30 spankings in Sri Lanka

Yeah, yeah, I'm 30. Big deal. I still feel about, oh, maybe 22. Anyway, we decided to do something a little crazy to celebrate and take the family to Sri Lanka (the island just off the southern tip of India). The trip started out a little shaky, with a flight that left at 3 am (not fun with 3 small kids) and Nick getting sick the first night (he had flashbacks of his first trip to India...if you don't know that story be sure to ask him) but it turned out to be a great little getaway. Here are some pictures:

The first thing we realized when we got there is that seat belts are a luxury. We had to send our first driver away because there were NO seat belts anywhere in the van. Our second van had 3, all lap belts and since Nick is worth more dead than alive we gladly jumped in. Plus, it didn't really matter because of the traffic there. And by traffic I mean, pedestrians, wild dogs, bikes, tuk-tuks (keep reading) and cows, like the ones above waiting at a bus stop. See, they're sacred to Hindus and always have the right of way. Our 60 mile trip took just over 4 hours.

Our first stop was the city of Kandy up in the mountains. It was a beautiful, tropical paradise. Many Christians believe Sri Lanka to be the Garden of Eden and Kandy is the jewel of the country. Our hotel was located up a one lane, windy mountain road. We enjoyed nature walks in the jungle and Nick even managed to catch a couple of leeches...the hard way.

The 2 main tourist attractions in Kandy are the botanical gardens and the Temple of the Tooth. The gardens are a collection of trees and plants from around the world, many of which were brought to the island by aristocrats during British occupation. The boys are looking at a scorpion on a banana leaf.

The Temple of the Tooth is a temple dedicated to an actual tooth of Lord Buddha. The tooth was smuggled out of India in the hair of an Indian princess shortly after Buddha's death. Each year there is a festival commemorating this event and it includes a parade of decorated elephants.

One of the highlights of Kandy was walking through the streets checking out some of the little shops. I managed to pick up a little Polo shirt for Drew for about $ 3 US. Check the tags on your clothes. Many are made in Sri Lanka. Notice the Buddha statue on top of the mountain above.

Next, we went to an elephant orphanage in the city of Pinnawella. There are over 70 elephants that have been rescued. There are over 15,000 wild elephants on the island. One elephant was blind and another only had 3 legs. We got to see the trainers feed the baby elephants their bottles of milk. It was neat to be that close to so many elephants.

We even got to ride them. Don't worry, the chains are for us passengers and do not hurt the elephants at all.

Nick was a little nervous with Drew on such a large animal.

On the actual day of the big 3-0 we parked it here, at the beach in the city of Bentota.

The kids had fun looking for crabs, fish and sea anemones. The big boys and Nick took a boatride out to a small rocky island for some snorkling.

On the way to Colombo, our final stop, we visited a turtle hatchery. These baby turtles were 2 days old. We could touch them and pick them up.

These turtles are about 3 months old. Bret and Cole really loved this.

This is a tank that was destroyed by the tsunami of 2004. Between 30,000 and 50,000 people were killed by the tsunami in Sri Lanka. About 5 miles down the road from where we stayed, there was a train that was washed away by a 60 foot surge. The water was so strong, that it moved the 80 ton locomotive over 200 meters from the track, killing all 2,000 passengers. We heard this story from many of the locals while we were there. Also, 50,000 turtle eggs were washed away. Pretty crazy.

This is a tuk-tuk and when going out in Colombo, this is how we got around. At first we were cautious, and took 2 - the big boys and me in one and Nick, Drew and the stroller in the other. Then we figured, when in Rome (or Colombo) and crammed everyone into one - totally unsafe! No windows or doors but the kids had a blast. Our maid that cleans and babysits for us is from Sri Lanka and her husband, who is still there, drives a yellow tuk-tuk. There were many different colors and the kids had fun pointing them all out.

On our shopping excursion, we went to this store called House of Fashion. And let me tell you, I have done my fair share of shopping in my short 30 years and have never been in a store as crowded as this. It was worth it, though. I got a skirt, blouse and pants for me and got the boys each a shirt for about $15 US. They were all either Gap or Old Navy.

We arrived home safe and sound, even after our tuk-tuk rides. One thing that we took home from this adventure is how nice the Sri Lankan people are. They all loved the kids and ended EVERYTHING they said with a smile. Bret said many times, "everyone loves me here."

Three Wisemen

Merry Chirstmas! So here are the much anticipated pictures of our three wisemen on the camel:

We could only get three heads to cooperate...that darn camel just wouldn't turn his head. That's okay though, because he's just following that star so he knows where to go :-)

This is another picture we used for our Christmas cards.

We're hoping that next year we can get the boys each on their own camel with one holding some gold, one holding some frankincense and one holding some myrrh. I know I'm getting a little carried away over here, but c'mon that would be awesome, right??? Anyway, we miss everyone and hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas.

Drew's first haircut

With Grandma Sally here, we decided she'd better give our scraggly little Drew a little trim.

Before

After

His face is all red because we had to bribe him with Red Vines, that thankfully we can find here.

Visitors!

Don't worry, Nick made it back safe and sound from Saudi Arabia, without even a lash. We've just been busy because we had our first visitors. Nick's parents came halfway around the world from Utah. They were here for ten days and we did lots with them, after they got over the 11 hour time difference. The kids were happy to have Grandma and Grandpa around, especially because they brought with them many Christmas presents. We did lots of eating, shopping, exploring and even went on a desert safari, which, for all those of you out there who are planning to visit us (I know there are tons!), this is a must do. A guy named Sunil (who was an awesome driver) came to our house and picked us all up. We drove about half an hour into the desert. We drove up, over and down all the sand dunes. They call it a roller coster through the sand and it really was. It was amazing the car didn't roll. It felt like it was going to about 20 times. After the safari, they took us to a little camp where they had camel rides (yes, I finally got my 3 wisemen on a camel picture! We'll post it on Christmas day - be waiting), sand boarding, henna tattoos, pictures in traditional dress, an Arabic barbeque and to top it all off, a belly dancer. Then, we got back in the car and Sunil (who, fyi, happened to double as the bartender at the dinner) took us home. Here are some pictures:

Our drive in the desert.

The car in front of us got stuck. You could tell this has happend before - they towed it out in about 30 seconds.

Bret and Cole playing in the sand.

Drew in the sand.

The camp

Bret sandboarding.

Cole getting a henna tattoo - don't worry Mom, they're not permanent.

And finally, Nick and I in the traditional Emirati dress. I'm wearing an abaya (the dress) and a hijab (the head scarf). Nick is wearing a dishdasha (the robe) and we can't remember the name of the head piece, it's something very "throaty."