Sunday 6th October 2024

I stayed up until 02:00 unpacking and sorting stuff out, then still got up at 09:30. Valerie was far more sensible - going to bed early and not getting up until 11:00. I don't know if it was the excitement of being here, but it will sure catch up with me one day soon! Having not seen our local surroundings in the dark last night, we were both thrilled to find that the lovely two-bedroomed apartment that has been provided for us, is also in a gorgeous location.

Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed when I woke up this morning was that there was no electricity, and the power cut lasted all day until around 17:30. We found out later that power cuts only happen on Sundays here in Kurunegala - and not every Sunday - so today was our unlucky day, and a stark reminder of one of the most frustrating things for local people, as these power cuts in Sri Lanka have gone on for months - if not years - now.

Tharika and Evinka arrived around 13:30 and Valerie then had the excitement of her first ever tuk-tuk ride, as we were dropped off by the lake - at the Seasons Hotel, where I stayed for 9 nights in February, so that I could show Valerie where I had been living. We walked around the lake, but Valerie was struggling, as the 11-hour flight has left her with a very bad back, so we gave up on the walk eventually, and settled for a pot of coffee by the lake.

We got a tuk-tuk back to our lovely apartment, and our neighbour, Razeena, invited us in for a cup of tea and some home-made ladu, a sweet treat that I normally love, but I had to restrict myself to one, so that I don't undo the past 6 months of hard work to get my weight down. I was pretty exhausted by the end of today - hardly surprising - and I struggled to get my first blog entry and diary sorted out before we finally collapsed after our first full day in Kurunegala!

Today's photos are just a few of the lovely apartment and its outlook. This is going to be our home for the next two months, and we both feel hugely grateful that we are being treated so well here.







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