Update from Sri Lanka!
We hope you haven’t been worrying about the bat; he was revived, and thrown out a window. We soon settled down for our second night in our open-air accommodation, only to be accompanied by a herd of buffalo. We all woke on Tuesday morning, feeling fresh as ever… to go to the preschool. We had a very successful morning with the children, they had a great time decorating safari animal masks (we had our own herd of animals running around) and performing the hokey kokey. We have a range of shots for the 2016 calendar, including the gallows, guntower and beach. We were also invited to climb a lighthouse, however the experience did not meet our expectations, as the final ladder was non-existent
Visiting the exact location where the tsunami hit made us realize the reality of the disaster. The, ruins of hotels and houses hit us hard. As we continued through the village, we travelled through the slums, a humbling experience that made us appreciate home.
King Karu led us on a ‘mystery’ adventure, eventually ending up on a beautiful private beach, where we saw turtle conservation in action. We were lucky enough to see a 2 day old turtle, who will soon make his journey to the sea. The Lankas had time to frolic in the sea, until the waves caught them off guard!
We then turned in early for the night, in attempt to make up for the lack of sleep we would have by waking up at 4:30am the next morning. 4:30 arrived and we stumbled onto our tour bus to be driven to the harbor, feeling even fresher… probably due to the water shortage (because of the drought) which has limited our showers. We were greeted by a strong smell as we arrived at the fish market, as well as those who were fascinated by our skin colour. After browsing through the fish stalls, we ventured onto a traditional fishing vessel to watch the catch come in. Next, we wandered along the harbor and scaled a sea wall; to take in the breathtaking sunrise over the Indian Ocean. It was a magnificent moment! #greatselfies
We found the older group more challenging in the preschool, however they still enjoyed all our activities and we had a lovely morning. They learned to write and count to 10, and we even picked up some of their language.
Later on, we visited a family who have their own pottery business. Before attempting pottery ourselves, The Lankas had yet another photoshoot. After ‘climbing’ the lighthouse, you’d have thought we’d be more wary about climbing a tree into a unpredictable tree house, the climb was frightening, however, we all managed to get up and down, and think we have a shot for august! Apart from Miss Britcliffe as she wanted to ‘take photos’.
We each had the opportunity to make our own pot, using a traditional method and resources. The lovely family took us to the local reservoir where they dig the clay. We’re not sure, but Miss Fairbrother may have been bitten by an ant, which could prove fatal if not treated with anti bite cream (which we have lost). It’s okay though, she hasn’t reminded us.
We were then welcomed into the family’s house and offered a range of sugary Sri Lankan treats and herbal tea. We definitely felt the sugar high, after having a low-sugar diet for the past 4 days. We continued to another local family, a preschool teacher and her family, where we were given fresh pomegranate and jackfruit, picked from the garden.
We’re now off to prepare Rotti’s for tomorrows breakfast.
Lots of Love,
Jenny, Laura, Hannah, Kate, Katie and Ellie.
