Even though the weather has been unusually rainy and cool (in mid 70s), the boys wanted to go swimming at our hotel's pool in Colombo. On an aside, as I was writing this entry, I was attacked by an army of ants. Now that the weather is getting warmer, there are more ants in the house. I took a break to battle them, but I still have more work to do before I go to bed! ;)

Here we are after having a breakfast feast at the hotel in front of a blinged out Christmas tree. The hotel called Cinnamon Grand in Colombo has completely adorned its corridors and main entry way in purple, blue, pink, and gold Christmas trees (all fake). The majority of the population is Buddhist, but other religions are practiced here as well. I still hear Christmas music playing wherever we go, and I'm told that it will stop on January 1st. Whew!! The Sri Lankan New Year is celebrated on April 14. The main hubs in Sri Lanka cater to tourists during this time of year, and many of the tourists come from Switzerland, Germany, and Australia. 

We met some of our Maryland family members for a traditional meal in clay pots. The ambiance was amazing with a large banyan tree over hundreds of years old in the middle of the outdoor restaurant. We ate by lantern light. Poor Cody was pretty tired, and once he put his head down on the table after dessert, he fell fast asleep. 

The other half of our family (mother, father, and sister in law) traveled in the other 3 wheeler called a Tuk-Tuk to the 3D Penguins of Madagascar movie. Tuk-Tuks are a common form of transportation, and in Colombo, the largest city and also the capital of Sri Lanka, most taxis are now  metered unlike when we visited three years ago.

Here is a picture of our family squished into a Tuk-Tuk. We are spending two days in Colombo to enjoy city life and to meet other family members that are visiting from Maryland. 

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Coconuts

There are many makeshift structures like these along the road side selling various items, but most often I see fruit stands. 

Cody is helping his grandfather shave coconut to make a delicious sambol, a spicy coconut topping to accompany our meal. 

Christmas

Our small Christmas in Sri Lanka. The boys were so excited that they woke up at 4:30 am. 

Here I am outside of my mother-in-law's house drinking coconut water... and not from a box! 

Getting to Sri Lanka

 Aidan and I are waiting to take off from Seattle to Dubai. It's a 14 hour trip!

Cody and I are waiting to take off from Dubai to Colombo, Sri Lanka. This trip is about five hours.

I promised to take a selfie, so here it is. :)

Overlooking a tea plantation, we are having lunch at Serenity Village, a favorite stop of ours in the rain forest. There are 15 family members gathering to eat here.

This is a traditional breakfast meal with rice, dahl (lentils), yams,  an omelette, and a spicy topping (coconut shavings and chili peppers). Although there are serving utensils, we eat with our fingers (from the first knuckle and up); otherwise, it is considered impolite. Custom dictates that we wash our hands before and after meals. The boys love eating with their fingers!!

Here we are at Serenity Village. We came here for the day to eat lunch with family and swim. Unfortunately, it has been very rainy here for the past few days. Usually, the rainy weather is in the Spring. We plan to come back for an overnight when the sun comes back.