As you have followed my blog (or personal website now down for a while!), half of my posts would be to review the last place or country I traveled. This time around, explore Sri Lanka or Colombo, to be exact, with me through “our” accelerated workshop of Asia Peace Innovators Forum (APIF). Which I attended last year in Salzburg, Austria. Thanks to the Nippon Foundation, Salzburg Global has developed this acceleration to extend the project we developed together back in our actual cohort (III).
1- Cleanliness
Although I learned that Sri Lanka remains a developing country, how I didn’t expect it to look was her cleanliness across the capital. Actually, the very first sign of a clean country is, by surprise, not so many trash bins around! This applies to South Korea and Japan, where I have been in the last several years. Still, bear the humid weather with you and embrace Theravada Buddhism, as in Cambodia!
2- Friendliness
Hotel staff aside, in general, Sri Lankan citizens carry this spontaneous warmth, whenever asked about the ways. Don’t hestitate to chat with your Uber moto driver. This was what I did, when I couldn’t have enough time with my Sri Lankan workshop and film fellows! And the following conversation astonished me most back then:
Driver: How Sri Lanka for you?
Me: More good than bad!
Driver: If they educated, good. If they uneducated, ungood.
Me: (speechless)!
3- Black Birds!
For your own safety, watch out those crows roaming around more daringly than those pigeons or doves! Try not to leave your food idle or it’ll be eaten by those black birds. To our “peace book” pilot workshop participants’ amazement, in our introductory ice-breaker, I told them “I’m feeling like a crow”!
Even though I got to visit only Colombo, it suffices to say Sri Lanka has a lot more to offer. Despite her economic status, this State-island has maintained its spiritual independence and warmth to outsiders like myself! Get back here later this year for more traveling experience or inbox me about your next trip plans to those countries I’ve already traveled. 😉