Travels with Kathryn

Today is the 31st December and I started the day with a swim in the rain, perhaps ending the year in the spirit I’ve lived it – a suggestion of exercise whilst dealing with British weather? Coincidentally today is also my roommate’s birthday (she has admitted to being slightly older than me), and the hotel had laid on a cake (chocolate) and had a bouquet of flowers and there was singing, but Roy and the driver also had flowers and had decorated the bus:

I hope I get the same tomorrow…

We started our day with a trip to the Jaffna Public Library. Sri Lanka has one of the oldest written historys in the world called the Mahavamsa, it was recorded by monks in the 5th century AD and is a continual record starting from 6th century AD. This library (built in 1933) was one of the largest libraries in Asia with a collection of 97,000 books and destroyed. It was destroyed by mob during the war in 1981, and reopened in 2001 and was very much in use today.

We are now back on the bus driving to the northern most point. We used this time to cover WW2 in Sri Lanka (which I will write about when in Trincomolee), access to health care and clothing. So, the official traditional dress is the sari and this is the required “uniform” for government workers (such as teachers), but this has come from India and according to our guide its the wrapped sarong/long skirt and blouse. For men, and we have seen this everywhere, its a sarong and collared shirt.

However, in Jaffna I am seeing far more of what I think of as the Indian uniform: saris or the [find name] for women, and for men: if young, skintight jeans and shirts or if older black trousers and a shirt. Obviously everyone wears flip flops or black leather loafers (go with everything). I should also add for my friend Silpa’s information, hair is long and always tied up.

Anyway, 50 minutes later we arrived at Point Pedro. This is most northern point of Sri Lanka and specifically the most northern notch point Sakkotei. The water here is incredibly shallow and its just 32km to India. Very excitingly for me, this was an excellent shell seeking shore line (if you can ignore the rubbish) and for the Australians an opportunity to get involved in a little game of cricket with the Sri Lankans.

As many of you know, I love a post office and I have sent a single postcard from the northern most post box. Lets see if it ever arrives…

A word about the weather. Whilst its continually steamy and close, one moment its blue skies and sunshine, the next overcast and raining. All photos were taken in the same day, I promise (other than the clothing!).

We continued along the coast to Keerimalai natural pond. This is Hindu spring which comes up through limestone so is natural water which somewhat amazingly does actually then flow into the sea. Supposedly the water has healing properties, but the story goes that a man who had the face of a Mongoose bathed in these waters and came out with a human face. We did not want to risk the opposite happening!

For lunch we (in classic Intrepid style) visited a local family and were served on a banana leaf a vegetarian lunch of rice, deviled potato, dahl, aubergine, cassava, carrot sambol and an artistically arranged poppadom. We were also fed a very sweet dessert made from tapioca and milk. It had a distinctly baby food vibe. We were also given a tour of their banana plantation and shown the damage from the high winds which followed the recent cyclone. By now the sun had come out and it was incredibly hot, I’m now rather thankful for the cloudy weather of the last few days…

We now had two quick stops. The first at Kanthotharovai archaeological site where you can see 43 unexcavated burial stupas. These were discovered in 1966 but have not been properly excavated. Due to this local people have built over the complex (as people do) so its unlikely this will ever be properly excavated. I would also add that the information board (provided in 3 languages including English) literally tells you nothing.

We also made a pitstop to see the Hanuman (Monkey King) temple. He was very big:

Back in the bus (we’re having one of those days!) to what has been described as a bottomless well (its actually 52m deep). A nice well and all but I think we were all more interested in the snake.

Our final stop was to see pots being thrown plus a little shopping opportunity (I brought 2 oil lamps for the vast sum of 20 rupees which is about 10p). I didn’t mind though as its a female run business and I think she needs to up her prices! We also had a quick ice cream break to keep is going and then to the market.

The market was a fabulous experience. Full of locals and lots of fabulous fabric at very low prices (I brought 3m of cotton in a lovely leaf print for about £1.10). We also had a hunt for Jaffna Curry Spice and I have purchased two different options as its a blend of spices and the two I have brought have different ingredients but both contain coriander, cumin, chilli, pepper and curry leaves. I shall have to try at home and see.

You can tell that Jaffna has only opened more recently for tourism and this area is new for Intepid. Imho today’s itinerary could have been streamlined to just be a photo of the library, more time at the northern most point, bathing pools, lunch and then back into the city for the market and shopping opportunities. Its not that I didn’t find the other places interesting, but its a long day and I could have spent longer at the above. Feedback will be provided.

We now returned to the hotel ready to celebrate the new year. We were aware that there was a gala dinner, but had assumed it would be a big fancy do and we really didn’t have the clothes for it. Therefore, in the market we had purchased a bottle of arrack (coconut toddy) and were planning to enjoy this, perhaps with a couple of rice crackers after a lovely swim in the hotel. Well, at 7pm Janith comes over to find us to explain that we were very much the expected guests of honour at said “banquet dinner” and that it had been paid for by Intrepid. Much throwing on of our cleanest clothes (luckily I had done laundry in the hotel!) and down we went. What a spread. It was somewhere between a fancy Las Vegas Buffet and a wedding. The photos really don’t do it justice, and the evening culminated with for the few of us still standing flame sparkler things being set off and a singing of the Happy Birthday song (to me).

So that was 2025. The year seems to have gone very quickly, and if one ends the year as one means to go on I have done pretty well. Full, happy and ever so slightly tipsy. Tomorrow I become the answer to life, the universe and everything! Bring it on