Arrival and sleep....all going well!

Sri Lanka on first glance seems fabulous .The highlights from the last two days I will summarise as time is precious and there is much to do!
So....
- most of us endured two flights to arrive in Colombo sleep-deprived and exhausted at 2.15am local time ( 7.45am Melbourne time). We were transported to the Walawwa Hotel 30kms north of the airport. Hard to gain any first impressions as street lights were few and the locals fast asleep.
- the Walawwa turned out to be a stunning old colonial style hotel with lots of verdant garden spaces and a delightful pool set amongst the palms and next to the croquet lawn. For the three of us who had agreed to share a villa we were thrilled to find we had our own private pool! Before attempting to sleep we floated around to cool off form the heat, before piling into the huge soft beds.
- after some sleep, swims and a leisurely stroll around the gardens we set off for the 3 hour trip  south to Galle. We passed through rubber plantations, swampland maintained to accommodate flocks of migrating birds, cinnamon forests and the start of tea plantations,  although many of us used the time to catch up on some much needed sleep.
- as we approached Galle and our first sight of the Indian Ocean and the natural Harbour of Galle we were reminded of the tsunami that hit this coast in 2004. The remnants of buildings that had not been repaired after being destroyed contrasted with the sight of new buildings. It was a very sobering sight and it is hard to comprehend the devastation it caused, and to get our heads around the fact that nearly 50,000 people were killed in a matter of minutes. There were some monsoonal downpours as we arrived and the sea was a dirty grey and very turbulent which all seemed rather ominous.

- each time we arived at any hotel, we were given cold hand towels, glasses of juice and we were expected to light a candle in an ornate gold stand. It was all part of the traditional welcoming ceremony.

- the Jetwings Lighthouse Hotel is a huge set of buildings built only a few metres from the the actual shore of Galle coast. Shaped to look like a ship all of the rooms have a view and the sounds of the sea. You do feel as if you are sitting on the sea  as the design is reminiscent of the wood and beams of ships. The sound of the waves crashing on the rocks only a few metres away has lulled us to sleep early.

- the two pools have been well used already : the water right next to the hotel is full of rocks and too dangerous. There are swimmable beaches with sand nearby though. These rocks actually helped the building to survive the two waves of the tsunami, although the building had to be completely refurbished. A two storey concrete bus station nearby was swept away completely.
- after arrival the need for sleep and a quiet time was enjoyed by all! then it was drinks and a superb dinner at the Hotel. Some of us tried arrack fruit cocktails to start and then the array of food on offer.The Sri Lankan curries are not chili hot , and they have very complex and delicious flavours: red chicken curry, blackened fish with lime, string hoppers (steamed balls of vermicelli noodles), tropical fruit ....... (and unfortunately for those of us with a sweet tooth) a fabulous array of desserts - strawberry terrine, apple parfait.... (Note to self -  do more laps in the pool!) 
It was an early night to overcome the jet lag and get our body clocks aligned with Sri Lankan time and we all emerged in the morning looking less sleep deprived and more our usual selves.
- then it was more fabulous food for breakfast and the starting sessions of the Conference: great advice from Alison on staying healthy whilst traveling,  some wonderful moving stories of people's lives in the style of 'Women of Letters'. A few tears were shed as the brave story tellers revealed many insights. Lots of discussion ensued over yet another lavish meal.
- Then it was off to Galle Fort - a very impressive stone fort first built by the Portugese then rebuilt by the Dutch in the 16th Century. The fort area is a village of its own, with an array of architectural styles and a very multiracial community - descendants of the original arabic merchants, Singalese, Tamils and Burghers. The ramparts and walls were designed to protect the Dutch interests and so are very substantail. The Fort area was not impacted upon by the tsunami at all as the very thick walls withstood the 800 kms per hour waves and parted the water.
- We were shown around by the very talkative Juliet , an Englishwoman who was a war journalist and is now married to a Sri Lankan and is bringing up her two children within his Muslim family home at the Fort. She was fascinating as she described the challenges and culture within a Muslim family, and her view of the history of Sri Lanka. We finally tasted the coconut water straight from the orange coconuts that grow everywhere - we had been told it had medicinal effects:quite sweet and easy to drink. We also tried cinnamon tea and a delicious coconut cake. We tramped around admiring the buildings and trying to avoid being run over by the local tuk-tuks.
-Then it was off to the Museum to peruse the eccentric collection of bits and pieces of crockery from shipwrecks, old watches, ancient pots and pans, delft pottery, rusty bullets and all sorts of weird scavenged objects. It belongs to one man who has collected these treasures over many years.
- we watched a lady make lace in the traditional manner: all of us totally flummoxed about the method for managing the intricate patterns. A man polishing gemstones , for which Sri Lanka is famous , and another setting sapphires and diamonds into gold rings led us to the Gem showroom. And voila! We were dazzled by the sight of every colour and type of precious stone, and the prices were also dazzling!  The salesmen were keen for us to try on every sparkling item, but were soon disappointed when we draped our wrists with bracelets crammed with sumptuous stones  which we clearly weren't going to purchase.
- back to the hotel to recuperate in time for a poolside Barbecue - no snags and tomato sauce to be seen! Just heaps of seafood of every type ready to be chosen and barbecued with lots of salad, sauces noodles and of course  - rice! Followed again by an array of desserts including tiramisu and bread and butter pudding?!

So we have recovered from our jet lag, adjusted to the heat and humidity, and the occasional downpour and we're ready for whatever this trip brings!

Here's a few photos to give you a better idea.

from your intrigued-to-learn-more correspondent

Dianne