Blogs from Sri Lanka, Asia - page 124

Friday 8th - Tuesday 12th April We rose early for a van to the Hill Country to stay with Roy, the son of Nicky’s colleague Samuel. It was coming at 7, but arrived at 06:30 just as we were breakfasting, the first early thing since we got here! The driver was considerate and safe on the road although we were slightly put off him when after we stopped for breakfast (spicy hot egg Rotis which we were impressed with E finishing) he bought betel and spat regularly for the next hour. This turned to full disgust as over lunch he kept leaning into Nicky declaring “Madam this is the best food you will eat. You cannot buy in Hotel”. His mouth half full of partly chewed food and teeth red with the Betel, his fingers covered ... read more

We jetted out of London on the ‘worlds 5* airline’ Qatar Air (if their ads are to believed) and it was pretty good with on demand movies and TV. Doha was a bit horrid. We arrived in the middle of a sand storm, but the turnaround was fast and we were soon on our way to Sir Lanka. Given the recent outbreak of swine flu we arrived to a health check. Even though Scott was exhibiting all the signs due to a cold; sneezing, red nose, watery eyes we were waved through. Our host was standing waiting for us and we were soon on our way to Negombo. The country was very lush and tropical and boy was it humid. The guesthouse was simple, clean and only 1min walk to the beach. The beach was full ... read more

After another glorious weekend being pampered by Kannan and Sweta in Colombo on the train back we talked ourselves positive about where we are living, determined to focus on the good for our own enjoyment. It was wonderful to be hosted and relieved of responsibility. We arrived early on the Friday and lunched with them before spending the afternoon chilling in their flat, enjoying the shower - a full drencher with a view across the rooftops of Colombo to the Indian Ocean; catching up on various Internet essentials given a rare secure connection and editing the turtle video (or watching Kannan). Time was easy with stimulating and illuminating conversation and the joys of catching up with an old friend and making a new one. We drove round the city in an original Beetle. We ate ice ... read more

We were so proud of how the boys went into school, heads held high and smiles on their faces. They were nervous, but had the confidence in themselves to know they would be ok. Learning to overcome nervousness about the unknown and belief in their ability to cope with challenges were two of our hopes and expectations for what Jake and Elliot will get out of the trip. The principal of the primary school is a Leeds lass, who came out ten years ago and has stayed ever since, now married with Sri Lankan children. She has been gentle, enthusiastic and encouraging, and Elliot says he was OK from the moment she told him there was nothing to worry about. Elliot spends his 3 days a week in grade 3, and Jake has a day with ... read more

Journal 11 Saturday 25th April - Sunday 26th April We caught a relatively posh local bus to Kandy (90 rupees each, just over 50p), paying extra to get AC. When I had phoned to reserve a hotel the hotelier had offered to send his car to collect us from the bus station, which was a very pleasant service. The centre of Kandy is a large artificial lake, built by the last Sri Lankan ruler whose capital was Kandy. Dissenters from villages who refused to work were staked to the bottom during the construction and left there while it flooded. Jake and Elliot wondered if the bodies were still there. The serenity of the lake now belies its violent beginning. The lake is full of carp and empty of people, the rules forbid swimming or fishing and ... read more