We finally arrived in Sri Lanka! - November 2007

We left home in Saint Michel Escalus, a friend drove us to the station in Dax, and then the colour began, the TGV in France is not really user friendly for surfers with surfboards, which we had with us. So in order to get on the train with the surfboard, we had to find the “salon” coach, which we did. In the “salon” coach there was a young man from Cuba with his wait for it “racing” 49 cc scooter and all the pieces , he had left his girlfriend and was returning to Paris to live with his very identical twin brother, he took up most of the space in the car about six places. He had to pay a supplement on his ticket of 160 Euros when the Inspector saw what he was transporting. We squeezed in with him and the surfboard and he told us all kinds of stories, esp of how he and his twin brother exchange rolls, like for the drivers license and with girls and even to confuse their parents. Interesting…a racing scooter in the TGV with twin Cuban brothers.

Arrived in Paris booked into the hotel and the next morning flew on to Germany for the connection onward to Sri Lanka. When we arrived in Germany we were duly informed that out flight had left without us. After me threatening to blow up the airport and do other acts of verbal terrorism, they went on their knees and said that they would do every thing to get us to Sri Lanka after giving us a healthy voucher to eat and drink, which we did. An hour and a half later they informed us that we were on our way to London, and from there, we would fry direct on a Airbus 310 to Colombo. I have to say here that the airport in Düsseldorf is one of the nicest airports that I have ever seen, next to Schipol in Amsterdam, clean organized, nice shops with everything you don’t need, nice, Bravo Düsseldorf! London airport, Heathrow, dirty unorganized, and totally paranoid, in and out on our direct flight to Colombo. New fresh staff, happy smiling sari lanken girls, good food, and I got to steep across five empty seats, with lots of pillows and blankets ….

Its not finished I am not letting you off that easy, arrived in Colombo and lo and behold Sabine’s bag arrived, my bag and surfboard did not arrive, grrrrrrrrrrr They gave me 4,500 rupees and said that I would receive my bag by Taxi the next day, I still have not received my bag, and they informed me today the surfboard cannot be located, how can you explain that the biggest piece of baggage gets “lost”

Ok now it’s the end we are both happy to be back here in Sri Lanka, the beach, the hot baking sun, the sea, the surf, smily people, and the good curry and rice.. we have met old friends and ahhhhhhhh Last year when I was here I read 22 books, so many, so much input, that I forgot half of them, so this year I have decided to read less, but be more choosey. At the beginning of this year we traveled extensively through Burma right up to the border of China and India, this year we will travel up through India to the border of Burma from the India side. Then we will return through Bangladesh back to Sri Lanka and then home for the end of March.

Blessings to you all with prayers for true Peace light and Love.

Clive and Sabine