I was beyond exhausted during the journey and was surprisingly able to fall asleep from time to time. I am ashamed at how naive I was to the development in the country. I had been warned as to the state of Sri Lankan roads, but the smooth pavement in Colombo made me think that this was a thing of the past. Until we turned right on the road leading to the north.
My driver and I had limited conversation. I did manage to learn that he himself was from Vavuniya and had only returned last year with his two children. The third is working in France. All of them had been refugees in Thailand for three years. As he put it, the guns and fighting...it was all too much. I nodded and looked out the window wondering about the others we passed as we sped along. Wondering what they've witnessed and how they carry on after having gone through nearly three decades of terror.
The size of the potholes are better described as being craters. The roads were so ruined in some areas that in my opinion the only explanation for it had to have been shelling by air. I didn't ask, but the result was pretty clear.
As we drove on the sun began to set. The road we traveled on was meant to be two lanes-one going in each direction. Sri Lankans make this four and use the opposite lane to pass. Added to this are people on bikes and/or walking along side the road, dogs and cows. Fearless cows that seem to wait on the side of the road until just the right moment to step and look full on at a car that is speeding by after passing a truck. The driver has two options. 1. Go back in the passing lane to get out of the way or slam on the brakes while veering off the road. Hitting the cow is never an option as they are considered sacred by Hindus, who are the majority in the north and east of the island-hence whey you find so many free roaming cows. Anyone who has been to India or Nepal knows what I'm talking about. They're everywhere!
When the sun set the driving became what seemed to be perilous. I could not see far in front of the headlights and was shocked every time a person or cow appeared in view on the side of the road. Headlights from the opposite lane made me blind and I wondered how the driver could see. I'm pretty sure he couldn't.
In the end we had a tally of 0 for the number of cows, people, and other cars hit or injured. My first impression of Vavuniya and the north is that it appears to be a separate country in comparison to Colombo. I've lived in developing countries, but never have I seen such a difference in development from one part of the country to the other...think something like Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Both are on the same island, but separate countries. Not the case in Sri Lanka where its that different, but under one government.
