Sunsets, Cocktails and Solitude

It is 5.30 in the evening. You are seated by the sea.

The wind blows through your hair. The sound of waves gently slapping against the rocks gives you a strange sense of comfort.

You take a sip of a delicious cocktail and heave a sigh of relief as you feel the days stress evaporate off your body whilst your eyes feast on a magnificent sunset. 

You smile contentedly to yourself knowing that this is a luxury only you will enjoy and that there is no one else around to disturb your peace.

Sounds quite amazing doesn't it?
Somehow I thought to enjoy this kind of experience one would have to go out of town. Maybe deep down south on a non mercantile holiday. But to my delight I discovered that one could immerse ones self in such an experience in the heart of the city.
At the Sea Spray sea food restaurant of the Galle Face Hotel.
Their is a high probability you might not have heard of it. 

The Sea Spray restaurant is a poor imitation of  Kingsbury's Ocean and Cinnamon Grands Lagoon. They might fall short on quality but one thing they have over the others is an amazing sea view slap bang by its side.
Those few who have heard of it know it as a some what popular dining destination.
Only a tiny minority know that the restaurant opens their bar at 5 in the evening so that you can sit on the terrace and sip  a cocktail enjoying a picture post card view of a stunning sun set.
Sadly their kitchen opens only at 7 so you really don't have anything substantial to munch on, other than the few bread fruit chips which they place on your table. Sadly they were not in a position to deliver food from the coffee shop or main kitchen when I asked them if they would do so.
It is indeed a shame. 

But this is just a tiny irritant when compared to the total wow of the experience you are getting.  For the price of a single drink at that.
Now that you have heard about it I am sure you are wanting to go and check it out. Please do. But do me a favour? Don't tell anyone else about it. Lets keep it our little secret.

Zilch

What do you give a woman?

A woman who has everything?

Everything... except

Love, care and tenderness

You can't buy it off the shelf

You cannot order it off ebay, Amazon or takas dot lk

You can't wrap it up....

Or have it presented in a wicker basket...

With babies breath, assorted greenery and a quaint little card made of recycled paper...

No you can't pour it into a bottle...

Not even the fancy ones with divine shapes and vibrant colors

With spray nozzlez on top which they call atomizers...

Winnie the poo said it is a feeling...

I am sure you consider that thought is appealing

But I am gallantly searching

How to catch;

bottle or wrap?

The tenderness of a gentle kiss on ones forhead

The warmth of a long hug which goes beyond minutes

the soft texture of lips on skin

But so far

All I have come up with....

is zilch.

Prawn 65 - The dish that taught me a life lesson

Generally life lessons are learnt when you face something tragic or some kind of hardship.
But in my case I learnt a life lesson in a lovely restaurant experiencing something delicious.
Life is indeed bliss!

I love their "Chai tea"

This happened when I stepped into one of my favourite haunts Chutneys at the Cinnamon Grand. I find going through a menu somewhat of a chore. Especially when I am sipping on an amazingly lovely Chai tea which they are famous for. So I decided to ask the waiter instead. After all he came across as a rather nice and helpful chap with a willing to please attitude.
This was one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

The amazingly tasty prawn dish with the uninspiring name!

He recommended a prawn dish which was out of this world and truly a sensation on the palate. Later on I asked him to point out the dish on the menu so I could order it another day as well as recommend it to my friends. It was then that I was told that this dish was a new invention by the chef and that it was not on the menu. In fact at that particular time it was not even named. Though now it boasts the uninspiring moniker of "Prawn 65".
Somehow this little incident made me put my philosophical hat on.
It made me realise that this is quite similar to how most of us make decisions in life. We try to choose from a menu of "expected/established" choices instead of looking beyond the pages for that perfect solution .

The Chutny's Margarita's are wonderful too!

The difference between Genuine Love and Attachment

Came across this amazingly insightful video on youtube which I wanted to share. Below is the transcript of what was said: "The problem is that always we mistake the idea of love forattachment. We imagine that the grasping and clinging that we have for in our relationships shows that we love, where as actually it is justattachment, which causes pain. Because the more we grasp, the more we are afraid to lose, then if we do lose, of course we are going to suffer.
Attachment says: you know I love you, therefore I want you to make me happy.
Genuine love says: I love you, therefore I want you to be happy. If that includes me, great. If it doesn't include me, I just want your happiness.
Attachment is like holding very tight, but genuine love is like holding very gently, nurturing, but allowing things to flow, not to be held tightly.
The more tight we hold on to others the more we will suffer, but it's very hard for people to understand that, because they think that the more they hold on to someone, the more it shows that they care about them,but it's not.
Its really just that they're holding and grasping so tightly because they are afraid that they themselves will be hurt.
Any kind of relationship that imagines that we can fulfill ourselves through another, is bound to be tricky.
Ideally people should come together already feeling fulfilled within themselves, and thus just appreciating that in the other, rather that expecting the other to supply that well-being, which they don't (but should) feel on their own..."
- Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

Gal Oya – The absolutely quiet National Park

The Boatman against the setting sun

It is an absolutely strange feeling to stand in the middle of the jungle and only hear the sound of nature. Without being interspersed with the sound of vehicle engines, loud music or the screeching emanating from the loud speakers of a religious institution.
As surprising and contradictory as this statement sounds this has been the sad reality of my life.
Until I landed in the beautifully quiet Gal Oya National park.

The Main Road leading to the park

Off the beaten track and off many peoples travel itinerary it is 252 square miles of pure perfection in the South East corner of our island. This park is so isolated on average it receives 4 jeep loads of visitors a week instead of the 400 a day like certain other parks do. 

But you will find the eight hour drive from Colombo absolutely worth it because this is the only park belonging to the Wild Life Department where the Safari's are done by boat. The boat service is operated by the Wild Life department itself, is roughly three hours in duration. If you are nice they will allow you to get off at certain points and track an elephant or get up close and personal with some of the amazing bird life.
You can see elephants and deer quite easily but Leopard and bear have been elusive even though they have made their presence known by the spoor and track marks they have left behind. To me it is a huge relief because sometimes the pressure of MUST seeing a bear or a leopard takes away ones attention from appreciating the true beauty of the jungle.
The Wild Life department operates two bungalows which you can rent. One is Ek Gal Oya and the other is called the bunt bungalow because it is right on the bund of the lake and offers some magnificent views.

Ek-gal-oya Bungalow

If you would you rather have your jungle experience in peace and tranquility? Without the traffic jams, rude drivers speeding recklessly and hoards of people climbing on top of one another to get a glimpse of the next trophy sighting? Then the Gal Oya Park is the perfect place for you.

Scenes from another life...

They rushed into each others arms and kiss.

Deeply... Passionately... Lovingly...

She runs her fingers through her hair feeling its softness.

He caresses her face and tenderly lifts her chin up with his fingers and looks at the fresh lovebites on her neck.

"So is there someone in your life now" he asks..

"Yes" she says "you know my feelings for you will never change but you have **** in your life".

"I understand" he brings her close to him and holds her tight.

They sit. Their bodies touching one anothers. Their arms around each other.

She tells him her story.

How they met. Who he is. What he does. How he treats her. How she feels.

He listens intently.

It is then that he realises that she is here seeking his blessing. In order to break free from the heart strings that has bound them for so long.

He strokes her hair gently and says "I am happy for you".

A smile of relief spreads across her face. In direct contrast to the tears in her eyes.

They kiss. They hug. They hold each other close for one last time.

They part.

Ironic Conversations in life...

"Don't you like her?" I ask him

"Of course I do"

"Isn't she every thing you ever wanted?" 

Yes she is... Kind, caring attractive vivacious intelligent. As if my vision of a perfect woman has been brought to life".

"Isn't there mutual attraction?"

"Of course there is"

"So then why are you holding back?" "Why aren't you making a move?"

"Because she can give me everything I want but I can't give her what she needs."

" As a lover I can only provide a temporary shelter but as a friend I can be a permanent safe harbor for her."