All the wet is getting a little old. At least last night there a few bright flashes of lightening and claps of thunder to keep things interesting. We didn't get up very early and had pre-ordered milk rice for breakfast at 8:00. After, we headed out with umbrellas and bare feet to see the beaches at Pasikuda and Kalkuda. The hotel had convinced us to stay saying it was a mere 500 meters. I'm not sure how they measured but it was actually more like a kilometer and a half. No bright sun shown but at least it wasn't raining.
The tsunami was so severe here that there was nothing left of the original villages near the beach. The town was relocated inland. We first walked to Pasikuda. It is obvious the government had big plans for the area as sign boards indicated a project, very late, which includes 14 huge, private, 5-star hotels. I think one is open and work near completion on another. Nice try, but I doubt the area will ever reach the intended goals. For one thing, it's physically too far away from the international airport. I doubt any tourist will willingly travel another 8 hours by road after flying hours to arrive in the country. For another the 'all-inclusive' model just doesn't seem to fit. There needs to be grassroots, small development initially.
Kalkuda Bay was lovely but not more so than a hundred other bays in the country. As there was no town along the shore, it had pretty much reverted to a natural, untouched area. Nice, but again, that doesn't make for much tourist activity.
We walked back after being able to say we saw. We checked out and called for a tuk-tuck so we wouldn't have to ford the temporary lake between us and the road. During our stay the room boy had been helpful. He spoke not a word of Sinhalese nor English. He was accommodating and gracious though by responding to every question or statement with a genial, "Yes."
THE REST OF THE DAY
I tweeted, "It's humbling when occasionally being reminded we're not entirely in charge of our own destinies.". That's what I learned by not being in school today.
The weather we'd encountered for these last few days hit not only the east as the monsoons this time of year generally do, but nearly the entire island. It is causing massive transportation headaches and more negatively, the loss of life. We are witnessing some of the worst flooding in 50 years.
We didn't know if any Colombo-bound buses would be running. We did hear that the route we'd come from yesterday was no longer open. The town had no dedicated bus stand, so people must wait along the highway in front of some shops. We waited probably from 10:50 to 11:30 but it seemed longer as we weren't sure if anything would arrive. Eventually, a bus labeled Colombo came down the road. It was coming long distance.
Here's where fate played its hand. The driver had no way of knowing which roads were open and which blocked. He had picked up passengers for Dambulla, so he needed to pass through there before going south. Word was that he had indeed come from Batticaloa, so I haven't a clue as to how he got to our stop. We were ready to strike out towards a goal. The driver was about to turn towards Trincomalee and a side road when passengers offered news and information they'd heard. Every time we met a bus we stopped to ask the news. Police, military, or general folks were always near roads which were blocked. They offered the facts to the best of their knowledge.
Due to the situation we got the scenic tour today. We ended up on tiny little roads which aren't even numbered as part of the national network. We saw parts of a few national parks. At every blockade, there was an alternative route. My butt was sore from bouncing at the time, but now the gem called retrospect has offered me the chance to see today as a gift.
We were quite tired of bouncing around and I can only imagine how exhausted to bus driver and conductor might have been. We pulled into Dambulla and around 5:15 pm. I suggested we stay in this city rather than continuing on and arriving at home much too late. We had paid the full fare but what's a few bucks? We walked to the Sun Ray Hotel. We had stayed here before obviously in its better days. But it'll do until morning.