Listen to their voices

Me arriving an hour late, always good for the guest of honour. But fortunately in Sri Lanka not a big issue, although the flowers in the garland had started to wilt. This was the regional part of this project to encourage children to express themselves through the arts. Afterwards we all went down to the local beach for lunch and I showed some of the kids how to build sandcastles, I had bought a few buckets in Ampara, alas no spades.

Crip still on a trip

The guys in Unawatuna, just south of Galle, the beach resort. Adam managed to walk about a bit and swim, although the surf was strong as it's out of season now. The hammock at Shangrila proved difficult for adam but some fun. We made it to the stupour to watch the sunset and the big waves breaking on the rocks.

Crip on a trip

A few pics, Adam, John and me by Biera Lake in Colombo. Then Pettah market looking for bargains. Nicole and me in the sea at Unawatuna and Adam walking back to Shangrila in Una.

Stilt Fishing

Taken on SW coast, first time I have seen a fisherman on one of the wooden posts, when we came past later there were more fishing.

Back again

Flew into Colombo again on 24th April, Nicole and Adam flew out on 28th, the trip had been arranged before Xmas and we decided not to cancel so Adam had something to aim for.

At the moment Adam is in Unawatuna on the beach and swimming each day. Started well but the level of pain he gets when using his legs a lot is high. He is starting to put some weight back on his legs, as there had been a lot of muscle wastage.

I went to Nuwra Eliya on the bus with Nicole, visited Yvonne, a VSO, and did Horton Plains and Worlds End, then on to Ella and caught the train back to Kandy. A bit hectic but very scenic, wait for pictures!

I left Nicole in Kandy yesterday to do some travelling on her own and am now back in Unawatuna with Adam and John, a family friend.

MESSAGE 4 lady in Clotted Cream house, if you are reading this, WELL DONE! :-)

What I came home to

This was Adam as I found him, he asked for the photos, it's not me being gruesome.
At home about ten days later, he was discharged as it was considered safer with MRSA about and he had plenty of care available. I managed to get a bed in the living room, lucky there is a toilet on the same floor.

Back to the UK

I got a phone call on the 23rd of Jan, it was mid day in Sri Lanka so 6.30 am in the UK. It was Nicole, Adam had been involved in an accident. He had been hit by a car whilst crossing the road as a pedestrian. At the time of the call Adam was seriously injured and things did not sound good. He was on a ventilator and waiting to have a brain scan.

To cut a long story short, VSO got me a flight home early the next day and FCE helped me get a ride to Colombo that afternoon. I managed to get back to the UK and at Adams bedside in 32 hours.

Adam was out of immediate danger by the time I arrived, he has serious injuries to both legs below the knee. His left ankle is crushed and he has breaks in both legs above the ankle. The rest of his injuries although looking bad and painful are not major. Fortunately he had no brain damage or major internal injuries.

At the moment I am back home looking after him, he is in a bed in the lounge and has a wheelchair to get around.

I will be in the UK till he can look after himself.

Bikes

My bicycle, made in India, classic lines, weighs a ton!
My new motorbike, plenty of go and unlike previous one stops when you brake, that helps here.

New Year Beach Sunset

This is at Vijaya Beach just south of Unamatuna. It is one of a few hotels on the coast but away from the main resort. Quite a nice place to watch the sunset from. You can sit on the decking and have a beer, food is good too.

Trinco trip

I went to Trinco with FCE looking at religious sites we are rebuilding there. As usual nothing went as planned. We were supposed to leave Ampara at 8.30 am, when I arrived at 8.15 there was no sign of the driver, when he eventually arrived he hadn’t got a travel permit, he should have gone the day before for one.

After he got the travel permit, 9.45, he decided to wash the van?

Next we drove fast through Ampara and ended up at the driver’s house so he could pack an overnight bag. We then drove back through Ampara to the garage to get diesel.

We then headed of to Akkirapatu, which is in the opposite direction to Trinco to collect Akeel, who had been expecting us at 9.00 we got there at 11.15, then to the police station to get yet another pass. At 12.15 we set off for Trinco.

The driver was chewing on leaves and paste which has the effect of giving him a high, like caffeine , he drives very fast, blaring the horn all the time and spitting out of the window every 30 seconds. He has a habit of trying to overtake in difficult places, having to brake then not changing gear and then rocking back and forth in the driver’s seat willing the van to go faster. He doesn’t seem to want to change down a gear or two. All very typical of the way things work here.
After 4 hours we are about half way to Trinco, we have done some really fast driving. Akeel suddenly says is it ok if we call in and see an old friend, evidently this idea has just occurred to him so we head off into the remote areas.

We get to his friends village and are made welcome, the next hour involves me being shown round the village and introduced to all Akeel’s friend’s relatives. It is then decided that it is too late to go to Trinco and we should stay there, get up at 3am and go!

I am urged to have my bath, that’s standing next to a well in your boxers and having an all over wash, in my case with an audience. I am given a room and a bed. We are fed and I decide to go to bed about 10, then follows the worst night yet, mosquitoes or bugs I don’t know which but I was bitten to death. I get up at 3am and Akeel is moaning that he too was bitten to death, we both had nets but to no avail.

Another bath at the well then off into the night. The amazing thing here is that in the middle of the night in the remotest places you find people doing all sorts of things, from building to waiting for buses.
We drive through the early hours and get to Trinco about 7.30am, stop for tea at somebody’s house then go in search of the office, which has just been moved so can’t be found easily.
When we do find the office nobody is there so we sit around for a while. I could go on and on with the chaos and disorganization but I will move it along.

After having a really bad night previously I decided I had had enough, so went and booked into the Oceanic a 5* hotel on the beach. Turns out that’s where a lot of the INGO’s are staying in luxury beach apartments. I just booked into a standard room. Really beautiful place, swimming pool, the lot, I have to say I was a bit shocked at the INGO long-term residents. Maybe there is no alternative but it doesn’t seem right somehow.
I got to visit the religious sites we are rebuilding; as luck would have it one is on Nirvali beach, which is as beautiful as the books say. I also got to travel around the bays and cross one on a local ferry. I will be happy to go to Trinco to live if given the chance next year.

Trinco trip 4

The shortcut we used on the way back from Trinco. The road was blocked off but we went down anyway-Sri Lanka!-only to discover a new road surface being laid. They had laid and rolled the stone for about 200m. We walked to the end of the job near the railway crossing. The stone is covered with tar and then sand thrown on top. The tar was being melted at the end we were parked and being spread at the railway end. Hence the line of people transporting buckets of molten tar in bare feet! After a chat with the engineer who refused to let us drive over the stone as we might displace it, we discovered they only had enough tar to coat 20m of stone. So we waited till the tar ran out and carried on our way. Why you would stone 200m when you can only coat 20m? Nice people though, all very friendly. Some kids I met at Trinco, they were all following and love to see themselves on the camera. One of the benefits of Digital cameras.

Trinco trip 3

This is how we crossed one of the bays at Trinco. The ferry is powered by a single outboard. As you can see once the ferry gets out into the bay and the currents increase he has to turn against them. That causes the outboard platform to 'submarine', works though, we arrived safely.

Trinco trip Nirvali Beach

This is Nirvali beach, supposedly the best in Sri Lanka. Off the coast you can see pidgeon island. One of our sites is right on the beach and is being rebuilt. I suggested the existing could be restored quite easily. But evidently restoration is not an option it would be bad luck. I was also told the old temple was half a degree out of alignment with Mecca. In the picture the main man and me.

Trinco trip 1

View from next to the Portugese fort and some building work taking place.

Disability day 2006

supposed to be pin the eye on the elephant, unfortunately Thandie missed the board. the next guy hit the elephans eye, but we think he cheated!

The outdoor games lasted 10mins before rainy season did the business, planning huh!

Weekend in Ella

A group of us went to Ella for the weekend, starting on a Saturday morning. As ever Ampara planning resulted in a farewell party for 4 people on the Friday night and my intentions of an early night went wrong. We set off at 7am with a few hangovers and got to Ella about lunchtime.

Ella isn’t far from Badullah so Beatrice joined us in our guesthouse.

The views from the balcony were great and the whole area very scenic. Despite Beatrice’s warnings that it always rains in the afternoons we set off for a walk to see a waterfall. This involved going to the station and walking back up the railway track towards Kandy and Colombo for a short while.

It was a pleasant afternoon and we managed to miss the point where you leave the tracks. A local put us right but then stayed with us as a guide despite our encouragement for him to leave. We found the waterfall ok then headed for the rock temple, at which point it started to rain, quite heavily and the mist closed in. We got soaked, we eventually made our way back to the main road and some of us walked in the rain all the way, uphill, back to Ella and the hotel. A hot shower and some tea came in handy. This was about 4.30 and I could have done with eating about 6-7 ish.

We planned to meet with some others at 8, but in the event they didn’t get there till 9! Past the point by then. We managed a meal and crashed out. The next day we got an early wake-up from Steve and 3 of us, Claudia, Steve and I set off to climb Ella rock. Back along the railway, past the waterfall but this time up again.

We got 2 boys as guides but sent them away as Claudia said we could manage, and then she led us into somebody’s back garden! We went through the tea plantations and had climbed quite far when we noticed leeches on our boots, we all had them and they got worse the further we went. So being brave we legged it down again; on the way being attacked by bees, I got stung.

Thirkovil Kovil Opening Ceremony

The organisation I am working for is the only one restoring religious buildings. the funding comes from the Norwegian Foreign Office. This oppening ceremony is in Thurkovil towards the south of Ampara district. I was treated as an important guest and as usual was asked to make a speech! Good day out though.

Flower Power Party

This was a leaving party for Wendy, a VSO and Ettienne from TDH. The theme was flower power, I decided not to go to a lot of trouble as some of us had for a halloween party only to be alone in fancy dress. As it happened everyone made an effort and a good night was had by all.