7.31.2012

Exploring Sri Lanka: Temple of the Tooth Relic and Perahera.

My favorite kind of vacation is a relaxing trip where I am able to read a book, preferably by the beach, but a pool works too.  I don't want to do much, but if something fun comes along, I am certainly game.

This trip was not that.  I had a really good time going around to all of the sites, and seeing more of Sri Lanka, but it was rather non-stop.  The boys had a really rough time in several situations, and it was very frustrating.
It all came to a boiling point when we tried to go to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.  We had to take off our shoes, and Thomas wasn't very happy about that.  He started whining, which turned into a fit, and we were only inside for a few minutes before Jack also lost control of his emotions.  We made the decision to leave our group, and wait for them outside.






Jack in time out.


The great Ben.



A little frustrated we came all the way out here, only to sit outside for nearly two hours, waiting for the tour group to come out and save us.



Our awesome tour guide came out to make sure we were okay and took Jack and Thomas to meet this elephant.


The Royal Botanical Gardens.  This place was so beautiful- I could have stayed there all day.  Thomas had another melt down here.  Seriously, it was a rough day.  The good thing was we were outside, and we could just let him run it off.




That night we went to a parade called the Perahera.  It was pretty entertaining, there were a lot of elephants, dancers, swords and fire.  The entire parade lasted three hours, which is long when it starts at eight in the evening.  I thought it was over about three different times (reminded me of the third Lord of the Rings movie).  Thomas fell asleep, and thank goodness, Jack was an angel.  


The main event, the tooth relic being carried by the biggest elephant I have ever seen. 
Have I mentioned that I love elephants?



The elephants with the blue lights were featured on our tickets, and Jack had to make sure we had a picture of them.


Even though it was a rough day, the night went well, and we were able to enjoy ourselves.  

I think if we were to do anything like this again, I would like to leave the children at home.  It is just too  much for them to go all day- either going on a tour or on the bus.  Now we know.

9 comments:

Liz said...

What an awesome adventure! I love the elephants with the lights! So pretty!

Fields of Heather said...

Oh I know! Sometimes I don't realize until its too late when we have pushed our boys to the limit. What a wonderful parade though!

Daniela Swider said...

That's how I feel about sightseeing here these days. Part of me wants to bring them along because I want them to experience the culture too but with the tantrums and the meltdowns it's really not fun for anyone. We'll try leaving them at home next time and see how it goes.

Kelly said...

Aw man! But on the plus side your dress is stinkin adorable! :) And now you can say you have done it and never have to do it again!

Anne said...

I love your dress! Was it locally procured? Love the monitor lizard. We have some roaming around our housing compound.

Brittany said...

kids....they really are great and challenging hey :o) That looked really neat!

Sara said...

That's rough. We have moments like that too. I think all parents do. The gardens were gorgeous though. It's important to adjust your expectations with kids in toe!

The Teeples Times said...

Been there, done that....the kid part anyway. Wish I could say I've seen those awesome sites too!! What a fun adventure. Kids definitely change the dynamic of it all. I agree, love the dress!

Jessica said...

Wow, blue lights on elephants! Funny how sometimes we moms can't get our kids to put on their shoes and then when we need them to take them off it can trigger a meltdown. Kids. Looks like you managed to make an adventure out of it and still have some fun.

BLOG DESIGN BY DESIGNER BLOGS