Sri Lanka, England and Beyond.: Colombo to Ahangama.

Arriving late at night in Colombo we organise a 'taxi' from the airport to our pre-booked accommodation. As we begin to leave the arrivals area there is a small man holding up a card with our names on it. The guest house has arranged a pick up for us. Back to the 'taxi' counter ... Cancel our ride,and into the car of our guest house. It's always a gamble working out communications, a challenge that keeps us guessing at times.

The roads are fairly quiet as we make our way to the guesthouse.

It's new year in Sri Lanka; A time when people close their businesses and spend time with their families. From the airport it's about forty five minutes. Thusare house has been set up to support people who are visually impaired. Originally as a massage place, now they have added rooms to support their income. It's a basic guest house, with a shared bathroom but quite adequate.

The next morning we venture out onto a bus to the train station and the centre of the town. To say the busses are crazy in Sri Lanka is an understatement! They are fast and furious. It would appear that they are the kings of the road...although trucks are possibly the absolute rulers. The drivers seem to think that accelerating into corners is OK. When travelling behind them, the lean is almost defying gravity, perhaps they snap a lot of axles here? Never the less, we catch busses.

Arriving at the station, we find the area fairly deserted (in Asian station terms!). We walk to Colombo Fort onto Galle Face Green, checking out the architecture and the day trippers who enjoy the outdoor space. The President's house is heavily guarded and we must cross the street to pass by..."no photos!"

The heat is intense the clouds are gathering. It is clear that we are going to be rained on.

Of course, this is a great reason to stop for a cup of tea! The wind comes first. It hits with great ferocity, followed by torrential rain that lasts about one hour. A perfect amount of time to eat cake and drink tea.

Most businesses are shut up and finding local food is a challenge. Our introduction to Colombo is not a realistic one. The relative quiet of the place gives a sleepy and relaxed impression... I think in reality Colombo is a different place.

The next day we set of to the train station to make our way to Ahangama. The journey is about three hours down the south coast. The train arrives, people surge forward and cram and push their way into every oriface of the red carriages. There was no way we could squeeze in with our packs and a somewhat dodgy leg. We raced from doorway to doorway, moving along the platform, jostled by others doing the same. Eventually a space opened up ...we clambered aboard. Standing room only, the doorway at least providing air. Ahh... The luxury of second class over New Year.

We travel down the coast hugging the coast. This is the coast that was wiped out in the 2004 tsunami. The train that was swept away was on this very line, traveling this very trip. It is estimated that about 1700 people died on that train on that day... As I stand hot and crowded, I ponder the disaster...

Ahangama is a town right on the beach. Our accommodation "surfing villa" is just across the road from a surf spot known as 'the rock'. We stay here for several days. We meet local people they tell us stories of the tsunami, we are invited for dinner.

Delicious curries jackfruit curry and one made with the jackfruit seeds (which was particularly good), fish curry, Dahl, a gotu kola salad, bringel, and rice.

Surfing on this coast is not at its peak at this time, but there are still waves to be had. We check out various spots with a tuk tuk. It would appear that there are certainly plenty of place s to surf.

Galle is a town about half an hour north. There is a massive fort here built by the Dutch in 1663. Inside this area is a plethora of architectural styles and a myriad of little streets. From the walls it is a fabulous view both into the town and out to the ocean. These very walls protected the district within from the tsunami, and for hundreds of years before, from invasion of the human kind.