Reflections from Home

Well, we have been home a week now but struggling with jet lag and work and haven't felt inspired to write.

Our last day in Sri Lanka was one of the most pleasant. Early in the morning we took a tuk tuk to the nearby fishing harbour while they were landing the last of the fish for the quayside market. It was a busy place, the water crowded with colourful boats and the quay thronged with stalls, people selling & buying the fish, fishermen mending nets & dogs scavenging the entrails which were lying around. I saw my first hammerhead shark. Unfortunately it had no body & was being eaten by a dog! We were the only Europeans there but everyone was very friendly and didn't seem to mind us wandering around watching them working.

Back at the hotel we had several hours by the pool, alternately relaxing and improving our swimming. When the temperatures eased a bit in the late afternoon we went off in the same tuk tuk to a nearby Buddhist temple which contained the largest seated Buddha in Sri Lanka. The Buddha was impressive as were the wonderful wall paintings of his life. On leaving we were amused by an elephant who was trying to take whole plates of fruit meant for the monks instead of the small bananas he was being offered.



Overall it was a wonderful holiday. It is a poor country, despite it's extensive natural resources, largely due to the war however the Sri Lankan people are immensely friendly and helpful. The countryside, temples and towns are well worth exploring.In the tourist areas we couldn't walk down the street without someone wanting to sell us something or hire us a tuk tuk but a firm no was all that was required to be left alone. The roads are bad and very slow so if I went again I would be inclined to do a tour to see more. Although it has long sandy beaches they have little shade and it wouldn't be my first choice for a beach holiday. I probably won't go back as there are so many other places to see but I'll always remember it fondly.

Elvie

A Walk in the Garden

Visited a 'formal' garden yesterday. A well to do family that knew Prince Edward (the Duke of Windsor to be) and had peeps such as Laurence Olivier, and Vivienne Leigh to stay. The garden was very picturesque with a water feature almost Victorian in design, and in one of the pools, guess what Elvie saw. Afterwards the lady showing us round the house told us it was a rattlesnake. Later our tame naturalist Suranga confirmed it was a water snake, and not poisonous. Elvie was very brave getting so close!

Full Table

While out on a trip up country we stopped off at a restaurant overlooking a waterfall. The views were spectacular, but so was the food. All this for £5. There was only just room on the table, and best of all it tasted great. 2 bottles of beer cost just as much, but in fairness they were 660 ml size. Interesting comfort break when Chris was pursued into the toilet by a young boy holding a lit candle. There was a power cut!!

Not quite like home

As a child I used to enjoy donkey rides on the beach. Here in Sri Lanka they have a different take on thing. Not shown in the photograph is a snake charmer plying his trade on unwary tourists. There's also a guy with a small monkey on a lead, who will pose for photographs.

Tea

Took a 3 day trip up country and amongst other things saw the tea plantations and one of the many factories. Had no idea of the scale of the plantations or the number of people involved in it. The pickers were tiny wiry women who picked a minimum of 20 Kilos a day in two shifts. Each sack they carried therefore weighed a minimum of 10 kilos often more. The bags are carried by means of a rope loop over their foreheads. I could just pick up a bag by hand but certainly couldn't have carried it any distance. I tried it over my head but my neck could not support the weight. The Tamil women who do the picking didn't reach my shoulder and were half my weight. Respect! The shame is that they are paid a pittance and have awful working and living conditions so that we can enjoy a cheap cuppa in Britain. The tea takes only 24 hours to process in the factory but it is quite labour intensive and again, all the work is done by the women. It is dried, rolled, fermented, roasted and graded before being packaged and ultimately exported to our supermarkets. It was quite an illuminating visit for us and I'll certainly appreciate my cups of tea more in future.

Elvie

Slowing Down

Finally feel as though I'm adjusting to the pace of life. As the pool photo shows someone's got to do it. It rained very heavily last night. Just like being back home, except the temperature was still in the high twenties. It was so heavy my G&T got badly diluted during the short walk from the poolside bar to the room. Still there's always another where that came from.

A picture of our part of heaven.

A Short Excursion

An early morning call at 5.00, and off for a trip with the hotel naturalist. Actually had a short journey on a train,for the princely sum of 5 rupees (about 2p), and then our car met us to continue the trip. Stunning scenery as the sun came up, and then a bird spotting walk, after crossing the river by a hand drawn rope ferry. On the way back stopped at a street-side market, to view the strange vegetables and then to a Buddhist temple. All over by 10.00 and ready for a day in the shade of the frangipani trees by the pool. Well someones got to do it.

Sri Lanka

Well, not the big day, but getting closer. The road to retirement officially starts on the 2nd of April, but we decided to do a life saver before setting off, namely a winter break. So here we are in Sri Lanka marveling at the driving skills of the locals. Perhaps it should read marveling at the lack of driving skills after what we've seen. The most important piece of equipment on any vehicle is the horn, followed reluctantly by the brake. The throttle is permanently on full, and indicators give only an approximate intention of the intended direction of travel, and are never canceled.
Despite all that we've yet to see any major accidents, end even elephants are road legal, but I can't see the red flag that the chap in front should be waving. By the way I'm Mr. Mogs also known as LB. Mrs. Mogs is known as Elvie, and she'll be along at some point, with some more news.