Blogs from Galle, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 8

Hello hello Just to let you know me and natasha arrived safely. Little bit of drama getting here, but considering last time we came to sri lanka they wernt going to let us on the plane home, it seems traditional that something would go wrong. Reached Galle yesterday afternooon, are staying right on the seafront about a 5 min walk from the centre of Galle. There are four other volunteers at the house we are staying in, as well as about 8 children and the parents so its all rather manic, but a good laugh. Spent last night playing a game its name escapes me but involved flicking draughts in the corners of a square board into pool trable type pockets. Apart from two complete fluke shots that made me look like a genius, the standard ... read more

The Tsunami Reconstruction program has been progressing at a rapid pace. By end August we will have completed all 550 houses, 25 schools and most of the water supply and sanitation program. The last few months have seen a flurry of opening ceremonies, complete with marching bands, dancing girls, elephants, government officials, speeches and television cameras. It’s a real joy to see communities rebuilt, schools reopened and livelihoods restored. With the projects all coming to completion we are in close down phase, and steadily reducing staff numbers and closing offices. Whilst there is a sense of fulfillment in completing the work there is also a sense of sadness as we say goodbye to valued staff and good friends. Most of the work will be over by end September with just a few loose ends to tidy ... read more

Lest we forget xx... read more

Galle and the Southwest Coast After lunch at The Last House Yves left for Colombo where he had a meeting that evening, and we left a little later for Galle. It was a pleasant two or three hour drive along the coast with inland views across the verdant paddy fields and seawards along the picturesque palm-fringed beaches. We made a couple of stops along the way. Firstly at Sri Lanka's tallest Buddha (fifty metres), rather kitsch, with an eight-storey building behind it from which you can apparently walk into the head - all built around 1960 I believe. And, later, at Dondra lighthouse, a very pretty spot on the country's southernmost headland - there's nothing between here and Antarctica except about 20,000km of ocean. A local woman and her five year old son were stroll... read more

Wednesday 30th November 2005 I woke up at 05.00 and lay in bed thinking about the day ahead and getting to Galle. I packed up and waited for the time to move on. Once I was awake I felt uncomfortable due to the mosquitos. I took a taxi to the train station and bought my ticket to Colombo Fort. I chatted to an Englishman aged about 75 whilst I was waiting at the platform. He was stationed here during his national service and had fallen in love with the country and came back when he retired for a holiday and him and various members of his family have been coming back every year since 1990. He said that they were down in the south when the Tsunami came last Boxing Day and that they could not ... read more