True Peace & Solitude

(*** this was written about two weeks ago, and I have been in Sri Lanka longer now, and my feelings towards it have changed yet again, but I was in quite a state when I wrote this and I felt it was important to share…the mindset of a traveler is ever-changing……)

I wasn’t planning to write a blog post today.  In fact, just yesterday I was pretty much hating Sri Lanka.  I don’t like to do a new post about a place until I have been there for at least a week.  That is usually about how long it takes for me to acclimate; and in general, the first few days are HARD.  They just are.  Usually, I am coming from a place that I have grown to love.  I am sad to leave, I am finally feeling comfortable, and then BANG! – You have to start all over again.  New currency, new language, new culture.  It can be difficult.  And it is for sure exhausting.  

So I found myself in Sri Lanka just six days ago, and although I met some lovely people right off the bat, I just couldn’t find my groove.  It’s hard to put your finger on how you are feeling those first few days.  You can blame it on lots of things.  But in general, I just feel off.  I’m uncomfortable, there is a pit in my stomach, I feel a bit out of control, and again, it is exhausting.  After landing in the capital city of Colombo for three days, I moved on to the second biggest city, more in the mountains, called Kandy.  I had high expectations for my emotional recovery.  Unfortunately, I still found it taxing.  The local “hustle and make a buck off the tourist” vibe is big here.  Big in a way that I feel like I really haven’t felt yet.  I read that Sri Lanka had a big economic crisis just a few years ago in 2019, so perhaps that has something to do with it, but every time I was walking around, I just felt like a moving target with dollar signs in my eyes.  Since I have been traveling for over a year now, I feel like I am pretty adept to the scammers out there, but I was duped more than once, and not only did I feel bad, I felt used.  And dirty.  It just all felt so sleazy.  And I felt like I couldn’t get away from it.  It’s entirely possible that I was just having a run of bad luck and meeting the bad eggs out there, but after 5 days I was over it.  

I was searching for my next home in a little town called Nuwara Eliya – a semi-secluded tea plantation village about 3 hours from Kandy.  I needed a change from the typical booking.com one room bungalow so I decided to take a look at AirBnB.  I vacillate between the two and it had been a while since I booked AirBnB.  I really wanted to get away from the hustle and flow, so to speak, and was yearning for peace, quiet, and comfort.  And I just wanted to be alone.  I didn’t want anyone harassing me about a tour, asking me if I needed a Tuk Tuk, or quite frankly, just anyone talking to me at all.  As luck would have it, the very first place that came up in my search was a tiny house 30 minutes outside of Nuwara Eliya.  It was perfect.  In the middle of nowhere, with views of tea plantations out my window.  I couldn’t sign up fast enough.  But wait.  How was I going to get food?  And how was I going to get there?  Suddenly, this seemed more complex than it may be worth.  Generally, I like to stay pretty close to the city center so I can get around easily, so this seemed challenging to say the least.  And a little scary.  Did I really want to stay in the middle of a forest/tea plantation with no civilization around me at all?  Was that safe?  I had a lot of questions, but my gut was telling me to go for it.  So I emailed the owner and asked the obvious questions:  Could she arrange a ride from the train, how would I get food, is it safe, etc. etc.?  Of course, she had all the answers.  She could arrange for a trusted neighbor to pick me up in his Tuk Tuk, take me to the grocery store in town, and there was a local restaurant that would deliver to me as well….and yes, it was safe.  This was all I needed to hear so I booked it.  

And then I talked to my mom…And as most moms would do she expressed concerns about me being alone in the woods in a cabin and having a strange man pick me up who would now know my whereabouts and know that I am alone.  This usually doesn’t phase me, because, honestly, if you don’t have faith in humanity out here, you aren’t going to get very far.  I follow the trust your gut rule, and my gut was telling me to go.  Of course, her add-on 20/20 story about a recent murder/kidnap of a single female somewhere did not go unnoticed, and I couldn’t sleep for two days and was a bit of a worried wreck right up until I got on my 3:30am train.  Yes, you read that right.  I also had to take a 3:30am train to get here.  Well, I didn’t have to, but the train rides here are legendary and it was the only one I could get a seat on, so again, I put my faith in humanity.  Once I was in my seat, and surrounded by the sweetest extended Sri Lankan family of 10, I finally breathed a sigh of relief and sent a message to the Universe asking for more help (and protection) with my day ahead.  

And WOW, did my Universe come through.  Although my train was two hours delayed (more on that in another post, because these train rides deserve ALL the attention and more), it actually worked in my favor because now I would be able to see more of the scenery since the sun would now be rising much sooner into my journey.  Just a brief tidbit here – this was the best, most amazing train ride that I have ever taken in my life.  It was spiritual and I teared up at one point with so much gratitude for where I was and what I was seeing.  EVERYONE should take the 3:30am train from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya.  The few pictures that I will post here don’t even begin to do it justice.  Add on the Sri Lankan family offering me biscuits and coffee and treating me like a part of their family, and it was truly like a scene from a movie.  Unbelievable!

But I digress…The train ride flies by and I arrive in Nuwara Eliya to my new home:

Seriously.  Never in 100 million years did I think that I would be staying in a secluded tiny house in a tea plantation in the middle of Sri Lanka.  It sounds ridiculous just saying it.  But here I am, and it is better than the pictures.  The sense of calm that washed over me when I got here was truly like nothing I have felt before.  I know that I am traveling alone and I am alone all the time and I spend multiple nights in multiple places by myself, but it dawned on me that I have never taken a vacation for just me.  I know many of you are laughing at me right now…Isn’t my current life a 24/7 vacation?  I’m sure many people think so, but traveling is hard work.  It is fun work, but as fun and as rewarding as it is, it can be extremely taxing as well.  And I needed a break from it!  I just wanted to unwind and be away from all the people, all the noise, all the thinking…this is the place I never knew I needed.  And I recommend that everyone do this occasionally.  I was sitting here, sipping my wine and admiring the view in absolute silence, trying to figure out if I had ever done this before…The answer is no.  I have done many a girls’ weekend, getaways with my ex-husband, spa days here and there, and even yoga retreats; but none of those compare to renting a peaceful place JUST FOR YOU.  Go rent a tiny home in a beautiful setting (maybe even in your own hometown!) and settle in for nirvana.  It is breathtaking and good for the soul.

I always wanted to stay in a tiny home; and if I ever settle down again, it will hopefully be in a place like this.  I don’t need, and nor do I want, more than this.  It’s just me.  How much more do I really need?  This suits me perfectly and I am SO happy here.  I have already tried to extend my stay, but sadly, it appears they are booked out and 2 nights will have to suffice.  But the peacefulness, the quiet, the breeze coming off the deck, the scenery, my fire pit!, the cozy bed……this is all I really need.  I have two glorious days of uninterrupted meditation, yoga, journaling, writing, and reading ahead of me, and I am going to soak it all in.  

Sending peaceful good vibes to all of you.  🙏 Give yourself the gift of self-care and let your inner light shine!  ✨


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