Sunday 14th January 2024

Firstly, can I say a huge thank you to everyone who is putting comments on my blog, as this helps me to feel connected with people back home, and I appreciate it enormously! Secondly, this blog is tricky! Some days I feel not much happens, and then on other days there is so much to tell you about - and show you in the photographs. This trip to Norwood is one of those occasions, because it has been awesome - my best days in Sri Lanka so far.

I left Blackpool at 07:30 and I went into Nuwara Eliya thinking I would get a haircut before travelling, but it was too early, so I just took the bus to Hatton and got a haircut there (very enjoyable, as it comes with a VERY vigorous head massage!). I then caught the Maskeliya bus, getting off at Norwood. I met two people I know on the bus - Nilanga's mother from The Riverside, where I stay in Maskeliya, and Ayesha, who works for Tea Leaf Centre Maskeliya!

I got off the bus and was immediately recognised by a tuk-tuk driver who took me to Daya's house (so many people seem to recognise me - I must have that sort of white face!). Daya was still away filming, so I spent a fabulous afternoon visiting Gartmore Falls with his brother Ragu and Rasi, and a few of their friends - Afwaj, Arjun, and Vino, who drove the tuk-tuk. It was one of my most memorable times in Sri Lanka, and the photographs simply don't do it justice!

Back to Daya's house, and he eventually finished filming, and joined us around 20:00 for some birthday celebrations. It was so lovely to see him again, as he is the person who I am closest to in Sri Lanka. He is a hugely complex, maverick person, but someone I have really grown to love over the past 4 years. There are so many lovely people here to love, and I just felt so at home at Daya's place, surrounded by much love and affection from everyone.

Today's photographs show the barber and his father outside their shop at the bus station in Hatton, Nilanga's mother and Ayesha on the bus, just a few from the amazing trip to Gartmore Falls, and Daya and Rasi's birthday celebrations. They share the same birthday - so Daya was 31 on 10th January, and Rasi was 25. They have a tradition - like we do at weddings with the bride and groom - of feeding each other the birthday cake on their birthdays!














Comments

  1. CharlesJanuary 19, 2024 at 11:30 PM

    Wow, Keith, that is some tree you are trying to push over!

    ReplyDelete

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