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Published: January 11th 2006
We have now started our project - had the first workshop yesterday - about 30 people turned up at the bodhi raja viharra (local temple) for two hours of fun under the bhodi tree with the monks looking on. The group are really lovely, and find our attempts at sinhalese quite amusing - lucky for us we have a translator!
For the two days previous to that it was exhausting work having 2hr meetings each day seriously reducing the amount of beach time!!
Cymbeline an autrailian who is running the project and her friend Julia from germany are great and we are spending time hanging out playing cards and 'pass the pigs' and drinking loads of tea!
Unawatuna is
very different to Mirissa, alot more built up and touristy. After the relative peace and calm in Mirissa it was like stepping into ibiza, with white people EVERYWHERE and music pumping! but we have managed to meet some lovely local people aswell.
After being totally ripped off for a pot of tea and unimpressed by all the pizza and steak houses about. We met Saman a local guy on the beach and asked where we could find good Sinhalese food. He took us to his friend Sanna's guesthouse where we were treated to a beautiful rice and curry on the roof top looking out over the palms we learnt which were mango, pappaya and avacado trees and watched the monkeys swing by.
The following day we went to visit Sanna's house in the next town along which we had been offered as a place for us to stay for free. the house was a luxurious pad set in 1 acre of gardens with the jungle encroaching in. unfortunatley it was a little too isolated for us , and the distance was a little too much. Once again we were treated to an amazing spread of food including the most delicious fresh crab. Spent a delightful evening in the tree tops eating, drinking arrack, playing carrom (local game simlar to pool, played with discs and flicking fingers) backgammon and chatting.
You can see a selection of photos at link below - not all on as it takesFOREVER to load up - will sort it soon. Just to make you jealous!
photos
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First response
Hi E.J., Back on line after nearly a month without broadband. Have caught up with your blogs and photos which I will show to Bamble when she wakes up. Lots of love