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Published: February 8th 2008
Hello from Sri Lanka!
Local news... Well I arrived on the afternoon of Sunday 3rd to discover that there had been a bomb blast just an hour before at the main Colombo train station killing 10 and injuring 100, as well as a smaller blast at a zoo in Colombo that day. That followed a bomb on a local bus in Dambulla on Saturday 2nd that I read about just before I left home, and an incident near Yala National Park in late January (all places I am meant to be visiting!). There was a further bomb on Monday 4th in the north-east.
It seems it was particularly intense last weekend because Monday 4th was Independence Day, marking 60 years independent of British rule, which was marked by a big public celebration. I have just got off a train where armed guards asked everyone to show ID - I didn't have any but they didn't ask me - I will have to make sure I have my passport from now on. Apparently recent events are the first time in the long-running conflict that lots of civilians have been targetted, and the first time on a train. I
met a guy on the train the other day who was convinced these are signs of desperation marking the beginning of the end and the trouble will be over within a year, let's hope so.
As a result everyone tells me tourist numbers are well down even though it is peak season. I have also discovered that strangely Sri Lanka is the preserve of English & German tourists only - lots of people ask if I am English or German (although 2 locals have variously insisted that I look Swedish and Chinese!!).
Bentota This is my "beach holiday" week, so I spent my first few days in
Bentota, it is a small village on the south-west coast basically with just a gorgeous deserted sandy beach and lots of hotels! My little hotel was at the end of the beach on a very quiet stretch which was lovely, although I burnt very quickly and so have had to stay out of the sun since! At the opposite end of the beach I was approached a lot more with offers of tours etc (single female thing doesn't help), but most people are friendly and back off when you say no.
One guy sat outside the internet cafe I was in for over an hour and insisted he should be my boyfriend though!
Unawatuna Since then I have been in
Unawatuna, another small village further south along the coast. I am staying at a fantastic small place which feels more like a family home, amidst a gorgeous overgrown garden, which is incredibly peaceful. I am waking to the sounds of the various birds and even a monkey! The beach is a small arc of golden white sand that looks like it is a movie version of paradise. But it is very shallow and impossible to walk along without getting soaked - no wonder it was one of the worst hit places in the Tsunami. It has rained heavily late afternoon the last 2 days - unusual for the time of year but good for me as my sunburn has calmed down and I am turning deep brown!
Today I am having a day trip to
Hikkiduwa, another beach-front village, apparently the original hippie hangout, now a bit more trashy!
I have almost never been away from home for more than a week so it will be weird not
coming home at the end of this week! Not that I have a concrete idea of home now that I have no flat and no job, ha ha! On Sunday I head back to near the Airport, to start my 2 weeks Intrepid trip round the island and meet everyone else in my group.
Jennifer x
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