My final day in Sri Lanka. Due to unexpected circumstances, I am going back to the UK for a few months and will resume my travels later in the year. So for those of you in the UK, see you soon!

This morning I said goodbye to the family I have been staying with. They have been such welcoming hosts and taken me closer to Sri Lankan life than I would have experienced had I stayed in hotels/guesthouses. I gave the children my watch and sarong and they gave me a huge bag of cloves and a hat. I'm not really into gifts, but it is nice to have a memento, particularly if it has a use!

Sri Lanka has so much to offer the visitor and it caters for the humble backpacker just as well as the Japanese tour party. Good climate, diverse landscape, hugely hospitable people and low prices. It has its share of problems, but by coming here, you inject money into the economy and help the country develop. Flights cost between £400 and £600 return from London and if you are planning to come later this year, I may well join you!

p.s. keep an eye on the upcoming election (2nd April) and peace talks - the Daily News is a decent site.
- posted by Jake @ 4:21 PM

 
If you don't like sad stories, stop reading now.

Today, the village I am staying in is learning of some sad news. Last night a 16 year old boy commited suicide in his bedroom. Apparently there was shouting coming from the house that evening as his parents argued. There were obviously quite bad family problems as it appears to have been the final straw for the young boy. Anura (my friend who lives next door to the family), heard screaming at 6.15am and ran over to the house to find the boy hanging limp with a noose around his neck.

It's hard to imagine how dire things must have become for someone to take their own life. I asked my hosts if it was common here and they said it was. According to another friend, Sri Lanka has the second highest suicide rate in the world.

Such a shame for a country with such prospects. I do wonder if it has something to do with the literacy rate. At 90% it is very high and an impre3ssive endorsement of the education system. But unemployment is also high (30% I believe) and economic growth is slower than in other Asian countries (mainly due to the racial conflict I assume), so you have a lot of educated people without work. Perhaps if the people are uneducated and illiterate, they have less to aspire to. I do not know.
- posted by Jake @ 3:23 PM

 
Some stats from my rush hour bus journey last night...

5.50pm
6 kilometer journey home
42 seats on the bus
50 people seated
45 people standing
30 degrees outside, 34 inside (guessing)
8 more people get on (not sure how)
6.05pm bus leaves
6 more people get on
More people get on (I can't count through the sea of heads and arms)
1 breakdown
3 toes trodden on
1 pint of sweat lost
0 accidents (woohoo!)
7.00pm arrive home
5.5 km/h average speed
19 minutes - the time Paula Radcliffe would have run it in
8 Rupees fare (5 pence)
- posted by Jake @ 11:15 AM

 
I went to the hospital this morning and Kenneth is making a good recovery. It is not clear to me what the illness is - nobody could successfully describe it. Some sort of problem in the brain they seemed to indicate, but that seems a bit extreme.

More good news - Sri Lanka beat Australia in the second one-day international cricket series! I watched the match in Dambulla with my Kandian friends and another 30,000 or so Sri Lankans. There were a few Aussies, but they could not be heard over the Sri Lankan drumming, singing and taunting.

Sri Lanka had a good innings scoring 245 all out. Australia looked like they would pass that score, but late wickets and excellent bowling held them back. They needed 8 runs off the last over. Then 6 runs of the last 2 balls. Then 5 to win or 4 to draw off the final ball. They could only manage 3 so Sri Lanka won by one run and the crowd went wild! Oh, how good it feels to beat the Aussies :)
- posted by Jake @ 3:48 PM

 
I spent most of last night in the local hospital. Kenneth has been ill for 7 days now, initially with a headache, then a fever and lethargy and now he has severe pains in his kidneys. The doctor earlier suspected it to be flu but with the worsening symptoms he advised hospitalisation.

Peradeniya Teaching Hospital is of some size, presumably because it covers a wide area (Kandy is Sri Lanka's second biggest city although urbanisation here has been slow). At 8pm, it was quiet and he was seen by a doctor by 10pm. She and two nurses spent an hour with him, questioning and prodding.

The staff were immaculately turned out in pressed white uniforms, brooch-watches, knee high white socks and white slip-on shoes. How I imagine a British nurse may have looked 50 years ago. The hospital was less tidy. Cobwebs all around, a black cat running between wards, a rusty old fridge partially stocked with medicines. Mosquitoes swayed through the air, dozily searching for victims. The chance is slim - one in a thousand I have heard - that it carries malaria, but the chance is real and the thought that you are even at risk in a hospital enrages me. How lucky we are to live free from this disease in the developed world.

The nurse decided to give Kenneth some injections. He did not relish this prospect and wailed in disapproval. She then proceeded to take three minutes or more to put on a pair of rubber gloves while another nurse chose a needle that even an adult would wince at, let alone a 10 year old. Meanwhile, Kenneth screamed and protested in fear. The nurses took no notice; they seemed to have no tact or subtlety. I left the room.

For the next 10 minutes, Kenneth shrieked and wailed. Whatever it was they were doing was not easing his suffering and it was not done swiftly. Eventually, it was over. The hospital had samples it could analyse (though he had prevented them from taking a sample from the kidneys) and Kenneth was shown to the bed he would share with his mother. The open ward housed another forty or so beds, most with mother and child.

An emotional experience for all involved. We hope now the illness can be identified and treatment commenced.
- posted by Jake @ 10:20 AM

 
This morning the local MP (from the United National Party, UNP) visited us at Kapila's house. At least, he was the local MP until the President dissolved Parliament a couple of weeks ago. He offered to show me around the area and visit the Pinnewala elephant orphanage, but not until Sunday because he is busy at the moment, "election in April you know".

It's good to hear he is busy (although he seemed in no hurry this morning), for there is plenty of room for relationship building with the people. Politicians, have a particularly poor reputation here and are considered to crave power to line their own pockets. Still, at least the number of days holiday has been slashed to 35 (the average worker gets 15). Government ministers used to receive 60 days per annum. Nice work if you can get it.

The elections are in April. In a bizarre twist, neither two of the major parties (Peoples Alliance and UNP) are likely to get a majority, paving the way for the Tamil National Alliance (which has the support of the rebel Tamil Tigers) to form an alliance with one of the parties and govern the country. Suddenly, the Tamils would have a much louder voice. Perhaps, with continued peace talks, this would enable long-term stability to be achieved. The people desperately want this.
- posted by Jake @ 11:47 AM

 
I see a passing tuk-tuk.

"How much to Kandy?" I ask.
"One hundred."
"I'll give you eighty."
Driver pauses... "Mmmmm, fifty."

If only bartering always progressed in this way. The boy (he can only have been 15 years old) then drove me flat out through the streets playing chicken with oncoming traffic. Occasionally, he would turn to me with a beaming smile as if to say "aren't I a great driver!". Still, he did not crash, which is more than can be said for my choice of driver yesterday.
- posted by Jake @ 4:11 PM

 
I am now in Kandy – the old capital. There were no rooms available at the budget guesthouses (and I was not going to pay over 2,000Rp per night at a posh one) so I was grateful for the offer for a room at the home of a friend of a guesthouse owner.

Kapila, my host, lives with his wife and two children, Barbara (16) and Kenneth (10). They may not top this years top-ten most children’s names in the UK but Kapila chose them because of two good friends he made when he was traveling overland to Europe. He must be one of the widely traveled men in Sri Lanka. He has certainly seen far more of Europe than me.

The house is five kilometers outside the bustling town of Kandy. It’s a great spot with views of more than 40 kilometers over the hills and I am pleased my accommodation money can go direct to local people. In fact, Kapila needs it. He lost his job (manager in a garment factory) seven months ago and is now in debt with school fees and electricity and his local shop. He, like the average family in the west, has become used to a reasonable job and a ‘good’ standard of living.

Unlike his western brethren, there is no welfare state here to support you when you lose your job. Meanwhile, his daughter wants to keep up with fashions, his son disobeys him and he drowns his sorrows in Arak. It is a shame – they are naturally happy people, very generous and hospitable. I can help ease financial pains a little but ultimately he needs to find work or cut expenditure. Some things don’t change wherever you live in the world.
- posted by Jake @ 11:20 AM

 
This morning, I was shown around Smyrna (English website - Swedish website), the Christian mission I am staying at. I am going to tell you about Smyrna and the small amount of money that I hope to raise for it.

Started in 1962 by a Swedish missionary couple (no pun intended), Smyrna has grown into a shining example of what can be achieved through a vision, hard work and donations (of peoples time and a little money).

Michael (a Sri Lankan volunteer) and Nya (general manager) took me through the various buildings and activities Smyrna operates. A nursery school, primary school, food provision to destitute local people, skills training for disabled and/or previously abused men and women, production of garments and bags (which are sold to produce a small income), carpentry and brick-making.

Over 450 children are currently being educated by Smyrna without which, they would probably not attend school, be malnourished, possibly be abused and certainly have tough lives as illiterate, unskilled people. But with education from Smyrna, they have an opportunity which, and I saw with my own eyes, they are seizing. These children understand how their predicament has been transformed by Smyrna and many go on to score excellent results in school and then on to University.

And what does this cost? About £5 per month per child.

We have all seen the appeals for donations in the national press and we all know of the good causes around the world that we could give to. After seeing and experiencing this cause, I can see that it is one where the money really does make a huge difference.

Last week, Smyrna paid for a cataract operation for a local person, neglected by the government (possibly because she had no birth certificate). One day she was virtually blind. After the operation, she could see again. What price for the precious sense of sight? In Sri Lanka, it is 1,500 RP, or about £8.

Later, Michael told me of the plan he has to leave Sri Lanka for a job overseas that would earn him a salary (his work here is entirely voluntary). With his meager wage, he would send about 4,000RP a month to Smyrna so that an extra 4 children could be taken in and educated. This is a man who loves his job but wants so much to help other people that he is willing to leave his family, friends and the job he is invaluable in because he feels this would help even more children. Can you imagine this? The man is a saint – he is needed here at Smyrna.

I asked Michael that if I could raise £20 a month for Smyrna (enough for schooling four children) he would stay in his position. I told him how much he was needed here. He accepted my offer.

If anybody would like to join me in supporting the education of four new children, please email me. Even a couple of pounds a month could do a lot. I am contacting the Smyrna charity in Sweden to find out the best way to send money – Direct Debit I hope.

There is much, much more I can tell you about Smyrna if you would like. Its history, its accounting process, its finances, schooling procedures, success stories. If you would like to know more, email me.

I'll post some photos up soon and here is a video of the nursey children who sang me a song :)
- posted by Jake @ 3:28 PM

 
For the last four days, I have been living with a family in Upcot, near Maskeliya in what is called the Hill Country (the cooler highlands in the centre of the island). I was introduced to the through a cousin of one of our local friends. He had excellent English and seemed entirely trustworthy so I accepted their offer of a place to stay.

One day became four as I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and beautiful surroundings. The area is not covered by the Lonely Planet and tourism here hardly exists. In some of the most remote areas, young children would run out and greet me practicing their few words of English - "Hello! Good morning. How are you? Goodbye!". My host, Manae, told me they had not seen white people before.

Before independence in 1948, every tea estate would have been owned and managed by Brits. Now, they are managed primarily by Indians and Sri Lankans.

One morning, I visited a tea factory. It is fascinating to see the process in action - after picking the tea is withered and dried. Then it is crushed and fermented (the most skillful part). Finally it is fired and then sieved into different grades or powders. The best Sri Lankan tea is exported to the Middle East, not much comes to the UK.

I have made many friends in the area - everyone is so friendly and it is an occasion for them to have a foreigner staying. Living with locals opens so many more doors and you get a much more real experience of a country. It comes recommended!
- posted by Jake @ 2:25 PM

 
I have visited the offices of ADRA and have an interesting blog to follow here on this soon...
- posted by Jake @ 1:49 PM

 
Today I learned that the President had dissolved parliament. She did so shortly after I saw her at the Poya festival. I hope it was not due to disappointment with the parade. Granted, at two hours it did run on a bit, but overall I had been rather impressed.
- posted by Jake @ 11:32 AM

 
I had not tried Arak, the Sri Lankan spirit of anything between 30 and 60% proof, so we accepted the offer to drink with our new local friends on Friday night. We (I was with Martina and Heidi) were taken upstairs to the 'veranda', the corrugated iron roof of the restaurant below, overlooking the small town of Delhouse.

Arak is surprisingly sweet and easy to drink - more like a poor home-brew Bulgarian wine than a fiery spirit. Our friends had been drinking it all day at a wedding (attended with 2,000 other guests). Five bottles between four of them they boasted. A lot, yes, but they did not hold it well!

We chatted about where we came from, ages, girlfriends, family - the usual basics. Then the conversation moved to politics and this was when one of the older lads told us he was a Tamil Tiger. He said he hated the Sinhalese (although some of his good friends present were Sinhalese) and he would fight to get proper rights for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Of the 20 million population, about 70% are Sinhalese and 15% Tamil with Muslims and Catholics making up the total (more info here).

He is less active now than he had been - good, as there is currently a ceasefire. Indeed, he had been in prison for four years (we did not press for details).

His words and methods found no support in us, of course, and we debated for some time on war and peace and ways to go about achieving human rights. Heidi, a student of political science, backed up strong arguments with real examples from around the world. Martina held a particularly strong stance and said she could not be friends if violence was the position he adopted. He was affronted and said in that case, he would leave.

After further discussion, Martina offered him her hair-band as a peace offering. He accepted it and returned to the makeshift table we were sitting around. She continued, however, to firmly decline his earlier offer of marriage.

His friends did not share his views either - he had no support that night. They agreed to disagree on the process to eventual peace in Sri Lanka.

General opinion seems to be that the majority of Tamils do not support the Tigers. Strikes on Sinhalese targets only alienate Tamils and stall the progression of peace. Thankfully, there have been only a few clashes since the current ceasefire began in November 2000 (brokered by a Norwegian peace envoy).

We debated more. He could not comprehend that Demark (or other countries) resolved all disputes through discussion and negotiation. "What, there is no fighting?". "You have no wars?". "Not even sometimes?".

Sri Lanka has experienced civil unrest since 1971 - throughout our Tamil acquaintance's entire life (he was about 30 years of age). In this period, over 70,000 people are estimated to have been killed and one million displaced. Having only experienced this traumatic and tense environment seems to have set a precedent to how he believes disagreements should be settled. Trust, peace and good-feeling will take a long time to build with this particular man.
- posted by Jake @ 4:54 PM

 
After a couple of days in Colombo, I headed to the Hill Country with my Danish friends Heidi and Martina. Our goal was to climb Sri Pada (aka Adam's Peak) in the early morning to watch the sun rise.

The 5,200 steps to the top made for a good challenge. During the last 1,000 or so, I helped an old lady who was struggling to maintain pace. At about 75 years of age she was clearly a committed Buddhist, not accepting that she is probably too old to continue safely making the pilgrimage to the temple and fabled Buddha's footprint at the top. For six months of the year, thousands from all over Sri Lanka make the journey every day/night.

At 6am, we arrived in perfect time to bow to the Buddha statue and look out at the spectacular the panoramic view as the sun rose. The Hill Country is a beautiful part of the island, quite different from the rest of the mainly flat landscape. It's the perfect place to escape to if you want to get away from the heat elsewhere.
- posted by Jake @ 2:25 PM

 
Yesterday was Poya, or Full Moon day. There is a national holiday on every full moon and this time, a huge parade was organised in Cinnamon Gardens (the posh part of Colombo). Dancers, fire-spinners, acrobats, men on stilts, masked demons and a hundred or so elephant paraded past thousands of people sitting along the streets.

I watched with a couple of Danish girls I have met, just along from where the President was seated. She had been whisked in by an armed escort (essential company for a woman who has already survived one assassination attempt). I managed to snap a poorly lit photo of her official vehicle to fuel Dad's number plate passion. He will be pleased.

I plan to upload some photos/movies of the parade later.
- posted by Jake @ 10:10 AM

 
Walking off the plane into a new country is one of my favourite moments. The air, heat (or cold), smell, scenery and state of the vehicles/buildings combine to give you an immediate taste of what is to come.

The Lonely Planet said that a bus to Colombo left every 30 minutes from the airport. To get to the bus (turning left, not right as instructed in the LP) I had to battle past a dozen or more taxi touts recommending I take their private-hire vehicle (at 1,500 Rupees versus 80 for the bus).

“Taxi air-conditioned.”
“Bus very slow.”
“Independence day today – maybe no buses.”

The advice flowed. True, I had arrived 56 years to the day after Britain gave the then Ceylon independence. But surely it was no reason to suspend airport buses? I stood my ground and eventually the touts admitted “OK, you can take the bus to Colombo” and pointed me to the unmarked bus parked up on the grass. It left in 20 minutes. I felt assured by my first negotiation victory.

Colombo is hot and hectic. The streets and markets alive with traders, shoppers, touts, three-wheelers, lorries and buses. The air thick with exhaust fumes and constant hooting of horns.

I am pleased to have met three Slovenian backpackers on the bus with whom I sought out a hotel. At 350Rp per night (180 to £1) it is budget but good value – the room has a fan and en-suite bathroom.

We dumped our rucksacks and found a restaurant jammed with locals (a good sign that the food should be safe to eat). We pick and mix between the variety of very alien looking delights presented before us and enjoy the majority, although I wonder how long I (and my stomach) can tolerate food 3 times a day with this much chilli! Money won’t be a problem though – the bill came to 21Rp per head (less than the price of an egg in the UK).
- posted by Jake @ 4:55 PM