Position 6:01.1N 8:14.2E
Ocean Rival Journey Log
Adam Power Diana Power
Tue 24 Jan 2023 17:58
Happy Birthday Esme!
Now anchored in the bay outside Galle harbour. We completed the departure formalities with Tango Shipping this morning after a hectic morning of last minute jobs and provisioning (with Ekka).
We enjoyed a great week or so in Sri Lanka. Tuk Tuk driver Ekka gave us the Galle regional tour - traditional dancing, Turtle sanctuary, Stick fishermen, a spice garden and a coconut fibre rope factory. Ekka was our self appointed guide and Mr fixit, he knows everyone, how to get extra fuel, and arranged a dodgy hire car which we used for a longer tour of the country. Ekka spun us a very convincing story about his English friend who has been helping him financially but has recently died leaving him to fend for his family on his meagre tuk-tuk income. Maybe he was hoping for another English sponsor when he took us under his wing but we held back, aware that a story from a Sri Lankan tuk tuk driver may or may not be entirely true.
Our 5 day car tour took us to Kandy where we tracked down my grandparents marriage certificate, on to Dambulla (cave temple), Sigyria (ruined city perched on a rock), Badulla (waterfall), Ella (beautiful hilly views), another waterfall walk and back to Galle. Self drive in Sri Lanka is not for the faint hearted, and passing slow moving motorbikes, tuk-tuks, lorries and buses involves blind faith that oncoming traffic will move over for you. Traffic is really heavy round the cities and pollution must be bad- the ancient Leyland buses the worst offenders spewing black fumes that blind you as they pass. The misty haze hanging in the valley around Kandy may not have been just meteorological. You can't see countries like this being weaned off fossil fuels anytime this century. We found lovely hotels for little money and ate sumptuously for even less.
Now girding our loins for the long crossing to the Red Sea. I have registered with the organisations looking out for pirate activity and bought a machete for waving at boarders.