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327 Days in Ceylon

By: Matt Baker

My wife Rebecca and I spent 1998 in Sri Lanka, teaching English at the Worldwide Educational Institute in Nuwara Eliya. Our school had about 150 students (most post-high school age) and we taught vocational-level courses in English, computers, and business.

We received a salary of Rs 9000 per month (about US$140). Most of this went towards food, travel, phone calls and any souvenirs we wanted to buy. We weren’t able to save anything but the school payed for our airline ticket and housing so it was a good deal experience-wise.

We lived in a small apartment attached to a house, just down the street from the school. We had a kitchen (sink, fridge, two-burner gas stovetop and a table), bedroom (two single beds pushed together) and bathroom (toilet that flushed sometimes, basin, tub and a small hot water tank that exploded on us). We were often times without power (once for several weeks) and a few times we were without water for a few days.

Here is a record of our journey:

Prelude: England & Dubai

December 26, 1997 – Departed from Halifax, Nova Scotia

December 27 – Landed at Heathrow; visited Birmingham

December 28 – Toured London (Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge…)

December 29 – Took the train to Nantwich to visit relatives; stayed at an old castle-type mansion called Rookery Hall

December 30 – Toured Liverpool

December 31 – Spent New Year’s Eve in Nantwich at the Red Lion Inn

January 1, 1998 – Took the train back to London

January 2 – Travelled from London to Dubai

January 3 – Departed Dubai for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

January 3 – Arrived mid-morning at the airport in Katunayake, just north of Colombo, where we were met by our school’s principal; drove into the city, met up with one of the other teachers and toured a bit.

January 5 – Travelled up through the mountains to Nuwara Eliya (about 5 hours by van, from sea level up to 6,000+ feet); the small bumpy &amp twisty road winds slowly through the lush green hills, covered with rows upon rows of tea plants – now we were able to see the true beauty of Ceylon (a big contrast with Colombo); stopped to see the amazing view at the St. Clair’s Tea Center in Talawakele, which included Devon Falls; had dinner that night at the Tea Factory Hotel in Kandapola.

January 12 – Back to Colombo for three days to meet with the school’s director.

January 14/15 – Took the night train to Nuwara Eliya but the train had a mechanical problem so it took 14 hours (twice as long as it should).

January 19 – Classes began at the Worldwide Educational Institute.

January 25 – LTTE suicide bombers bombed the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy (the most sacred Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka – supposedly host to one of Buddha’s teeth), killing 17 people; the same day, they bombed the power station in Nuwara Eliya (we heard the blast – it was about a mile from our home) and there were rumours about a bomb found at our bus station.

February 4 – Independence Day in Sri Lanka (50th Anniversary of the end of British rule so Prince Charles visits Colombo); Took a hike up a river on Mount Pidurutalagala (highest point in Sri Lanka).

March 5 – LTTE suicide bomb in Colombo kills about 40 and injures more than 200.

April 8 – Our much-needed break began.

April 13/14 – Sinhala/Tamil New Year; Nuwara Eliya became the centre for local tourists – many temporary shops opened during this time.

April 15 – Did a radio advert for Commercial Bank, one of the main banks in Sri Lanka.

April 17 – Travelled to Kandy to begin a trip to the cultural triangle. Saw the Temple of the Tooth, the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage and the Bohiravokanda Buddha Statue (several stories high, on a hill overlooking the town).

April 18 – Travelled from Kandy to Polonnaruwa; Along the way, we stopped to see the Sri Muthumariamman Thevasthanam Hindu temple in Matale, an ancient Buddhist rock temple in Aluvihare and the Dambulla Cave Temple (paintings over 2000 years old!); Stayed at the Hotel Seruwa in Polonnaruwa.

April 19 – Toured the ruins of Polonnaruwa, which are from the Middle Ages – lots of old palaces, temples, statues and dagobas (stupas).

April 20 – Took a day trip to Sigiriya (the most amazing place in Sri Lanka!). It is a huge, mysterious rock which once had a palace built on top with advanced plumbing.

April 21 – Took a day trip to Anuradhapura and Mihintale to tour the ancient ruins there; at the time they were built, the dagobas there were the tallest man-made structures in the world, other than the two largest Egyptian pyramids.

April 22 – Back to Nuwara Eliya.

April 27 – Second term begins.

April 30 – We climbed up a mountain called Adam’s Peak (it is a famous pilgrimmage center – the footprint on the top is supposed to belong to either Adam, Shiva or Buddha); the climb up (which we did at night because of the heat) took about four hours; that night the LTTE blew up a power station in Hatton, a nearby town – we could see the explosion from the top of the Peak.

May 1 – May Day in Sri Lanka; watched the sunrise from the top of Adam’s Peak (the mountain casts a mysterious triangular shadow in the mist); climbed down the mountain.

May 10 – Wesak – the most holy day for Buddhists.

May 12 – Several nuclear bombs are exploded in nearby India.

May 17 – The mayor of Jaffna is assasinated.

May 21 – Visited CINDA (Child in Need Development Association) as a school service project.

May 23 – Our one year wedding anniversay; stayed at the Grand Hotel (a huge British colonial-style hotel in town).

June 9 – By this time, one of our teachers from Australia had been suffering for several weeks with stomach troubles so we took her to the Adventist Hospital in Kandy; came back to Nuwara Eliya the same day.

June 11 – Rushed Tanya to the Asha Central Hosital in Colombo, where she was admitted.

June 11-13 – Stayed in the hospital with Tanya (I must say, third world hospitals are not the best!).

June 13 – Took Tanya to the airport in Katunayake, where she caught a flight back home to Australia.

June 15 – Parent/Teacher Day at school.

June 18 – Went to the Tea Factory Hotel again.

June 19 – Had dinner at the Hill Club with the director.

June 20 – Travelled to Mahiyangana and back for a class trip (this is where the Veddha’s live – the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka); stopped to see a dam along the Mahaweli River (largest river in Sri Lanka).

July 17 – Second Break begins.

July 18 – Travelled to Kandy and back for another class trip (saw the Gadaladeniya Temple and the Hunnas waterfall in Wattagama).

July 24 – Went to Kotmale.

July 25 – Continued on to Colombo and then to Beruwela, where we spent the next 3 nights at the Neptune Hotel (an all-inclusive beach resort).

July 28 – Took a taxi to Colombo and then travelled by Intercity bus to Nuwara Eliya.

August 3 – Third term begins.

August 6 – Travelled to Kandy to see the annual Perehara (a parade of elephants and dancers); back to Nuwara Eliya that night.

October 2 – Break begins; travelled to Katunayake to greet Rebecca’s parents at the airport (they came to visit us for 2 weeks); stayed at the Airport Garden Hotel in Seeduwa.

October 3 – Waited at the airport for our friend, Debbie Singer (who also came to visit us), but she didn’t show up (we had got the date wrong).

October 4 – This time we did find Debbie at the airport.

October 5 – Travelled together to Nuwara Eliya with a tour guide.

October 6 – Visited the Tea Factory Hotel in Kandapola for the third time.

October 7 – Travelled to Horton Plains to see the “World’s End” (a 3,000 foot drop off!).

October 9 – Travelled back to Colombo, stayed at the Airport Garden again.

October 12 – Visited the Canadian Embassy in Colombo to get visa applications for two local teachers (both were accepted as students at a Canadian University); travelled to Pinnewela to visit the Elephant’s Orphanage and then on to Nuwara Eliya.

October 15 – Travelled to Katunayake and back to drop Debbie at the airport.

October 17 – Toured the Laboukelle Tea Factory.

October 19 – Rebecca’s parents depart.

October 29 – WEI hosts a Speech Banquet at the Grand Hotel.

October 31 – Travelled by bus to Talawakelle with some local Christians and helped baptize 16 people.

November 6 – Last day of classes at WEI; during the next 2 weeks, we packed up everything from WEI and loaded it on trucks, to be sent to the new school in Colombo.

November 9 – Went with one of the local teachers to the Canadian Embassy in Colombo again; his visa application was denied (because he’s from Jaffna – we were sooooo mad); back to Nuwara Eliya the same day.

November 15 – Took an Intercity bus to Kandy to stay with friends; saw a bit of the Leonid meteor shower.

November 16 – Travelled to Colombo in the early hours of the morning; had breakfast on the Galle Face Green; went to the Canadian Embassy again; The other teacher’s visa application was accepted but she had to go for a medical; meanwhile, that day we had lots of van trouble, did some shopping, went to the brand new McDonald’s restaurant, had dinner with friends and stayed at the new WEI in Colombo.

November 17 – Travelled back to Nuwara Eliya.

November 22 – Graduation Day at WEI.

November 24 – Loaded the last boxes from WEI; left Nuwara Eliya for the last time and travelled to Kandy.

November 25 – Travelled early in the morning from Kandy to Katunayake, via Kurunegala, to catch our flight; spent 2 hours in a line at the airport but finally made it away safetly!

Epilogue: England again

November 25 – Stopped over in Dubai again; this time the plane was delayed several hours; arrived at Heathrow; stayed the next 2 nights in Brickett Wood.

November 27 – Took the train to Newton, Wales to stay with Rebecca’s grandmother.

December 7 – Travelled back to London and spent the next few days with Rebecca’s cousin.

December 8 – Rode the London Underground and visited the British Museum.

December 9 – Visited Stonehenge and the town of Marlborough.

December 10 – Went to the “Ye Olde Fighting Cocks” pub (reputedly the oldest pub in England); Visited the St. Alban’s Abbey.