Elephant Polo, Independence Day, Megan & Andrew Visit and Tsunami Reconstruction Work.

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Elephant Polo.
The annual Galle Elephant Polo Tournament consisted of six international teams from Hong Kong, Singapore, Scotland, England, Sri Lanka and Thailand, although all the players bar two were Poms. Each team has 3 elephants. A mahout steers the elephant, while the player sits behind and “trys” to hit the ball with an extra large polo mallet. It’s the slowest game in the world and hilarious watching the elephants perform for the crowd while the players desperately encourage the elephant to move towards the ball. Occasionally a player would stretch a little too far and actually fall off the elephant. Needless to say the 3 day tournament was entertaining.

Independence Day.
Independence Day saw Galle Cricket Stadium packed with people and national flags. There were marching teams, brass bands, bagpipes, and traditional dancers. The gun salute was a bit scary to watch, as the mortar shells exploded randomly near the crowds often very close to the ground. We watched from the safety of the fort walls, which were secured by the police and army.

Family Visit.
We enjoyed a visit from Megan and Andrew (Murrays sister and brother-in-law) last week. They had an opportunity to see some of the tsunami damage including the train wreck at Hikkaduwa. And the tourist highlights around Galle -turtle hatchery, silk factory, tea estate, stilt fisherman, fort walls, fort shops, and the Unawatuna beach. Megan wanted to see the hospital soo much that she got stung by a jellyfish just so she could go. Was interesting as they admitted her much to our surprise. And even after the wound was looking much better, insisted we stay till until another more Senior Doctor could do the final check-up. Thankfully, Andrew decided not to go to the same extent to see the District Court, and was content with walking past and peering inside.

We had a lovely time with Megan and Andrew and really appreciate them making the trip over here. For the rest of you we have now perfected the tour of Galle 😊

Tsunami Reconstruction Work.
Murray is extremely busy at work, with staff numbers down, as two District Senior Engineers recently returned to Australia. Recruiting quality staff is difficult, so this means a huge increase in workload until new staff are found. We are currently trying to recruit about sixteen additional staff for the construction team. Even though the work load is hectic (we’re currently trying to spend a million dollars a week on reconstruction), it is extremely rewarding to see people moving from temporary shelters into their brand new permanent houses everyday. This makes all the hard work is worthwhile.

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Photos

Elephant Polo.
The winning team, from Scotland.

Megan, Andrew & Murray at the Ladyhill for lunch.
270 degree views of Galle.

Unawatuna Beach.
Andrew playing beach volleyball.

Hikkaduwa beach.
Andrew and Murray after a hard days surfing.

New home owners.
Note the temporary shelter in the background.

Temporary Shelter Camp.
This is a friend of Miriams, who works with the children in the camps. This is her tent that she lives in, with her 2 sisters.

Comments

[Lois Findlay]

Which team did you barrack for in the elephant polo? Amazing view of the game from the fort walls.

[Steve & Cheryl]

Looking like locals
Great to see the impact you guys are having over there. Just thinking that you have gone from 'newbies' to host, tour-guide and locals pretty quick!! Thinking of you both and praying for you.

[Marion Hicks]

Fantastic photos
Murray and Miriam We are really enjoying your photos and commentary. Makes us feel as though we are really there. Keep them coming Blessings