Day 10 - Sweet smelling cinnamon

Time to head South...

Egg hoppers all round - this tourist was even able to convince an inquisitive visitor from the Middle East that she would not regret trying one - much better than the doughnut she initially had on her plate. So we left the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel at about 8:30am and headed south for Ahungalla. But of course, not before we needed to stop in the hotel driveway for JB and AV to reclaim their phone chargers from their room and on the way back, collect a tour fine.

There were a number of sites to see along the way. One that surprised us was the Sri Lankan "White House" or the Colombo City Town Hall. Then on our right we saw Sri Lankan Parliament House, which looked stunning, and after a bit of traffic, we hit the massive highway to Galle. It's interesting how out of place it felt given our past 10 days, but a highway is very much commonplace back home.

A quick trip through Colombo to Washington D.C

Sri Lankan Parliament House, designed by Geoffrey Bawa (the photo from the bus was sketchy, so here's one we prepared earlier).

Not long after leaving the expressway, we arrived at Kosgoda and to the Turtle Sanctuary. Most didn't quite know what to expressed, but all were pleasantly surprised from the outset. It's not often you get to be so close to a large majestic creature such as the 5 varieties (of 7 worldwide) of turtle in Sri Lanka. The breeds that we saw included: Green, Leatherback, Loggerhead, Olive Ridley and Hawks Bill. 

2 days old - no touching!!!

3 days old - handle with care.

We learnt the difference between the breeds, as well as the nature of each at various stages of development. We were only allowed to touch the babies that were at least 3 days old as they had built up enough resistance to the oils from our skin. Then the group were informed about the greatest threats to turtles - one of the major ones now being plastic consumption. Then we saw something special - albino turtles. Apparently we were in the presence of the only place where 4 of them existed in a single setting. They will not be re-released into the ocean like others as they lack the art of camouflage to help their survival. Then like so many other activities, we were herded into the gift shop. This was slightly different as the proceeds went back into the turtle sanctuary. Turtle sculptures and elephant pants all round...

Snowy, with his mates: Vanilla, Silas and Deborah Harry.

This picture was immediately tweeted to Mr. Lloyd - Head of Geog at Barker #browniepoints.

Then back in the bus and out of the sun - though it was definitely a lot less humid here on the coast. Our next stop was the Madu River safari cruise. As the group learnt from our trip to the Matale Spice Garden (who could forget the complimentary massages - or as one tourist likes to call them; messages), cinnamon is a fragrant spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species. It is also used in a variety of meals in Sri Lankan cooking; breakfast, lunch and dinner - not just doughnuts gents.

The fragrant inner bark even tasted good as it to a couple of boys - perhaps they tuned out when they were instructed just to take a sniff.

"I love it when we're cruisin' together"

The path that Captain Robinson would take us on that afternoon.

We found out straight after our instructional safety talk that Captain Robinson would not be joining us. He is now on permanent desk assignment due to a few naval indiscretions that can't be mentioned - but what we can say is that when your guide says "please don't touch the bridge when we pass under it", you should heed those words of warning.

 It was hot out on the water and many were happy to reach Cinnamon Island. An informative talk was provided and another opportunity to purchase some relatively cheap wares were provided. We were relatively close to the hotel and the boys were keen for a swim, so Damindah knew a short cut and we were there quicker than you can say "Mr. Toth, you're room is not ready." The hotel looked amazing. Rather than spoil it with my clunky words, I'll let the photos finish off this post.

Enjoy.

Ahungalla has this coach's approval.

The entrance to the hotel.

The boys playing water polo as the sun sets.