Riverina Hotel Beruwela

... are just bigger than I&#8217;ve ever seen them. If I got a plate of them as &#8220;fried frog&#8217;s legs&#8221; (not that I would..) I would send them back complaining I&#8217;d been mistakenly served chicken drumsticks ..<br>umpteen cows -they are everywhere<br>Uncountable gekoes - they dont really bother me<br>fireflies - quite cool in the garden, not so cool trapped INSIDE my mosquito net.<br>All of the above were found IN or closely AROUND the house ...

... believe these coasts were devastated by the Tsunami in 2004. As I sat trying to take in the view of the ocean - almost transfixed from everything - Upali (the driver) was quick to draw my attention to perhaps an equally outstanding view literally on the other side of the road - huge hills covered with dark green trees - banana trees, coconut trees and vast flowing rivers cutting through this forestry - it seemed like two completely different worlds put ...

... Sinhala and they find it very difficult communicating with overseas organisations to try and set up funding/partnerships etc and the options in Sri Lanka for funding is little to none - so International Development will be the main focus of the strategy. My First Weekend On Saturday 8th March I went through to Welagama Bay with my family to stay at Mallika's sisters which is still on the South Coast towards Colombo. On the way we ...

... Beach Road, Polhena, Matara Tel: 041 223 1473, 3 Non A/C Rooms, but not on the beach. Royal Sea Wind No.26, Beach Road, Matara Tel: 041 222 4907, 041 222 8258; 5 Non A/C Rooms, Claims to be sea front but isn't Polhena Reef Gardens Hotel No.30, Beach Road, Polhena, Matara Tel:041 222 2478, 041 222 6790, advertises a "Facility for safe sea bathing" but not on the beach Wijetunga Sea View Inn No. 41, Beach Road, Matara Tel: 041 439 0425 overlooking the beach but seriously overpriced and the ...

... shared my theory than I watched Franco standing in the water, waist deep, waiting for a gigantic wave to tower over him, and he dove straight into it. He popped up the other side, looking mighty pleased with himself, and repeated the process at least 20 times! Part of me envied him, and another part thought he was crazy! But he proved my theory. When we all spoke over dinner the following evening, he said he felt like a child again in the ...

... Lanka in October. We're traveling up to Colombo tomorrow night in preparation of a day trip to Kandy on Wednesday. It's Poya (Buddhist festival) so the school's shut and we'll be back bright and early on Thursday morning for school, with a new housemate, Andy the builder! We're also visiting an elephant orphanage on Wednesday - rumor has it you can ride an elephant. If this is the case then my time in Sri Lanka will be complete as I said I wasn't leaving until I got to do it!

... night--to brave the bees. "It's very dangerous," said Pali, craning his neck as he followed the posts up the tree to the hives. Five. A tree called cinnamon grows in these forests. You might be familiar with it as well as... Six. Wild Coffee. Seven. Wild Pepper. Eight. Mango Tree! (with ripe mangoes) Nine...About a dozen or more plants the locals use to cure their ailments. And on and on. If you live near Sinharaja, you don't need Merck. Actually ...

... these people is I was the only tourist in town on arrival. No really. The only one. There were 3 or so more by the time i left. The Tsunami and recent bombs have scared off the all important tourist cash. Got bitten no less than 41 times in one night, looked like i had been wressling a porcupine. Anyway, I may have been the only tourist in Tengol but I was the best looked after and fed! Next day Chamika and I left for Ella. The journey took us five hours through ...

Monday was a holiday, so I took advantage and went to Mirissa, about 10 kilometers from Matara (which means 30 minutes if you make the mistake of taking the really slow bus). In Mirissa I discovered yet another breathtaking beach. Though unbeknownst to me the big excitement that day was in Matara: a LTTE guy and policeman were arrested at a hotel 100 meters from my work. Apparently the tiger was paying off the police guy for information regarding a ...

... as the fruit are seasonal. But have no fear! Papaya is available year round and is part of 90% of my breakfasts. So is curd - a local product made from the milk of the water buffalo (I see them chillin' in paddy fields everywhere around Matara). It's served with trickle, a sweet, smoky syrup (reminiscent of maple syrup) made of the sap of palm trees. In Sri Lanka there is no such thing as a meal without rice. A couple that was ...