It is good to get out of Colombo. I am reminded once again how beautiful Sri Lanka is. We started out on Saturday, leaving Colombo around 2:00 and arriving in Haberana around 7:30. I had forgotten how exhausting travel can be, particularly when you have a fast driver. Our driver would pull out of the lane and race ahead of one or two cars and pull back into the correct lane. But each move was with a strong jerk of the wheel so that my back felt raw from sliding back and forth against the seat. Five of us plus the driver were in the van. SL is the only place I can sweat in an air conditioned car/van. I don’t know how but I do it on every trip. I always manage to get on the sunny side of the car. The last hour was the worst because it was dark and I hate traveling in the dark here because there are pedestrians walking on the road, bicyclists with no lights or reflectors on the road and an occasional cow or other animal. A bus literally ran us off the road at one point. We stayed at Chaya Village, a lovely spot surrounded by water in Haberana. I was done in by the time we arrived so I went to our room, showered and rested before dinner. I went straight to bed afterwards and slept in on Sunday. After a great Sri Lankan breakfast of string hoppers and chicken curry and a cup of halfway decent coffee, I grabbed my binoculars and headed for the lake. What a treat. There were about 100 monkeys in the area and they are always a delight to watch although I never get too close as they can get aggressive. I watched egrets, purple herons, yellow-wattled lapwings, black hooded oriole, and painted storks. On the way back to my room I saw an Asian Paradise Flycatcher for the first time. What a beauty with tail feathers longer than his body.

I joined Ron’s staff for lunch. They were spending the day in a training session, role playing how to give better service to the local authorities. Most resorts in Sri Lanka have alfresco dining with high ceilings with fans that help keep bugs away and make the heat tolerable. I will really miss dining outside. The food was great here as were the rooms. There were individual units, with a large bedroom and good size bathrooms. The buildings are almost always stucco in SL. In the afternoon I wrote postcards and got on the Internet to answer email. After working all week, the staff travels half of Saturday and worked all of Sunday. One person asked if they could walk down to the lake but unfortunately we were already late to travel to our next destination about 30 minutes away where there was to be a full TALG staff work planning session starting at 6:00 p.m. So we jumped into the van as soon as our luggage arrived and took off. As it was, some of the staff got lost (not all staff came by van) and the meeting didn’t start until 7:00, making for a late dinner. We went straight to our room after dinner and got ready for bed. Now we are in Dambulla at Amaya Lake, and it isn’t near as nice as Chaya Village but I would guess it isn’t near as expensive.

Today I had breakfast with Ron and some of the staff and afterwards headed for the lake with my binoculars. I watched a man weed eating and realized he is using a weed eater to mown the grounds here that are acres and acres. I took his photo that we will post when we return to Colombo. You may or may not be able to spy him in the photo but that was the point. It is a huge job, one that we would use a tractor or at least a riding mower for in the US. It is proof once again of how cheap labor it here. So I sat on a bench by the lake under the shade of a stand of trees and watched birds, people, butterflies and cows. I took a few photos. As I was sitting there I noticed a bullock carts heavy loaded with who knows what go by so jumped up and tried to get a photo. About an hour later I saw another one go by. It is like being in another century when you see that mode of transportation yet it is a common sight here. I usually don’t have my camera with me when I see one so felt fortunate today to see it.

Speaking of fortunate, there was another suicide bombing today on a naval convoy apparently in Habarana. The convoy was stopped for Tea, when an LTTE truck filled with explosives, rammed into the busses which were parked in a semi circle (side by side). Three busses were destroyed and 117 were killed and 100 injured. We were no where near it so don’t worry about us. Once again I need to say our palm reader in Bangkok said Ron and I would not die by accident and would live to until our 80’s or 90’s. Keep in mind that this is the same fellow who told us we would be moving to an island about four days after we found out that Ron had gotten this job! So I trust him on this one!!

After bird watching I went to the office to inquire about hiring a car so I could see some of the sights. I was quoted outrageous prices and told them no thanks. I then asked about Internet access and was told 30 rupees a minute. That translates to $18 an hour!!! That is even more offensive. The most I have ever paid is $6.00 an hour and usually you pay $0.50 to $1.00 an hour. I maybe could understand the prices if we were staying in a place that charges $200-$500. a night but this is not in that class. Next I need to find out what they charge for a Wi-Fi card where we use our own laptop. Hopefully it will be less.

I have spent the afternoon reading by the pool in the shade, doing a crossword puzzle (thanks Ellen) and working on the blog after dining with the staff.

Surprise. A Wi-Fi card is $2.00 for 14 hours! I’m so happy. Got to go. That’s it from paradise five degrees from the equator where peace talks are slated for the end of the month yet they are killing each other in huge numbers every day.

Today, 10-17-06 marks one year in Sri Lanka for the intrepid Bergman duo!