It Starts

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The day has arrived.

After a hectic week during which: I left my job after tying up any loose ends, we moved our entire house to mum and dad's, moved Huddy (our son/dog) to a kennel for the weekend, got married, picked Huddy up from the kennel, moved Huddy and all his belongings (yes, he has belongings) to our awesome mate, Dom's place, dropped off my work car at work (now down to one, shitty van), moved ourselves and Subi (our daughter/cat) to mum and dad's and packed everything we would need for the next 7 months into a bag, we finally hopped on a Sri Lanka bound plane.

DAY 1. COLOMBO

We arrived in Colombo at 1am after some reliably top notch service from Qantas during which Paul didn't get a meal until two hours after everyone else on the plane and my vegetarian meal was 'not recorded' (it was). We pinpointed the familiar van with the familiar Beach Lodge logo and were greeted by Royston who couldn’t be missed with his enthusiastic waving. On the way to the lodge, chattering away at the speed of light, Royston filled us in on his thoughts on the new Prime Minister, the newest developments on the freeway punctuated with complaints about the heat. Upon arrival at the Beach Lodge, all the staff greeted us with blinding smiles and cold juice. We sank our juices, admired the view from our Room 4 window and went to sleep with smiles on our faces as we were reminded of the familiar warm, inviting vibes and even warmer night air. As we woke in the morning to the gentle rays of the sun we knew would not stay gently for very long, we downed a Beach Lodge Brekky and headed out for a walk. It was then that we were reminded of the litter problem which chokes this country - fishing nets, bottles, foam containers and all manner of other items blanketing the beaches, canals and streets alike.

After passing busy fishermen, lots of fish, men sitting on walls watching the world go by, sleeping tuk-tuk drivers, heaving buses and children fascinated by the odd looking couple walking by, on our way back to the Lodge, we came across a familiar sight in Lanka. We asked the kids having an animated game of street cricket in an abandoned lot if they minded if we joined in. They grinned that half-disbelief, half-pure joy grin and waved us in. As Paul ran in to bowl, more and more kids were sucked in off the street to watch the suddhu kolla playing cricket. When it was his turn to bat, Paul managed to hit a couple of boundaries, much to the delight of the audience. After the fourth or fifth dispute over whose turn it was to bat (always seem to be the older, bossier kid whose turn it was next), we parted ways and continued back to the lodge.

As the sun began to dip, we returned from another stroll down the beach to find the kids from next door playing cricket (of course), bongos and dancing on the beach. We settled in for the next few hours to play with them and just sit and watch.

That night after dinner, Royston had arranged for us to meet with our old friend, Randika. We explained to Randika our rough plan for the next few days and after stroking his tummy in thought for a few moments, with a bobble of the head and a ‘ya,’ he had mapped out our route. The next morning he was was to drive us down to Mirissa for the start of the real honeymoon; lazing on the beach for a few days.

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