Thursday 24th October 2024

We had another very early start at school, with both of us observing the first lesson of the day, which starts at the unbelievable time of 07:35. I got caught up with the IT team mid-morning, as I have been having problems syncing my laptop with my phone. They spent ages trying to fix it, but did manage to in the end, which I as very grateful for, as it is often very useful for me to be able to access my documents, including my latest photographs, on my phone.

We finished at 11:30 this morning, as Nilanga was picking us up at 12:00 to drive us to Batticaloa for a long weekend with Daya, and his two brothers, Ragu, and Rasi. It was a surprisingly pleasant journey, with a stop for a delicious lunch at Tropical Village, where they serve a buffet style lunch at a very reasonable price. Buffets can be a bit tricky for me, as it is tempting to eat too much, so I had to try to rein myself in a bit, and not overdo it.

Travelling through the forest, we saw a large number of monkeys on the way, as well as a surprising number of elephants, including one actually on the road, which can be very dangerous - both for the traffic, and, of course, for the elephant itself! We passed lakes where we saw elephants bathing, and at one point we saw a huge group of eagles near a railway line. We were both delighted to have witnessed such amazing wildlife at first hand.

We arrived at Riviera Resort shortly before 18:30, with Daya appearing very soon afterwards. It was so lovely for me to see him again, and for Valerie to meet him for the first time. We sat chatting over a beer in the bar area, then had a simple Sri Lankan dinner in the restaurant. Ragu and Rasi, Daya's two younger brothers, both arrive separately tomorrow, so we are looking forward to that. They spend very little time together, so it should be great fun for them.

Today's photos are just from our journey to Batticaloa today. The ones of the elephants aren't great, as we were not so close to them, but I have still included them.