Day 52: 15/09/12

Nine.

Shower, breakfast. The sky is blue and the weather especially hot. This calls for another day at Unawatuna. I hope to see Sebastian again before he flies home. My local phone has stopped working so I can’t message him. The buses here are reliably frequent, reliably cheap, and reliably hot, uncomfortable and crowded. Two buses later and I walk along the beach but cannot find anyone I know. I set up camp at The Yellow end of the beach which is where we usually go. I order a drink, lay down on a sunbed and the clouds form… rain. Great…

Everyone around hastily grabs their belongings and rushes under the shelter of The Yellow’s little restaurant-bar area as the rain hammers down, stronger and fiercer by the minute. I manage to grab the remaining table but there are a few others hoping to hide in here too. A French couple join me and tell me they are on their honeymoon. They only arrived two days ago and we talk about their travel plans. The rain subsides after a while and we wait for the sun to dry the sunbeds.

“Michael!” a voice calls.

To my left is Philippa and Rachel who have just arrived having spent the night in Hikkaduwa with Sam and Ethan, which is about an hour north of Galle. They tell me they are going to grab some sunbeds further up at Taratuga after a quick shower and I say I will join them at the sunbeds soon. Just as they are about to leave, one of the local hassler-sellers comes along carrying a boa snake round his neck with a little monkey walking by him with a string leash. They charge for you to pet them or take photos and sadly Rachel didn’t do a good job of hiding her interest in the monkey. The man strolls over and lets go of the monkey’s leash. The monkey then jumped on Rachel and climbed up her. She screamed and the monkey started pulling her hair before springing from her and onto Philippa doing the same. I must admit, from the safety of my seat inside The Yellow, it was pretty funny to watch, but if I was them I’m sure I would have hated it. The guy moved further down the beach, and Philippa and Rachel leave as well.

I read some more of Mockingjay and as the sky clears and everyone is going back to their sunbeds, I get a sunbed next to Philippa and Rachel at Taratuga. We laze in the sun for a while and get a drink each. The monkey/snake guy comes back to see us later but is sure to keep the monkey by him. Philippa and I ignore him really in the hope that he will go away, but Rachel chats to him. Upon learning that he is carrying a bag that contains a cobra, that’s enough really, she doesn’t want to know anymore and I certainly want him to go away. He goes off and leaves us in peace.

We enjoy the Sri Lankan sun and even get a glimpse of a turtle swimming along the shore right in front of us. Dave and Jared appear along with a house officer from the paediatric ward, who tell us they were further down the beach but sadly we didn’t see each other. They head back to Galle Fort and I go along the beach but cannot find Sebastian. I might return tomorrow if the weather is good, otherwise I will have to send a goodbye on Facebook, which isn’t really the same. The three of us catch a tuktuk back to Karapitiya for 350 rupees and I walk back to the apartment. As I wait for dinner, at last I finish Mockingjay and in doing so conclude the trilogy. These books come so highly recommended from me. Honestly, read it! I was talking to Philippa about them on the beach as she had only heard the violent bits in the first book, but didn’t know there is a love story, political struggle and all sorts of complicated friendships and relationships. As the end was drawing closer, I became frightened as to what it was going to be. Obviously, I won’t spoil it, but what I thought was going to happen didn’t happen (thank goodness, I didn’t want it to!). The ending was perfect, I can’t wait to see the next couple of films!

Day 51: 14/09/12

Ten.

It is just Dave and I along with the other local students this morning. Hearing a rustle in the bin last night I worried about monkeys, though it just turned out to be a gecko, though I have gotten little sleep. I feel drained as we begin the ward round with the doctor from yesterday who speaks very quietly. We march around barely paying attention. My tiredness is not helped by the especially strong sun, its temperature reaching 30 degrees Celsius as I left the apartment this morning at 08:20. We follow the white coats like sheep and join a second round after with fewer students. On its end, we try and show a bit more enthusiasm. I listen to a baby with pulmonary hypertension but cannot hear a murmur. We also listen to a boy’s chest – the one that was crying yesterday. He was embarrassed, hiding his face in his pillow, but he clearly liked the attention, giggling now and then.

The class is lead by a female consultant and being a tad late we got seats at the back, which sadly means that we can barely hear what’s going on. Dave seems tired too, closing his eyes now and then. I am struggling to stay awake but I manage to look alert even if I cannot find the energy to fully involve myself in the presentation. Afterwards, Dave asks if I would like to go to Unawatuna today, and I say I will see him there this afternoon. I go to Food City as I forgot a few things from the other day. The female consultant spots me and comes to say hello. I feel relieved to have been seen by the fruit and vegetables instead of the biscuit aisle. I head home, change and catch two slow buses to Unawatuna.

I go to The Yellow, order a Lion ginger beer (far better than any I have tasted in the UK), which permits me to use one of their sunbeds (and it only costs me 60p!). On with the sun cream, I receive my ginger beer and I open up Mockingjay, now approaching its big finale. This beach is really beautiful. Crystal clear water, golden sand. The only downside really are the hasslers trying to sell this and that but they go away with a quick, “No,” or two.

After about an hour I see a familiar face approaching. It is not Dave, but Sebastian! I haven’t seen him in weeks. We started on the same week in July and it’s great to see him again. His girlfriend has gone back to Germany and has started work in a new school. He has been travelling and has finally finished his time on general medicine, due to go home after the weekend. Then he tells me that he owes me a drink, which I totally forgot about. I bought him a beer a few weeks ago when he was short on small notes, and so he buys me another ginger beer and says he will cover my first since together they equal the price of one beer. Fantastic!

We relax in the sun for an hour or two. There is no sign of Dave. I wonder if he is further down the beach and simply couldn’t find us, or perhaps his sleepiness got the better of him. Either way, the sun is starting to fall and I should go back before it gets too dark. As I am about to leave, James and Jordan arrive (the two guys from Melbourne). They say they will be spending their weekend at Unawatuna, so I intend on coming back too so that I can see Sebastian again before he leaves. I pack up my things and catch two very crowded buses home.

A cold shower and a cup of tea later and I feel rejuvenated. The Internet has become very slow again. Please, give me a weekend of sun.

Days 45 & 46: 08-09/09/12

Saturday

Anne delivers my breakfast at 09:30 and asks what I plan to do with my day. If the weather is good, I will go to the Fort. Otherwise, I plan to stay here and will relax again. I have no more plans for big trips in Sri Lanka. Yala went off the cards because of Sebastian’s story and so did the city of Kandy, as he told me it was quite disappointing. I did also want to go the elephant orphanage but those that have been there describe it as being more of an elephant prison and it doesn’t have the atmosphere that the guide books describe. I also wanted to see Sigiriya but Sebastian again put me off because of the journey time and the new, very expensive foreigner price tag that comes with it. One of the doctors mentioned that it can be quite unsafe too with some nasty, dangerous bugs especially at dawn and dusk when opportunity for photos will be at their best. I have enjoyed the local area though. I am considering a trip to the rainforest next weekend though as the weather is quite unpredictable, I am uncertain. I also hear from Anne (who works with a rainforest organisation) that there are a lot of leeches at the moment and people come out covered in them despite being given leech protecting clothing.

The skies are blue and I decide to go to Galle. I enter the Fort and buy a few more souvenirs before going to get some money exchanged. On the whole, people are nice here. They welcome tourists, are friendly and whilst sometimes appearing a bit nosy are simply curious. There are some however who feel the need to take advantage of tourists. They take one look at the colour of your skin and immediately they send our their hasslers and the prices triple. This, I find disgusting. At the heart of it, it’s racist, isn’t it? Some will agree, some will think that’s a bit too strong, but what else do you want to call it? I am targeted because of the colour of my skin. Yes I have a different culture and lifestyle, and our currencies and way of life mean that I have some money to spend here, but that doesn’t make it okay for locals to hassle and con me. It may seem like a strange rant but listen to what happened next.

I need to get some money exchanged. I know of a place in a big shopping centre. It’s not really a mall or anything. If you can imagine a single story shop and then another and another and just keep stacking them on top of each other with some windy narrow staircases connecting each floor in the middle, then that’ll do. A man sees me and sends out another who hassles me and tries to get me into his shop. I give a polite no thank you as the guide book tells me, and the man seems angry that I won’t come and buy anything. I ignore him and enter the money exchange. Their rate sounds good and I hand over my money. A few minutes later I am handed a wad of notes with a receipt. I sit there and count the money… wait? Where’s the rest? I am missing 6,000 rupees here. I know the rate and I know how much I gave, which is printed on the receipt, however their calculation is way off. I am missing about £30, which goes a long way here. I tell the man that served me that this is incorrect and I want the correct amount or for them to return my money in full. The man fetches another two who of course, don’t bring my money.

“No, no, sir, you do not understand,” says the most senior of the men. He takes a calculator, types in numbers that do not relate to my transaction and magics a figure approximate to what I have received, though not actually the correct amount. I take the calculator and show him that they are incorrect. I count the money in front of them. The man protests further and by this point I am starting to get really frustrated. Who the hell do these people think they are? Here comes the white guy, so let’s take his money. He won’t notice and he won’t care, they think. This sort of thing makes me so angry. A genuine mistake is acceptable, but this is blatant theft. They are only protesting because they have been caught out. After a couple minutes I receive my money in full and leave, catching the 351 to Karapitiya and making the ten minute walk to Anne’s Maisonette.

In the evening I watch The Shawshank Redemption, which is another brilliant film that I want to own. Anne makes me some sort of local dish in the evening. The main is a chicken curry but instead of rice, I forget its actual name, but perhaps those familiar with Sri Lankan food will know. It was like thin, stringy noodles. She told me she makes it from flour and water. It was very nice with the curry sauce and chicken, and she served me ice cream for dessert. I hope for some more sun tomorrow or else I will spend another day trapped inside.

Sunday

It rains through the night and the forecast indicates it will continue in the day. That’s a shame; I was hoping to go to the beach again. After breakfast I clean the apartment and Anne brings me some of my laundry. This place gets dusty very quickly so the cleaning takes quite a while.

I go online and decide to read about what I will have to do in Year 5, other than my elective of course. I know little about it other than it is divided into the blocks I mentioned in a previous entry. I will start on the surgery rotation, which for me is vascular surgery. I read about how the timetable is organised and I read about the new methods of assessment that I will have to do. The sheer amount is staggering but then again if I think about the amount of clinical feedbacks and in vitro clinical competencies that I was required to complete in Years 3 and 4, this sounds okay. At least the AMK is marked differently in Year 5, which I hope will give a better reflection of my medical knowledge.

Half way through Mockingjay and I wonder how they will turn this into a movie. So much of this book is Katniss’ inner thoughts and feelings. Granted, there was a lot of that in the first book which was not included in the film, but still. I watch The Negotiator in the evening before enjoying soup, fish curry and a yoghurt with syrup before packing my bag for tomorrow, and heading to bed.

Day 44: 07/09/12

The morning sky is bright. I have slept well again. Shower, breakfast, ward 01, where I am the only elective student here today. Dave said he might go to neurosurgery today, which I suppose he must have done. Lisa and Lara are finding it difficult on the ward as the students and staff speak quietly and especially as they are having to translate everything in their heads, tricky with the local’s accents. They don’t arrive, so they must be taking the day off to save their frustration. I don’t blame them.

I join the ward round and we go child to child with the doctor that likes to use my name to tell the students off. Today he doesn’t do so, but is sure to include me. We see a young girl with cerebral palsy, the main manifestation being her initial delay in walking, epilepsy and learning difficulties, but other than that she is well, and looking at her you wouldn’t notice a difference between her and any other well child. I ask the doctor some questions and learn that access to special schools is quite difficult in Sri Lanka, particularly if families are from further inland and also if the child doesn’t show severe signs. In cases such as for this young girl, teachers would simply expect her to catch up, and in most schools they have a system similar to the UK’s SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator).

As the round finishes, another consultant approaches with a distressed mother. The students fan out, the mother takes a seat and the two consultants speak with the mother. The consultant then tells us that there is a confusing and concerning case here. The mother is suspected to be mentally ill, though official investigations have not proven so, albeit you can see that her behaviour is strange even without understanding her words. Her child was taken from her this morning by the girl’s father and has not been traced. There is also a confusing story about the young girl’s aunt and grandmother beating her. There seems to be a lot of finger pointing in the story, and lots of conflicting pieces of information. I am confused… why is she here? I ask the doctor about involving the police and he tells me that they are already involved and are searching for him. I don’t fully understand the explanation as to why she has come to the paediatric department but it seems that even with the child being absent they are looking into protection measures and investigating allegations of abuse. Let’s hope this young girl is found safe and well.

Later, one of the students invites me to examine her patient in bed three and to try to find the diagnosis. They seem to like to test me here. Bed three is in the high dependency unit. I enter and see a young girl of about nine years old. Her arms and legs are stick thin, and she is asleep. Her mother takes some steps back to indicate that I may examine her. The student hints to me that I should do a neurological examination. I take a general look at her and I look in her eyes to find bilateral cataracts. I take her left hand and try to move her arm. It won’t budge. It’s a contracture. I lift her right and it moves though it is very stiff and hypertonic. I assess the tone in her legs and as I lift her foot, easy as that, I see and feel clonus. If you don’t know what clonus is, I recommend looking at a video of it on YouTube. In certain neurological conditions, when you pull the foot upwards quickly it jerks rhythmically, tapping against your hand. It narrows down the type of problem and I think I already know the diagnosis. She hands me a tendon hammer though I know what is about to happen and… yes, her reflexes are very brisk. The hammer strikes my finger over her left biceps tendon and her arm goes flying. After some further examination, another student takes her turn whilst I speak with the other student. After some discussion I tell her I am thinking of cerebral palsy. She smiles and tells me that I am correct. This young girl has a spastic quadriplegia meaning she cannot use her four limbs and they are held in the rigid position I found. Due to her movement problem she is prone to a type of chest infection and sadly that is what she is suffering from now. I had never examined a child with cerebral palsy before this and so it is interesting to see these signs in person, whilst of course being very sad to see this girl suffering and to think of the impact it has on her quality of life and that of her family.

We attend a class afterwards about a different patient with cerebral palsy. When it ends the student that delivered the presentation approaches me. She seems quite shy and tells me that she was worried in case I couldn’t hear her. The doctor’s comments are clearly getting to some of the students. I reassure her that I could hear her perfectly clearly (which was the truth) and that the consultant assumes I cannot hear when often I can. I say goodbye and go to the side entrance where heavy rain is pelting the ground and those that remembered their umbrellas… I didn’t. I wait for around twenty minutes hoping that the rain will subside. Eventually I grow impatient and put my bag over my head and go quickly to my apartment. I am soaked when I get back but at least I feel cooler.

I watch The King’s Speech in the evening, respond to some emails and read another chapter of Mockingjay. With no big trips planned I think I will head to the Fort and maybe the beach again, depending on the weather which is still quite unpredictable. Here’s to a weekend of sun!

Day 38: 01/09/12

A few claws on the roof in the night but again, no unwelcome guests. I think they are working it out. They probably didn’t expect somebody in here. They just smelt some food, it was silent, and so they thought they would come in and have some. I don’t blame them, but they are making sleeping a lot more challenging than it used to be. The sun rises, I shower and Anne brings me my breakfast.

Throughout my Saturday my mind goes back and forth about going to Galle Fort. The forecast indicates another day of rain but the sky is blue with a few fluffy clouds. I decide to do some more work for my elective poster as time is ticking by and I don’t yet fully understand what I am expected to do. The instructions seem a little vague but I guess that’s so that there is plenty of variety between the finished products. I spend part of the day searching for Internet packages for when I move into my new place in Exeter this October. I also do a lot of cleaning and finally get rid of the last of the fruit.

With my Internet picking up, I message home asking for a Skype call. We arrange a time only for the Internet to go down just twenty minutes prior, and it stays down for four hours. Finally I manage to Skype home but what a frustrating afternoon waiting for it to come back. Nothing was wrong with the router or my laptop but for some reason it just wouldn’t work. I wonder if there is some interference from another device, but I wouldn’t know where to start with that or what I could do about it.

In the end, I don’t go to Galle Fort. I watch Up which is as good as everyone has been telling me and I begin reading Mockingjay. This is going to be a fantastic finish, I just know it. I enjoy my dinner of soup, Sri Lankan curry, and fruit with ice cream, before reading a couple of chapters and heading to bed.

Day 37: 31/08/12

There were no intruders in the night thank goodness, not that I didn’t wake a few times to hear them scratching the roof and working out if it was safe to come in or not. Today is a national holiday so once again I have the day off. I have a little sleep in and a big breakfast is delivered to me a bit after nine o’clock. I sip my cup of tea and consider my plans for the day. It has been raining all week and it is still overcast and dark. Over my three day weekend I have considered going to Galle Fort for a final bit of souvenir shopping, but only want to go if the weather is alright. I am not looking to go on any trips this weekend; I haven’t had a weekend where I am just sitting down and chilling out. It’s usually me travelling somewhere or another and exploring. A bit of nothing would do nicely, thanks.

I watch a couple of movies in the daytime. First, I watch Snow White and the Huntsman. This is surprisingly good. Having watched a few of the Twilight films, I wasn’t sure what to expect other than a bit of annoying pouting from the lead, but it was pretty good and the English accents were alright. Second, I watched District 9. I saw this in the cinema and I remember that whilst it was interesting, something about it made me feel so uncomfortable. I watch and realise why. It portrays man to be greedy and power hungry, not that this isn’t true, just that the film from start to finish makes you want to jump in and sort the situation out. I didn’t realise the ending was such a clear set up for a second film, so I will have to watch out for that in what I imagine is the not so distant future. The Internet goes down for a bit and I take the opportunity to finish Catching Fire. Yet again, cliff hanger after cliff hanger, with a terrific ending and I cannot wait to read the final book, Mockingjay. I can’t wait to see this film on the big screen; there are certain bits which I imagine will look amazing.

The rain pours all day, roaring as each droplet bounces off the tin roof. Come evening, lightning flashes and thunder booms outside, sometimes making the apartment shake a little. Anne brings me a dinner of soup, spaghetti (she makes amazing pasta) and a yoghurt with honey. The day has been fairly uneventful but after yesterday, this is exactly what I am after.

Day 29: 23/08/12

The alarm goes and I don’t feel quite right. My stomach is in knots, I feel nauseous and I am parched. I didn’t have very much to drink, or else I would think it was a hangover, plus each drink that I had were spaced hours apart. In this heat I cannot tell, so I take my temperature to find that it is normal. I wonder about the curry last night. Could the meat have been badly cooked? I am uncertain what to do and my mind goes back and forth about going in. I wasn’t intending on going to the hospital today anyway but now that I am in Karapitiya, it seems like more of a waste. I have a good drink of water, shower and start to dress in my clinical clothes when I feel the need to lie down. I lay there for a while, still indecisive, when finally I choose not to go in. I feel like I’m cheating somehow and part of me feels that it’s not severe enough to keep me from going, but I tell myself that one day won’t hurt. Anne brings me my breakfast which I pick at and leave parts to eat later.

I am sure to drink plenty and go to sleep for a couple of hours. I start to worry about the possibility of Dengue, but I have no mosquito bites and would have expected to feel some bone pains or have a nasty headache. A second check of my temperature shows it is normal. I think it’s the curry. I feel nauseous most of the morning, though nothing comes of it. By mid afternoon it starts to subside though I feel uncomfortable for the rest of the day.

The Internet suddenly disappears for an hour and I assume it may be gone for another couple of days, like before. It returns and… at high speed. It’s back. Finally! I have waited for what seems like so long but I can finally read my emails easily. No more ten minute waits and reloading failed web pages. I surf the web for a while and then think about my book. I can’t resist and I visit Let Me Watch This (or whatever they have renamed themselves) and The Hunger Games loads fast as lightning. I close the curtains and put it to widescreen, before watching the book I finished only last week come to life. I am gripped by it for a bit over two hours and it really has done the book justice. There were a few surprises. I imagined many of the characters looking completely different. Katniss and Peeta I already had as those casted because I knew of them before reading the book itself. Haymitch, however I pictured to be a tall, fat, bald man, a little older too. I thought Cinna was short, white with blonde curtains. Rue in my head was very short with a blonde bob and bright blue eyes. Effie, Gale, Cato, Clove, Prim and President Snow however, was just like my imagination saw them. I did find a few things a tad disappointing. The book focuses so heavily on their romance, with this ‘Does he love me?’ ‘Is he pretending?’ ‘Do I love him?’ ‘Which bits of this is an act?’ storyline. As Katniss wasn’t narrating the movie, like she does in the book, it lacked that. From her finding him to their kiss it seemed so rushed. I couldn’t see her thought process, though I knew it from the book. The dog creatures at the end also looked disappointing, more like evil hungry hippos than the tribute werewolves they were meant to be. It missed a few bits here and there, but it’s going to, isn’t it? It’s based on a book, so of course changes will happen. Look at Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter, it happened there for every book. I don’t mean to sound glum about it, it was amazing, possibly one of the best movies I have ever seen. The Capitol was incredible and you really got a feel for the arena. Rue’s end was incredibly sad and hard to watch, really well done.

I read a generous amount of chapters of Catching Fire (since I read nothing yesterday, though want enough to read in my remaining four and a half weeks) and go on Skype for a bit. My appetite has improved and I finish my fish curry and make sure I drink plenty. Tomorrow is my final day on ward 11. Let’s hope it’s a good one.

Day 22: 16/08/12

The ward round throws up a few surprises for the day. A young adult with undiagnosed acromegaly and a rare opportunity to do a bedside ECHO scan of a man with mitral stenosis. The ECHO scanner was donated by doctors in Darwin, though none of the dials work so it can only allow you a view with no measurements. They also have an attachment to measure gradients though again, the dials cannot measure it, so they achieve this through subjective assessment of the sound recordings. Only one plug on the whole ward can use the ECHO scanner, so one of the patients had to give up his bed for it. The rounds seem to be getting quicker by the day this week. Mind you, the “Dengue bay” has three empty beds today and there have been few new admissions. The consultant also seems a bit more relaxed today, with less comments about the UK, which is good. The jeweller from Galle Fort with heart failure is still here so Neil and I chat to him after he has his ECHO.

The temperature has been climbing higher and higher lately despite the nightly rain. The walk home is only ten minutes but in this heat and humidity whilst dodging traffic on these narrow paths, it feels like I am completing a little mission every time. I reach the apartment, turn on the fan, and the Internet is still painfully slow. I log some of my patients and eventually am able to read my emails. Apparently the Internet isn’t just a problem here; Anne’s workplace has found the Internet to be very slow, as have the students living in the University accommodation. Anne rings up Telecom and learns that service to the area is to be restored to its high speed on Saturday. At least we know it’s not going to be this annoying permanently.

I receive an unusual prawn curry in the evening and then find that one of Anne’s cats has done a wee in my bedroom!! I burst out laughing because what else can I do! Luckily I’m pretty well equipped and put on some medical gloves, clean it up, and sterilise the floor and my hands. Hahahaha! Bad Billy!! He is deaf and partly blind though, so he probably had no idea where he was!

The temperature continues to climb whilst the rain clouds form outside. I hop into bed and read the first couple of chapters of Catching Fire, the second book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Already just as amazing as the first book! She has kept the suspense going and it is such a struggle to put it down. The rain gets heavier through the night, extinguished only by the sight of the sun rising on my twenty-third day in Sri Lanka.

Day 16: 10/08/12

Flashes of lightning and roaring thunder have been on and off in the small hours. Overcast and a little cooler, I have a late breakfast, shower and look up the weather forecast. Several forecasts conflict, though at first it appears that I will be stuck inside all day. I read the news and clean the apartment as the sun peaks out. Perhaps it will be okay after all…? It’s noon and I pack my bag to go to a tea plantation two buses and a tuktuk away from here, around an hour’s journey.

Off I go, Karapitiya to Galle and then hopping onto the next bus which is going to Matara. I need to get off at Kathaluwa and find a tuktuk for 100 rupees, as instructed by the owner of the tea plantation when I called him earlier. I pay my bus fare (15p) and ask the conductor if he could let me know when we are near, to which he says he will. They have always been helpful in the past in similar situations. Then the sky gets darker and streaks of rain start hitting the windows. Within a few seconds the clouds erupt and release their strong monsoon rain. I am pleased to see the driver slowing as usually they seem to take any risk to get ahead. Driving wildly in the monsoon rain seems like one risk too many. The rain continues for a while and I rummage through my bag… no umbrella. Thankfully, the rain eases after about fifteen minutes and the further we drive, the sunnier it becomes.

We pass Unawatuna, Thalpe and Koggala. I know we are close now, yet I am not getting any signal. I look out of the window, wondering where we are. I get a tap on the shoulder from another passenger. He is a Sri Lankan man that speaks some English and clearly overheard what I asked the bus conductor.

“This is it,” he says. “You want to get off now.”
“This is Kathaluwa?” I ask.
“Yes, this is end of Kathaluwa, quick!”

I thank him, grab my bag and quickly get off the bus, finding a couple of tuktuk drivers nearby. I ask them to take me to the tea plantation for 100 rupees, to which I hear it will cost me 1200 rupees!! Absolutely not! I tell them I know the price from the owner and after he refuses to lower it, I walk off. One of the tuktuk drivers runs after me and tells me he will take me there and back for 400 rupees.

“300,” I say.
“…350.”
“… alright, 350.” Only 25p difference to me, so who cares!

I climb into a little red tuktuk and the driver, Jamal, takes me through a windy track with potholes peppering the road. Finally, we are here. The owner greets me and I am surprised to find that Jamal joins us for the tour. I don’t mind, it’s free after all. The owner takes me around the plantation site, picking pieces off of the trees for me. He also shows me a “touch me not” plant, a small leafed plant sprouting from the soil. He pats his hand on the leaves and they immediately coil in and hide! I can’t believe it! I touch some others and they curl up and hide! He leads me around the plantation and shows me the trees that grow rubber and also where they grow cinnamon and lemon tea. I am lead through the factory that sorts and dries the tea. The tour is okay, though surprisingly short and to be honest, not as interesting as I would have hoped.

Jamal and I are taken to what is described as the highlight of the day in my guidebook, tea tasting. My guidebook sells this place by telling me that visitors try 24 types of tea accompanied by a selection of cakes, overlooking the plantation site in a relaxing atmosphere… well, they must have been very lucky then. I do indeed try 24 types of tea, though they are all in room temperature water, no milk, and almost all of them taste really awful. This is done standing with the owner watching my reaction every time, not relaxing, and there was most definitely no cake in sight. I am then shepherded to their shop and am watched closely, encouraged to buy as much as possible. The owner does admit that his tea is, “quite expensive,” and that is no lie. There are two teas that I did really enjoy and that aren’t too pricey. The cinammon tea which I imagine would be relaxing with boiled water, and suicide tea, a black tea with whisky invented by the estate’s founder over 50 years ago.

I am taken back to the bus stop by Jamal and hop on a bus to Galle, and another to Karapitiya. Finally, I am back. That was all a bit of a disappointment, really. My other trips have been really great so far and the guidebook really sold that to me. I have a couple of souvenirs out of it, but not ones that I was desperate for. The photos were the only true positive I can gleam from it and I don’t feel that’s me being particularly negative.

I spend the evening editing photos, writing my blog and watching the Olympics. I forgot to tell you my surprise at yesterday’s dinner. A soup, as usual, which was nice as always. Then, rice with curried squid! That was new! I have only tasted squid a few times and find that it’s actually pretty nice. My dessert was the best I have had so far, deep fried bananas and vanilla ice cream in a caramel sauce. I usually receive some fruit as it comes for a dessert but this was really great. I am going to watch some more of the Olympics (come on Tom!), eat my dinner and read The Hunger Games, which is honestly one of the most gripping and addictive books I have ever read. It is so addictive I am having to limit my reading it or else the trilogy will finish well before I leave.