Day 2 in Sri Lanka and we are making the journey across the island to Aragum Bay. We start up early in the morning about 8am. Still a little bleary eyed after jet lag and the Sri Lankan wedding most were roomed above went on until the early hours. Squeezing 21 of us plus the almighty stack of board bags onto the bus and we are off.

 

Roadside truck... where in the world?!!

It’s my first time to Sri Lanka and like many places in the tropics – Bali, Vietnam, some spots in Mexico etc it has a very similar feel – and smell!! It’s nice to be back, for the last few years I have travelled to ‘safe’ places- the States, Lanzarote, etc where everything is easy and fairly comfortable. I like places like Sri Lanka as it makes life that bit more interesting and gets you out of the comfort zone.

There is much to see along the way. Like the places, the people are so interesting. Everyday expressions worn on beautiful faces, often with such intensity at the smallest of movements. Despite the lack of sleep taking it’s toll the assault on my eyeball’s keeps me awake – yanking open the window to try and capture another colourful roadside situation.

 

 

Bus queue from the passing bus!!

 

 

 

 

Nelly the Elephant??

The bus journey is long – about 10 hours, so we make a couple of stops, for some fresh fruit by the road side and then for food in a Safari hotel just outside the National Park we have to cross. Once we hit the road again it isn’t long before one of the girls (possibly Lucy!!) explodes with excitement at the wild Elephant by the side of the road. Not often do you get to see animals in their natural habitat these days. The have to be kept out of the villages by electric fencing as humans have encroached on their land and thus they come searching for food in the settlements. After a couple of sightings we manage to wangle our way off the bus and over by the fence where the Elephant obliges us by coming within 6ft of us and our thrown bananas.

 

 

A new way of riding the bus!

After about 8hours onboard we really have gone stir crazy. The long journey to London from Cornwall, 11hrs flying and a day on a bus have taken their toll. After some classic games of snap, some of the guys and girls get up to some bus surfing along the windy mountain roads… pretty interesting with all the near miss driving (I will be hearing a horn in my sleep I am sure!!). Still it puts a smile on the faces of partakers and audience and before we know it we are being dropped of in Aragum bay at the hotels… everyone is frothing on the dawny tomorrow… shooo hooo bring on the surf!!