Jun 12th, 2001
Update - June 12, 2001
Our first stop was the elephant orphaniage in Pinnawella. After rushing to the public restroom in a panic, Monsur, Asala, and myself walked the grounds of the elephant orphanage. After another sprint to the restrooms, the three of us found a comfortable vantage point from where we watched an amazing sight: thirty elephants stamping in a parade from the orphanage grounds to a creek, where they frolicked (as much as an elephant is capable of “frolicking”) in the water.
Although it was a breathtaking sight, my nasty case of diarrhea detracted from the experience, as would become the theme during the next several days of the trip. It would follow me into the sacred temples of Dumballa and taint my appreciation for the rare opportunity to gaze upon ancient statues and relics.
As the tour guide attempted to immerse my companions and I in the intricacies of Sri Lankan history, all I could think about was whether or not there was a public bathroom atop the mountain in Dumballa.
As he spoke, it was all I could do to emit a flurry of “hmms,” “okays,” and nods as I was forced to focus the bulk of my attention on attempting to control my digestive system.
The combination of my hangover, dehydration, fatigue, and diahrrea finally overwhelmed me when we arrived at the guesthouse in Dumballa and the manager insisted that I only had a reservation for a single room, and told me I had to pay an extra fee for Monsur as well as Asala despite the fact that I saw “DR” printed next to my reservation in the reservation book and unless the “DR” stood for “Disregard Reason,” I was being conned into paying more for my room.
As I began to throw a tantrum, I had an out-of-body experience and saw myself becoming the angry American tourist. “What does it mean when you make a reservation? It means you have already agreed upon something! What does that mean to you? Blah blah blah.”
Eventually, I got the additional fee halved, which left everyone feeling pissed off. In hindsight, I realize it was pretty stupid of me to make such a scene, seeing as how the fee I was arguing upon amounted to the equivelant of about 5 dollars.
