Distant Trails

Distant trails by Tahnee Hopman - in Sri Lankan Sunday Times Feb 27th 2011.

Five complete strangers decided to pounce on what they felt would be an opportunity of a lifetime.

Taking a month’s leave from their lives in Thornbury, Bristol, Wiltshire and Worcester, John Mills, Emily Palmer, Kath Williams, Jenny Simmonds and Claire Fry have spent the past three weeks indulging in an interesting culture shock experience while sightseeing, trekking, tea tasting, sunbathing, battling atrocious roads, strange accents and making elephant dung paper.

If all this were not enough, their already busy trip has also been filled with visits to hospitals, schools, media organizations, and the like in pursuit of new insights into how Sri Lankans and Sri Lankan organizations function.
“The focus here is to identify cultural differences, make comparisons and stumble on new ideas on how to get a job done,” explains John who is the team leader and namesake of the group which has come to be known as ‘John’s Angels’ in Colombo, Kandy, Kalpitiya, Bandarawela, Anuradhapura, Galle and Dambulla- among other places.

An innovative take on pushing the concept of international understanding to the next level, the Group Study Exchange programme conducted by the Rotary District 1100 gives a group of people from different vocations to meet with their counterparts in another country and exchange ideas.

The Rotary District 1100 - not being delineated by country or region encompasses a rich and varied district comprising 66 clubs. The District supports many local and international projects including Shelterbox, and End Polio Now, while providing fishing boats for victims of the Tsunami, building a secondary school in Nepal and sending refurbished computers to primary schools in Sri Lanka.

Exploring the areas of primary education, media and journalism, occupational therapy, environmental administration and drug and crime rehabilitation, the five participants who have now become firm friends are confident that on their return home they will be able to report back to work, driven by an interesting set of new ideas to discuss with their colleagues.

“I think people back home will see a noticeable difference in all of us,” enthuses Emily whose vocation is occupational therapy. “The experience of meeting so many new people each day and learning how to interact differently with different people, and making frequent presentations of our work, had inspired a great deal of new confidence.”

“The opportunity to experience a whole new culture in this way,” is really great, “comments Kath, adding that the group has made a great many friends in the course of their stay, who they will continue to keep in touch with as a result of the programme.

Every three days, the five friends are hosted by a new host family. Both parties get the opportunity to live together and work together while following other educational aspects of the programme. “It has been a very fulfilling experience for all of us, says Claire. Under normal circumstances none of us would have met as we all come from different parts of the UK and so we feel privileged to have been given this opportunity.

Despite fatigue and limited internet access, the five have documented each day of the GSE programme. ‘The Sri Lankan Diaries’ which make very interesting reading can be found on http://www.d1100gse2011.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook.

So Many Thank Yous

John blogs …


This blog will stay live … and remember you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter as The Sri Lankan Diaries.

I should like to record my special thanks to my ‘Angels’ who helped make this exchange such a memorable one for so many people. I began this exchange by describing how proud and delighted I was to be leading such an independent and intelligent group of women. I end it by saying thankyou to them all for making my job as team leader such a rewarding one. Perhaps, some day, they’ll become further involved in the world of Rotary and maybe even lead a team of their own. My very best wishes to them all.

To Garth, Jill and Chris in D1100, we all want to say thankyou for choosing us to represent the district. The very positive feedback on our last night from D3220 District Governor suggests you chose the right people in the team!

Our thanks also to all our Imthiaz, Suresh, Nadira, our host families and other Rotarians from D3220 who guided us selflessly during our month in Sri Lanka. We cannot express enough how truly grateful we are.

We all want to say thankyou to our ‘better halves’ for freely allowing us to have this unique opportunity. We all owe them many ‘brownie points’ over the next few weeks. We have all missed you and are looking forward to coming home.

To the readers of this blog I say thankyou for sticking with us. We tried to keep it updated regularly but the challenges of consistent internet access proved too much for us at times. I hope it’s given you a flavour of this unique experience – it’s not a holiday, though there are many cultural experiences, and it has been hard at times with all the travelling (and eating!) that has been required. One of the aims of this blog was to enable future teams to sense something of the diverse experiences which are part of GSE and to spread the word about this wonderful programme from Rotary Foundation. I hope we have succeeded in doing this.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog and want to become part of the Rotary family, why not contact your local club, there’s only 33000 of them around the globe!

Best wishes from John and ’The Angels’.

Approaching The Finishing Line

John blogs …

Easy start to the day, more catching up of blog and photo editing – not so many left to delete or crop now. Pleased to have kept on top of this during the exchange.

Autographs of Sri Lanka cricket team

Jenny went for lunch with her hosts whilst the rest of us met up at Cinnamon Grand with our Sri Lanka cricket team shirts in the hope of getting autographs. This had been set up beforehand by Adam and Nadira – many thanks – and we were all pretty excited about this, though none of us had ever done it before. Pens and shirts in hand we pounced! Forming a barrier that the players couldn’t get through before boarding their coach to take them to a practice. Most of them were very polite and gracious about being bombarded by us. Thankyou. We plan to auction these for good causes when we return home.

Mount Lavinia beach in Colombo

Then a quick couple of slices of pizza from the Food Hall, then Claire left us to return the laptop, sort photos and meet a distinguished Sri Lankan photographer, whilst the three of us went to Mount Lavinia beach for a couple of hours. The second oldest hotel after the Galle Face Hotel, it still retains an elegance from colonial days. Onto the beach for a beer and relax but the waves were too strong to go in. Jenny joined us there and the girls had a swim in the pool which they said was the best pool they’d been to during their time here.

Thanks and presenting gifts to Suresh

Home to change before the GSE Alumni farewell dinner. A lovely evening and a chance to meet some of our hosts and friends that we’d made during this exchange. A Chinese meal was preceded by a few words and speeches from Imthiaz (District Governor), Suresh (GSE Chair) and myself. I presented Suresh with cricket shirt, cricket book, signed photograph and ceramic bowl as thankyou gifts from the whole team and spent the rest of the evening in easy conversations. It was really great to see so many familiar faces. Imthiaz sends best wishes to Chris and Steph Fairhead and gave high praise to the team for 'being the best from the UK in many years'. Well done team.

And suddenly it’s all over … well not quite … there’s tomorrow’s flight to endure and the anxiety of getting everyone home safely.

A final photo for Imthiaz's blog

We’re all looking really forward to seeing our wives/partners and there are hopes from a couple of the girls that the long absence may even prompt marriage proposals. Watch this space.

The team are meeting again in about 10 days to plan our presentation at our District Conference and they’ll also be involved in sharing their experiences at various Club meetings over the next few months. We’ve the GSE evaluations still to complete and we may get to add some more reflections as time goes on.

Until then, thanks for following us and if you’re not already part of the Rotary family why not contact your local club (there’s only 33000 of them around the globe) to find out more!

The Final Countdown

John blogs ...

Bran flakes and raisins to start the day. Chatted with Nadira about GSE programmes and changes being proposed for future exchanges. The jury’s out on this for now.

 A very quiet day – wonderful – with time to email, blog, edit (so many) photos - and even started reading the first few chapters of the book I brought with me.

 Lunch was a very tasty Indian meal of beef, veg and papadums with home-made curd drink, and chatted with Nadira’s children about school, extra clubs and hopes for the future. Their son wants to become a chef and go into the hotel business, and their daughter wants to go to Paris to study a range of Arts. Good luck to both of them.

Modified our final ‘wrapping up’ presentation which was structured as follows:

• Slide 1 Intro to District 1100 (very brief)
• Slide 2 Intro to Team Vocations (Very brief)
• Slide 3 List of Homestay Clubs
• Slides 4-8 Compilation of our individual vocational visits
• Slide 9 Club presentations and District Conference
• Slide 10 Compilation of Cultural Visits - about 7 photos of the whole team in various locations
• Slide 11 Team Photo to allow us to thank everyone profusely

Intro screenshot of our presentations

I saved it as ‘Team Presentation 7’ which gives some idea of the various versions we’ve worked with during our time here. I think having at least one laptop with the team is an essential piece of kit. We were fortunate that Claire blagged her way to borrowing another one which was of real help.

Jenny had a busy but rewarding day on various last minute vocational visits which were very good. The other girls went to the Colombo Swimming Club and their lunch included hot buttered cuttlefish and salads. Interesting to note that the joining cost of life membership of the swimming club is US$ 5000 and for the Colombo Golf Club it’s US$ 3000 – an obvious way to maintain the quality of membership. Plus annual fees on top of course. Then to shop, and I got the sense that they’ve now finished purchasing.

 Our final presentation – arranged at the last minute – was a joint meeting between Colombo Reconnections and Cinnamon Gardens Club. Colombo Reconnections Club grew out of GSE Team members and were a lively group of young professionals who had now expanded to about 25 members. Seems a good idea. It was good to see younger members and women there. Including our team and two visitors from Sydney, there were 17 in attendance altogether.

No 23 banner exchange - with Colombo Reconnections

Sang the National Anthem, read the Rotary Pledge, lots of introductions and welcomes. I delivered the presentation (solo), we exchanged banners, took photos, had a brief ‘fellowship’ drink then excused ourselves (with some difficulty) from dinner as we’d already decided we wanted a meal by ourselves at The Cricket Club – our first evening meal together as a team without hosts.

Speedy and exciting tuk-tuk ride dropped us for lovely Western meal – for me, chicken parmagiana with fries and coleslaw, followed by pavlova. The girls had a variety of burgers and wraps. Very nice thankyou.

 The girls kindly presented me with a photo of themselves in a frame as a thankyou which is really appreciated and thoughtful – thanks team. We signed our book for Suresh and feel we’ve got present-giving at tomorrow night’s final event sorted.

Our first meal alone, together, at The Cricket Club. Very pleasant evening

Conveniently, Nadira and Adam collected Jenny and me from the Cricket Club in their brand new Prius as they were returning from a wedding. They were dressed beautifully in traditional clothes. There was a suggestion of going on to another party but in the end we decided that a half hour drive there and then back would have been just too much. And Adam had to be at work for 5 in the morning as he’s working on an important legal case.

 Showered, mozzie-repellent, blast of air-con to cool down the room and then to sleep.

Jenny's Vocational Visits

I have been really lucky in terms of the type of vocational visits I have been able to experience in Sri Lanka, as mine have been focused on a subject that forms my future career development, rather than the job that I currently hold. My line manager and whole team have been incredibly supportive of the trip, and I have been spending time focusing on Environmental Management.

During my first week I was lucky enough to attend a conference entitled ‘Water Resources and Climate Change, Challenges for South Asian Women’.

It was held at the Galadari Hotel in Colombo, and was very interesting and informative, looking at the management of river basins and catchment areas, and how this affects the local population. There are so many fantastic projects happening, from dam building to well installation, to reforestation. A key problem that Sri Lanka faces is the salination of freshwater courses following the Tsunami in 2004, the effects of which are still being dealt with and ameliorated.

The keynote speaker was  the Nobel Peace Prize Winner of 2007, so awarded for his work with the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) . We were also graced by the First Lady of Sri Lanka who attended the opening ceremony.

During our stay in Kandy I spent the day at the Botanical Gardens, known as one of the best collections in the world, with renowned forest manager Rtn. Keerthi, who headed the reforestation project for 1.5million hectares of landscape which makes up the catchment area for one of the country’s largest hydroelectric schemes, the Victoria Dam. The problems he faced in the management were interesting and varied, however the work he carried out was mainly focused on controlling erosion, and the amount of sediment that was washed from the mountainsides and into the dam, by planting many thousands of pine trees.

The gardens themselves were an experience, and I very much enjoyed learning about the different species and management plans adopted in tropical climates, compared to those in the temperate UK.

Unfortunately I missed 2 of my scheduled vocational visits at the start of the trip as I was unwell, and hope that Dr Suresh can reschedule the visit to the Department of Forestry for this week.

Happy Birthday Rotary

English breakfast again and entertaining chat with Padmini in the courtyard garden.



Hindu Temple, Colombo



Gangarama Buddhist Temple, Colombo

Quick visit to Hindu Temple and back again to Gangarama Temple which was much quieter than before and very tranquil.



Speaking before former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister



Met the team at Cinnamon Grand for lunchtime presentation which turned out to be a 5 minute introduction from me as they had the former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister as keynote speaker also on the bill.

Transferred to new hosts – Adam and Nadira – in their lovely house which has wi-fi so spent time catching up on emails and the blog. The team agreed the programme for the next couple of days which includes some much-needed rest time at Mount Lavinia and our team’s only meal together by ourselves in the whole trip.

Ishara, Nando, Senake and Imthiaz

Later tonight there’s our final presentation to a joint meeting of Colombo and Colombo Midtown where I’ll be giving a 15 minute round up of our time here. Happy birthday Rotary! Keynote speaker was His Excellency Bruce Levy, the Canadian High Commissioner who read his speech on 'Conflict Resolution - a Canadian Perspective.

(Just learnt of an extra informal presentation tomorrow evening for 30 minutes – so we’ve not quite finished with ‘show and tell’ at the Rotary Clubs. This'll bring our tally to 23 clubs which we've presented to)

Enlightened Special Needs

John blogs ...

Hot, sticky night with and the occasional noisy car-horn meant a somewhat disturbed night. Was convinced there was a mosquito inside the mozzie net with me.

Padmini's rooms are in Lonely Planet guide

Western breakfast of toast and jam, poached egg, drink of anodha – a fruit drink which was very pleasant, and coffee, followed by cream cake – I couldn’t resist. Long and amusing chat with Padmini, Amal’s mother, about her family, travelling and visa problems which can often be sorted for a woman if she cries! Padmini has a lovely shady courtyard garden with wonderful sculptural plants where I had breakfast with a French couple who were on a 10 day tour of Sri Lanka.

The inspirational Chitra Lane complex

Met Methsili at Cinnamon Grand at 10.30 for vocational visit to Chitra Lane School for the Special Child. An inspirational school and resource centre for children with a wide variety of special needs. It provides individualised programmes of learning to over 200 full time students and 50 part time students mainly from deprived families. High quality resources and excellent interaction between the teachers and students characterised much of what I observed. The Director – Sureni Perera – kindly spent more than an hour showing us round and was pleased to answer questions and explore some of the many challenges she faces regarding funding and curriculum interference. They receive government funding for 20 teachers and have to find money from private sources to fund the remaining 13 teachers and all the equipment. Much of this comes from a ‘child sponsorship’ program where 1500 rupees (less than £100) can provide teachers and resources. About 150 students are sponsored in this way as they are from very low income families. It struck me there’s a lot that other schools could learn from their excellent practice.

Methsili's lovely apartment

On to Methsili’s apartment next door to the Cinnamon Grand which was a beautiful place overlooking the sea. Methsili has travelled widely to 65 countries and worked with the UN in many of them. Her eclectic collection of art and other memorabilia is very beautiful. Her maid brought me a very welcome juice drink called Beli which has excellent properties to balance digestion. An interesting chat with Methsili about travel, the economy, ‘the Lotus-Eaters’ which characterises much of Sri Lanka as no family goes hungry here as everything grows in this climate and everyone has a home to live in.

Methsili and Amal amused by the dosa

An Indian meal for lunch at the Cinnamon Grand where we were joined by Amal who was interested in our education and exam systems and also about my perceptions of Sri Lanka as a tourist destination. I had a chicken biriyani whilst Methsili and Amal both had different forms of dosa – an amazing cone-like construction which just cried out to be photographed. So I obliged.

Chatted on the phone to Senake about arrangements for tomorrow’s joint Club meeting at the Hotel Gambarani for 7.00, by which time we’ll have moved on to our last hosts. Another change from the original plan, but as we’re flexible we can take it in our stride.

Evening dinner with Amal – thanks for your generosity – Methsili and Chulie, cousin of Amal and a journalist and advocate for human rights. Restaurant overlooking the port which had many sparkling lights from the moored ships. A very busy port. Lovely meal and good company, thanks Amal. Thanks Methsili for accompanying me on this part of our exchange.

A Different MTV

John blogs …

Team with Ashanti and Jayantha

Breakfast, pack and leave Jayantha and Ashanti’s beautiful home for another long journey into Colombo for vocational visit and new hosts. Visited Jayantha’s and Ashanti’s Colombo home which, if anything, was larger then their residence in Wariyapola. Very nice swimming pool and wooden floors which were very beautiful. We didn’t want to leave …

Early lunch at the Cricket Club – owned by Aussies for 15 years, with a themed menu where everything is named after a cricketer e.g. Beefies Bolognaise. Great idea. Met at Lanka Hands (again!) by Methsili and Rohina from Colombo West Club. Ashanti shed a few tears as we said our goodbyes with many promises of keeping in touch.

John as news presenter at MTV studios

Briefly interviewed by reporter from the Sunday Times who wanted to do a piece about our time here in Sri Lanka. Not convinced she really understood what it was all about but we await the article with interest.

Vocational visit to MTV studios – turned out to be Maharaja Television and Radio – which is part of a huge conglomerate of various industries. Shown round by Sashi whose excellent English came from having lived in the Midlands for many years. We were shown a corporate video, given a welcome coke to drink and then given a tour of several studios. Then on to their TV studios with Asoka. This included being in a live studio whilst a broadcast was happening. The girls thought this was ‘really cool’. Then they sat in front of the News backdrop and were delighted to pretend to be presenters – their five minutes of fame.

Team outside MTV studios

MTV are obviously passionate about their resilience, independence and balanced programming and have had many struggles including being bombed in 2009. We were shown into the space where the terrorist attack took place and there was still the smell of smoke and blackened walls even after 2 years. No has yet been caught for this atrocity though there are several conspiracy theories which are still being explored. Fortunately no-one was killed but it caused major loss of equipment – customised, and very expensive. We were all very impressed with the tenacity of the company against suggested heavy opposition. Thanks Sashi and Asoka for a very informative and enjoyable tour.

Cup of tea with Jacobs crackers and cheese slices – a very pleasant change, then each of us dropped off at our new hosts. For me, I’m staying at Amal’s mother’s home (Padmini) which has a ceiling fan but no ac. A freshen up, few zzz under mozzie net – the first I’ve had - as so very tired from all the travelling. Thunder and lighting curtailed any long snooze so continued to blog and upload photos.

Kalpitiya Beach and Lagoon

John blogs …

English breakfast choices again – thanks Ashanti – the girls looking a bit worse for their exertions from the night before, but nothing that a day at the beach won’t fix!

Outside Dolphin Beach Eco Resort, Kalpitiya

Left 9.45, arrived at Kalpitiya 12.15. Coastal palms and fishermens’ huts with dried palm leaf roofs line the route. Lunch at Dolphin Beach Eco Lodge (recommended location with clean and basic facilities) of freshly-caught crab with curries and yellow rice made for a tasty combination.

Ashanti and I stayed at the Green Dolphin whilst the girls, Jayantha, Suli and ‘Uncle’ scampered on board a boat and set off across the lagoon for a swim and sunbathe. Plenty of sunscreen applied and bottles of water taken as the heat of the sun is very deceptive. Lots of warnings from the locals to cover up.

A welcome snooze with cooling sea breezes and background cricket commentary to lull the senses … (Sri Lanka beating Canada by 210 runs)

Quicker than expected – only two hours later – the girls returned having had an enjoyable time sunbathing on a deserted beach, saying it was very hot.

Arrived home in the dark and in a sudden storm around 8.15, then dinner of tasty curries at 9.15 with a glass or two of red wine …

Fiery Feet

John blogs …


Huge stupa at Anuradhapura



At Anuradhapura

 An embarrassment of choices for breakfast
cooked English, waffles and syrup and fruits … prepared to perfection by Asanti. Thanks. Jenny agreed to stay behind and rest as she wasn’t feeling very well.

Leave at 9.00 for visit to Anuradhapura – World Heritage site. Roadworks and flood damage lengthened a 2 hour drive to become 3 hours. Jayantha was most apologetic but it cannot be helped.

First stop to Jayashriha Bodhiya, take off hat and shoes and … step onto the hot, hot, hot sand and baking stones. Ouch! Fiery feet or what! Reminds me of the scene from the film ‘10’ where Dudley Moore stalks Bo Derek on the hot sand.

Then to see various beautiful dagobas (stupas), moonstones and royal baths. The photographers in the team were in their element. Flags on the bodhia tree were fluttering gently whilst pilgrims and worshippers gave prayers. All very peaceful and spiritual.

Onwards for late lunch at the Palm Garden Village Hotel (3 star) which had really beautiful wooden carvings and furniture. Very stylish.

Returning home a different route which was further but took a little less than 3 hours. Home for quick shower and cup of tea with brownie before giving our presentation to an Inter-City meeting with 7 clubs. The data projector didn’t function as it ought but we still did well. The temperature was very, very hot - even the Sri Lankans said it was very hot for them too. Plenty of photos taken as we exchanged banners with 7 clubs and they also gave us several gifts which was very generous. The meeting was coming to a conclusion when someone thought it would be good to sing our respective National anthems … this would have been fine if the girls knew the words! Shame on them! So, more like a solo effort from me with a smile on my face giving it my all. Sooooo embarrassing but no one laughed! – not that I notice anyway.

We loved their banner which had been especially produced for the evening.

Time for fellowship – of course – where food and wine flowed with Baila dancing well into the early hours of the morning. Reluctantly persuaded to let limbs do uncontrollable things which seemed to fit with what everyone else was doing. Wariyapola’s president ‘Uncle’ set the pace and was a star mover all night long. I lasted past the midnight hour but the ‘angels’ have more stamina, keeping going until 2.00 when the party ended with everyone singing the Sri Lankan national anthem.





Some arm-twisting going on from Uncle



Another Slice Of Heaven

John blogs ...

Woken at 5.00 a.m. by reveille and piped songs to ‘rise and shine’ the trainees. Emily and Claire went to the gym with Kumar at 6.30 for an hour while the rest of us let them. We insisted on a light breakfast of fruits and a cup of tea/coffee around 8-ish, the ‘boys’ arrived around 8.30 and after much hand-shaking, hugs and kisses, exchanging banners and plenty of photos, we left around 9-ish, feeling very pleased that our change of plans from Trinco brought to such a lovely part of Sri Lanka. Many thanks Bandarawela Club.

Farewell photo from Bandarawela

Tortuous journey again though a little easier in daylight but it still took us the best part of 3 hours to reach Labookellie Tea Factory (the girls insisted on chocolate cake and BOK tea again – the 3rd time we’ve visited). On to Kandy for a quick club sandwich at Queens Hotel (we’re becoming regulars there too!) and into new territory as we drove towards Wariyapola. Excellent roads meant we made good progress as the scenery changed to beautiful coconut groves and golden-coloured paddy fields. So many people toiling the earth for planting, so many road-menders enjoying leaning on shovels and chatting.

Arrived at Jayantha and Asanthi’s luxurious home around 5.00 pm – to another unexpected piece of heaven. Air-con, cool bedrooms, hot showers, a swimming pool and internet access just for starters. We met Sanaj, their son, who won’t join us for the trip to Anuradhapura tomorrow, but will join us when we go to the beach. Funny that!

An afternoon tea of sandwiches (Mmmm! White bread) and chocolate brownie was enough to get us all in various states of ecstasy. I retreated to my bedroom, showered and had a couple of zzzz, whilst the girls went to the pool.

They had a really good swim, then evening meal of …. Fish and chips!!!!! Followed by Knickerbocker Glory !!!!!!! Heaven. Accompanied by Jacobs Creek Cab Sav. Perfect, thanks.

A few moments with Claire’s presentation and then to bed! Lovely.

Lipton’s Seat With The Bandarewela Boys

John blogs ...

Our 3rd bungalow at Sri Lanka Military Academy



Jayanranee with her gerberas

 Another night, another bungalow, another good night’s sleep. 8.00 turns to 9.00 so catch up a little on diaries, then transfer luggage before going for breakfast at Rotarians Jayaranee and Conrad Peeris. A beautiful home with a priceless pair of elephant tusks, we were treated to a hybrid Sri Lankan/English breakfast of bread and butter with fried eggs, sausages and milk rice, curries . A special cup of coffee (brought from Wales) and a delightful tour of their gerbera gardens and greenhouses ended a really enjoyable early morning. Then collecting our washing from the Bandarawela Hotel. Jenny and Emily had their washing done again. Spent a short time in Bandarawela which included me visiting yet another Buddhist temple.
On to Lipton’s Seat with the 'Bandarawela Boys', a beautiful tea plantation with stunning views. Joined by Sunil and Weere who shared good stories about the British planters who would ride their estates on horseback looking very special in their long shorts and stockings and highly polished boots. Very smart.

Special almsgiving lunch in memoery of Grandma

The clouds started to roll in at the summit, drove down unmade roads to join in the family almsgiving celebrations on poya day. Lovely food, warm in the garden, we ate, and the ‘boys’ ate later. A few hours later we returned to Banarawela for a quick shop for snacks for the girls then to see what accommodation has been arranged for us – we were not disappointed! Another well-equipped, prime location, this time inside the Military Academy barracks. Very smart with servants and guards at the entrance. Were treated exceptionally well by Colonel Kumarsinghe (Kumar to his friends) who was good company for the evening. We all ate together at 10.00 – Sri Lankan breads and curries with fruit for dessert, and have managed to turn in soon after 11.00 despite many attempts to get us to eat more to extend the meal. Great hospitality and good conversation with Ragiv about possible matched funding Rotary projects.

Stepping Back In Time

Overlooking the valley near Diyathawala

John blogs ...

Woke at 7.30 after cool night’s sleep and hot shower, to be greeted by sunshine over misty valleys and views to die for. Like stepping back in time. Wonderful. Pre-arranged a very late breakfast for 9.30 so the girls had a blissful lie in and gentle introduction to the day.



I wandered to the local market and took plenty of photos of traders and locals. The produce looked really fresh.




Sri Lankan breakfast. Packed - as a military officer is arriving today – and moved to another bungalow on the complex, and chances are we’ll have to move again tomorrow. However, we get to see plenty of different houses for the different military regiments.

Stunning views, no wonder we're smiling

Took our washing (21 items!) to the Bandarawela Hotel – it was all counted out (how embarrassing!) and checked off and will be ready and pressed tomorrow midday. Dylan joined us in the van and we set off for the Uva Halpetawwa Tea Factory – much more modern than Labookellie. Not allowed to take photos inside, but had a good tea tasting session and the girls bought gifts to take home. Then on to the Demodera Railway Station which by some miscalculations has the line circling under the station before it turns a big loop into the station. We walked the line and went through the tunnel remembering the scene from the film The Railway Children …

With Bandarawela Club members at Uve Halpatewewa Tea Factory

On to Sunil’s home for a late lunch and drinks. I was invited first to have a drink with the men, then the girls were invited to have lunch whilst we remained talking and the political situation and post-conflict needs of the rural community in Sri Lanka. Later I ate ‘Sri Lanka’ with Sunil who chatted very freely about his beliefs and his family who are all lovely. He’s 5 girls and 1 boy, has adopted another boy and girl and is looking after his mother who is bed-ridden.


Later the other men came to the table by which time Sunil and I had finished eating. Then some ‘chill-out’ time whilst Sunil’s wife Rita shared her secrets of stitching and very generously gave us each one of her creations. Very lovely.

Enjoying the walk at Demodera Station

A drive back home to rest – we’re all still very tired – and plan to meet up with Club members for fellowship at 8.00, to eat at 9.00 and to get to bed at ...

Kath's Vocational Visits

Kath blogs a quick update on some of the work related visits I have been on so far.


I have been lucky enough to visit 3 drug rehabilitation centers, 2 were Government funded and one privately funded. They have ranged in size from approx 11 to 30 clients/patients and whilst each work with heroin users the centers take clients based on how long they had been using for so one center takes clients who have been using for less than 5 years, one for 5-10 years etc.

Obviously the difference in resources is striking, the buildings tend to be open plan with all clients sleeping in a dormitory, eating together and spending the day in communal areas and, where possible, outside in the garden. Clients write motivational messages on posters which are dotted around and all of the centres had established ground rules for behaviour.

The staff I have met have been very enthusiastic about their work and are really keen to hear how structured day prorgammes/residential centres work in the UK structure the day so I have promised to send further details once I’m back home to talk to the experts. In the centres I have visited they follow a daily timetabled programme which includes counseling sessions, exercise, group discussions, manual work/upkeep of the premises and vocational sessions where professionals come in and teach a trade such as fence building, landscaping and screen printing. I found this really interesting and quite enterprising - in the non gov funded centre they were printing T-shirts for the local school for cash to help fund the center. In a lot of ways the focus is very much on the end goal of being abstinent from all drugs and harm reduction doesn’t appear to feature.

A real difference to the UK is that in all the centers I have visited the client ‘signs up’ to being there for a minimum of 3 months, locked doors and guards enforce this. Also, from what I can gather, the withdrawal from heroin is not medically assisted apart from the use of sedatives in the first few days. After-care seems to be a real challenge and a number of clients relapse once they return to their communities. As I said, all of this is based on only 3 visits so I am keen to find out more.

So far my vocational visits have been a real eye opener! I have had lots of healthy discussions about the differences in policies, perceived leniency in the UK and reasons behind drug use.

I am hopefully going in (and out!) of a prison next week which I’m sure will leave a lasting impression.

Thanks to everyone involved, I’m learning a great deal and having a wonderful time.

Emily's Vocational Visits

Emily Blogs:


It has been difficult for me to gain access to the internet for more than around 5 – 10 minutes at a time, and therefore have not been able to blog as much as I would have liked. I have had time to post one or two photos and have been envious of the others who have had the opportunities to do more blogging. So I have almost two weeks to catch up on!!

I have visited two establishments with Occupational Therapists (OT’s) and have been able to discuss how their departments work and what interventions they do with patients. I met the lead OT Dr Yappa at Ragama Rehabilitation Centre (Colombo) and he showed me around the 4 OT departments which were very interesting, There were some language barriers…until we started talking in ‘OT language’ and it became evident that the OT assessment and treatment process was the same! The only difference being the funding and resources that are available.

I also met an OT in Digama Rehabilitation Hospital in Kandy and there was a session being carried out at the time and there was even more of a language barrier here. It was interesting to see what type of referrals they were receiving….quite different to the UK, but when we talked about medical conditions, the three most frequent causes of disability is Stroke and Diabetes which is similar to the UK.

I also visited 7 other establishments for disabled children and adults and it was so interesting to see where OT would fit in. Most people I have spoken to have said that OT is rare and there is a need for them.

I am due to visit the OT department at the Burns Unit at the National Hospital on the 22nd Feb, which I am really excited about. One of John’s host’s wife organised it for me.

The hosts have been amazing! I have been lost for words on so many occasions (which doesn’t happen very often!) at the hospitality I have received. I have stayed with David (and Nirmala), Chandiman (and Shanaz), George (and Evangilin) Rose-Marie and Crishantha (and Dilina). I can’t thank them enough for looking after me so well… I feel like I have made some friends for life. I am looking forward to meeting my new hosts too.

I know the others have been updating the blog on what cultural things we have been doing and where we have been. I have been blown away everything we have done and I think Sri Lanka is a beautiful country full of culture and wonderful people. I will most certainly be returning with my partner Andrew.

Well, I feel this has been a bit much to read for you all, so sorry it has been an extra long one. I will keep doing my best to update it when I can.

Here’s to another 2 weeks here!! Cheers.

Rock Temples and Rocky Roads

John blogs ... a very long day

Gaudy entrance to Dambulla Caves complex

8.30 Breakfast of fruit, toast and jam

10.00 Dambulla Cave Temples, 150 Buddha statues, monkeys and bare feet

11.30 Start our long journey to Bandarawela via …

1.30 Queens Hotel, Kandy for club sandwich and beer

2.30 Leave for Labookellie Tea Factory for chocolate cake and BOK broken Orange Piko

4.30 at Labookellie

Inside the Dambulla Caves

5.00 leave for Bandarawela via astonishingly bad roads due to major road improvements and landslips because of exceptionally heavy rain. Then it rained more, the fog rolled in, darkness descended and our tortuous journey felt endless.

7.30 Arrive at Bandarewela Hotel, transfered to Tennis Club for fellowship, ate at Sunil’s home for Sri Lankan dinner. Very tasty. A very welcoming and young club – president Rajiv is a smiling fellow at 24 years, but full of enthusiasm, charm and experience. Age range in the Club is 24 years to 60 years and they’ve major projects of which they’re very proud, and rightly so. A big tick Bandarawela!

10.15 Driven to Air Force bungalow with clean sheets, cool tiled floors, hot shower, separate beds for the team and all the cares of the world have instantly vanished. I think we’ve arrived in Heaven!





John with Bandarewela President Rajib



Sigiriya Calls

A minor miracle – everyone arrived at Lanka Hands within 5 minutes of the pre-arranged time of 6.00 in the morning! Took down detyaiks from Suresh of our hosts for tonight and for the following three days as arrangements have been changed. No longer going to Trincomalee but back over tea country to Bandarawela Club, south of Newara Eliya.

Before the climb at Sigiriya

Arrived in Dumballa to meet Senarath who kindly gave us tea before assigning Anura to follow our van on his motorbike to the hill fortress of Sigiriya. We were all really looking forward to this visit – and were not disappointed. It was a real highlight and to be highly recommended. Hired an excellent guide who tripped along at a good pace, had a big smile and spoke very good English which was a real bonus as we’ve found tuning in to different accents sometimes a bit challenging whilst we’ve been here.

Sigiriya Maidens

Beautiful water gardens, playful monkeys, gentle waters, a wonder of architecture from the 5th Century. Altogether 1202 steps and some vertigo-inducing moments but all managed the strenuous climb and plenty of photos taken. Enjoyed being outdoors and having some exercise. The paintings on plaster half way up the rock were really beautiful and had an ethereal quality about them. Stunning views from the top all round with hills and mountains rising about the coconut palms and rice fields. A lovely, lovely view.

We made it!

Passing the snake charmer and souvenir sellers returned to the van and made our way to the Kashaba Rock Hotel for a pre-arranged lunch of sweet corn soup, seerfish followed by a much-appreciated swim in the pool with Sigiriya in the distance.

On to the town of Galawela to all stay in the home of Rajah, a Rotarian from Rangiri Dambulla Club. A beautiful home with ornate furnishings, able to host 15 or more Raorians and ourselves for a very pleasant evening. We introduced ourselves, exchanged banners and took lots of photographs. Claire managed to get a bit of story about local flooding and I was shown another Rotarian’s Sri Lankan stamp collection. Some very beautiful stamps especially the sets of birds and the Sigiriyan maidens.

Exchanging banners with Rangiri Dambulla Club

Plenty of chat during fellowship on the terrace, we were a little worried about the mozzies but long sleeves and repellent sprays seemed to keep them at bay. (Actually, we’re more worried about catching dengue fever than malaria.)

The five of us were invited to eat at 9.30-ish with several Rotarians attending to us. Very tasty Sri Lankan cuisine which was not too spicy – perhaps we’re getting used to is. After we’d eaten and retired, the Club members continued well into the early hours whilst we continued to worry about being very hot and being mozzie-fodder.