Sri Lanka 5

Ok chaps, been a bit busy over the last week or so as I ve been on tour around the whole of the south and middle of the island and got to see a whole heap of stuff.  

To give a full account would take an age, fill a book and probably bore you stupid, so, I don’t intend to do this, but to give an indication of some of the activities they include a half day safari in both the Yalla national park and again in the adjoining bird sanctuary, a visit to a wood carving centre, a gem museum, a trip through the mountains in an old train, a visit to a tea plantation and factory, a guided tour of a spice garden ( the demonstration park attached to a huge plantation of mainly homeopathic spices and plants), various botanical gardens, a trip to see the biggest Buddha statue on the island     ..........pause for breath......... various museums, two of the great ancient cities of Asia, fantastic beaches, the world famous city of Kandy, including an evening of traditional dance and fire walking, waterfalls, caves, rock monuments  ..... and I have not sat on one single animal since the warning from the World Wildlife Fund, although I did cause a poor bull to pull a cart for a few miles with me on board, and also had a young man canoe me across a lake.

I ve also got a few more chums to demonstrate support for the Bluebirds, sampled a huge range of local cooking, some of which I have also been able to either watch being prepared and some I ve even been lucky enough to join in with, in kitchens ranging from hotels to open fires in mud huts, and helped the local economy by consuming copious quantities of Lion lager at £1 -£1.50 per pint

There is a very strong armed forces presence on the island, a hangover from the 26 year armed struggle that ended very bloodily nearly four years ago, with the government annihilation of the hierarchy of the Tamil Tigers and I have had a couple of encounters with them myself.

 I was threatened with arrest for asking a machine gun toting soldier to pose for a photo, not the done thing! ... and I didn t even ask him to strike the CCFC pose

I enjoyed a night with a battalion of very drunk soldiers who were in our hotel celebrating their return from three months special forces jungle training. Despite the fact that the biggest guy was only about five foot tall, they could probably all have killed me with a banana leaf, but were more intent on having their picture taken with ‘Mr Mike sir’, plying me with local firewater, called Arak, which I would only recommend for cleaning rust off things, and nicking my Marlboro. They sang songs to me, I gave them a verse  of Sospan Fach, and that was it, they wanted me to join them for a another  night out, which I politely declined, even though two of them wanted me to marry their sisters!!

The third encounter started a little more bizarrely. On the way to see Sri Lankas highest waterfall, we ran into a road block and could see, what we thought were, armed police in attendance. We had pulled up behind a tarpaulin covered truck, suddenly we heard gunfire and then first one and then a second rifle barrel poked out of the rear of the truck pointing at me and Edward!!!!!  A huge truck behind us prevented any evasive action and for a few seconds we both wondered if this was going to be a bad day.

 As we sat there agog, an extremely aggressive Sergeant major type chap came to the back of the truck and started unceremoniously yanking  young trainees out of the back of the wagon and throwing them, very roughly, into the culvert on the side of the road in front of us. The two who had taken aim at us met with particularly strong rebuke

 It was a training exercise, (mid afternoon in the middle of the main road !!), we presumed, and judging from the state of the trainees, who I can only liken to a cross between petrified boy scouts and Mr Bean, I hope it was.

Sri Lanka 4

                                                      

Leaving  port on a powerful pleasure boat at dawn sounds idyllic. Tackling an 8 foot swell however, changes your mind pretty quickly and with a 2 hour journey ahead the casualties came thick and fast. The biggest Chinese guy I have ever seen lasted 15 mins before his breakfast reappeared and he spent the next 4 ½ hours talking to a carrier bag, chameleon- like, changing  from yellow to green and back again.

The rules of whale watching are pretty easy. Twelve or fifteen boats, ranging from small fishing ribs to a huge naval tug, corral in a circle about half a mile wide, some 18 miles off shore, just beyond the international shipping lanes. Everyone is on the lookout  for a tell tale puff of spray as Mr Whale pops up for breath and with the first sighting a huge cry goes up and all hell breaks loose as simultaneously everyone sets off at full speed towards the unsuspecting giant.

 I am sure that I have read or heard of the blue whale’s ability to pick up fellow whales calls from the other side of the planet that being the case, our little flotillas excited reaction to his arrival probably scared him half to death.

If you are lucky enough to be aboard one of the closest, or fastest vessels,  you get to see the crest of the back of this huge beast cruise gracefully through the waves during the 3 or 4 mins it takes him to recharge before heading down to the depths for another half an hour. If not, you charge all the same, resigned to the fact that you will not be winning an international wildlife photography prize this time, and hope you are in a more fortunate starting position for the next appearance.

The grail here is to see, or better still, try and take a photo or video of, his enormous tail as he dives, but the odds are against you. Not only is the boat rocking and rolling as it powers ever closer, but also the photographic vantage points are limited and the best ones have been reserved, since we set out from port, by people who  guard them jealously.

 Additionally, in this instance, size really matters! My camera was purchased with a round the world trip in my mind, robust, compact and multipurpose but certainly not specifically for wildlife photography. Whereas every male Japanese passenger on board has a telephoto lens like a downpipe on a bungalow with which they could probably have seen the tail from shore, in fact one guy, who also had a tripod and rucksack full of photographic gizmos, could probably have seen it from Japan!!

We were quite lucky to have sighted 4 whales on our excursion, two of which we were close enough to see without squinting, and, although it won t win a prize, I got a two second video clip of a tail majestically arch out of the sea      ..........................    RESULT!!!!  An awesome experience, but I’m afraid that the technicalities of getting the clip on here at the moment means that you will have to wait for the evidence.                                

At the end of the day I can liken it to watching a Welsh forward, at the other end of a pre floodlight Twickenham fall over the line for a try. I had no idea who scored or even what had happened, but I saw something through the gloom that delighted me and remember it, cos I was there.

Sri Lanka 3

Sri Lanka (part 3)

(I never intended this to be a  Sri Lankan guide book, as such, any places I visit that I do not give sufficient detail about, and that you want to know more about, please check out on line)

So the tour begins with a long drive down the left hand side of the island, from Negambo, skirting Colombo, to Galle.

 In the UK, you leave a city, population thins out and then you encounter intermittent towns, villages etc interspersed with countryside. On this side of Sri Lanka (SL) the roads are almost entirely populated.

As I have not been off the main road I have no idea how far back these extend, but you never seem to lose roadside existence selling all sorts of goods from a multitude of sales facilities - concrete garages, corrugated sheeted huts or just boxes supported by sticks. You also never lose the ubiquitous stray dogs, many of which sleep in the carriage way and shuffle out of the way with every passing car. The lack of canine roadkill  however suggest they have become pretty adept at their work.

 

First stop a turtle farm, a few huts and concrete vats, hidden from view by thick undergrowth, on the edge of a beach This was a hands on encounter with baby turtles, produced from eggs sold by local fishermen who stalk the visiting female turtles, dig up their eggs and sell what they can’t eat, or profit from, to the volunteer farm, who then incubate the eggs, and a few weeks later, release the hatchlings into the sea. Its great work but truly primitive surroundings.

 Later I took a 4 hour boat trip around a colossal coastal inlet housing some 200 small ‘islands’, most of which are clumps of impenetrable mangrove roots, but some, which clogged with mud and vegetation thousands of years ago, established themselves sufficiently to have become small land masses and a few are inhabited.

 

i visited an iisland where a family live with no electricity, a small spring for water and a mud hut for shelter. They produce cinnamon from their island trees as their descendants have done as far back as they can recall They have mesmerising knife skills which they delight in demonstrating, as they shred the scented bark and pack it into lengths for drying. It is utterly charming, everything being done with a huge smile and genuine appreciation that you have visited.

I am well aware that I have taken a lot of time describing two relatively minor events but these were two most memorable encounters and I felt very much worthy of recording.

I don t think you can properly comment on this area  of SL without making reference to the Tsunami of 2004, when, without warning, a wave of up to 30 feet smashed into the coast and drove inland as far as 3km.

The quality of the vast majority of the housing in the affected area was designed to withstand rain and stood no chance against the wave. Look at a map and realise that it impacted for over a hundred miles of coastline. To the west of Galle, (where 40 school children died in the town bus station), and to the east of Yala National Park, (where 47 Japanese tourists were swept to their deaths), the impact was massive and devastating. 

As you drive the coast road there are still hundreds of properties that have, even now, not been rebuilt and they stand derelict and salt stained,  9 years has seen a clean up of the majority of the initial devastation but it still haunts this area and its population, especially as it is so dependant on the sea for its existence.

Sri Lanka 2

Sri Lanka 2

 

First stop Negambo, a beach resort 10 miles or so north of the airport. As can be seen it is a picture postcard paradise beach and if you pay the £300+ a day, the hotel service is is to die for too. As with all of the reorts there is a top level that is fabulous, but what most people then see is just their resort and maybe a trip out to see something staged for the wealthy tourist.

My plan was always to try and have a look at the country a little less 'sanitized' shall we say.

To be honest walking into the hotels as if you are a resident rarely leads to a problem, pay cash to avoid the room number embarassment if you need anything, get a few names of staff to drop the next time and tip people, this way if you do want a bit of the high life its there for you, alternatively, there is normally a local access and just walk up the beach. Its the same sand, sea and view!!

However, there is going local and going local, as I discovered with my first nights accomodation. I d arrived late and only wanted to get to a bar where I could watch the France v Wales game so I was not really aware of where I was and had not even seen the rooms, just dropped my stuff and gone out.

As I sat on the patio with Sunni, the 70 year old, disabled servant that lived there rent free, in exchange for his janitorial skills, and asked what the strange high pitched shrieks coming from the garden borders two feet away, were, maybe bats?.... or some sort of strange bird?.... he grinned flashing his two remaining yellow teeth and told me they were mating rats!! All of a sudden the lack of a proper lock on my door, suspect wiring that sparked and crackled, broken shower, ants, lizards and mosquitos in my room were the least of my worries.........I moved next morning.

Next stop the strangely named Coconut Primative. A super small hotel/restaurant owned by the landlord of the bar/restaurant (where I had seen the rugby). Great double studio room ( approx £16 pn), good food from between £4 - £10 (if you push out the boat for lobster) and Lion lager at just over £1 for a large bottle ....... result

A couple of days chilling out,  mainly due to Edwards' wife being taken ill, so suffered the beach, bar, etc and then a brilliant visit to an elephant orphanage

 

Tomorrow I start a 15 day tour of the island and can't wait

 

Sri Lanka 1

                                       Sri Lanka (Part 1)

A 7 and a half hour flight with the ever reliable Emirates, including a stop over in the impressive Maldives, whisks you, in some ways, from the 21st century back to the stone age.

I arrived at Clombo airport in an electrical storm where a cloud burst had transformed the airport bus station/ taxi rank into a boating lake. Probably twenty young barefooted boys offered to carry my bag, get me a taxi or have me adopt them, but they all smiled and didn t really pester me once told firmly that I had someone looking after me, deciding to pounce on the next arrival to the 'circus'.

My contact, Edward, reversed his car up to me, popped the boot and off we went for a life changing experience in a motor vehicle.

I am aware that my blog is fast becoming a commentary on other countrys' transport systems but you have gotta see this to believe it!!

With a few exceptions, the heavily potholed roads are very badly, but mostly not lit. At all hours of the day they are chock a block with most forms of trasport that the human race has used since the invention of the wheel. I kid you not I have seen a Ferrari (only the one!) and I have seen a man on a bull.

Overtaking can be on either side, double overtaking is the norm ie a bus overtakes a van and a car overtakes the the bus at the same time on a two lane unlit road, into oncoming traffic.

There are more stunt motor bike and pushbike drivers than at an Evil Kenevil convention. They are rarely lit and will have up to 4 people on board and dart in and out of the traffic, travelling which ever direction on the road that suits them and occasionally you also notice the passenger on the motorbike has his hand out behind him and he will be towing his friend on a pushbike behind them at breakneck speed.

I guess only 1 in 10 will have a helmut, no one wears protective clothing

And .......... every one with a horn blows it at every opportunity.

 Add to this mix what appears to be a million tuk tuks, (a moped with a corrugated shed on the back, a sort of speedy motorised rickshaw taxi), tractors and other farm machinery,  stray dogs that dare you to drive at them and every roadside looking like the Millenium Stadium has just emptied its capacity of pedestrians onto the road, they try, often unsuccessfully, to stay off the carriage way causing the whole traffic line to 'conga' like a demented Chinese dragon

And then it pours down with rain    ..........    maaaaaan!!

Just had to get that off my chest, interesting stuff will follow .........

Dubai 2

                                                           

I am nearly finished here as it was a whistle stop visit to friends who have been fantastic and a big thank you to Gary, Sarah, Lauren and Max    xxx

I ve managed a 3 hour guided tour of Dubai by mini bus, however I was booked on the Indian tour and myself and 13 Indians set off complete with Bangra music and full Urdu commentary!!
 They were great fun and I even managed to get two of them to learn how to 'do the Ayatollah', .... for non Cardiffians, the tapping of the head salute immortalised by rugby player Gareth Thomas as his try scoring celebration but initially the trade mark of Cardiff City supporters, ...  although only one of my new chums would be photographed doing it

Also....a visit to both the Dragon Mall and the Dubai Mall, a trip up the Burj Khalifa, evening dinner in the shadow of the illuminated Burj Khalifa watching the fountain displays, a journey the whole length of the extremely impressive Dubai metro that affords an elevated view of the city, a drive around the Jumeira Palm resort and all of the premier hotels, a boat trip around the Creek, the original port area upon which the original city was founded, a stroll through the old Souks (market stall type trade areas that have existed since Dubai came into being as a trade centre) and a major highlight, a desert safari.

A desert safari is madness! A 20 minute drive in a powerful 4x4 land cruiser up, down and across massive sand dunes, some at nearly 90 degrees angle where you feel that the laws of physics dictate that you must topple over and die!!
This is followed by a, thankfully, brief camel ride before entering into an 'ancient' oasis type camp where you are fed, watered, entertained by dancers and musicians and tempted to hand over the contents of your wallet in exchange for a photograph with a falcon, a henna tatoo, carpets, rugs, hubbly bubbly pipes or best of all cold Heineken .....oh yes
As night falls you realise where you are and.... yes....back over the sand in the dark, but this time something of a more friendly route
A must if you get here, but remeber to take a fleece!

So with regret, goodbye Dubai as I put myself back in the capable hands of Emirates ...........next stop Sri Lanka

A few photos .........

 

Dubai 1

                                     First stop  ...... Dubai

 

Nothing can prepare you for Dubai!!

 

A super seven and a half hour flight spent listening to all my favourite old music, (the classic album selection being one of the many hundreds of channels available to every passenger) lovely food and a comfy seat, courtesy of Emirates, bought me to Dubai, totally chilled out with no real idea what to expect.

But,....once you leave the bright, airy, spotless airport, buckle up for the wackiest break neck, seat of the pants ride of your life!!  

Forget speed limits, lane discipline, signalling, courtesy and expect up to six lanes of speeding mayhem. You are as likely to be overtaken as undertaken and it may be a motorbike carrying a wardrobe or a race tuned Aston Martin, it's totally bonkers and not for the faint hearted and certainly not for anyone who gets wound up by other road users.

 

You feel very safe here, nearly everybody can speak English, it is spotlessly clean, has stunning beaches, no graffitti, no beggars, no drunks, no insects, the weather is fab (26 degrees), transport is cheap and efficient and you can eat here as a visitor quite cheaply as food can be from a few pence for local curry in the old town, conversely you can live the indulgent dream where hotel rooms, some even available underwater, cost up to £10,000 a night, and some of the worlds best chefs will feed you for £1000 a course. 

 

The biggest and best of everything is what they aappear to have set out to achieve and they seem to be succeeding. Shopping malls that completely dwarf anything that I have seen even in America - Dubai Mall is the biggest in the world, Dragon Mall is a maze of mainly small Chinese shops that snakes for over a kilometre selling everything from toothpicks to chandeliers the size of a VW Golf .
The worlds biggest fountains at Dubai Mall, they eclipse The Bellagio in Vegas, the worlds highest concentration of sky scrapers and not forgetting the worlds tallest building, the Burj Khalifa

This is not a guide book and there are plenty of descriptions, facts and figures relating to this incredible feat of engineering and construction available. From a visitors perspective, it is awesome although at floor 124 there are still another 30 plus floors above the public access platform!!

 

 

 

I'm Leaving

                                                           IMPORTANT ANNONCEMENT

                                                       !! Big Mike is now officially On Tour !!

After all the thinking, planning, phone calls, meetings etc etc today I go, albeit only to London, but to get the early morning departure to Dubai, Phase 1 of the Big Tour

Thanks to everyone for their support and good wishes and especially those that made Saturday night memorable at the Griff

More to follow over the next couple of months and I ll try to keep up with correspondence

BMoT