Moving on to Malaysia KL (or Oompa Lumpar as the boys call it)

Officially today marks the transition from our volunteering phase to our travelling phase. It is not as simple as that (are things ever?). We have of course travelled throughout our stay in Sri Lanka, but particularly during the last 2 weeks, which have been like a training course for what lies ahead. We are convinced that the idea to volunteer was a good one. We have integrated into a community in Kurunegala and made friends there with whom we will maintain contact, and who we will miss in a way that is unlikely to happen henceforth. Sri Lanka has left its footprint in our lives and will always be part of them from now on. We feel we have roots in Sri Lanka, and there are places we still long to see - top 3 Jaffna, Trincomalee and Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak). Elliot fell asleep with tears in his eyes, so sorry to be leaving. He has not cried since that first couple of nights in Kurunegala, strange that tears have bracketed this part of the trip.

The trainee travelling we have done since then has been simpler due to reduced baggage, having left bags with Kannan and Sweta, and in a now familiar setting. Language, culture and food are not alien in the way they were when we arrived. We loved Arugam Bay and Galle, and both think that Colombo has a worse image than it deserves - though not everyone who visits has Kannan and Sweta as guides and hosts!

We said our farewells as we went to bed - rose at 4 and got a taxi to the airport. Slightly dozy we had both water and a penknife in our hand luggage. Being Colombo no-one checked. After 3 and a half hours we were ready to get off the plane which we duly did in Bangkok. As soon as the plane touched down most of the Sri Lankans were on their feet. They are not an easily rule obeying group, and the pleas of the cabin crew to sit down until the seatbelts signs we switched off were largely ignored. Bright, clean and efficient we were taken with the architecture and atmosphere of Bangkok airport though it was more expensive than we had hoped. Jake was thrilled to find Croque Monsieur on the Menu and promptly ate 3. We repacked, and rightly so, as the security here was far stricter, and both the water and the knife would have been lost. Health concerns seem higher too, and about a third of people seem to be wearing sanding masks! Post Bird flu this part of Asia is clearly very sensitive to the threat of Swine Fever.

It sounds like a funny thing to say but we both felt we may miss the work and the opportunity to meet real people rather than the transient types one comes across when travelling. Luckily we are all excited by the opportunities and challenges that await. The last 2 weeks have also got us much more into the travelling mindset.

We felt exhausted as we arrived in KL. For a while we feared two of our bags had been lost, as they were not on the conveyor belt. We registered with lost luggage, were informed they were probably on the next flight arriving in 15 minutes, and went and got some water. By the time we returned the guy had found our bags - which had actually arrived on the previous flight! The long taxi journey along an almost empty motorway went slowly, and our last energies had been drained by the luggage drama. We knew we were not in Sri Lanka anymore as soon as we got in the car, with signs saying no littering, no smoking, and the driver checking my seatbelt as we got in. No one in Sri Lanka wore a seatbelt, and we were laughed at when we did! The Garden City Hotel was ideal, reasonable, clean, 2 double beds and walking distance of the centre. We all collapsed in bed, and the boys were both asleep by the time we had moved a couple of bags.

In the morning we woke at 10, and headed out for breakfast in a local street café. We then headed into town via an extraordinarily helpful Tourist Information where we booked our trip to the Tamand Negara, one of the oldest rainforests on Earth. They also provided tips, a map and even 20 minutes free internet. After that we headed to the exquisite and awesome Lily and Bess Towers (as Jake and Elliot inevitably named the Petronas Twin Towers). I had seen pictures but was not prepared for how I would feel about these glass steel and concrete beauties which seem light and delicate. It dwarfed many giant tower blocks that surround it both in size and splendour. We all hoped for tickets on the sky bridge, which was sadly full for today, but which we will definitely try again. After that we headed to electronics malls, and while Jake and Elliot were seduced by the new DSi and dinky electronic gadgets, Nicky and I were tempted by a digital SLR. Spending time with Kannan and seeing some of the images he has captured has convinced us that whereas we have forever been talking about sometime in the future getting into photography and maybe doing a course, the future is now as we might regret not capturing some of the images we will see this trip.

Jake, sounding ever so like his Grandpa Hope, was impressed with the transport infrastructure. He was excited by an underground, and thrilled by the monorail that we took to Low Yat mall. We all marvelled at the well behaved traffic, all staying in their proper lanes, obeying signals, and only once honking, a noise which had us all laughing and imitating the bus boys shouting Galle, Galle, Galle, and Kurunegala, KurunegalaKurunegalaKurunegala!

Oh and if you are wondering, we did buy the camera! After seeing Kannan's pictures, especially of the boys how could we not?

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