|
Denniblog |
|
Categories
'Round the World Recipes (36)
About Me (2) Cairo to Capetown (51) computer setup (26) events (5) hols (16) LIGHTHOUSE BLOG (7) Longboats (4) Neither here nor there (35) publishing (11) SE Asia (40) Tadley Times (31) The Whales of Trincomalee (47) Travel tales (4) Travels on my Doorstep (19) Whale watching (12)
Recent Entries
* Freaking on the road
* Losing the plot * Arugam Bay * Batticaloa to Arugam Bay * Running away * A wild goose chase (2) * Pumpkin gallore! * John Peel dead * A wild goose chase (1) * Curd and Treacle * The Turtle Beach * Yellow Oleander * Ectoparasites * Apple Nobby Cake * The Eco Tour (2) * Curry Night (1) * The Eco Tour (1) * No money, no way * Raja's Oasis * South
Archives
|
October 31, 2004Freaking on the roadI was woken by a commotion outside. The road through Ulla is never completely quiet. Irrespective of how few vehicles there are in the area, the odd tuk-tuk, bike and even bus might roar up or down at any hour...Read this update Losing the plotI woke up in the doorstep of a room. Not mine, there was no sign of the rucksack, but my bag was next to me. It was dark and quiet. Cursing my stupidity, I crawled under the mosquito net and...Read this update October 30, 2004Arugam BayIn Pottuvil, just across from Arugam Bay, it was clear that I had arrived in backpacker country....Read this update October 29, 2004Batticaloa to Arugam BayBatticaloa is a laid-back town on Sri Lanka's largest lagoon, made famous by its 'singing fish': in the time around the full moon between April and October, the water in the lagoon reverebates with a sound which one traveler described...Read this update October 28, 2004Running awayS and A were due to fly home in two days' time, so Rob had invited John and me to spend our last ten days at his place. He was keen to pick John's brains about the mathematical modeling required...Read this update October 27, 2004A wild goose chase (2)The lecture was scheduled for six pm, more than five hours away. Enough time for me to get home and change. I was smelly and dusty from rushing across the city. Needless to say, Dr. W, like everybody else on...Read this update Pumpkin gallore!Just in time for Halloween, the shops are flooded with pumpkins. Halloween is a celtic festival, you know, and it is the Irish who brought the art of pumpkin carving to America. But apart from carving, you can always eat...Read this update October 26, 2004John Peel deadWhile I am sitting at the computer, radio one usually plays in the background. I am still dumbfounded by the news I heard. The legendary radio DJ and Godlike Genius John Peel is dead. Along with millions of listeners all...Read this update A wild goose chase (1)I had planned to visit the fish-market in Negombo later in the day, but first it was time to make a few phone calls. Reluctantly. The Sri Lankan phone system remined me of India back in '85. At times the...Read this update October 25, 2004Curd and TreacleOn the long drive through the dark back down the Kalpitya peninsula, we started to feel hungry. There was nowhere between here and Palavi where we could stop for food. So we talked about it instead. "I could do with...Read this update October 24, 2004The Turtle BeachIt was dusk before we reached Kalpitya itself, ostensibly the last settlement on the peninsula, but rows of palm-thatch huts lined the sandy track almost all the way to the sea at Dutch Bay. Here, a new sand bank had...Read this update October 23, 2004Yellow OleanderThe next day promised to be boring. I could not quite decide what to do with myself, when Maria phoned. She had a rare afternoon off from work and suggested we go on a drive along the coast. "We can...Read this update October 22, 2004EctoparasitesAs I approached the gate of the house in Negombo, a black-and-brown furry blur rushed at me, accompanied by fierce flashing teeth and the sound of mad barking. Evidently the neighbours' dog, the one I had shouted at during the...Read this update Apple Nobby CakeWe have a glut of apples at the moment. Before the birds and squirrels make short work of them, I sent John into the garden to pick a few for a quick autum treat. I know some mean German cake...Read this update October 21, 2004The Eco Tour (2)Of the world's seven species of marine turtles, five come ashore to nest in Sri Lanka. They are the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), hawksbill (Eritmochilys imbricata) and leatherback (Dermochylys coriacea). The 2.5...Read this update Curry Night (1)Always a treat, if not quick to prepare, we aim to have a curry every week. As the chill of autum draws in, the chilli heat drives the cold away and earthy spices warm the body. During the drizzly Scottish...Read this update October 20, 2004The Eco Tour (1)The area around Tangalla promised some spectacular beaches, but I was attracted to this town because of its proximity to Rekawa. It was there that one of the more active field-stations of NARA was based, carrying out extensive research on...Read this update No money, no wayI am out of money and out of words. I am stuck with my writing. There are still three deadlines outstanding:...Read this update October 19, 2004Raja's OasisWeligama was the opposite of Mirissa. The bay was crowded not with tourists, but with fishermen. There were so many boats that it must have been overfished. The main catch appeared to be tiny sardinellas....Read this update October 18, 2004SouthI never met the people at NARA again because I could not make myself understood on the phone. My accent is bad, but even A seemed to have difficulties. The main problem was that I did not know the name...Read this update October 17, 2004NARAAfter one day of doing absolutely nothing, I was numb with boredom. I decided to check out the NARAheadquarters in Colombo. There might still be people working there who had been involved with the National Marine Mammal Programme in the...Read this update Posted by Denni on October 17, 2004 12:52 PM
Category: October 16, 2004Trial by busGetting a bus back to Kandy and, more importantly, seats should not be a problem, seeing that we were staying opposite the bus station at the eastern terminus of the Trinco-Kandy service. However, there were no private buses that morning...Read this update October 15, 2004Return to TrincomaleeThe next morning John and I found ourselves in another minibus, speeding back towards Trinco. John had agreed to come along because he figured I could do with some support. I did my best to sell him the charms of...Read this update Stout, steak and kidney pieAutum is here. The trees on the hills are blushing with the first colours of fall, mist creeps into the valley at night and the time has come for warm, comforting dishes....Read this update October 14, 2004Water shortages, forest fires and whale talkEvery drop of water had to be labourously transferred to a tank on the roof and all we got was a trickle from the taps and the occasional flush of the cistern. Rob had managed to borrow a pump from...Read this update Plans for PortugalI spent most of the afternoon exploring my options for my birthday-trip in November. Basically these are two-fold: Head south to Morocco via Gibraltar or explore Portugal. Both options are constrained by time (15 days) and budget. The former is...Read this update October 13, 2004A troubled historyOver dinner, the discussion turned back to the weather. Incredibly, the looming clouds had again dissipated. There had been little rain since October and everybody was waiting for the northeast monsoon to pick up belatedly. I had gained an indication...Read this update October 12, 2004Christmas in KandyKandy, the final stronghold of the Buddhist kings and home to the sacred relic of the Buddha's tooth ('sweet tooth' jokes abound) nestles by an artificial lake at the foot of the highlands. Here in the hills, it was markedly...Read this update October 11, 2004Elephants, Porcupines and Propositions (2)In Pinnawela, Kunara refused to join us on our trip to the orphanage. "Oh come on", we pleaded: "We can take the labtops with us so nobody can steal them." "It is not just that" he replied: "Its the car!"...Read this update October 10, 2004Elephants, Porcupines and Propositions (1)The next day, my arms and legs were pock-marked with mosquito bites. I carried a cut lime around to rub on my skin in an attempt to ease the fierce itching. I was high on histamines....Read this update October 09, 2004The night of the lost pocket knifeBack at Trinco Rest, my unease returned. I did not want to take a precious valium, so I had a drink, chasing one peril with another. Daytime drinking was bad news, but at least it was now late afternoon....Read this update Venison with cider and black puddingStirling's once-a-month Farmer's Market has gone to crap. Once you could buy Gloucester Old Spot pork and propper game there. It was a bijou version of a proper market like the ones I remember from my childhood, an embryonic promise...Read this update October 08, 2004An afternoon strollI had arranged a tuk-tuk for 11 o'clock. The commander, who had borrowed my book on whales, had hinted that he might drop by at Trinco Rest when he finished work at 11:30. It turned out that a family of...Read this update Off to PortugalLandround Travel have sent a letter after they could not reach me by phone. When I called back they just wanted to confirm my first choice of destination and date for my complementary flight to Europe -- no hard sell...Read this update October 07, 2004TensionBack at the French Garden, I suddenly felt depressed. The experiences of the past few days were catching up with me. How was it that this holiday had turned into some kind of expedition? Why was I chasing after pipe...Read this update October 06, 2004Crazy night outThe harbour master had been in a jolly mood all along, telling the Captain that I was his new wife and trying to pair me off with two young crew members on the pilot boat with whom he made me...Read this update October 04, 2004London's worstThe problem with a brief visit to old haunts to have a laugh with mates is that you end up with a backlash of teary nostalgia, but yesterday really took the bisquit....Read this update October 02, 2004Back in da hood!The ghetto has shrunk. This is a sure sign that I have been away for some time. I remember that on my return from boarding school my hometown always appeared smaller. When I came back from my trans-Africa trip it...Read this update |
Latest Comments
sebastian: http://sebastian.doc.gold.ac.uk/christmas2005/imag... [read]
John: Diving is relaxing! I'll bring the kit. Happy Ne... [read] Blablablabla: denni if you wish to travel to Indonesia via Tawa... [read] cayce: Hi Denni, Fellow bootsnaller from Kuching here. ... [read] Denni: Thanks Lisa, good to know I'm not alone. Dispute f... [read] Lisa: Sounds exactly like what happened to me! File a di... [read] Denni: Hi Toby, good to hear from you! My own (fiction) ... [read] Toby O'Neil: You're braver than I am --- my few attempts at wri... [read] Denni: You're welcome! :)... [read] |