Pillow fighting Sri Lankan style

Having let the excitement of the previous day's wildlife encounters sink in, we were eager to set off again yesterday morning to make our way to the southern tip of Sri Lanka for some beach time.

However, we had another special treat in store for us en route in the shape of our own mini Sri Lankan Olympic Games. We stopped off at a smallholding in a banana plantation to participate in some traditional rural games which are usually played by the community at New Year. The first was a type of impossible hopscotch which none of us could quite get the hang of much to our hosts' amusement. The second was a bit like cricket, again with unfathomable rules but made a lot more fun by pitching the girls against the boys (we lost). The third, my favourite, was essentially a pillow fight, made harder by the fact that you had to balance on a log whilst fighting with one hand behind your back. Each match was therefore brief but violent! The final game, again impossible, involved trying to swing a stick to break terracotta pots that were hanging from a tree having been blindfolded and spun around several times. That one could have turned into more of a game of avoiding being hit around the head fellow competitor if we hadn't decided to help each other out a little! 

After our excursions, we were treated to some homemade food from our hosts and a lovely cup of tea served in coconut husk cups. We also got to climb up into the treehouse that they use to sleep in and guard their crops at night from marauding elephants who are apparently very destructive and cause damage that can ultimately ruin the livelihoods of these already struggling people.

Returning to the bus, I got to sit up front on the farmer's hand tractor which was yet another first and new mode of transport this holiday to tick off the list!

Back on the road, we gradually entered one of the zones that had been badly hit by the tsunami of 2005. Following the disaster, Exodus had run a project in the area to rehouse a number of local people so we were invited to stop off at one of their homes for a delicious homecooked lunch before driving the last couple of hours to our beach resort at Ahangama. 

The last 24 hours have been spent rotating between the waves, sunlounger and shade of my veranda, with the odd bite to eat thrown in. I'm detemined to make the most of my last chance to relax before the flight home and work on Monday. I can't believe my latest adventure is nearly over...