It's all the same really.

It was my last day in Sri Lanka, I had said goodbye to my travel companion the night before at a dark and dingy motel in the middle of, what seemed like no where. I had been reassured by a new, local friend that there was an express bus to Galle nearby, the last city I was going to visit on my trip and indeed there was. He forgot to mention how bloody hard it was to find the one bus stop and that was only for locals, but after a three wheeler ride, a short stint on the wrong bus and a generous tip later I finally found myself on the express bus as intended.

It was a scenic hour or so long bus ride to Galle from just outside Columbo passing by many of the local beachside towns. I made friends with a local Galle-ian who was on his way back home after spending a night in Columbo audiencing for a reality TV show. We got chatting and turned out his daughter and I went to the same university. Like most Sri Lankan's he was kind and gently with a cheeky sense of humour. We shared a paper cone full of shrimp vadai (a Sri Lankan deep fried fritter often sold on trains and buses) and chatted about his life in Sri Lanka.

As we arrived at the final stop on the bus trip, we said our goodbyes,swapped email addresses and I promised next time I was in Queensland, Australia I would give his daughter a call. From here I dropped my bag off at my hostel and did what I always do when arriving in a new place - go for a walk and get my bearings. It was on this walk that I was reflecting on my time in Sri Lanka, such a lively country, rich in personality and natural wonders. I was nearing the end of my walk around the Galle fort and about to head back to my hostel when a bird flew overhead and pooped on my head. I burst out laughing as did two locals who were on the street, one of which came running over to 'help' by rubbing the bird deeper into my hair with a dirty old tissue.It's times like these that I just love travelling. It doesn't matter where you're from or who you are, no matter where or when it happens, if a bird poops on your head it's bound to be funny.

Galle wasn't my favourite place in Sri Lanka, or the most memorable but it's places and experiences like this that me reflect on my life and my love for the human race and compassion our world holds.