Sri Lanka Day 1

We have arrived! A long flight but relatively comfortable flight.  The first hint of what was to come came as we stepped off the aircraft in Dubai.  Just after midnight local time it was like stepping into a sauna! I hadn’t expected that in Dubai.  Colombo was to prove much the same except it was not until we stepped out of the airport terminal, a good hour plus after touching down, that the heat hit us.  Temperature in the top 20’s with humidity in the top 60’s, you guessed it you don’t stop sweating.

A rather hairy journey (driving is something else – the rule of the road is don’t look anybody in the eye and claim your space) into the town and out to the Manse. The sights and smells are very similar to tropical Africa, it is just the people are different and there are an abundance of “toot toots” (three wheeled scooters, basically motorised rickshaws so called because they toot toot there horns all the time – in fact everybody does the city really is noisy!). Welcome glasses of water, the haggai and oatcakes were unpacked, swimsuits found and it was off to the Colombo Swim Club for lunch, a refreshing dip in the pool, to catch some rays and a few zzz’s.  5.00pm came all too soon and it was off to meet our host families for the first week before meeting up again for supper.  Everyone is fit and well and adjusting to the heat.  The work starts tomorrow! It is now 10.43pm local time and I haven’t slept in a bed since the night before last, so good night and more tomorrow.