The Blessed and The Brave: March 2007

Photos of the South Coast

Ok, here are some photos from our coast trip down to Unawatuna, which is about 160kms from Colombo, but takes 3-4 hours in a cramped bus to get there.

Sitting on the seat for 4 hours with your knees squished to your chest, bag underfoot, stale air, no stops, no water, stinky sweaty packed bus, feeling sick, just to get there.

Then you jump in a 3-wheeler and drive down one of the bumpiest roads you've ever seen for about half an hour. You know the guy is ripping you off but you know any other driver will ask for the same amount, since you are a foreigner with a backpack and a look on your face that says "I just want a friggin swim!" Dust and fumes billow into your face, into your lungs.

The crazy driver is driving on the wrong side of the road, dodging buses, cows, people, cars, coconuts (no, the real ones, not just the drivers), other 3-wheelers, bikes, and pot holes.. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes coz you just can't believe you are doing this..

Its worth it..

This was the view from our private balcony..

I know, sorry. It's ridiculous..

Its just so conducive to relaxing.. We lazed and swam and lazed and snorkelled and ate and lazed and surfed and lazed and swam and drank cocktails and lazed..

Enjoyed the Unawatuna sunsets and drank Mojitos..

Walked down Unawtuna Beach (no, that's not us, probably just some German tourists)..

Shangrila - the bungalows where Jason stayed for 3 months before I arrived (and where Justine, Gibbo, Paula and Em visited) .. Its a bit back from the beach in lush tropical surrounds at the base of a hill..

Paradise. Well, sort of.. That was the highlights..

Peace xx

Photos of our house

Here is the link to the web album of the photos of our pad.

http://picasaweb.google.com/katalyst2002/SriLankaOurHome

Thought I'd put it somewhere that is obvious, coz so many people kept asking me where it was..
He he he

Peace xx

Me in a Saree!!

Me in a saree - I had it made to go to a Sri Lankan wedding. Someone has to dress you coz its like 8 metres of fabric that is wrapped and folded and wrapped and pinned and tucked and draped. I don't know how some women here wear them everyday. But you feel so elegant wearing them.

From the back. Its a real flower from our garden. I had my hair done in a french roll.. : )

Our very sweet maids (I know I know) - Ranjana and Susanta

Me, Pushpi and Gary (colleagues) at a Sri Lankan Wedding (Pushpi was a bridesmaid)

Happy Birthday to me..

So yesterday was the anniversay of my 30th revolution of the sun...

I am now the big 3 - 0.... and I love it!

I had to work, but fortuitously, we had a 2 hour team meeting so I brought in a sponge cake (it was a light pink colour on the outside with little icing flowers and pink and green on the inside – eeeeek!), which we ate after our team meeting. The whole team (6 people) chipped in and got me a voucher for 3000 rupees (about $40) for a department store, which was so sweet. And believe me, for $40 you can buy so much stuff!! Skirts are about 200 rupees.. Then I went home and two boxes, one from Esther and one from my Mumma were waiting for me on the doorstep. So I had presents after all.. I got many little things that I desperately need, such as face moisturiser, mascara, etc. Thanks Ez and Mumma!!

Jason then took me to The Cinnamon Grand, a huge ritzy gorgeous hotel, for dinner.

This was the inside of the Hotel - the foyer - it was incredible. Check out the PODs!

It was so lush. First we sat by a beautiful huge roman-style square pool in a cabana drinking cocktails. The hotel is just gorgeous, the restaurant area is huge and all outside with Palm trees and blazing candles, and it’s a collection of gazebos connected with covered walkways over fish ponds with giant Koi. Its hard to explain but it was just gorgeous.

This is the walkway over fish ponds, towards the restaurant..

So we had a romantic table for two, looking out over the lawns and pool with candle light. We had more cocktails, and Jason gave me a little present, which was a gorgeous woven cotton stripy beach bag, in sort of mango oranges and aqua. Its cool. And he gave me a long stem red rose – which is unbelievable because you just cannot buy flowers of any kind over here.

For entrée we had fish cakes and chicken satay skewers. I had the whole Red Snapper - which actually freaked me out coz the head was sitting up looking at me and Jason had to remove the head and take it off my plate! Jason had a collection of things, red curry chicken, lamb cutlet and tiger prawns. It was lush!

So we finished, and were just sitting there talking after our meal, and the waiter brings over a huge cake with a candle on it!!

It was so sweet of Jase. The cake was a luscious chocolate layer cake, sort of chocolate mousse, then layer of choc almond meringue then layer choc mousse etc. And it was so yummy we ate a quarter of it!

So all in all, I had a great birthday. It was really nice. Jason and I are going to the coast this weekend, and lashing out and spending $40 a night on a room in a hotel on the beach. So my birthday celebrations will continue. The festival!!

Piccies of the birthday coast weekend to follow..

Peace xx

Colombo Streetscapes

Hmmm.. 100 sq metres of land: $10 000

Bricks and mortar: $800

Labour: $2000

Knowing you have the tallest house in the street: priceless

There is no phrase in Sri Lankan that equates to OH&S

This is a visual representation of "Sri Lankan Time" - look at how the arm rest has grown into the tree, or the tree has had to grow around the arm rest - it must have been there for decades!!

Me outside my office building (on my day off)

Jason walking down Gower st - I work in a building through the beige coloured gates on the right

Typical Colombo Streetscape with Buddhist temple dome

Streetscape with Tuk Tuk (3-wheeler) in foreground.. I get one of these to and from work everyday..

Typical Colombo Suburban streetscape with lots of green.. There are mango trees, jackfruit and coconut palms everywhere, you just have to look up!!

Sri Lanka - The road to establishment

It has been just over a month since I arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and we are on our way to establishing our lives here. It looks like we could be here for some time yet.

Luckily things have been quite quiet on the conflict front (well around Colombo anyway - however it has flaired up in a bad way in the North and East). The way of life over heretook quite a bit of getting used to - the traffic, pollution, food, smells, heat, language, etc. I think it will take some more time to truly feel like I am living here, rather than just treading water here.

Jason arrived 4 months ago now and has been working with a Sri Lankan NGO as a fisheries advisor. I am working with an international organisation in rule of law, good governance and livelihood projects. We found a lovely house to live in, which has really made a huge difference. It is peaceful, secure and comfortable. Check out the photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/katalyst2002/SriLankaOurHome

We are finally beginning to feel settled in. We are trying to establish a routine, but the heat just slows you down. By the time you get home, that last thing you want to do is exercise or do the grocery shopping. You just want a cold shower, a cold drink and a lie down. Time moves at a different pace over here - and I don't necessarily mean slower, just differently and I'm pretty sure its because of the heat.

Speaking of time, thought I might just mention that today is my last day in my twenties, for tomorrow I progress into my third decade. Weird.