temple, we all sat in the hotel lobby as our tour guide wrapped long, bright colored turbans on the boys heads, since your head has to be covered to visit the temple. I decided that instead of wrapping a shawl around my head, I would join the boys and so the tour guide neatly bundled the bright pink cloth on me. The day was excruciatingly hot, and the turbans somewhat helped keep us cool.

            Once we got to the temple, because of all the body heat, the temperature felt unbearably hot. As we walked through the main gateway into the temple site, our jaws dropped. In front of us there was a large sea of bright, bold colors from the turbans and shawls, and amidst it, in the middle of a huge man made lake, stood the temple. It was so beautiful. The temple's architecture was amazingly detailed, we were standing pretty far away from it but we could still see the gorgeous designs carved onto the marble and gold. The top half of the temple was covered in the brightest gold I've ever seen. I was absolutely mesmerized.

            We walked down to the man made lake- which is called a "Sarovar"- and dipped our legs into the holy water, called "Amrit". All around us there were children, men, and even women (who of course had their own enclosed area) bathing in the murky water.

            As we kept walking around, admiring the beautiful shrine before us, people would smile at us and try to shake our hands or get our pictures, some kind man even handed me his baby to "bless" him and get a picture with him. We all felt a little famous, and we enjoyed it for the first few days, but after a while it got really old. I have no clue how Hollywood celebrities do it, kudos to them.  

            Our guide had mentioned earlier that the kitchen at the temple is one of the largest in the world, operating 24/7, serving more that 100,000 meals a day. We followed the guide into a large building, the kitchen and dining hall. At one side there were hundreds of people gathered together cleaning the dishes from the previous meal, another side had people peeling onions and peas, the other side had two tall doors leading to the kitchen, and at the last side there were steps leading to the empty dining hall, where hundreds of people were already waiting eagerly in line with their silver trays in hand.

            Before any of the other people were allowed into the hall, we entered and sat on the carpets that were laid in rows across the wooden floor. As soon as the doors were opened, a huge swarm of people came in and they all sat calmly and we all ended up fitting in the room. Trays were handed to the people that didn't have any, and as soon as the doors were closed the food was served. First came this little tortilla like bread- called chapati-, then lentils, spicy potatoes, rice, and porridge. It was the most delicious and perfectly spiced food I've had in a while. We all sat there, eating with our hands, everyone happy and smiling while enjoying their meal. The sense of community in that room was absolutely amazing. Even though mostly everyone there was a stranger to me, I somehow felt connected to them. The people were all so nice to us too, considering it was loud and clear that we were the only tourists enjoying the delicious meal with them. They would smile and wave to us from across the room and hand us their unused spoons if we needed them and simply treated us as one of their own.

            After the amazing lunch, we walked into the outdoor kitchen where the chapati was made. We were greeted with warm smiles by multiple women, who immediately posed for pictures with us and asked us as many questions as they could. I got asked if I was married and had children, which to me was kind of odd, but they were such sweet and loving ladies.

            After a few of us helped mix, shape, and cook the chapati, we went to go wash the dishes, which is honestly what I was most excited for. We went into the cleaning area and squeezed into one of the water troughs and began washing the dishes. The process was really quick since we were in the rinsing station. Lots of plates would come at a time, and everyone in the station would grab at them and water would splash all over the place. It was a hectic task, but there was a system to it that we obviously didn't know about, so everyone simply laughed and went along with it.

            A while later, after we were soaked with soapy water and had walked around a little more,we left the temple. I really didn't want to leave. It was such an amazing experience, and it really gave me a different point of view. Everyone treated you like a family member, no matter what race, gender, age, or religion we were. The people at the temple were all accepting, loving, and gregarious towards our group, and it was extremely heartwarming. Even after leaving the temple, I was still amazed with what I had experienced, and couldn't fathom how such a crowded, loud, and hectic place could be so peaceful at the same time. We spent about two hours there, and although we've done a lot of extremely fun things during this trip (we even had a water balloon fight, ok), those two hours at the temple were the happiest I had the whole trip.

            If I ever decide to return to India, which I know for a fact that I will, I will no doubt return to the temple. The 6 hour train ride and the searing heat are more than worth it.