Saturday 26th October 2024

Ragu did arrive overnight, and it was so lovely to see him this morning. Of all the people I have met in Sri Lanka, my heart has gone out to these three brothers - and particularly to Daya - more than anyone. I think I established a closeness to Daya during my first trip to Sri Lanka in 2019 that has endured anything that circumstances or time have thrown at us, and my loyalty to him and his two brothers is undiminished, and will remain so.

We enjoyed a swim in the pool together before a good breakfast in the restaurant. Ragu had then arranged for Mithun, a friend of his in Batticaloa, to drive us to Pasikudah Beach, which I have to say was a completely sensational experience, and hard to describe in words. It was possibly the highlight of my visit to Sri Lanka this time. Sadly, as we were relaxing in the beautiful, shallow waters of this amazing bay, we have few photographs of this experience - only beautiful memories!

A trip to Batticaloa Lighthouse followed, and we got on a boat for a one-hour trip around the lagoon, which turned out to be another highlight of this trip (two in one day!), but not for the reasons one might expect! We were delighted that a father and his two sons were able to join us on the boat, as the capacity was 8 passengers, and we were only a group of 5, so a family who couldn't afford the expense of the trip were able to join in with us.

Daya had anticipated that it would be an amazing sunset cruise, but the further into the boat trip we got, the darker the skies became, until they sent the full force of a torrential downpour on us, which was incredibly dramatic, and actually made it an experience that none of us will ever forget! We had to get off the boat before the end of the trip and take shelter in a Christian shrine, where some local people helped us to get our car, so that we could return home!

Today's photos show the morning swim and breakfast, with, sadly, too few of our amazing experience at Pasikudah Beach (I am the tiny dot that you can see in the distance above Valerie's head), and then some photos from our very dramatic boat trip, none of which seem to do justice to the incredible time that we experienced today! 













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