Day 21 - Kalpitiya or Bust!

During our travels here in 2009, we went part way up the western coast, onto a long spit of land that creates a large salt water lagoon for the town of Puttalam.  If one drives 40 kilometers north along this peninsular,  one ends up at the village of Kalpitiya.  The area is famous for producing sea salt and dried fish.  It is also now an area producing power from coal, in addition to being a test area for large, wind-energy turbines.

The last time, just Jay and I went by buses.  This time, Jay wanted to bring the family.  So Jay and I as well as his 80-year-old dad, two sisters, and auntie got into a rented van with driver.  We've used this particular driver during our past visits.  He got to the house at exactly 8:00 am. 

We went through Negombo and continued up the A3 highway.  Part of the reason for a trip like this is just to see things from the highway.  As a kid, my folks always travelled a lot by car, so I learned early about seeing new things through a car window.  Even before I was old enough to go to school, I found it amazing on trips to Boston that each of the houses along the route contained a story of a unique family, each with their own triumphs and struggles.  Today was sort of the same. I guess this goes to show, I've not made a lot of intellectual progress in at least 48 years! 

The route was pretty crowded all the way to Chillaw.  More business dot the route.  Larger houses line the streets.  We stopped at the Mummeshwaren Temple, a Hindu kovil, and bought an offering of fruit.  Although Buddhists, inter-faith observances are not uncommon.  We continued our trip.  Up the peninsular  the first quarter of the highway has been modernized.  The rest will be.  It took quite a while.  We didn't reach our destination until almost one o'clock.  We stopped at a Rest House, one of the few remaining part of the government hotels corporation.  We had a traditional rice and curry dinner for us and the driver. The gals bought quite a bit of dried fish.

On the return trip we crossed to the west side of the peninsular to the famous St. Anne's church.  It's history goes back to the Portuguese and the story goes that they carried a statue when swimming to shore.  That's the present location of a very large church, much larger than the population would seem to support.  It is a place of pilgrimage. The greater part of the region is Muslim.

Coming back home was uneventful save for the sunset and a quick visit to Jay's sister-in-law's in Ja-Ela.  The trip had lasted nearly twelve hours.