Dev and I went to the Elephant Orphanage where injured elephants were treated and cared. We both went on an elephant ride, which was indeed an awesome experience. We rode on a 49-year-old elephant, and elephants were said to live up to a hundred years, and they consume about 300 kilos of vegetation each day, and they discharge about 100 kilos of dung, and their dung are recycled to make writing papers.
Bandhu took us to visit a spice garden in Mawanella to see the different spices, which Sri Lanka is famous for. We were introduced to the different spices and shown how some of these spices were grown and processed. Dev and I treated ourselves to a full head and body massage, using traditional oils used for ayurveda treatments. It was truly refreshing and relaxing, and after the session ended, we were covered with oil from head to toe!
The third day was the last day of our tour. We had a half-day tour and decided to end it by lunchtime because Dev had to fly back that night, and he needed some time to rest. Our guide picked us up at 9AM for a city tour and shopping in Colombo. The traffic and the driving styles were frightening in Colombo! If you were driving in Colombo and your car didn’t have a honk, you would never stop cursing while trying to drive with tut-tuts (three-wheelers) swerving in and out of traffic and making way for their no-sense-of-etiquette styles.
Hindu Temple in Colombo
We visited several Buddhist and Hindu temples where we had to dress in a proper manner in order to enter. Thorough body checks were carried out for everyone who entered the temples. One of the monks spoke to us and told us he had been assigned to temples in Malaysia, particularly in Penang and Brickfields. The architecture and designs of the temples were amazingly beautiful and colourful.
We also made time for shopping. Odel was the famous mall in Colombo. One could shop for cotton t-shirts, shirts, jeans, household items, cushion and pillow covers, and fashionable shoes and clothes at reasonable prices. If only I had an extra bag, I would have shopped for more things. Dev and I ended up getting t-shirts as souvenirs. Apart from Odel, we went to some tea shops, and we bought lots of authentic and pure Ceylon tea. I also got myself tiny wooden elephants, postcards, key chains, and a beautiful Indian-design top.
We ended the tour with a beautiful Sri Lankan buffet lunch at "Raja Bajun", which meant "Meal for a King". Overlooking the ocean, the restaurant was built just right next to a railway track. The cosy Raja Bajun served many kinds of curries, Sri Lankan style.
It was nice visiting the land of my origin, and it had shown me a different perspective of live in Sri Lanka and how the affects of Tsunami is slowly wearing off as people have started rebuilding their lives and homes. Even with very little they own, friendly faces and smiles show how much they have to thank for to be alive.
images of Abu Dhabi
Life is harder to live if living means being apart from your loved one(s). Dev and I were married last July, and a few months later, he was offered a job in an airline in the United Arab Emirates. It was something Dev has always wanted -- a better work environment, a better career prospect, which could lead to a better tomorrow.
It finally happened. In January, Dev got his stuff packed and was ready to leave home to work in a foreign land. It was tougher than I had imagined seeing him leave, even though I was going to see him a couple of months later. It took me a week before letting life set in without Dev.
In March, I flew almost seven hours to be with him for a couple of weeks and at the same time to get a feel of what it was like living in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE as well as the administration hub whereas Dubai is the commercial hub. I must say Dubai attracted me more with its exciting lifestyle, and it took me by surprise when I noticed how modern Dubai actually is.
It has been six months since Dev left for Abu Dhabi, and (my) resigning from the workforce is a decision I am not regretting. I will be joining Dev next month as we embark on our long-term career plan over there.
I have been dismissing the fact that I have to start packing soon and deciding what I need to bring with me. I know once the bags are laid opened for me to start packing, that is also the time my emotions get the better of me. Leaving behind a life in Malaysia, my family and friends as well as sacrificing the comfort of home wouldn't be easy -- who said change is easy? Dev and I have always wanted a shift in our lives -- something with a positive outcome, whether long term or short term -- and we hope to make the best of our stay there.
The house is in a terribly mess -- imagine having to be in the house while the workers work and floors covered with cement dust! The contractor promised me that work will end on Monday, and I sure am counting the last few days to the completion.
Once the renovation is over, I have to spend several days after that cleaning up every corner of the house. And once that is done, I will be free to meet up and catch up with my friends and former colleagues! Can't wait!
How Dev and Jacintha met ...
ON several occasions, Jacintha's former colleague-friend had promised to introduce her to his guy pal. Her friend had a feeling that since both had Chinese-Indian blood, they would get along well. But every time the day arrived, the mystery man would either be working late or out of town. However, the day finally came when Dev, then 29, met Jacintha, also 29. When the two hit it off, their friend was over the moon that his first matchmaking attempt was a success.
But Dev was somewhat slow to initiate things. After the first introduction, it was a month before the two of them met again at a group outing. This time, Dev remembered to take down Jacintha's number before leaving. The next six months served as a trial period for both to test their feelings for each other. The duo preferred group dates to twosome outings, doing the usual – movies, clubs, lunch and dinner. Dev, says: “This way, it’s more casual and you don’t feel the pressure.” While the couple’s friends provided a shield if anything were to go wrong, they were also a catalyst to a blooming romance. As one of Jacintha’s criteria for her partner was to have friends she could get along with, going on group dates gave her a chance to assess his buddies.
By the third month, Jacintha decided that Dev was what she wanted – a humorous, independent guy with a good, stable job but she wanted Dev to make the first move. Jacintha doesn’t believe in the perfect match. She says: “For a match to be perfect, they say the husband has to be deaf to his wife’s nagging and the wife blind to his faults. I didn’t want to set too-high standards. It’s more interesting to have two different characters for whom marriage is part of working out each other’s flaws.”
Dev adds: “You can always find someone. But if you’re not willing to accept the person’s flaws and make it work, you’ll never find the right person.”
Dev liked Jacintha’s easy-going and down-to-earth manner and once everything was ‘set, match, go’, Dev took Jacintha home to meet his parents. He casually mentioned to his mother that he was bringing a friend over which got his mother all excited. Jacintha was officially introduced to Dev’s family and relatives and Dev’s mother took to Jacintha immediately.
For Dev, the ordeal was easier as Jacintha’s father was a man of few words.
The couple waited three years before tying the knot two months ago. They didn’t want to jump straight into marriage and Jacintha was doing a part-time course then and wanted stability before settling down.
Now that the newlyweds have found each other, their matchmaker friend is trying to get Dev to return the favour by introducing him to some young, eligible women.
The Clove, STAR - October '05
