Stuck between a literal rock and a hard spot

I am an avid water enthusiast. I do pretty much all water sports and have next to no fear in the water, which has gotten me in trouble a few times.

We had the day off today from trainings, so Jen, a midwife who is training with us, and Susan, who I work with, decided to go white water rafting. I have been multiple times in various other countries and loved it, and they were like sure sounds good! Susan has a mild fear of water, so she was getting a little uneasy, but I assured her it would be fine.

The Nile River is known for extreme white water rafting, and people come from all over the world to do so and to kayak it. The rapids were a level 5 today (generally the highest that a rafting company will take people through). The Nile is also very deep because it is so wide.

We set off, got a very scary safety briefing on all the things to do and not do. As I had done this multiple times before, it didn’t phase me as much as it did Jen and Susan because it was their first time hearing all of these things.

We had heard from other colleagues who have rafted the Nile that they flipped their rafts, and assured us we would also flip. I hadn’t ever been in a raft that had flipped before, so wasn’t all that worried. I was actually a little bit excited at the prospect of flipping, LOL! Water adrenaline junkie!

Be careful what you wish for.

As soon as we got in the raft, the guide made us jump out because he wanted to see how we did in the water and if we could get back in. All the women massively failed at getting back into the raft (myself included). It is REALLY hard pulling yourself up over a boat with gear on!

We set off, and pretty quickly approached our first rapid. Jen and I were in the front. We coasted down what appeared to be a straight shot down (and the photos later seemed to prove this!) and we plunged right into the water, but didn’t tip.

IT WAS SO FUN!

We lost one person overboard (but we quickly got her back). My adrenaline was pumping. The photos in the beginning are hilarious because I look like a kid, smiling wide, having fun, and most everyone else looks terrified. After our second rapid, everyone seemed hooked. We didn’t flip! Other rafts had, but everyone was loving rafting.

As we approached the third rapid, the guide told us the direction to swim “when” we tipped. If you’ve never been white water rafting, the general setup is everyone sitting on the edge of the boats (not in the middle, which I thought before I went the first time), paddling as hard and as fast as they can through the rapids to navigate them. When paddling isn’t going to do anything, the guide yells, “DOWN!” and you get down in the boat, hold your paddle, and hold the rope on the side of the raft. You are never supposed to let go of the rope. Let me tell you, it is A LOT harder than it sounds!!

As we enter the rapid, I can see (and hear) that this is a much bigger rapid than the previous two. Before long, our guide yells, “DOWN!!” and we all get down. Almost immediately I could feel us tipping sideways, and before I could even process, we were under the raft, underwater, rumbling down the river. I knew I was somewhere in the middle of the raft because I couldn’t immediately feel any rope, but eventually climbed my way out. I held onto the raft for maybe 2.5 seconds before letting go. Jen, Susan, and I immediately spun away from the raft, but were all together. I immediately did the universal water sports “Are you ok?” symbol, (hand to head), and everyone was. We were just floating (quickly) down the river, and couldn’t seem to catch or hold onto anything. Eventually some kayakers in our crew rescued us and we hung onto the bow and stern and they paddled us back to a raft. Another raft rescued me, but I eventually was able to get into my original raft. A little scary, but still fun!

We then spent a long time, very lazily making our way down the river. I was starting to get bored and wanted some action! Before too long, we hit another rapid, and like clockwork, we got down, and almost tipped immediately. These rapids were INTENSE! Way scarier than any I have ever done. We didn’t end up tipping, and made it down in one piece.

Shortly thereafter, they made us walk around on the shore because there were some insane level 6 rapids, which are too intense for rafting. These were INSANE. I wish I had a camera with me. The sound alone was crazy. Once we passed the rapids, we got back in the boat. The guide explained that the next rapid we were going to go through was going to be intense, and that if we went under, we would likely be underwater for a lot longer due to the currents, depths, and length of the rapids. He also said that when we tip, to swim left, because there was a level 6 rapid to our right, which we definitely wanted to avoid in or out of the raft.

He then proceeded to stand up and tighten all of our life jackets and helmets. I knew this wasn’t a good sign; we all did. But at that point, I thought, I have the hang of this, down, bail, find your way out, float, get rescued, no big deal.

We approach the rapid and he starts screaming to paddle hard and fast, before he even finishes his sentence we epically flip. I managed to keep ahold of my paddle this time, but definitely tousled in some really extreme currents and waves before surfacing. I surfaced next to Susan, who I could clearly see was panicking (remember, she has a fear of the water). I grab her paddle, and grab her shoulder of her life jacket and am like, “Susan, you are ok! You are ok!”

Panicking in the water is the worst and most dangerous thing you can do. People who panic in the water tend to gasp for air (filling their lungs with water), flail, and burn up too much energy flailing, and then they drown.

When I did my SCUBA training, my instructor was a former Navy Seals Rescue diver, and was really intense to say the least. I later learned that a lot of the stuff he had us do (skills for certification) actually are NOT skills for certification, he just wanted to see how we reacted. I.e., taking our oxygen mask off without us knowing (underwater!), never doing any skills or dives in a pool (straight into the ocean!), throwing us into currents, and other crazy (and provably illegal, LOL) stuff. He constantly would scream at us, “Do you want to die?! I have seen shit you can’t even imagine!” I can still hear Allan’s booming voice, 6 years later. All 6’6 of him. However, in hindsight, I was incredibly well trained. He is the one that taught me that panic and fear in the water are the most dangerous things. He also said that a human never wins a struggle with water, so remember if stuck in anything, seaweed, fishing line, inside a cave, whatever, immediately calm yourself, stop struggling, and relax your entire body. “Kind of like a drunk person in a car crash, they survive because they go limp” he would always say. Anywho, Allan was crazy, but I got a lot of skills I am now thankful for.

Back to rafting.

Almost immediately as I grabbed Susan, we were violently forced apart. I had no idea at the time what the fuck had happened, but apparently a raft ran right into us. I lost the paddles and was turning over and over underwater and knew I was in trouble. I have spent many, many hours of my life tousling in waves, getting (intentionally) beat up and doing crazy (and probably dangerous) shit. Which is how I got stung by a stingray in Nicaragua.

So I am rolling around, and I have no idea which way is up, which is NEVER good. I remembered our guide saying we would be under for awhile, and to not panic. Then my SCUBA skills sort of kicked in and took over. I had been holding my breath, but then decided to start slowly breathing out so I could follow the bubbles, and to prevent any underwater gasping. I also at this point balled myself up (knees to chest), and almost immediately popped up. THANK GOD.

Except, no.

I surface, breathe, and see two guides on rafts standing up and screaming at me to swim left. Remember when I said he told us if we didn’t swim left we would run into a class 6 rapid? Ya, that. I suddenly remember this and then am like FUCK FUCK FUCK. So I balls to the wall just start swimming using every bit of energy and force I could muster. But for every stroke I took, I was swept even further backwards. I knew where I was being swept to.

The fucking level 6 rapids.

Without a raft.

Again, keep in mind; RAFTS don’t go down level 6 rapids. And I was headed to them WITHOUT A FUCKING RAFT.

I am immediately swept under and can tell there is a strong undercurrent, which is partly to blame for the insane fucking shit storm pickle I have found myself in.

SCUBA Allen’s voice enters my mind, and all I can hear is,

“Breathe out slowly, tuck yourself into a ball, relax. Like a drunk person in a car crash, don’t stop breathing out slowly.”

So I do exactly that.

I keep breathing out slowly. Ball myself up. And try to relax as much as is humanly [possible when knowingly about to go through an insane fucking rapid that I am not actually sure I will survive.

I of course don’t know this at the time, but all hell is breaking loose on the surface, because hello, rafter on her own, about to go down the WRONG FUCKING RAPID. MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY.

Susan later tells me everyone is screaming, but she wasn’t sure why, and it was just really confusing.

Time seemed to be at a standstill. I just kept breathing out, rolling in summersaults. Allan’s voice to keep me company. I eventually, miraculously, pop up to the surface, and I am right next to a kayak. THANK FUCKING GOD.

Except, no.

Of course no.

He grabs me, and I hang onto his bow, and he asks me my name, and if I am ok. He asks me repeatedly, so I must have not been answering. I eventually respond, and he is like wow that was scary! And then all of a sudden, it felt like the entire fucking world was exploding.

I am suddenly underwater but have no idea what in the fuck is happening. And just seconds after becoming cognizant of the fact that I am underwater, something BIG lands on me. And hard. I realize it is the kayak. A mother-fucking kayak landed on top of me.

How?

Well, I later learn, a wave come up behind us, swept up my feet, and FUCKING THREW ME OVER THE KAYAK. Through the air. I land, miraculously, between two sets of rocks, just a little bit different in either direction and I would have been immediately done.

So anyways, I am suddenly aware that I have a kayak, on top of me, and I am wedged between it and the bottom OF THE FUCKING NILE RIVER. The most literal stuck between a rock and a hard place that ever there was. What my mind can’t figure out, is why I can’t move. It also feels simultaneously like I am spinning, but I am also clearly pinned.

Again, Allan’s voice enters my mind. “No human has ever won a struggle with water. Relax, like a drunk person in a car accident. Keep breathing. Don’t open your mouth.”

It becomes a mantra in my mind. The kayak starts to slap me into the rock bottom, as if we were getting pelted with something.

BAM.

BAM.

BAM.

Me, against the rocky bottom, getting pummelled by a kayak, pinned there. I am completely flat on the bottom, getting beaten with this kayak.

It was probably the oddest sensation that has ever come over me. I got very, very calm. And very logical. It was like someone else was directing my every move.

BAM. BAM. BAM.

KIMBERLY COVER YOUR FUCKING FACE.

KIMBERLY, RELAX, LIKE A DRUNK PERSON IN A CAR ACCIDENT.

BAM. BAM. BAM.

KEEP BREATHING, DON’T PANIC.

DON’T TAKE A BREATH. DON’T TAKE A BREATH.

RELAX. RELAX. RELAX.

BAM. BAM. BAM.

KEEP BREATHING OUT.

And then, I realize, I am going to die down here.

I can’t get up.

I am running out of oxygen.

I am going to die. This is where it all ends. At the bottom of the god damn Nile River.

I get very, very calm. And then I think, I am never going to get married.

And suddenly:

KIMBERLY GET THE FUCK UP! MOVE YOUR BODY! GET UP OUT OF HERE!

GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!

OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES AND FOLLOW THE GOD DAMN BUBBLES!

So I did.

I don’t know how I did it, but I opened my eyes, rolled myself over (or a wave did?) I grabbed the kayak and pulled myself up.

SURFACE!

THANK GOD!

Except, no.

It is never easy with me, is it?

All I can think of is my lungs are full of air again. But I am suddenly smashed under the water again. But I immediately bob back up. All I can think about is that at least I am buying time getting more air.

I can feel something smashing my helmet, but it doesn’t particularly hurt. I think it must be rocks, but then my incredibly logical brain at that moment was like, that isn’t a rock, because you are breathing when it happens.

I later learn it was the kayaker’s paddle. He didn’t realize he was hitting me, and was trying to get out of the rapids.

I finally surface enough to be able to see the kayaker, and I grab his life jacket.  He finally realizes what is happening and pulls me out and slings me over the front of the kayak, one handed.

How? No fucking clue.

The human body is capable of miracoulsou physical feats when it has to.

I am hanging out on the bow, just focusing on breathing.

He looks at me and starts asking me my name. Over and over.

I don't’ respond.

Instead, I put my hand to my chin, and say, “My chin is bleeding.”

He tells me to stay with him.

I then try to take my helmet off. He grabs my hand and tells me to not take it off.

I later realize I was experiencing incredible shock. When you hear about people stuck in the mountains doing crazy shit like taking off their clothes? Ya, that was me. Except in the Nile River.

He says something to me. I again say my chin is bleeding

Then he asks where I am from. I tell him Kenya.

What?!!?!

He then tells me he is from Canada and to just hang on and keep looking at him and don’t let go.

I have no memory from that moment to getting pulled into the boat. I wasn’t unconscious; I just think I blacked out from severe trauma and shock.

I get up to the raft. I suddenly come to and think, “Was that really that scary, or did I just think it was?”

I look up and see everyone’s faces and realize:

Yes, that was epically fucked up.

One of the women on the boat is holding her hands over her face. Another guy is standing looking like someone was just shot. My guide looks similarly distressed.

I realize they are looking at me.

I am plucked from the water by my guide.

He grabs my life jacket, asks if I am ok.

I say, “My chin is bleeding.”

He says something, I don’t remember.

I look down, my knees are also bloody.

He looks at me and says, “You’re the SCUBA diver, right?” I say yes, and he says, “Thank your instructor, he just saved your life.”

He then asks if I want water, and I tell him that I don’t think it will help my chin.

LOL.

Except not.

People are asking me questions and telling me to do things but I am processing zero of it. I think I have water in my ears, because everyone sounds a million miles away, yet right next to me. I later realize I was definitely in major clinical shock.

One of the members of my boat hands me my long lost paddle, and the guide says, “She can’t paddle right now, she is in shock. Get the rescue boat.”

We eventually meet up with Susan, who was picked up by the rescue boat. She later tells me I was just sitting there staring off into space, unresponsive.

After a few minutes, I become cognizant of the fact that:

I almost died.

I just actually almost literally died.

I should be dead.

How the fuck did I get out of that?

Upon further reflection later, I realize that had it not been for my SCUBA training, I am most certain that I would have 1) either needed CPR or 2) been dead. I then understood what the guide meant when he told me to thank my instructor. I never panicked, I never chocked on water. Allan just kept telling me in my mind to relax and breathe out slowly and to not stop.

The guide and two others in my boat who saw this all going down later explain what happened:

The boat hit us, and Susan and I were violently pulled apart. I tried swimming, current was too strong, so I am washed down level 6 rapids. There is a brief reprieve (when I surfaced and found the kayaker), and then apparently he and I dropped into a “hole”. It is effectively a false part of the surface, which looks solid, but really has a whirlpool beneath it. The kayaker I found was from Canada and not familiar with the area. When my guide was explaining, he was like, “As soon as I saw you guys headed for the hole, I knew you were fucked, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it. It swallowed you and the kayak whole.” Why I was pinned was because we were in this whirlpool, and the kayak couldn’t get out of it, and because he didn’t move, I couldn’t move. His kayaker friend later told us that his paddle wasn’t even touching the water; it was like he was surfing. He also said a similar thing, that he could see what was happening, but couldn’t get to us to help us. He later said, “That looked really fucking gnarly.”

Well, that is one way of putting it!

The guide was like, “You should have seen the kayakers face, I think he was more scared than you!” I was like, that was because you couldn’t see my face, because

I WAS FUCKING DROWNING.

I was really messed up all day from it. We had a lunch afterwards and I even drank a beer. Because I needed alcohol. I HATE beer. I couldn’t really eat. I was still shaking.

I just kept thinking, I literally shouldn’t be alive right now.

One of the women was like, “It probably felt like forever, but was probably like three seconds.” The guide was like, “No, she was down a long time. I started counting how long she had been down after awhile, and it was at least 15-20 seconds from when I started counting.”

When we were leaving, a few people had left sunscreens, and another guide was holding them up. One of them was mine, but I wasn’t processing. I finally realized and the other guide made a joke about dumb Americans, and my guide, very quietly said to him, “That is the girl who almost died.”

That is the girl who almost died.

It was a full circle moment of like, yep. I almost died. I didn’t just make that up in my head.

The girl who almost died.

On a positive note, my guide also told me that I should get a trophy for two things:

1)   Making up a new sport: Kayak-surfing-flying

AND

2)   For having the distinction of the new scariest story of anything that has ever happened to any of his clients on his raft.

Well, at least there is that.

This trip, I have:

1)   Gone through a 5-day insane vomiting sickness

2)   Had to change my flight for the first time ever due to item 1.

3)   Survived a 5.7 earthquake

4)   Survived our building getting struck by lighting

5)   Rescued kittens

6)   Survived the Nile. Barely.

While we were eating, Susan is like; I think it is time for you to go home.

Ain't that the truth.

Dear universe,

If you could get me through the next 6 days, intact, free from bodily harm, natural disasters, or other generally fucked up shit, I would greatly appreciate it.

Oh, and if it isn’t too much to ask, if you could also extend that to my wedding next month, that would be fantastic.

Sincerely,

Kimberly

All in all, I am surprisingly intact. I have a gash and huge bump (and developing bruise) on my chin and other bruises and bumps all along my jaw. I am actually surprised and thankful my jaw didn't break, I definitely have some deep bone bruises. My knees are badly bruised and gashed, and I have burst blood vessels and cuts in lots of places on my body from slamming into all the things. Moving is definitely painful, but miraculously nothing is broken.

Like a drunk person in a car crash.

Feeling very thankful to be alive, and reconsidering some of my extracurricular activities.

Sri Lanka: Bucket List Trip

Well here we are, with today being our last day in Sri Lanka before we leave for the Maldives later! I have been meaning to blog since the beginning of our trip, but jet lag, being on vacation, laziness, sickness and etc. have just gotten in the way.

Before I get started, I want to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of support and love after my last blog post in December from Kenya; so many different people reached out, those I know well and those I really do not know well at all. All of the calls, texts, Facebook messages and emails, thank you. It was completely unexpected, and very much appreciated. I was a little nervous after posting it about how honest and vulnerable I had been, but my concern seemed to be unwarranted. It seems to be a subject we should all talk about more, but don’t really have the words.

Back to Sri Lanka! A lot of people have asked why Sri Lanka? I have wanted to come here since I started traveling, and it has also been on Cris’ list. It is one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth (considering size), amazing beaches, beautiful countryside, why not Sri Lanka?

As I said earlier, jet lag has been a huge reason behind the lack of blogging. Jet lag has hit me harder on this trip than maybe any other trip I have ever been on. The time swing is huge (13.5 hours ahead), and each night for the first week I was just exhausted after our wonderful days experiencing Sri Lanka. If you haven’t ever experienced jet lag/time differences in the double digits, let me tell you: it is rough and sucks. The first night in Dubai I was up at 3:00 AM, and the following three days between 2:30 and 4:00 AM! Not fun to say the least when your body is wide awake at 2:30 in the morning. I seem to be getting over the most of it now, of course just in time to leave ; )

I was able to upgrade Cris and I to business on Emirates on our way here, just days before departure. I was VERY excited when I learned that I was able to do this! I have always wanted to sleep in a “pod” as I call them. Just the idea of laying flat while hurling myself across the sky has always seemed very appealing while crammed back in coach, and waking up with a kink in my neck from falling asleep in a strange, contorted position. I have always envied walking through the business section on the plane on long haul international flights, seeing everyone sipping their champagne and eating their damn warm nuts as we board, and looking rested and refreshed upon departure, while I look a hobo. I want nuts and champagne and to be a more well rested hobo, too! But more than that, I wanted that damn seat that folds into a bed.

We flew on Cris’ birthday, so it was the perfect excuse to upgrade us! We started our journey taking advantage of the Emirates lounge in Seattle. Lot of snacks, food, and drinks were waiting for us to eat and drink them. I had lots of wine, Cris eventually fell asleep. Not everyone can handle the lounge ; )

Our flight kept getting delayed, and then delayed some more, and then delayed some more. I was beginning to get very concerned because it is a LONG flight, about 16 hours on board with boarding time, and knowing a lot about crew’s maximum working hours due to one of my best friend Colin being cabin crew on Virgin Atlantic, I was very concerned about the flight being cancelled until the morning. Airlines can also move people with horizontal seats (i.e., first and business) to coach to accommodate crew rest time, and I didn’t want that happening to us! I was ease dropping on some airport staff murmurings that the flight was going to be cancelled until the morning. I was super disappointed! I then went into Super Crazy Kimberly mode because I knew the morning flight was not empty and we would not all be getting on that flight! They offered people the option to switch to business complimentary on British Airways, but they unfortunately don’t fly to Sri Lanka (not to mention their business cabin isn’t nearly as nice). Before they even made the official announcement, I was waiting in line like a crazy person, at the ticket desk (there is thankfully one in the lounge) to get us rebooked on the morning flight; I was getting on that damn plane!! They rebooked those switching to BA first, and then I was first in line to be rebooked. At this point, a very large line had formed behind me, but of course because I am crazy, I was ahead of the curve. Not my first rodeo! I was disappointed because of course a vacation flight in business, not a work flight in coach, was the one getting cancelled!! As they pulled up my record, there was an announcement over the staff’s walkie talkies that the flight was indeed going to go after all!! I was elated. SUPER big wave of relief and excitement rushed over me and I pretty much skipped back to Cris announcing to the entire lounge that the flight was leaving. Cris slept through this, lol.

We boarded our flight and were absolutely SO happy to be on board, now for more reason than one! We checked out our seats and acted like total business class noobs, taking photos and looking at all the free swag we got. I am sure there were tons of people looking at us thinking, “psh, amateur hour in row 6.”

We helped ourselves to champagne, drinks, and snacks, and our flight attendant came around and took our first “in-flight drink order” for us before we even took off, so that we would have a drink as soon as we were able in air! Amazing. Can I always fly like this? Cris stuck to mojitos for the duration of the flights, while I stuck with champagne. It was glorious. We enjoyed multiple wonderful hot towels that smelled of eucalyptus throughout the flight, dinner, with real linen napkins, glass dishes, and etc., served in three courses! They also came around with breadbaskets and champagne. After dinner was finished, we played around with our seats and watched some movies. Before going to sleep, the flight attendant came over and made our seats up into beds, with mattresses! What?! Amazing. We both slept around 6-8 hours total (sleeping on a plane, even in business, is still challenging. I know, World’s smallest violin for me).  We had breakfast before we landed, again complete with table linens, champagne service, china, etc.

We landed in Dubai and went to a hotel we had reserved for the night. The flight landed at 9:30 PM (two hours late), and our next flight was at 7:30 AM the next morning. I got a few hours of sleep, but the “problem” with having flown business, is you really are better rested, so I wasn’t ready to sleep! I woke up at 3:00 AM. Ugh. We spent a few hours at the airport the next morning enjoying the Emirates lounge, and let me tell you, it was fan.freaking.tastic. It makes the lounge in Seattle look like a joke. Huge buffet spread, as much alcohol as you want, shoe shining (I didn’t even realize that was still a thing, lol), showers, and more! It was amazing. It sure beats sitting in the airport at your gate, fighting for elbow space with a stranger!

Our flight to Sri Lanka was only 4 hours, and when we boarded the plane, we realized we were the only people in business!!! We literally had the entire cabin to ourselves, with our own dedicated flight attendant. This plane was very new and so it had lots of bells and whistles that our previous one didn’t have! It was great. We have both been forever ruined by business. I felt very grateful to have had the opportunity to try it out.

We landed in Colombo in the early afternoon. It is one of the weirdest airports I have been to, anywhere. There is a huge appliance store, in the airport. Like washers and dryers and ovens. Who buys these things before flying?! Cris and I have joked throughout our trip that we are going to pick one up on our way to the Maldives.

The drive to our hotel in Kandy was about 2 hours. We were so happy to be in Sri Lanka! The grounds of our hotel were really beautiful. I ended up falling asleep around 5:00 PM!

Major no-no in terms of “jetlag rules.” Most people I work with, or people I know who also travel extensively, have a set of rules around jet lag. I also have rules. Each person’s rules are slightly different, but the most widely accepted and common are:

1) NO NAPS ON THE FIRST DAY. Bad idea. Your body is super confused and your nap will likely turn into a full night of sleep, because if you are on the other side of the world, your body thinks it is nighttime. This is the best way to adjust to your current time zone.

2) Do NOT go to sleep before 8 PM. I know a few people who say 7 PM, or even 9 PM (I can never make it that late), but 8 PM seems to be the most frequently cited time. If you go to bed any earlier, you run the risk of waking up at the ass crack of dawn, or middle of the night. You will most likely be up very early anyways, but a few hours later in the evening usually buys you some extra Zzzzzs in the morning.

 3) Get outside and expose yourself to daylight as much as you can, it helps reset your clock and keeps you awake.

Well, I broke every cardinal rule when it comes to jet lag: I laid down in the afternoon in my (dark) hotel room, decided I was going to “ just quickly nap” and it was before 8PM (it was around 5 PM). My theory is that because I didn’t follow my tried and true rules, it has been hard to get in front of my jet lag this trip.

I was up bright and early at 2:30 AM our first day in Kandy (one reason to not go to bed before 8 PM, to attempt to avoid this), and was up and ready to go. We went to an elephant orphanage on our first day. It rescues elephants that were kept as pets, used in entertainment or etc. It is open for three hours each day, where you can pay to observe a feeding, and then watch them play in the river. I have been to an elephant orphanage (for babies) in Nairobi, and it is really wonderful and has a great reputation. We weren’t quite sure about this place. Cris and I are both vegetarians primarily because of animal cruelty/factory farming/animal rights and etc., so these issues are obviously very important causes to us. There were some things at this orphanage that both made us a little uncomfortable without having all of the information. While most of the elephants were free to roam around, there were a few chained up, and this deeply disturbed and upset us. It was supposedly because they were new elephants and had lots of behavioral and aggression issues. While I can certainly see how animals coming from service, entertainment or etc. would likely have issues, it made both of us quite upset, as we thought there has to be a better way.

Sometimes traveling, as a “tourist” or traveler, you end up partaking in and supporting things that after the fact, you realize might have been unethical, or that took advantage of people, or animals, or etc., and some people can struggle with guilt from this, I know I have many times. A lot of people don’t even think twice, so I think coming away acknowledging that it might not have been a good activity to participate in, and telling others is ok; you made the decision you did at the time with the information you had then.

I find, for me,  that traveling is one of life’s greatest opportunities for learning and reflection: How are we impacting the world? How is this trip impacting the places we go? The people? Are they paid fairly? Are they treated well? What are my dollars supporting, are they reflecting my values? I find that I am constantly thinking and analyzing my actions traveling, particularly in limited-resource settings. I receive some kind of education everywhere I go, every single time. It is a constant readjustment to how I travel through the world, and how I spend my money.

Ultimately, the elephant orphanage was great, other than the few chained up elephants. I would need more information to make a completely informed decision about the place. Watching them play in the river, however, was amazing!! Seeing them just walk off, lay in the mud, play with each other, roll around, or whatever, was magical. I LOVE elephants. They are such majestic creatures, and seeing them in their natural habitat has been some of the most wonderful experiences of my life.

We spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool, and I got a wonderful Balinese massage. It was a great day!

We spent our second day in Sri Lanka on a day trip to hike up a huge rock, Sigiriya, that has a temple built into it at the top, and to some ancient Buddhist caves called Dambulla. Sigiriya was not something that was at the top of my list due to my pretty significant fear of heights. Cris really wanted to go, so of course I said I would go, and would try my best. It is a pretty steep and quick ascent, mostly via stairs that are attached to the side of this enormous rock. Rock really isn’t a good word; it is more like a mini mountain. Once we reached the second to the top level, I decided I couldn’t go any further. The stairs to the final level were absolutely insane. SUPER steep and seemed like shoddy construction. I wasn’t going to do it, and Cris was going to go up alone, when a guide literally grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs (he knew I was afraid), and kept saying, “slowly slowly, steady steady, no look down.” I miraculously got up to the top! He of course wanted to be paid (which I did), but I was thankful for his literally, hand up, pushing me past my boundaries. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise. It was an incredible view from the top! I was really proud of myself, because I really don’t like heights. We could see for miles and miles. I just got a new camera and lenses and we both had lots of fun playing with the zoom lens I bought for it. The entire time on the way up I was like, “Who do you think designed this? How are these steps secured to the rock? What do you think the maximum load bearing weight is for these stairs? Are these stairs swaying? Aren’t there too many people on these?!” Cris told me those weren’t normal things to think about and that I should stop, HA! Coming down wasn’t fun; it is usually worse for me. My legs become Jell-O and I become the asshole who is holding up the line. I eventually made it down in one piece; Cris was very patient with my irrational fear, slowness, and peppering line of questions.

After Sigiriya, we went to cave temples that have sculptures carved directly out of the rock in them. Some are as old as 1,500 years old. They were pretty incredible! It is crazy to think how people built this stuff back then.

Our final day in Kandy, we spent exploring the city itself. We went to the famous, “Temple of the Tooth” where Buddha’s supposed tooth is immortalized. We tootled around the city, went to a market, which is always a highlight, and hiked up to this huge Buddha on a hill overlooking the city. Cris also experienced his first tuk tuk! Kandy itself was overall just kind of medium. I was looking forward to the next day!

From Kandy, we took the train to Ella, a highland town full of tea plantations. This particular stretch of train is very often regarded as one of the most scenic or beautiful train trips in the world. I had seen it on lists in years past, and knew I had to do it! We splurged for first class tickets (7 hour journey), and were very glad we did, because there was AC, and the rest of the train did not have it. I spent most of the time hanging out the door taking photos. It was unbelievably beautiful! The train just zoomed through hills upon hills of rolling green as far as the eye could see. Hard to believe it is all tea. The journey passed quickly due to my constant photo taking and being mesmerized by the scenery. It truly is one of the most beautiful things I have done and am so glad to have experienced it.

We arrived in Ella and went to a little cottage/bungalow type thing in the hills. We had our own balcony, and were tucked away in the jungle, surrounded by tea! The view was gorgeous. We just sat and enjoyed it for a very long time. We would both love to spend more time in Ella, it is a jewel in Sri Lanka’s very beautiful crown.

Our day in Ella was spent hiking and trekking through the hills and foothills of the highlands. We hiked something called Little Adam’s Peak, which was well worth the ascent! Amazing, sweeping views of the verdant hills. It was a perfect day, albeit quite hot! We also visited a tea plantation and factory, and learned so much! Did you know that green tea and black tea are from the same tea plants, but they are just processed differently? Green tea comes first, from drying and heating the tea leaves, and then from it, black tea can be made through a fermentation process. I thought it was quite interesting and neat! After our tea factory visit, we headed to the famous Nine Arches Bridge to see a train pass over it. It is one of the images very often associated with Sri Lanka, but few actually end up getting there, because it is quite difficult to access, and also dangerous!

I was prepared to wait a few hours for the train, knowing that train service can be quite unreliable in Sri Lanka. But I was determined to see the train cross over this beautiful bridge! Sitting around on train tracks in the beating sun, all for a photo of a train going over a bridge, is not exactly Cris’ idea of a fun afternoon. He was very patient because he knew how important it was to me, which I very much appreciated! He filled his time by feeding nearby cows some grass. He would go and pick it from an area where it was abundant, but they couldn’t reach due to their ropes, and feed it to them. I think the cows and Cris both had fun.

In total, we ended up waiting 2.5 hours for the train, and got very burned in the process. But when the train came over, wow! Amazing. Such an incredible sight: an old train coming through a train tunnel between two hills of green, over this old, brick bridge, with the sun shining down. It was such a sight to behold and so worth the wait! I absolutely love the photos.

We debated whether we should backtrack and retrace our steps. Backtracking would mean a very steep hike out of the valley and a much longer route. Most people just walk the tracks into town going through the tunnel, as it only takes about a half hour. We ultimately decided to take the tracks, because the afternoon train had come through and felt like we would be safe. It was a really beautiful walk through a largely untouched area, with lots of tea everywhere. While we were walking, the tracks started to vibrate, ever so slightly.

I stopped, and asked, “Is that a train?”

At this point, the vibrating was hard to discern whether it was a train or from us walking. I again asked, “Is that a train?!”

At this point, Cris stopped, and I screamed, “It is a train! IT IS A TRAIN!!!”

We were unfortunately on a narrow bridge, and had nowhere to go. I was like well fuck, here is where it all ends. He stopped and said very calmly, “Quick, backtrack to that patch and jump off!” I followed him and was going as fast as I could, but was really afraid I was going to trip, which would be very bad news. I told myself in my head, “calm down, go slower.” I held the camera around my neck with my hand to avoid it swinging and infringing my view of the tracks. I don’t know how long it was until we could jump off, but with every track, all I was thinking was a methodical rhythm and instructions for my feet in my head, “plank, foot, lift, step, plank, foot, lift, step, plank, foot, lift, step.”

I was focusing all my energy on not tripping due to being scared as hell and not looking backwards. The first time I looked up from the planks Cris yelled, “NOW! JUMP!” The train was right there, blowing its whistle. Fucking scary as hell. But what do I do? I grab my camera that is still around my neck and start shooting photos of the train! It was really incredible. And also kind of fucking stupid. And scary. And lucky for us that we made it off in time. After that, needless to say, our hearts were pounding! We were over halfway to town, probably more at that point, so we stayed on the tracks because we figured it would be less time on them if we continued rather than doubling back. We hastened our pace a lot and were much more cautious. It was really scary!

Another one of my lives down, I suppose. Always gotta keep things interesting! Moral of the story: walking on train tracks is a really, really bad idea.

The next day we traveled to a hotel right outside of Yala National Park, where we would be doing a one-day safari the following day, very early in the morning. The hotel turned out to be amazing! We even got upgraded to a suite. It was one of the nicest hotels I have ever been to. We were both in awe of everything, it was a really nice treat. We had the afternoon to just relax, and ended up getting Ayurveda massages. Ayurveda is some kind of traditional Indian healing method (? I really don’t know much about it, feel free to educate me), but it involved a massage with hot oil that was supposed to help treat sunburns (I told them I had a bad sunburn). At the end of the massage they literally went to their aloe plant outside, plucked off a huge leaf, and made this aloe paste stuff and smeared it on me. It was wonderful. Instantly soothing and cooling, far above regular aloe vera gel. They even gave me an aloe leaf spear thing to use while traveling! I love it. I officially want to own an aloe plant. I have no proof that the treatment helped the sunburn, but it has healed really quickly. Either way, the massage was nice.

Bright and early the next morning, we left for our safari. We were in the safari jeep by 5:15 AM, and much to my surprise, we were very high in the air, open air, and appeared to have no seat belts! We were cruising down the street really fast. I was like does this thing have seat belts? The guide said no and just shrugged. Of course it doesn’t have seat belts. I was freezing so quickly started layering, and got out my trusty snuggy. That thing always comes in handy! Good thing it is zebra print so I can blend in with the animals (there are no zebras here).

We got to the park and there was an insane line of safari jeeps waiting to go in, I was kind of annoyed, we must have been the 50^th one (literally) or so in line. But much to our pleasant surprise, our jeep just cruised past this line! Cris and I looked at each other and went, “SWEET!” I figured it was the line to buy entrance into the national park, so figured that is why we bypassed that line. Once in the park, we eventually encountered another line, with lots of safari jeeps as well, but he just cruised past these ones too! He literally drove on the shoulder of the road, cutting the line. We both felt bad that we were cutting in front of the other vehicles but also amused at the entire process.

One of the midwife trainers I work with always says in situations where we have no idea WTF is going on, “I don’t know what’s going on, I am just here for the ride.” I told Cris this story, and it quickly became our mantra for the entire safari day. We ended up being 3^rd in line for the park when it opened! ‘

As background context, I did a one-day safari in Kenya last January, with pretty epically and comically bad results. To make a long story short, a colleague and I found a driver, the cheapest one we could find, safari-ed around all day, and then our van died in the middle of nowhere (literally) as it was getting dark and we were stuck for hours, and ultimately ended up staying in a lodge. As I didn’t want a repeat of that, I figured the age old adage of, “you get what you pay for” might be especially true for day safaris, so went with an expensive operator (expensive being relative, everything is pretty inexpensive in Sri Lanka). It turns out our operator is the biggest in the area and appeared to have paid the park to let his jeeps cut in line. I guess you get what you pay for?! We felt bad, until we saw a leopard two minutes into being on our safari!

The park we went to is known for leopards and elephants, with the former being very hard to spot (ha!), much like any wild cats. We saw a HUGE leopard up on a rock, just as the sun was coming up. It was incredible! It was pretty far from us, but with my zoom lens and with binoculars, we were both able to see it really clearly. The safari was great, and very different in every way from my experience in Kenya. The parks look vastly different, with Amboseli in Kenya being vast and open, and Yala in Sri Lanka being very dense with brush and trees, with minimal open spaces. In the first four or so hours of the safari, we saw lots of animals, but no elephants. I am really obsessed with elephants, so I really wanted to see them. They call elephants “Jumbos” here, so Cris and I adopted that term about a week ago and have been calling them Jumbos since. I also call them elefantes (Spanish). So we were cruising around the beautiful park, but no Jumbos in sight. Eventually, we saw a few in the distance (solo males), but none up-close. Because the park isn’t really “open” you can’t really spot the tiny elephant humps in the distance like in Kenya, with the exception of a few spots in the park. Midday, the guide parked us by a watering hole and said that we would just wait for the Jumbos there. I was kind of annoyed and impatient and didn’t know if this was a good use of our time. I really wanted to see some elefantes up close! The guide and Cris ended up napping while I was on Jumbo Lookout. All of a sudden, an elephant randomly crossed our path!! It was really quick and I nearly missed it. It was a young-ish elephant, maybe 2-3 years old. After a few minutes, the Mama and a smaller baby crossed as well. IT WAS AMAZING. Right in front of us! We watched the three of them eat in the bushes for a long time. They were totally unfazed by us, just merrily chomping along their jumbo way. We could hear more elephants to the right, but couldn’t see them. After maybe 15 minutes, four more elephants, including the bittiest baby elephant I have ever seen, crossed right in front of us to eat in the same spot! They were all one family. I.was.dying. This little guy was so cute, and SO small! The guide said just a few weeks old. We watched them for a really long time and I took approximately one million photos.

There was a really sweet moment when one of the older babies nuzzled their trunk up behind their mama and clung to her leg, just like a shy two year old child might do. My heart was bursting, it was so cute and sweet! Then, the Mom pooped on the baby’s head. Like 5 times. I of course photographed that, don’t worry. Gotta learn the hard way, I guess, kid.

We learned a lot about the Tsunami from the guide throughout the safari, which was really fascinating to me. Most of what I know about the Tsunami from Thailand’s perspective, but Sri Lanka was really devastated as well. 15,000 people died in Sri Lanka from the Tsunami. The park we were in was hit really hard. I guess in the hours preceding the Tsunami (it hit at 9:20 AM local time), all of the animals moved north, sensing either the earthquake, or ground shaking, or something. He said that literally almost all of the animals evacuated themselves and they lost very few. It is of course hard to think about what they must have thought that day, but I thought, wouldn’t the safaris that day, or the guides, notice the animals leaving in mass exodus? I guess they couldn’t have even remotely predicted what was to come, even if they noticed the animals leaving. Animals are amazingly smart creatures.

We ate lunch on the beach, where there was an area full of foundations from houses. Our guide explained that these were once houses, which the Tsunami ripped off of their foundations. I realized when he said that, that I had seen others like that, and hadn’t put two and two together. Many people (locals and tourists alike) died who were in the park that day, pretty much everyone who was in the wave zone (the entire park was not died). So scary.  Most of Sri Lanka has been rebuilt, and you would never know that a Tsunami wiped the southern end of the country out 11 year ago, but there is still work to do. It is so hard to conceptualize what it must have looked like, or the work involved in bringing a place that has been wiped clean, back up to what it was.

If you ever have the chance to go on a safari, anywhere, you should absolutely take it!! The two safaris I have done have been some of the most amazing experiences of my life. Seeing elephants in their natural habitat is unreal. They are so majestic and fascinating to watch, it really is a sight to behold. As are giraffes and lots of other animals. Seeing animals in all their animal glory is so cool!

After our safari, we headed to the beach. It is postcard, calendar-page beautiful here. The water is teal and very warm, and there are lots of palm trees. We have spent our last few days in Sri Lanka enjoying the beach before we make our way to the Maldives. Such a great way to cap a great time in such a beautiful country.

We have both really loved Sri Lanka. The country is incredibly beautiful, and very diverse. Every new place has brought an entirely new landscape, even with little distance between. We have gone from a “mountain” town full of Buddhist ruins and sites, to tea highlands, a jungle-like national park, and a beautiful coastal area. We are sad to go! But, very excited for the Maldives.

We have had a great trip so far. Cris has been introduced to Travel with Kimberly, and all the insanity that ensues when I leave  the country with my passport. He also has been introduced to how frequently I get sick while abroad. I have, unfortunately, been sick on and off on this trip. I can’t escape it, even while on vacation!! He has marveled at the fact that I leave the country so often, given the regularity and predictability of my being sick. But I have always said, I don’t care what travel does to me, or how difficult it is on me; it is what I love to do. I can’t imagine my life any other way.