Random Photos

Just some local kids watching us. I love the bicycles with their 'sit up and beg' handlebars and brakes operated by metal rods and levers, no cables here.

This is a Kovil we are rebuilding, the original was wiped out by the Tsunami. Eventually it will be very colourful and intricately painted. However it obviously needs a good orange undercoat to get things started.
When you get a few people arriving for tea you need to get a bucket on the boil. This is a common way of boiling water here, there are electric kettles but they are not always first choice.

Colours of Kalmunai 3

Every time I visit Kalmunai and drive through the narrow streets I admire the occasional very colourful house and always plan to go back and take a photo. I have been planning for best part of a year, anyway made a special trip and spent an hour riding round on my motorbike. Taking the photos wasn't that easy as every time I stopped I got a crowd of children or adults coming to see what I was doing. I am sure there are plenty more houses but these give you a good idea.

Colours of Kalmunai 2

Colours of Kalmunai 1

Muslim Children

These photos were taken when the film crew was at the Mosque, the above boys are in cultural dress and attend a religeous school.

Karativu Beach

Found myself with another film crew, this time two girls making a film on post Tsunami construction work. Took them round the same religeous sites as the previous crew. They just turned up in the office at 9am and had to leave Ampara at 1.30pm! so did a quick trip. It is the dry season at the moment so baking hot, you burn your feet on the sand. Had a chat to some local fishermen so took some shots of them sorting their nets.

Film crews

A film crew arrived to make a documentary about the work done rebuilding religeous buildings by FCE. We took them to three sites, this one a Mosque, then a Hindu Kovil and lastly an Anglican Church.

Youth Day

Lego towers again, these cross the gender divide ok and seem to be enjoyed by all. Interesting the way planning time is used and the cultural design choices which can be seen.

Youth Day

Scissors, paper, stone going down well. The old ones often work best.

Walking planks at youth forum

Leading from the front? Alas not we were coming second.

Not everyone took part, not a game for the Muslim ladies, but I didn't really have much warning for this forum.

Listen to their voices

Sri Lanka's Tom Jones alias Amal, singing a song at the end of the concert.

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! :-)