We hit the road again and embarked on a journey to the middle of the island. A 3-day getaway from the concrete jungle was just the break we all have been yearning for. The Vesak, a foremost Buddhist festival, gave us a pretty neat excuse to do just that. The locals have their whole week... ours for three days. We are quite content, couldn't complain. We are filled with excitement and anticipation of something new, a discovery, an a-ha moment, an outburst, or strange sight... of anything but urban. . And as we have always experienced, any trip outside the city has always been laden with surprises, interesting sights and colorful menagerie of life.
So, let us take you on this journey through our digital eyes - today, of our trip and later on,the entirety of our stay in an unforgettable place that is Kandalama. If only we could capture its scent, the warm, humid air, the sleepy afternoons, misty warm sunsets, cacophony of birds at dawn and dusk, the chatter of curious monkeys for you to savour. But this is the best we can do.. i hope you enjoy it.
As we leave the city outskirts...
Lacy white lanterns adorn most stores along the road as the island prepares for a Buddhist holiday - Vesak.
Street markets are common on the busy towns of Sri Lanka. Crowd gets thicker as Vesak approaches.
Along the main highways, small stores like these attract a lot of shoppers.
More stores are closing as the holidays draw nearer. Public is caught up in a shopping frenzy afraid that it will be all too late.
Decors and flags make a colorful preparation at the town plaza for the local holidays.
Please pray for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any Buddhist nation. From the 16th century onward, Christian missionaries and Portuguese, Dutch and English colonizers of Sri Lanka have attempted to convert the local population to Christianity.
At present. foreign and local church workers are working hand in hand in bringing the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ to this nation. Many Christian workers in remote villages live under threat, are persecuted and even abducted because of their faith.
Sri Lanka's population practices a variety of religions. 77% of Sri Lankans are Theravada Buddhists, 15% are Hindus, and 7.5% are Muslims and Christians.
| Buddhism [70%] |
Hinduism [15%] |
Islam [7.5%] |
Christianity [7.5%] |
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| Distribution of the four major denominations in Sri Lanka. The percentages shown are from 2001 census except where the numbers are cursive, which are from 1981 census. Population movements have occurred after 1981, but accurate statistics do not exist for these districts. From Wikipedia |
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