February 2011 – Page 2 – Ian Louis Harris

From Lighthouse Street, Galle To Frangipani Tree, Thalpe, 17 February 2011

Our album of Galle photos, all 31 of them, can be seen through the flickr album below:

001 14 Feb 2011 Cricket On The Western Ramparts Of Galle Fort P1010867

The only downside to our amazing arrangements for the restful part of our holiday in/near Galle was the requirement to move on a couple of times. Yet the transfers were all smooth and the journeys only a few minutes, so we felt in retrospect it had been worth it. This was the first of those transfer days.

Again rise a little later. Get most of the packing done and take massage again at eight. Daisy has head and foot massage with Milton, while I had the full works with Roshan.
Then again we take breakfast while the oils settle.

Ged swims and then sunbathes for a while. Daisy showers and packs some more. We are collected at 13:00 – fond farewells with Praseeth, Roshan and Wanitha.
Then a 15 to 20 minute drive east to Thale, where [at The Frangipani Tree] we are greeted by our Polish hosts from Krakow, Wojciech Raus and Justyna.
Some confusion over our room, so we sit in a shady breezy spot & nibble some bread and hummus over a beer. We also order lobster for our dinner tonight.
We then go to our room and unpack. Ged takes a short late afternoon stroll but mostly we read before dinner. Daisy also ordered prawn samosas to share as a nibble, but veggie ones came by mistake. Comps!
Will try the prawn one is another day.
The lobster was delicious. Always wash down with a bottle of Valdivieso Chardonnay.
Daisy also tries a desert described optimistically as a pavlova, but all in all it was a lovely dinner.

Our other Sri Lanka photos- 79 excluded from the album – can be found through the link below:

Ducking And Diving In Galle, 16 February 2011

Our album of Galle photos, all 31 of them, can be seen through the flickr album below:

No tennis today, so rose a little later and took massage at 9 am. Back to Milton for Ged and Roshan for Daisy.

I think it was this occasion when I had a bizarre conversation with Milton, who was telling me all about his ancestors, whose names were Arthur, Alfred and such names. I said to him, “it’s interesting to me that everyone you have mentioned in your family has an English-style first name, until Roshan”. Milton went very quiet for a moment and then said, “but Roshan IS an English name!” That was me told.

We take breakfast after massage and rest a while to let oils settle. Ged tries hoppers with sambal.
Meanwhile Prageeth has gone off in search of a duck for us, which nearly turned out to be a wild goose chase but in the end was a successful wild duck chase.
He gets the duck from Labudawa Farm, near Labudawa Junction, circa 12 km from Galle and returns around 12 noon.

We then go shopping with Prageeth. I buy sandals (two pairs) and three shirts – Daisy merely buys a pac-a-mac. We also buy a memory stick for the photos (8 GB) and discover that many boutique shops are closed for a local (Muslim) holiday.
Back to the fort, first to the ATM, where Ged [accidentally] drops his stuff in the bin before retrieving his card, only to have the card time-out and be swallowed [by the machine] while Ged picks up the bits. This proves to be a difficult problem with two days of public holiday in train.
But Prageeth at least find one bank employee who he knows, who assures us that if the card is in there – which of course it is – it will be held for me until Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

We then go to Exotic briefly, then KK Collection and buy gifties for Charlie plus some utensils for Ged and Daisy plus some nice rattan mats for Ged.
Then home for some beer, nibbles, sun, swimming, R&R, etc., before 18:00 yoga class (mostly for Daisy) and pool and then change for dinner.
We feast on the duck with pineapple in a coconut gravy with rice and salad washed down with the last of our wine. Daisy flakes, so Ged beats himself at pool a couple of times.

Our other Sri Lanka photos- 79 excluded from the album – can be found through the link below:

A Crabby Existence While Living In Galle, 15 February 2011

Our album of Galle photos, all 31 of them, can be seen through the flickr album below:

Of course the headline “crabby existence” is a pun. This was the day we went in search of crabs in Galle. Our few days of villa life in Galle Fort itself was far from crabby. We had been very lucky to be afforded the opportunity to hire an entire villa, 41 Lighthouse Street, (normally shared between half-a-dozen people at least), as it had just come back onto the holidays market after a couple of years in the hands of a long stay family. The owners wanted to test run the team with holiday letting again so were happy to give me and Janie exclusive use of the place for a few days. Utter luxury.

Rise again before six, coffee and biscuits and then tennis. Five all – both of us had chances to dominate and win.
Sadly, Mendis doesn’t have a court at 7 o’clock for the next couple of days, but we book 23rd and 24th February.
Then off to fish market in search of crab – no joy there. We then try Keells Supermarket, where Daisy/we bought nuts and nibbles and chocolate etc and rice.
We try one more supermarket – no joy – and then a fishing village just outside town near the Dewata Junction – our last chance and bingo!
We land the last two crabs in Galle. A thousand rupees ($10-ish).

Into town again and buy some coconuts on the way, plus red bear key ring to replace my broken camera strap; the crabs are meanwhile trying to break for freedom.
Back for breakfast then 12:00 massage today (we switch masseurs).
Then we release the team and enjoy swimming, R&R etc.

We take some king coconut and go for a stroll looking at shops (Barefoot and especially KK Collection highlights), then check out the Amangalla, home for write ups and dinner.

Our other Sri Lanka photos- 79 excluded from the album – can be found through the link below:

A Valentines Day Massacre In Galle aka The Day I Won The Ashes Single Handed, Galle, Sri Lanka, 14 February 2011

Our album of Galle photos, all 31 of them, can be seen through the flickr album below:

Rise before six and take coffee before setting off in Praseeth’s tuk tuk to Lighthouse hotel for tennis.
Ged wins 7-4 (6-2). Mendis looked after us there.
Went back to Villa for wash and ready for 9 am Massage with wonderful Milton and Roshan (Milton’s son) who looks about 15 but apparently is 28.
We take a herb-infused tea and a late breakfast, then relax in our villa most of the day while Praseeth, Roshan (the Villa) and Wanita fuss over us.
We swim a little and sunbathe a little. Then we cover ourselves in skeeta protection and go off to the ramparts with Roshan for cricket.
No one is playing and a few mangy layabouts don’t seem too keen, but the peace offering of an Indian red heavy tennis ball seems to do the trick. One lad runs off to get stumps and a bat – it’s game on.

A hoick to mid-wicket, where a you can just make out the stray Queenslanders

A stray Aussie from Brisbane watches for a long time and eventually decides to join in, after some baiting of an Ashes variety by Daisy, “to try and dislodge the pom” when I’m batting.

The Aussie softened a little when I suggested that he might be “Matthew Hayden’s evil twin (if that is possible)” after he played a half decent stroke.
Roshan and Praseeth played well, especially Praseeth’s batting, despite him “feeling un-special today” apparently.
Daisy stuck around & took the photos. When stumps were drawn, the locals asked if I would be coming again tomorrow. I said “maybe”, by which I meant, “probably not”.

The Sort-Of Ashes match element of this day has been reported on King Cricket, click here or below.

A match report from a man who claims to have “won the Ashes single-handedly”… in Galle

If anything ever goes awry with King Cricket, that piece is scraped to here.

Praseeth takes us home in the tuk tuk via the off-licence where he slightly prangs the tuk tuk but the other tuk tuk driver seems relaxed about it.
The lads set up a candle-lit setting for a Valentines dinner – prawns with a lemon sauce, then tuna with mash and salad. Prawns the highlight.

I spend ages trying and eventually succeeding in backing up photos, while Daisy slopes off to bed early.

Our other Sri Lanka photos- 79 excluded from the album – can be found through the link below:

From Chennai, India, To Galle, Sri Lanka, 13 February 2011

Rose early to pack and take breakfast. We leave the hotel at 9:15 and Muhtu picks up “Wing Commander” Senuwasen along the way, who chats a lot but ultimately does little for us.
We check-in, buy some cancer sticks for the Duchess and hunker down in the club lounge, where I write up quite a lot.
Board early, Take off early and land early. We actually make contact with the driver, Tuma, before the time we were even due to land!

Some confusion over our destination (41 Lighthouse Street, wheras he thought the Lighthouse Hotel). Then a money stop, water stop, and several attempts to borrow a knife or scissors to liberate Daisy’s medicaments.
Daisy spends much time on phone to Aranthi (a.k.a. George).

Met by Prageeth and Roshan at 41.
We have booked dinner at Galle Fort Hotel. Lovely ambiance, but set meal – still quite a good one. Thai fishcakes, followed by chicken malaise style (not) with a gado-gado salad with corn fritter, prawns, and kerpuk, followed by sorbets (home-made) washed down with a Rose D’Anjou – probably will eat in from now on though.

South Africa v Zimbabwe World Cup Warm Up Match, Chennai Stadium, As Reported On King Cricket, 12 February 2011

This report for King Cricket relates to a small part of our India & Sri Lanka trip, which I shall write up more comprehensively eventually, for which the Ogblog placeholder and links can be found by clicking here or below:

India and Sri Lanka, 29 January to 26 February 2011, placeholder and links

Here is a link to the King Cricket piece, which relates to just one of the many places we visited in Chennai on 12 February:

South Africa v Zimbabwe World Cup warm-up match report

King Cricket published the piece on 18 April 2011. Just in case the above link goes duff, I have also scraped the report to here.

Frankly, some of the comments are better than my report – it is worth reading for them. King Cricket can be like that.

Touring In And Around Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 12 February 2011

All the album pictures from our Chennai touring are in the following album:

001 12 Feb 2011 Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram P1010792

Rose early with Daisy still fuming about the power incident [last night].
Set off for Kanchipuram with guide Sanjay and driver Muthu, of course. Ring Vikram in Delhi on way to get him to sort out our room/attitude problem.

First stop, Kanchipuram, the Ekambareswarar Temple. Stunning temple, still in use.
Then a quick once around the Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple– a dead or ruined temple but in reasonably good condition.

Leaping locals at Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple

Ged [that’s me] downed a drinking coconut (fleshless). Then on to see jacquard silk saris being made – we bought three cotton shirt/kurta things there.

We arrange extra trip to cricket, so agree to do edited highlights of Mahabalipuram. First stop, Bhagriratha’s Penance and the Mandaras, bas-relief’s in rocks and in some porticoes respectively.

Then on to Pancha Rathas (Five Rathas) very elegant ruined temple site which we explored quickly.

Then we set off for the MA Chithambaram stadium. Sanjay points out highlights of Chennai proper on the way (e.g. Saint Thomas’s Church and the ultra long beach).
Then the stadium. Sanjay helps us find the gates for the best seats (Rs.500 not the 200, 100 or Rs.50 seats for us) and takes his leave of us. Unbelievably putrid smell from the toilets. Mr “No Smoke, No Photo” on security and waiting. Loads of people taking photos so we join in only for Mr No Photo to challenge us. Daisy sorts him out.
We see the end of the Zimbabwean innings – and start of the South African innings. Then leave to find Muhtu.

I have written up the cricket element of this day in more detail – click here or below, where you’ll also find a link to the relevant King Cricket piece on the topi c :

South Africa v Zimbabwe World Cup Warm Up Match, Chennai Stadium, As Reported On King Cricket, 12 February 2011

Lots of traffic and interesting scenes on the way home. Find lots of gifts in our room and rapidly a call from the manager who tells us dinner is on him!
Of course we have been moved to the front table as requested last night. He comes down to meet us, everyone (staff) fawns over us while the guests all gawp at us.
We try bouillabaise, then I tried lobster, Daisy tries Khuta fish and we get mash, fries and lots of veggies, just as we asked for them.
As well as the Wasabi mayonnaise we tried yesterday.

The unlisted pictures from Chennai are in the album below:

From Gateway In Andhra Pradesh To Fisherman’s Cove In Tamil Nadu, 11 February 2011

Rose early at Gateway. Packed grub arrived (chicken sandwiches). So did Jolly & Abhichek on time, as we were for a flight.
We got to the airport right time for check-in to start, in theory. In practice, check-in open half an hour late.
Much haggling over excess baggage with nice check-in man and horrible female enforcer who increases the amount from nine hundred and ninety six to one thousand and sixty rupees. We’ll get by.

After the flight from Visag to Chennai and a drive…

Arrive at Fishermans Cove thanks to driver Muhtu and less so Wing Commander “Chamindavass” (Senuwasen).
Check in and orient ourselves at Fishermans Cove.

Here is a rather weird promo video about the place – worth 18 minutes if you like or are intrigued by this sort of thing:

Following a light pasta lunch – carbonara Daisy & mushroom asparagus Ged – have a stroll around looking at facilities, cottages et cetera. Arrange to eat at seafood restaurant.
Clean up and skeeter up (navigating two power cuts) and then go to lobby to back up photographs etc. Decline invitation to cocktail party.
Ask for our table to be held for half an hour but we are bounced to a rear table – oh well. We start with prawns and Daisy moves onto prawns well I try parrot fish. Minuscule potato and veggies (remedied) but risk the ice cream yummy.
I flake but Daisy endures another power cut and invasion of the power police who blame the toothbrush! Not funny.

Onukudelli Market, Goodbye Jeypore, Orissa, Then On To Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, 10 February 2011

The main album of 65 photographs for Orissa can be seen through the link below:

001 8 Feb 2011 On The Road Towards Rayagada P1010584

Up & out at six – Jolly has taught the Hello Jeypore staff to make packed brunches for us (chicken sandwiches).
Lovely drive to Onukudelli market.
We find a suitable spot to see the Bonda women come down to market. Lots of photos. Not too many tourists.

Once Daisy gets bored with that, she starts to play with the local urchins. Skipping and racing with the children. Also chatted with one young bow and arrow man against the best advice, but no one seemed aggressive or rude towards us.

Then down into the market stopping at school to shed the last of our pens. Some confusion over the pens here, as the principal thought I was trying to sell them rather than donate them . Huge thank yous when the staff realised that the offer was a gift.

We see Gadaba and Didayi women down there and perhaps a little more rudeness, but still not much. Bitterly disappointed with the lack of rudeness – not – we head back to Jeypore.

We draw money and buy some flowers, glimpsing at the local movie house showing some Chinese movie. Then on to visit Rajesh and Shobha Toshniwal. She excitedly shows Daisy her arts and crafts wares – a mixture of commissioned work based on tribals and tribal antiquities.

Meanwhile we take Rajesh’s coffee (he is Karaput’s “King Coffee”) and Shobha’s commissioned some samosas for us (veg but not Join – she is Jain).
Daisy buys a choker, a belt, a hairclip and an artwork.
Late – we dash back to the Hello Jeypore to pack and say “goodbye Jeypore”.

Long drive to Visakhapatnam, with comedy cattle in Orissa and race for a pre-dark peepee stop.

Amazingly – roads improve one in Andhra Pradesh – we get to Gateway before eight, despite Jolly and Abhishek not knowing the exact location and Cheten the fixer not fixing!

We have a huge double room suite. The dining room lacks ambience but does have chicken satay, lamb biryani, black daal, spag bol and Suma wine.

A further 120+ pictures from Orissa (unlabelled) can be seen in an additional album, though the link below:

We’ve Been Kondh, Chatikona Market & Other Such Places, Orissa, 9 February 2011

The main album of 65 photographs for Orissa can be seen through the link below:

Early start – up and out by six – kerfuffle over light breakfast due early (Mr Tutu said last night) but the boys didn’t turn up – no matter – dash off at six without breakfast.

A vista stop and a peepee stop, then the really bumpy road gets us to Chatikona market.

A local helps us to find the right place to spot the women arriving. They are Kondh people – Dongria Kondhs (nose ring middle) and Desia Kondhs. Not unfriendly on the whole, but not too friendly either.

Daisy buys the bangle from the helpful man.
We then explore the market properly for a while – Daisy buys a book on the local arts and crafts.

Back to hotel for wash, disgusting cheese sandwich, beer and check out.
Long bumpy drive back to Jeypore.
Ged needs a nap. Daisy tapes up the massive gap between terrace door on suite floor in the “White House”.
Here we do dine in the semi garden – Jolly dresses in a red kurta korner for our last meal together – Cheten joins us at the table.

Becardi kebab (chicken). Tandoori chicken. Then chicken butter masala, mixed veg, daal fry and rice. Beer. Not too bad – perhaps we should’ve stuck to Indian yesterday

A further 120+ pictures from Orissa (unlabelled) can be seen in an additional album, though the link below:

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