Stargazer4moon's blog: "It depends on what occurs on the way."

I should write things as they happen or the events are gone for good a few days later which is why I cannot do Trip Advisor reviews about events gone by.  We are finally back home and my word, I missed the window of oppurtunity to cut the grass which is not too bad considering it has not been cut for 3 weeks.  It is currently lashing down and the 20 shirts are currently drying in the conservatory, thanks to the dehumidifier. +++  Blast, make that 25 shirts, the washing machine is peeping at me to be emptied.

Well, it has been wet, I walked onto the front lawn to put slug bait down this evening and sank an inch into wet grass.  We left a wet Sri Lanka behind and flew over cloud once we had gone over Iran after changing planes at Dubai.  We left the hotel at 5am on Wednesday having spent our last day fully occupied.  I got to bed at 1.30am then got up at 3.30 to finish the packing of the final case which only required a few items including the wetbag.

Our taxi awaited outside the hotel foyer so we were soon loaded up and said our farewells, promising to return next year.

It was rather sweet our last supper at the hotel, the head chef came to the table and gave me a gift box with four chocolates in.  They are hand made at the hotel and I'm not sure if it is the lady chef that does it or the head chef himself.  There is an amazing salt carving that has won gold awards and it has pride of place above the salad bar.  It is amazing just how gifted the Sri Lankans are in respect of carving, it is not a huge island but there seems to be a saturation of people who can wittle away at something and just turn it into something beautiful.  I got the chef's name and address and will post him a book to read to his very cheeky young daughter.  The chocolates were given to my grumps amigo who was once a chocoholic of note but these days she just has the occasional binge due to a spreading midriff.  She was given them when she brought Hector back.

I shall try to go back in time now to our last day, Wednesday, which was action packed from breakfast right up to bedtime.  We got an early breakfast then tanned up to head down to the swimming pool.  I swam six lengths sunbathing in between every two lengths.  I found that if it went cloudy, as it did on several occasions, that if I went into the pool the sun came out just because I really should have put more sun tan lotion on.  It worked on the last two occasions but this time I was plastered in oils so did not burn and anyway, the sun did not shine.  After the swimming we changed into dirty beach clothes and went for a beach massage.

On our final massage I taught him a few refinements like washing hands after massaging a clients feet before massaging their face.  He obliged when he realised his errors.  I also told him to cover a ladies breasts whilst he is not massaging her top because it covers their modesty and prevents them feeling vulnerable should somebody barge into the room.  He again obliged.  Of course he massaged my head with me seated in a chair, that was something I had pointed out at the beginning and I tried to incorporate how to keep a woman's modesty covered whilst doing the head massage.  Finally, I told him that it was not normal practice for a masseur to stay whilst a client undressed or dressed and he left the room.  The massage was good but seemed rushed and when we went out it was apparent that he had clients waiting so our farewells were brief and life and living went on for him so that he would continue to eat after we had left the island. 

After a quick walk back to the room for a shower and change we went for lunch and then caught the tuk tuk with Harin driving down to Mount Lavinia.  It was a busy drive and a long one, about 90 minutes.  During the journey we were in contact with Ruwan, the young man we were meeting to say 'Farewell' to and have a drink and something to eat.  He ws stuck in a bus enroute just like we had been as there were some mega roadworks along the route, much needed road repairs. 

We arrived and parked up to see where Ruwan's girl friend was as she was meeting us because Ruwan was stuck in traffic.  Harin had been talking to Ruwan about where we were to meet and then to Ruwan's girlfriend.  We clambered back into the tuk tuk and Harin pulled the lever to start it and it went BANG.  It was broken so we had to push it along the road and find a repair place.  He did try bump starting it but that did not last long so we walked along the road to be met by a young man who was going to take us to Ruwan.  He was the boyfriend of Ruwan's girlfriend.  It turned out that Ruwan did not have a girlfriend but it was an easy way of explaining who we were actually talking to.

Harin disappeared down a roadway where a garage was located when we had found him.  We were just walking along with this young man who seemed very confident and pleasant and he explained that his girlfriend was at work still and had phoned him asking him to meet us and take us to Ruwan.  I got a little worried as we walked down back roads and then had to cross the railway tracks then contunue walking down the track to heaven knows where.  All the time he was chatting away and it occured to me that we could end up lost but we just kept following him like he was the Pied Piper.  He related the tale of how he was accosted by two Swiss girls whom he escorted to a party that they could not find and they all got so drunk that he could not remember getting home and that his girl friend was not at all amused even though it was all harmless couriering on his part.

Eventually we turned down a roadway and came to a dive of a bar where Ruwan was sitting.  The bar is a beach venue for the young of Mount Lavinia during the week-ends when the place is teeming with people which is how Ruwan came to be at the place, so he did not realise that they did not actually sell alcohol and that you had to bring your own.  Finally we were introduced to Leroy who Ruwan had never met before either as he only knew Leroy's girlfriend due to his work.  Leroy went for the drinks and was gone ages he came back with dark rum and some coke and the owner of the bar came up with a huge bottle of drinking water. 

We sat drinking beer that someone had purchased earlier then moved onto the rum, which is something I don't usually drink but it was quite pleasant with ice and coke.  All the time Leroy chatted away telling us about his girlfriend who was most possessive, actually they were engaged and it sounded like she was an alcoholic who flirted with everyone but did not like Leroy talking to any girls.  That sounded like a relationship not make in heaven.  His girlfriend, as he called her, kept phoning and finally admited that she was still at work and too frightened to come and meet us so he finally pursuaded her that we were nice people and to come to the bar.

There was a lull in conversation whilst Leroy went off to get something else and I wondered over to the fence in order to get a glimpse of the sun going down over the seas that were amazingly rough.  The winds had got up and Mount Lavinia is reknowned for being a rough resort swimming wise.  On the beach front I could actually see Mount Lavinia Hotel which we stayed in on our first visit to Sri Lanka in 2008,.  We were there for four nights at the beginning of the holiday before we did a week's tour around the island by bus.  It was an old hotel, very British or Colonial and the baths were amazing, enormous, you had to climb up a step to get into it.  There was no shower only a mixer tap on the bath.

That was then and in the now I took photos of it, then took some of the sun reflecting on the waters.  Then I was accosted by a man who wanted me to come and photograph his turtles along the beach so we started walking.  When I asked where the turtles were he pointed way along the beach and I did not think a good idea to go for such a long walk with a stranger yet again.  I turned as I heard my name called and three figures were standing at the fence of the beach bar looking veyr worried.  I made my excuses and headed back.  The man wanted some money in order to feed the turtles and so I asked the Man with the Limp for some money and gave it to the man who went off happy.

After drinking a fair amount I asked if the place did food and they did so I order some fish kebabs to feed us or we would have been under the table.  It was not much to look at when it arrived on a plate but it certainly went down well.  Finally Leroy's girlfriend arrived, a pretty young thing who looked high as a kite to begin with.  She hugged us and sat down to drink.  She told us when Leroy was not there that she had to go and see her ex-girlfriend and could not stay long.  She admitted that she was a lesbian and was experimenting with men.  Well, I wish her well but hope she does not mess someone else's life up in the process because marriage is a tricky thing to get out of.  Anyway, Leroy was planning to go to America which is where his girlfriend lived before her parents had abandoned her, those were her exact words. 

It sounded like she was looking for love somehow to make up for the abandonment and that is only natural.  She was a very beautiful young woman which probably accounted for the fact that she was a model.  We had to go then as it was 6pm, she had to go so she walked with us back along the road to the railway track.  We had said our farewells to Ruwan and Leroy leaving them there to finish the food and then go about their business.  Leroys girlfriend was very caring as she took us along the track up to the road.  Harin the driver had been down with us sitting with the bar owner once he had got the tuk tuk mended, so at least he had someone to talk to whilst he waited for us.

Leroy's girlfriend hugged and kissed us 'Goodbye' then went off on her way to meet her ex girl friend.  We got into the tuk tuk and head back to Kalutara and the hotel.  It was quieter on the roads by now as rush hour had eased off, it seems to be rush hour most of the day in Sri Lanka.  By the time we got back to the hotel it was pitch black of course because the sun goes down at 6pm and driving in the dark was no fun especially as it started to rain.  With some alcohol in the system the rain did not bother us much so we left the sides of the tuk tuk open, it was fleeting showers but had absolutely dropped down on two occasions which made the roads fill with water due to bad drainage.

We said our 'farewell's' to Harin then went for dinner which was a sad affair having to say 'Good bye' to so many people and it was nice that the head chef came over to actually say 'farewell' to us and thank us for staying at the hotel.  He told us to come again and gave me the chocolates.

That was the end of our last day and if this does not make much sense then it was because it was started yesterday.  I managed to get the grass cut late in the afternoon before it rained yet again and that was only the back lawn.  Today the front lawn has dried nicely and can be cut tomorrow.  Hector had a nice four mile walk with me today and has been acting most strangely since he has been back.  I need to get some sleep or I will die an early death according to health studies, ah but it has been a good life up until now and I hope it continues being thus. zzzzzzzzzzzzz