Sri Lanka revisited

Mon Mar 18
The school term ended uneventfully and a small number of us ended up at Joe's to celebrate. Others were heading straight to the airport. Since we didn't fly out until 00:30am and we needed to eat dinner anyway, we joined the revellers. Probably shouldn't have let Peter talk us into that extra glass of red wine because when we did get home we still needed to pack. The Emirates flight was very comfortable and although we should have slept I watched Silver Linings Playbook with Jacki Weaver and Eric listened to music.

 Nandana met us at the Colombo airport and whisked us down to Galle in his new car. It is a Micro Geeley, a Chinese car made locally here in Sri Lanka, the country's first car assembly factory. We tried to be polite and stay awake but both of us fell asleep on the uninterrupted hwy journey. We fell into bed as dawn broke at Nandana's Lahiru Villa Guesthouse and slept well until about 9:30am (local time).  
Lahiru is situated on a small street, barely wide enough for one car but then most of the vehicles are tuk tuks and motorbikes anyway. 

We awoke to the sound of bird calls and sunlight filtering in through the mozzie net. We were served tea on the balcony and then breakfast of omelette, toast and fresh tropical fruit for breakfast. Dilip (the nephew) joined us shortly afterwards and  took us into town in his tuk tuk to seek a few necessities we forgot to pack. Told you we should have resisted Peter's offer! Money conversion here is easy. 1 rupee = 1 cent Aust.  A can of beer costs 100 rupee.

 Nandana washing his tuk tuk

Another nephew met us when we returned. I know, the whole neighbourhood seems to be related. In fact it's pretty true that each neighbourhood is actually what was once a separate, inter-related village but these days the villages are meeting together as suburbs on the outskirts of Galle city as the whole place expands. This nephew, Sachin (12 yrs old) is one of the fanatical cricketers that Peter spent hours trying to bowl out last visit. He is off school today with fever but took us into his home next door to show us how adept he is with the computer. His father is working in Dubai so they have skype and email access with him now.  He showed us some devastating pictures of the tsunami and later I installed a keyboarding program and maths software onto the computer for him.
In the afternoon when the worst of the heat had gone out of the day Nandana took us out  birdwatching to the wetlands in his tuk tuk. We've identified 29 different species today - that's a pretty impressive result and there are still others we are unsure of. For dinner we ate a fish curry and rice spread which Nandana's wife Tharanga prepared. It was an early night to be ready for the early morning call.

Tue  Mar 19
At 5am we were roused from deep sleep to be ready to leave in half an hour for the drive to Mirissa and whale watching. The streets are very quiet at this time of the morning in our neighbourhood but there is still action around the bus station downtown. The one hour drive took us by Unawatuna where we stayed last visit and we continued to follow the coast to Mirissa, a fishing harbour nestled on a shallow, flat bay. As we entered the harbour precinct we came across hundreds of men bartering over the cost and weight of the catch of the day. We could recognise  tuna, trevally, shark, squid, cuttlefish, crayfish and prawns amongst the array. There was a lot of noise and energy as we wandered amongst it all with the colourful boats bobbing on the water behind them. Then the sky turned pink and was quickly followed by a glowing sunrise.

We were on our way by 7 am and all the action on the wharf will be over before we return.Tickets for the whaling cost 6000 rp each.We were only on the water for 15 mins when the first blow was seen. We chased it down but didn't see anything after so motored on. We returned to the harbour 5 hrs later having seen plenty of action but they were all individuals rather than pods and once each had taken a breath they returned to the deep without any play on the surface like the tremendous exhibition the Humpbacks performed off Hervey Bay. 

I took a sea sickness tablet before we left the harbour and have been incredibly dopey all day, but not sea sick. I slept most of the way home. In the afternoon, after a kip, we walked to a local cafe for lunch and then Dilip collected us in his tuk tuk and took us into town. We wandered the main shopping blocks and then visited his house where he proudly showed us the developments in the last 6 months. He now has a verandah, yet to be paved, and the wooden window frames are being installed.  So by new year in April they will have glass.

 Dilip, Hiruni, Nilanka holding Pahan

Cricket in the living room

 Hiruni came into town with us.

New year happens here in April and like the Chinese version it is a time for new clothes, cleaning of the house and new household equipment. The shopkeepers must love it. I'm not sure glass in the windows is a good idea as Dilip's 3 and a half yr old son Pahan, is a cricket fanatic and has a great cover drive which he demonstrated for us in the lounge room. Hiruni is the 8 yr old daughter in yr 3, gorgeous and very bright but doesn't get the same attention as the son. Dilip's wife Nilanka showed us their tiny garden in which they have so many useful plants and as we came home they pointed out cashew nut, cinnamon and almond. We had a lovely dinner of curried or chilli prawns fresh from the market on the harbour this morning.

Wed Mar 20
We arose at a much more sociable hour today and had breakfast before leaving at 9:30 am for Tissa, a 4 hr drive that follows the coast to the east. We saw the stick fishermen again just beyond Unawatuna. 

After about 2 hrs we stopped at a lovely little coastal spot for coffee in the village of Tangalle. So many of the townships have been beautiful with aquamarine waters and coconut palms fringing the beach. But the driving is not easy with any number of vehicles pulling in, out and around you at any given moment. Then the road cut inland and we saw where development has begun on a new airport, convention centre and international cricket ground. Amazing development going on in this southern region, home of the current President. We arrived in Tissamaharama (Tissa) in time for lunch. Our hotel is appropriately called the Lakeside and is clean and comfortable at 6000 rp a night, dinner and breakfast included.  Nandana arranged a 4wd vehicle with driver for the afternoon and tomorrow morning for 10,000 rp.  Heading to Yala National Park shortly after, we were hopeful of seeing a leopard but expecting not to, knowing that we would see plenty of birds anyway. Spotto, we saw not 1 but 2 leopards, both slumbering in trees less than 40m from the road.  How blessed we feel! The roads are bone-jarringly bumpy and the jeeps are relics from the 2nd world war I'm sure, but none of that matters. We saw heaps of birds and other wildlife besides. 

 Spotted deer

 Garganey

 Asian Elephant

 1st leopard

 traffic jam 

 2nd leopard

 2 tusker

 Crested Hawk Eagle

We returned to Tissa after dark and had dinner. Cost of entry to the park was 6000 rp and that provided you with a tracker. We have another early start tomorrow to see the birds of Bundala Nat Park in the morning. While we were eating Nandana took his new car to the temple at Kataragama, a nearby sacred city to have the monks there bless it. He had made a vow to take the car there after he scraped a bit of paint off on his front gate post a few weeks ago. Now the car has red cloth tied to the steering wheel and a skewer of limes and chilli attached to the front grill so he (we) should have trouble free driving.  He rarely drives, only locally and at about 40kms an hour. He engages a driver when he does tours, that also leaves him free to talk to the back seat passengers.

Thurs 21 Mar
Our driver and jeep were waiting at the appointed hour. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the driver just slept there overnight. Certainly looked like it as he arose from a prone position on the bench seat in the back dressed in yesterday's clothes. But no matter, we are under-way, headlights flashing on and off with every bump we traverse. At first the driver made attempts to fix the problem by holding the switch and loose leads together with one hand as he drove with the other but before long he just gave up and we proceeded along in the gloom hoping any vehicle approaching collects us in its beam like startled rabbits. Before too long dawn alleviated the problem and we approached the gates of Bundala National Park where we picked up the guide and paid 4500 rp entry.  The park contains five shallow, brackish lagoons with salt pans in three. The birdlife is prolific here, about 100 species of water birds have been recorded,  half of them being migrant birds.  Its a favourite feeding site for the Greater Flamingo who migrate at this time of year from the cold winter of the northwest of India near the border with Pakistan. These are specifically what we have come to see. In 2011 we went looking for a flock south of Arles, France in an area known as the Camargue where the habitat was very similar. We got lost that time, missed the bus and spent a lot of money on a taxi all the way back. Today we are luckier. First, we were able to tow another luxury jalopy, which was bogged in sand, out of their trouble without getting bogged ourselves. Our jeep may not be very comfortable but it does have 4wd and for that we are thankful. Then just a short walk on we were able to observe a small flock of about 30 flamingo at close range. Fully grown adults can stand up to 1.5m and flocks are usually very large, up to 1 million, although here they have been recorded only up to one thousand at best. Here's an interesting fact for you, a flock of flamingos is called a stand or a flamboyance. They love to eat the shrimp, plankton, algae and crustaceans that only live in the brackish water. We climbed the sand dune then, and sat watching the waves of the Indian Ocean break on the shore while we ate our packed breakfast of boiled eggs, jam sandwich, fresh pineapple and bananas. The only thing missing was a thermos of coffee. It's almost 9am and really hot already. 

 Gorgeous beach all to ourselves

Other highlights of the morning included seeing the purple sunbird in courting plumage, the rare yellow bittern, the painted stork and pheasant-tailed jacana. In all we would have seen over 60 species this morning. Wow! There are elephants here too, even found their droppings on the beach - wouldn't that be a sight. We saw mongoose, spotted deer,  both toque macaque and grey langur monkeys and land monitors as well.

 Indian Peafowl

 Purple Heron

 Grey Langur Monkey

 Painted Stork and Spoonbill

 Breeding Eurasian Spoonbill

 Mongoose

 Land Monitor

We returned to the hotel in Tissa at 11am, had that coffee, then took a short diversion by the lake. Nandana wanted to show us the colony of fruit bats. We didn't have the heart to tell him how much we loathed the things after our experiences in Katherine and Mataranka so we feigned interest and got out of the car. As expected the smell assaulted our senses first, then the noise. Best thing about this spot was sighting a red backed woodpecker in the same trees. A young boy approached Nandana and told him about the owl they are releasing tonight after it was injured in their nets. We went to investigate and discovered the family operate a small hand driven pottery workshop. Among other things, they make the porous bowls in which the locals prepare buffalo curd.

I'd seen the stalls lining the road when we were arriving yesterday and Nandana explained what they were selling.  Today on the way home we stopped in to sample the curd drizzled with syrup, which they also make locally.  It was delicious so we bought some more home for the families of both Nandana and Dilip. The syrup is made from toddy tapping - the collection of juice from the bud of palm tree flowers twice a day.  The trees grow all over the country so the source is plentiful and the toddy can be made into vinegar, syrup, an alcoholic drink or mixed with rice husks as feed for animals. Very handy. Most difficult task is climbing the tree twice a day!

Fri 22 Mar
Our street has white banners across it this morning. Unfortunately a neighbour fell off the roof of his house yesterday while fixing something and he has died. There will be a funeral Sunday and in the meantime the family and friends will stay with the coffin 24 hours a day for the opportunity to help the departed loved one on the way to the next life. Today Nandana has had to go to Colombo to buy tiles for the pool at the building project he is managing so Dilip collected us at 8:30am to take us to Unawatuna Bay where we are booked in for scuba diving.  He is earlier than we expected because there is a huge cricket match beginning today between two school sides, the old-boys played yesterday. As a result traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian is even more chaotic than usual in town. They take their cricket very seriously here, even at school team level.

 Suited up

Because we haven't dived since 1986 we needed to do the basic training before going out for a dive to about 5 metres at Boda Rocks where there was also a wreck, for about an hour. We came back to shore for a rest and coffee then at lunchtime did another 40 min dive at Napolean Reef at 8 -10m. We paid a total of 22000 rp for the two dives and training and thoroughly enjoyed it. Visni from Submarine Diving School was an excellent dive master. We saw moray eel, banner, emperor, blue ring angel, tang, parrot, copperband butterfly, surgeonfish and oriental sweetlips to name a few. The corals were just as diverse. Dilip met us and we went for lunch together at about 2:30 along the beach then headed for home. On the way we bought him a new mobile phone for all his trouble because his old one is about 5 years old and pretty useless. This one will take pictures and has a flashlight that will be handy. Cost all of $25 Aus which includes the memory card. A cricket match was also underway in our front yard when we returned home. That is, until a light was smashed by a lofted cover drive! We enjoyed baked whole fish with garlic and veggies for dinner.

Sat Mar 23
Saturday morning so no school today and so Tharanga had time to make roti for us for breakfast. As if her omelettes and fresh fruit weren't enough! We took a walk around the village, all the neighbours were intrigued to have us pass by and many stopped for a chat. We were even invited in for a cuppa at one house. By then though, Dilip had met us on his way to the shops and offered to pick us up so we had to decline the offer of tea. We had a cold drink there, then went for a walk around his neighbourhood. We were very lucky to see the Indian Paradise Flycatcher and Hiruni picked us lots of flowers. 

 Local Buddhist Temple

 Train line to Colombo

 Proud new home owners

 How's that for a tail!

We returned to Dilip's for lunch and showed Hiruni how to draw with the spiralex kit we gave her. Dilip took us to Hiya Resavoira, about a one hour tuk tuk drive away for more bird watching. It was a lovely reservoir surrounded by rainforest and a very interesting drive through many different villages to get there. 

This is the Sri Lanka you don't get to see and experience on a tourist trip. We saw Grey Hornbill and Green Imperial Pigeons for the first time this visit. In the evening we returned to Dilip's with Sachin for dinner. We gave Pahan a pack of UNO cards and played Snap with him, then UNO with the older children. We gave Nilanka a set of towels for New Year.

We’ve often considered returning to places we’ve visited previously, but keep opting for new settings, experiences and cultures. But Galle—the Portugese-turned-Dutch-turned British-turned UNESCO protectorate town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka has drawn us back, not even 12 months later. A lot of that has to do with the relationships we built with local people last time, it has so enriched this visit too. 

Sun Mar 24
This morning Dilip collected us and we went to the computer shop together as arranged. His Uncle Nishan (on his mothers side) met us there and was able to negotiate a good price for a home computer for Dilip's family.  While we considered the options and called Peter we had a coffee at the Lady Hill Hotel which gave us fabulous views all over Galle and the harbour. 

All up we spent $500 Aus (which peter will share with us). While it was being put together we wandered over Galle Fort and had lunch at the Rampart Hotel. 

It still wasn't ready when we returned to the shop, must be operating on Lanka time. Eventually we climbed back in the tuk tuk; 2 big bodies and lots of boxes in the back. We managed to set it all up and start familiarising the family but then discovered the drivers for the speakers were not installed and without an interned connection still we had to return to the shop. Eventually we got it all sorted and the smiles on all their faces has made it so worthwhile.We arrived home in time for dinner. It has been a long day but not wasted. The family are all ecstatic about having a home computer and fortunately I happened to have a memory stick with me which had some useful educational program's saved, so I could install them at the same time. Back at Nandana's for the last night we had Devilled Chicken for dinner.

Mon Mar 25
Awoke to the sound of light rain falling. Our last morning is cool and overcast. Nandena is busy with his project so came to explain that he wouldn't be accompanying us to the airport. He caught me just as I finished reading a chapter in 'The Gift of Rain' by Tan Twain Eng, all about Penang when the Japanese invasion is imminent and I am feeling emotional having developed a relationship with all the characters.  I burst into tears as I Iooked at Nandana and he was quite tickled, thinking I was this emotional over leaving Sri Lanka. I am sad to be leaving, but not to that extent. This return visit has allowed us to develop a closer relationship with the wider family and we will continue to be interested in their lives. They all came to say goodbye. We can only hope that the computer we helped to provide Dilip's family has a positive influence on the education and access to the wider world for all of them. We wished them all a happy New Year as we departed and left some new towels with Tharanga as a parting gift. We've paid Nandena 66000 rp, about the equivalent of $660 aus for all the travel, accommodation most nights and meals most days. The drive to the outskirts of Colombo only took 75 mins but it took that again to get to the airport in the horrible crush of traffic. When the hwy extension to the airport is complete in another 6 months it will make a huge difference.