Mirissa Bay, Sri Lanka

I got dumped by Mirissa!

It all started on one fine day whilst standing waist deep in the picture perfect waters of Mirissa Bay in southern Sri Lanka. I was declaring my love for Niki, looking romantically into her eyes as she stood on the beach. In hindsight I should have realised how hurt Mirissa would be with me for showing my affection to another women. Yet as I stood with the waves lapping past me, with Niki’s eyes gazing back intently into mine, her mouth dropped into an ‘o’ shape (like the moment in the movies when the actor realises the seriousness of the situation) and shouted something back to me. Which I could only imagine at the time was “I love you too baby and I’m so glad I married you, you’re my Mr Perfect”.

Little did he know he was about to be Dumped by Mirrissa

So as I turned to face the water behind me to swim happily away, content with the love of my wife and the big headedness that I could actually think she would ever say that to me, I came face to face with a wave twice the size of me. The last words I remember coming out of my mouth was something along the lines of “Oh Shit” and thinking Niki shouldn’t be saying “I love you” when she should of been warning me of my impending doom….then my mouth dropped into a ‘o’ shape with the realisation of what she was really saying – it was about this time I was hit by the wall of water.

Our lounging spot

Apparently from the beach, it had looked liked I had decided to try a synchronized jump above the wave before realizing that it was never going to work and tried to rescue my attempt for freedom by making a last minute choice to dive into the wave’s base. I was later told I looked like man with little hope and was the funniest thing Niki had seen all day. Mirissa had slapped me!  I somersaulted three hundred and sixty degrees through the water as her intense wave destroyed me; my arms bent in all directions and washed me ashore like a beached mermaid with the grace of a turtle floundering on its back. This was how I was dumped by Mirissa!

Hundreds of crazy crabs kept us company

I wanted to say that Mirissa and I parted our ways amicably, that our love had lasted long, however it would be a lie. Mirissa had made it clear – it was me, not her and kicked my arse out of her fine blue waters with my tail firmly stuck between my legs! Needless to say I spent the rest of the day under a palm tree nursing my ego, my sore body and asking the question “where did our relationship go wrong?”

A near empty beach - how often does that happen in Asia?

Throughout the day, Mirissa would often take new lovers keen to embrace her waves and her sandy beach bosom – yet time and time again she would reject them with an intensity of a scorned woman. With particular mention to a young man who tried to force his love upon her, before belly flopping onto the break of a wave and being washed back into shore. Sometimes people scuttled in to only scuttle out a few minutes later, afraid of the ultimate smack down of pain that they were about to receive. However these people never having received the love of her rolling waves, the intense blue of her shine and warmth of her water, left feeling dejected.

Can anyone tell me what this is?

I love Mirissa Bay and like an estranged lover, I will be back tomorrow to sip on a coconut under the shade of the infringing palm trees and admire her beauty…at least from a distance. Mirissa has no time for wandering eyes or to share your affection, for with Marissa Bay, it is better to have loved and lost, then to have never have loved at all.

Sri Lanka's First Light

Legend would have you believe that this is the place where butterflies come to die. Whilst devout Buddhists believe that this is the site that Buddha himself ventured forth into the afterlife, where as readers of the Bible believe this is where Adam set forth upon the earth. Whatever your view, witnessing a sunrise upon the summit of Sri Pada or Adam’s Peak as it is also known by, will remain with you for a lifetime. Sri Pada is at an achievable height of 2243 metres in the hill country of Sri Lanka and during the pilgrimage season (December to March), thousands of devotees ascend to the small monastery perched upon the summit. The monastery houses the footprint of Buddha and is an important place that many Sri Lankans travel to yearly. The climb is about three hours and passes by raging waterfalls, small tea houses and harrowing views of the deep valleys below.  It all concludes with a juxtaposition of watching the sky turn from millions of stars into the pastel colours of the sun rising over Sri Lanka.

The stunning sunrise over Sri Lanka from Sri Pada

Sri Pada's shadow, a perfect pyramid!

A perfect sunrise over Adam's Peak.....just beautiful

View from Sri Pada Summit

Halfway up Sri Pada

Adam's Peak from Dalhousie, Sri Lanka

This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Sri Lanka

Boom!…………..Boom!………………Boom!………….This was no enticing drum sound to woo me deep into the bowel of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic; no, this was a command to follow the many pilgrims into the darkness of the night into the most important Buddhist site in all of Sri Lanka. The site that, as legend would have you believe, contains a tooth from Buddha himself. Smuggled to Sri Lanka by an Indian Princess, the sacred tooth has been at the center of many conquests as for it is popularly believed that whoever holds the Tooth holds the power and the right to rule over the diverse island of Sri Lanka. After stripping your feet from your earth worn shoes and passing over the deep moat, you enter an ornate and spiritual world filled with intricately decorated arched corridors, hypnotic sounds of drums and prayers, the intense aromas of burning incense and the throngs of the pilgrims dressed in white holding offerings to Buddha.

On entering the final chamber, waiting patiently for the door that houses the relic itself to be opened by one of the many monks that form part of an elite sentinel for the temple, you will glimpse a priceless golden vessel. No words can adequately describe its immense beauty, elegance and sense of spiritual power that it holds over so many Buddhists around the world, for the vessel houses the Sacred Tooth of Buddha himself.  Draped in exquisite jewels and gems, surrounded by a room of golden light and lush red velvet drapes, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the sight of people praying, placing offerings and crying, as for some, this is a once in a lifetime experience. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a must see in the city of Kandy in the Hill Country of Sri Lanka and will leave an impression on you for many years to come.

The Scared Tooth Relic protected by its guardians

Pilgrims follow the drums to the Sacred Tooth Relic

Burning candles as an offering and prayer to Buddha

The hypnotic mosaic tiles line the ceiling

The Intricate artwork is stunning!

The colourful offerings on display at the temple

The Temple of Tooth Relic Entrance Hall, Sri Lanka

Mosaic Tiles on display at The Temple of the Sacred Tooth

This post is part of the India and Sri Lanka: The Search for the Forgotten Tree blog series.