Best Western Palace Hotel Beruwela

... god for my mosquito net around my bed (that I do not like sharing with winged creatures).
Very humid, i suddenly have chin length hair again.
Lots of tea. very good. lots of coconut, lots of chilli (very good also together).
Very small bananas. weird buffalo yoghurt... I tried some and quite liked it, although i wish I hadn’t heard "it tastes a bit like mozzarella, no?" as i was eating mine mixed with palm syrup... but yes, very good.

... a sharp hit of reality entered my mind however as the numerous gravestones lining the sides of the roads - gave a punch of how many died 5 years ago and how much was brought to ruins. It almost seemed unjustified that I was able to enjoy all the scenery when really there has been so much pain here - however the only comfort I suppose is that there appears to be a huge sense of community and it is truly impressive how much and how quickly ...

... off at Dondra to go to the Buddhist temple because there is a very large one there. My family are Buddhist and this is the religion of approx 70% of the Sinhalese population. It was interesting to go to the temple with them to get an insight into the religion they practice and I feel very comfortable with asking questions about why they do certain things and what they mean etc. They are very happy to share things like this ...

... is on the roadside Hotel TK Green Garden No.116/1, Polhena Beach Road, Polhena, Matara Tel: 041 222 2603, 11 Non A/C Rooms and no beach Sea View Rest 128 A, Polhena, Matara Tel:041 24718. Owned by the chap who tried five times to capture us. We looked at every place on the beach then aborted the mission and retreated to Sudu Weli,a beach bar with three rooms and a cabana further along the coast at Merissa. The first one, Suli Welli has three simple rooms above the restaurant at about ...

... I think the secret lies in that fearless childish approach somehow! I originally was going to stay for two nights here at Surya Garden, but I have fallen totally and shamelessly in love with the place and extended my stay to seven nights. Another guest, Martina, who hails from Vienna, Austria, found herself alone for five days after a friend left early. Finding we had loads in common, we became great friends and went on to explore the ...

Today Gourie who helps in the kitchen, was off so Milani helped to cook meaning she asked to teach her Preschool class. It just so happened that the 3 loudest and worst behaved where all present so it was all fun! I'm well used to them now and to be fair to them they did settle down to do their work. The preschoolers love "row row row your boat" at the moment, especially the bit where you scream at the crocodile. Yesterday with the oldest afterschool class ...

... s Merck that needs Sinharaja. Although small (you can hike across it in one day), Sinharaja remains a place of biological discovery. In 2001, for example, a new species of owl was discovered--the Serendib Scops Owl. As I passed dozens of small insects along the trail and watched as moths and beetles flew to fluorescent lights, I wondered how many of these species were unknown to science, undescribed. At Martin's Guest House on the other side of the ...

... dramatic scenery as we did the proverbial and headed for the hills. Now the lonely planet -Sri Lanka says and I quote ' dont go anywhere in a tuk tuk that takes more than an hour. Believe me from experience (they say) its not a good idea' . What aload of tosh. Its the only way to travel I tell you. It was however clear from the amazed gazes everywhere we went from Tengol on that this was shall we say somne what unorthodox !! Some might say I was mad but to be ...

... s visit, to take place a few days later at that very hotel. I guess he was going to attempt to assassinate the minister. On Thursday a group of wonderful foreigners invited me to a BBQ. This one was in Kamburugamua (say that five times fast) somewhere between Matara and Mirissa. They were staying at Sairam Bay Hotel - really secluded, but well worth the effort if you can find it! Do I even need to say it?? - another absolutely beautiful ...

... recently threw a Canada-day party. They invited their Sri Lankan friends to a feast of lasagna, barbequed stuff, salads, etc... Afterwards, apparently everyone went home and had dinner. As no rice was served, this 'feast' was considered a snack! I'm looking forward to cooking for you when I get back home. Though, I won't be doing it on a regular basis. Meals always take a long time to cook. Everything is made from scratch and every ...