Sri Lanka 2006 part one

This post should have been before Costa Rica. But hey, I'm not perfect and the memory is getting a little slow. This was my second Habitat GV trip after Portugal and before Costa Rica. Again these ramblings are taken from emails sent to my then partner (little did I know, she didn't read them as she didn't really care where I was, what I was doing or why I was doing it. When asked if she wanted to look at the photographs from the trip, responded  "If you have seen one mud hut you have seen them all") Such is life, note: I did say "then partner" = "now ex partner".

So this is Sri Lanka 2006 part one.


Day One

Colombo Airport,. Located a taxi with no trouble, not quite Gatwick. Arrived at the hotel and was pleasantly surprised. Set right on the beach. Not what I was expecting. After checking in I took a walk along the beach fending off the traders along the way.

 

Met the group for dinner, great bunch, I'm the granddad of the team. Had few beers afterwards and off to bed.

Day Two

Day two started with breakfast and check out. Loaded all our luggage into a truck and thankfully we got to ride in an air-conditioned mini bus. The trip took 5 hours up to Dambulla. Stopping for lunch on the way. It's just one big game of chicken on the roads here. Bikes, motorbikes, buses, trucks all vying for the open space on the road. But we made it. Again a pleasant surprise. The MPS Village as it is known is a bunch of chalets as we would call them, set around the side of a lake.

Being the granddad of the team has its benefits, I get a room to myself. One of the Irish contingent got food poisoning before he was due to leave so couldn't make it.

I'm now back in my room under my mozzy net. This afternoon has been absolutely amazing. We went to the village where we will be working. The villagers put on a fantastic welcome for us, kids dancing and singing, speeches from the local dignitaries. The thing that made it for me was the fact that these are real people showing thanks and appreciation for the help we bring. Not just a bunch of people putting on a show for the tourists. I can't express exactly how I feel but it was very emotional.

 

From there we went to the town to stock up on beer as the place we are staying has no licence. (well you have to don't you) This little trip took over an hour due to the congestion on the roads. Yesterday and today are holidays because it's a full moon (any excuse)

 

Dinner was very western but we have been told from now on it is Sri Lanken food. The owner of this place used to live in the USA so western it was, with chips.

As the weeks pass I will tell you about the team. So far they appear to be a great bunch. John the 21 year old American is the group comedian. (and he's good at it) has us in stitches.

So after dinner the drinkers amongst us had few beers on the terrace and now it's bed time. I will catch up with you tomorrow.

Day Three

Day three, first full day working with the families. The group has split into three as there are three sites to work on. I am with Patrick the Irish Guy. We were left at a site with no translator (great fun). We soon managed to understand each other (that's the Sri Lankens not Patrick and I) I still can't understand Patrick.

We mixed mortar and laid blocks alongside the home owners. It took the morning for a relationship to build but when it did it was just something really special. Buddika (the son of the family for whom we are building a house) is great. his wife and mother made tea and cakes (not as we would know them). They also carry bricks and mix mortar, there is no sexism here, not at least when it comes to the work load.

Buddika and his wife

I have never seen or imagined the poverty that these people suffer. I say suffer but they are so happy. The children are not educated as they work on the family farm and education costs money. They live in mud houses with fires inside to cook on and all live in one room. The last time I saw something like this, it was in a book about the Saxons or stone age.

It gets a bit embarrassing when they offer us food as we believe we are taking food from their mouths. But they are so happy to make these offerings and so pleased when we accept. I suppose the only consolation is that their larder is growing all around them in the jungle. Pick it or pull it out of the ground, it will be fresh.

Today we had these cake like poppadoms and when asked how they were made we got a whole demonstration. Then they gave us a fruit called Baraka or Jack fruit as we have learnt it is also called. They had a little joke as when you touch this stuff before you eat it, your fingers stick together like supper glue. (very funny) then they explained how to eat it, Patrick and I decided that it tasted like every fruit we could name. But when you dip this stuff into salt water, wow, the taste just explodes in your mouth, unbelievable.

Aside from the eating, and drinking tea without milk, they are astounded we drink it without sugar but it tastes great, but then it should I suppose as this a great tea growing country. We did actually do some work. We raised the level of the house by 8 rows of blocks. I think they were impressed. Even the old granddad (I placed him at about 70 years old) who was building with us had a smile by late afternoon. (found out later he is 4 years younger than me). If I had spent my life living like this guy I would probably look about 170. (no comment from those of you who know me)

 The Mason

Lunch back at the village we are staying in was again superb. Fish curry and rice with potatoes curry and poppadoms and chutney. Tonight was another Sri Lanken dish (fish for me. They are looking after me already)

The personalities are really beginning to develop in the group, I haven't laughed so much in a long time. We have a teacher who brought games for us to play including crosswords. Well that was a conversation killer. Some of us slipped out for a beer. I don't think she was offended.

As I have a room to myself, I have put the mattress from the other bed on my bed to raise it above the foot board. I didn't sleep to well last night.

Day Four 

Still no Internet. But then I am working in the jungle, what did I expect. Today has been hot and hard-work. The house Patrick and I are working on is apparently the one that will be finished and dedicated by the time we leave. Once again the hospitality has been exceptional. We drank coconut milk directly from the coconut after Buddika hacked the top off. Every time someone came out of the jungle they had a new fruit for us to try. For some reason they dip most fruit in a salt solution but it certainly does something for the taste.

Unfortunately I cant remember the names of all these things. I should try to write it down but all day you are covered head to toe in red dust and dirt. Again building alongside the villagers has become so interesting, we communicate with sign language and a few words we have picked up in Sinhalese and a few they have learnt in English. We are teaching each other, (still can't understand Patrick). We sift sand, move bricks and make mortar. Lay bricks and keep the (old boy) never did get to know his name, such a shame, fed with bricks as he appears to be the mason on site. Buddika was running around organising things (I think).

The food at the hotel/village is wonderful. Lunch today was rice with devilled cuttlefish. Also a couple of veg curies to go with it. I'm sure I will put on weight.

We haven't had dinner yet as we are in town. I hopped I would find an Internet cafe but no such luck.

As it is Patrick and I are working together on one site, I am getting to know him quite well. We only come into contact with the others at lunch, breakfast and in the evening. But they still seem like a great bunch of people. So different from the Portugal team. Not better, just different.

James is a very quiet American military student of 21. In many ways he appears to be very reserved and not willing to open up, but I think given time we can work on him. He has been on loads of Habitat builds in the USA as they have a club within the college that organises week trips throughout the year. I will tell you more about him when I find out more.

I am under my mozzy net and ready to go to sleep. The battery is also going down on the laptop so I had better put it on charge............