Sunday 3rd November 2019

This was one of my most exhausting days in Sri Lanka so far! I was up at 05:00, as I wanted to get the earliest bus I could to Kandy, where I was due to meet Daya at 10.00. I finished my packing and skipped breakfast, but Rachelle was up just before I left, so I said a final farewell to her. She has been a perfect housemate and I will miss her very much. 

 The first bus to Kandy left at 06.50 and I then spent 12 hours travelling on three different buses to Kalmunai, along some of the most awful roads I have travelled along, arriving there just after 19.00. Having checked into our hotel, an interesting little establishment called 'Sea Breeze', we then went straight to the beach, where I thoroughly enjoyed a paddle in the Indian Ocean. It felt so good to be here at last! It was a very warm, humid evening and the water felt so good on our feet.

I am now entering a second phase of my work in Sri Lanka, which I have very much been looking forward to. I am going to be involved with Tea Leaf Vision’s partnership with Sri Lanka Unites, an organisation promoting peace-building and reconciliation across the country (see http://www.globalunites.org/sri-lanka-unites). I understand Sri Lanka was the first country to form this organisation that now exists in many countries across the world. I will be accompanying Daya as he visits Sri Lanka Unites Youth Reconciliation Centres in some of the nine provinces across the country, observing the teachers working in each Reconciliation Centre.

Today's photos are from a little break I had in Kandy, having a morning drink by the lake. There are also photos of my lovely travelling companion Daya and my first view of the delightfully named 'Sea Breeze' hotel. 















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