Mary in Sri Lanka: Not a tourist in sight but I did go to Jaffna and on safari and to a wonderful hotel in tangalle ........

I wonder if he is looking for the toruist centre

November 3rd - Its now been a month and not a single tourist has come through the door. It's a bit embarrassing really but what can I do short of going out on the street and grabbing any foreigner I see and dragging them in. Meanwhile Vachi (the volunteer) continues to come in every day and folds leaflets - what the hell can I give him to do when they are all folded.
We still have no signs up at the railway station or the bus station so maybe that's it but maybe its because everyone uses the internet now. Still we can but hope.

I never get tired of elephants

he looks so happy

In the meantime I have been busy working out the itineraries for my last three visits. Ros came in early October and stayed 3 weeks. I made sure she had plenty to do and we hung out in Matara and she went on a Tony tour and to the Morawaka tea estate. We went on a safari and saw more elephants and still no leopards but crocodile and lots of birds. We went with Suji, our Bob Marley look alime tuk tuk driver - he hired a care with no windscreen wipers and of course it rained like hell and it turned into the jouney from hell - he is a great tuk tuk driver but couldn't quite master the car driving .we had to tell him when to change gear - add to that the monsoon rain storms and you have some idea.

there were lots of crocs

and a bee eater

Then we went to meet Sally (yes she is here again) and her Hebden Bridge friends who had got the last rooms at the Last House, an amazing Geoffrey Bawa villa - Ros and I had to slum it in the Coco Tangalle, which is the best hotel I have stayed in in Sri Lanka. excellent - let the picutres tell the story. We ate at the Last House which was amazing but I didn't get any pictures.

they get everywhere .

Then I took a week off and we went to Mirissa where it rained quite a lot and we stayed in a rather down market guest house where we stayed in a room that was totally pink. We did a cooking class there though and now we both know how to cook bindi , and pineapple curry and dahl and chicken curry . The family that run the guest house are really lovely and they couldn't have been more welcoming-

the meal we cooked or watched being cooked at least.

We got the plane from Colombo to Jaffna via Trincomalee - actually it stopped at Trinco where we waited for 6 hours before going to the officers mess for lunch (it was an airforce company) only to be told the flight was cancelled as the visibility was not good enough ! we were offered a flight back to Colombo or to get a vehicle at our own expense on to Jaffna. We got a vehicle with some other people and 5 hours later we arrived in Jaffna. That was an 11 hour trip and we were tired. We were staying at a place where Angelina Jolie had stayed - it was basic and I can't imagine Angelina putting up with no hot water - maybe she is hardier than we thought. Anyway the next day we went on a trip to an island and saw the city a bit - and the next day we went to the market and the temple.

I told you they were colourful

the temple in Jaffna

Jaffna is different - the temples are amazing , so colourful and the worship is much more involved than the Budhist type. In the Hindu religion the men strip off to the waist and prostrate themsleves on the floor in front of one or many of the millions of gods they have. There are many more women riding bikes, No-one wears skinny jeans or any jeans - they wear saris or shalwar and they ride their bikes in them. School children ride bikes . No-one is very keen to talk about the war although there are a lot of damaged buildings with shell holes that were clearly the result of the war but people are not keen to discuss. There are a lot more beards. The people are just as friendly and food is just as delicious - it just has different feel to it. I am so glad we went.
Ros went home and I went back to Matara - no more visits till the end of November.
So now I am in my last 8 weeks in Sri Lanka and I am both really looking forward to and really apprehensive about going home. I have no firm plans but many options - this has been a great experience and I will write just one more blog to round the whole time off ..........