Connected in Colombo

I'm back! Did you miss me? ;-) I must say it was strange to be offline for so long... no emails, no internet, no telephone calls! It was weird at first, but quite nice really.

But, enough about that, you want to know about the trip...

It was great. We left Colombo early on Sunday morning and made it to Batticaloa in the late afternoon. The drive was an adventure... like a 300 km game of chicken... just a tad hair-raising at times. Fortunately we had an excellent driver and he got us there safe and sound. The entire journey is along a narrow, two-lane "highway" that twists and turns and has pot holes, in places, that could swallow elephants... okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but definitely a dog or a goat. The scenery was incredible. Breath-taking. It was wonderful to be able to see so much of this beautiful country... hills and valleys, rainforest, rice paddies, lakes and rivers, wildlife (yes, I saw an elephant)... too much to describe in one sitting. Just imagine all of the shades of green in one place... BEAUTIFUL... well except for all of that Army green that also dots the landscape.

This was one of our pitstops along the way. Sigiriya Rock is off in the distance, but you will just have to imagine it because it is only a shadow in the picture. This is a little over half way to Batticaloa. Below is a picture taken looking down the road at the same spot. It shows how lush the countryside is and how narrow the road.

The drive was long, but quite entertaining. Rob and I were travelling with Canisius a program officer from FCM's Colombo office. He and the driver were just great. They answered our many questions and didn't seem to get too annoyed. :-) And, they made me feel completely safe, through all of the checkpoints and what not.

Around Habarana I saw my first Sri Lankan elephant... you see I had passed on the many, many invitations I had received to go to the Dancing Elephant Festival while in Colombo (a common tourist scam)... so this sad elephant, chained to a tree in front of someone's house, was my first. The poor thing did not look too happy. On the way home I saw him again, and there were four men sitting drinking at a table right beside him.

Anyways, we reached Batticaloa in the late afternoon and we were happily greeted by Nesha. It was great to see him in his home community. He escorted us to our hotel The Riviera Resort ... don't be fooled by its name, this is definitely the "urban camping" I had been prepared for... but it was in a beautiful spot along the lagoon. The view was lovely, especially at sunset. The mosquitoes were a tad nasty... but I managed to protect myself enough to only come away with a couple of bites. phew.

Well, that is all for now. I have only been back at the hotel for a little while and I REALLY want to have a bath before dinner. I feel a little grungy after all that travelling.... and I don't want to bore you too much at once. I will continue my adventures tomorrow....