And so it begins

The day after the wedding we went back to Taprobane Island and had a swim in the infinity pool there which was wonderfully cool as it was in the shade for most of the day. (This was probably the only pool we swam in all of Sri Lanka that didn't feel like a bath!) After a swim we had a BBQ on the beach before starting the "tour" proper. Below is Jane and I in our finery and then in more casual attire the following day.

Photo of Frank in the infinity pool, the inside of Taprobane after the wedding, kids on the beach and waiting for the coach with some of the local stray dogs.

Once the coach arrived we set off for our first stop which was Galle, once the chief port of Ceylon. Also our first experience of the local hawkers trying to get money for everything from leaping off the top of the ramparts into a very small pool among the rocks for $10 (apparently this has proved fatal in the past), to cobras and monkeys, to old women insisting you buy their hand made lace etc. All we bought was an icy pole for the equivalent of 20c. The fort was quite impressive. Built by the Portuguese around 1505 and later extended by the Dutch in 1663. The narrow streets and skinny houses were a little reminiscent of Holland.

We stayed at an older style hotel called the Lady Hill which was on top of the hill above the town and had panoramic views from the roof top bar. We enjoyed a couple of beers up there with come of the group while the weather turned on a nice cooling thunderstorm. It was also a very good spot to watch the antics of a troop of local monkeys as they ran along the roof ridges below and then launched themselves into the nearby trees. They were difficult to get a good photo of as they were pretty slick movers.

After the wedding Frank left his Teva Sandals on the veranda because they were wet and sandy from the returning from the island and when we got up this morning they were gone! This despite the fact that there were 24 hour security guards around the place, one of whom said "...yes, I saw them when I did a patrol...". This left Frank with nothing but his Teva walking shoes.