Tangalle 2 - morning

I didn't remember anything about my dream except that it was sad. I perused all the mental images I could recall and it was no particular one, just general sadness. Perhaps it was triggered by an email that an acquaintance's father was ill. I must press on with my goals, because later in life I won't be thinking: I should have watched more TV.

Breakfast consisted of hoppers prepared by the mother, two with egg, the rest plain. Both savoury (sambol) and sweet (jam) condiments were provided. There were also fruits. It was a filling breakfast, the only annoyance being the flies, another product of the rubbish. The father positioned a fan to scatter the flies and cool me.

I went for a walk along Vijaya, the coast road. This was lined with holiday guesthouses, with tables and chairs near the beach. The beach is pretty but the surf is rough.

There is still fishing activity here.

As I said, you'll have a good life if you come back as a Sri Lankan beach dog.

Golden sand.

I turned back when I reached a lagoon, it looked like more of the same scenery ahead. I seem to remember reading that birdwatchers come here.

The cheaper Sri Lankan alternative to pizza.

I walked back and headed the other direction past the junction with Medaketiya Road where I had come from town and eventually reached the canal running through town. I wanted a cool beer by now. I asked at one guesthouse but they had only ginger beer.

So I went back to a mid-sized hotel I had passed where renovations for the next season were being carried out. Lion Beer is the most common brand. In fact none of the imported beers on the menu were available due to the season winding down. The bottle size of 625 ml is larger than usual and is more than a pint. So I took my time with it, enjoying the shade and the breeze, sorely needed in the hot and humid weather.

While I was absorbing the beer, bits of coconut litter fell on the table. It turned out that a worker was adjusting the toddy collection pots up the tree. A bit ill-mannered of him to be doing this with a guest underneath. The small operators in the Sri Lankan hospitality industry were like that, apt to faux pas. They'd have to improve. A recent documentary on ABC TV had reported that international operators were entering the hospitality market but only 20% of the earnings were returned to Sri Lankans.