Cycle day 9 - Pottuvil to Addalaichenai
Pottuvil to Addalaichenai = 52km (Total distance on this trip so far = 513km)
Weather = ah the usual – a low of 25 with a top of 30 degrees and hot! A sunny day with no rain forecasted.
Accommodation = Beach Guest House = 3750 rupees ($20.00 AUS)
After writing last nights blog we figured out our toilet didn't function properly. The cistern wasn't holding water and when you turned the water on at the wall it would fill up and continually run down the bowl and the back pipe had a leak. We sort of couldn't do anything about it and didn't want another room as they had outside showers and toilets and yes Sharon it is ‘one’ of those toilets that you would have encountered in your appropriate travelling age days of Indonesia and the Arab area you went to. I know I can put up with alot but those sorts of toilets are a no go for me – I prefer the bush toilet! So we made do with it and turned the tap off (as it was running to loud to keep it on!) and when we had to go we just used an empty 5L bottle filled it up with water and flushed it through that way. It seemed to work!
Before going to last nights dinner we diverted a few 100m to have a look at Arugam bay
It is a nice place, large but not exactly beautiful as locals say it is!
We continued on back into town to find a place to eat. It was alot quieter walking through the narrow alleys back to the main road and it was nice looking into peoples places having a sticky beak I was! We did this on the way there and on the way back. Going to dinner people were still out and about and their gates were open and they all said hello and kids would run out to the gate and shout and wave hello. Very friendly people.
Dinner, we now realise they eat late here - 7pm! And you know us we eat early and sort of have kept that going here but we are finding that when we go to places we are getting the lunch left overs or they are not ready. We go early so we can get back in the daylight. But we always find something and last nights meal was great. They decided to reheat everything for us and present it to us nicely
1. Is ... he said banana leaf but I am not sure on that, maybe something green! But it was nice and the only one there with real kick but if you smothered it with rice it cooled off a bit!
2. Chicken in gravy he called it. The gravy had spice flavouring but only fresh chilli which we could push aside!
3. Fried egg each
4. Potato and curry – man this was nice – not hot at all
5. A sort of chilli paste concoction that was avoided!
Well we ate it all!
Back on the road very early this morning – before 7am and the streets were quiet and the entire ride today was quiet with no traffic going our way (north) and all the traffic going south. There has to be an event everyone is going to as all the vehicles, tuk tuks and motorbikes going south were overflowing with people. They must be families going somewhere as they were all wearing nice clothes and some had white (and I mean really white) outfits on like they are part of something. Anyway they were all waving and tooting at us and thought it was just dandy they are seeing foreigners – there are NONE up this way!
Every now and then we would come back to the coast momentarily and then go away from it.
There are lots of small villages along here with lots of little roadside shrines and today we came across this pretty colourful one with an archway across the road to embellish it!
One of the towns we were in there was some cattle strolling along in the middle of the road, not that I am a cattle expert but sometimes they look a bit worse for wear and are in need of a good patch of grass to munch on
I also come across a Don Johnson look alike with his cycle jersey unzipped!
Actually there were lots of little things to see today. Once back on the coast for the last 10km we see more memorials for the Tsunami victims
A monkey trying to get across the power lines and struggling to keep his balance no thanks to the crows or ravens!
Lovely inland water ways
A fisherman expertly throwing out his net. This video can be a little blurry and shaky as I had to zoom in to take it as I didn't want him to feel self conscience that I was taking a video of him
A bike shop in the town just before Addalaichenai
And probably something that will shock you all – children/babies being carried on the motorbikes yeah no car seats involved here!
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2 days ago
Today was the first day I have seen young babies being carried by their mothers on the bikes. We have seen plenty of young children either hanging on the drivers back or perched in front of the driver. In fact some of the combinations we have seen can be comical at times. While doing this blog a motorbike just passed with 1 child in front of the driver with 3 other children behind – so that is five. I have seen plenty of mum and dad with 2 kids so that is 4. The majority are either 2 or 3 persons on a bike.
Tuk Tuks – the most I have seen is 7 – driver plus 3 adults squeezed in the back each with a child on their laps. I must admit they are not going fast!
We get to our accommodation and it is right on the beach so there is a nice cooling breeze. It is alot better than last nights accommodation
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There is a communal area where you can sit and feel the breeze and see the ocean and sand between the coconut palms. This view might sound lovely but I am omitting the massive steel structure in front of me that block some of the view and the fact there is a considerable amount of construction noise to my right!
Tomorrow we head for Batticaloa and will have a rest day there and work on extending our visa!
Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 110 km (68 miles)
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So interesting so see such a different way of life with humans & animals all trying to coexist on a tiny busy island.
Oh heck I had flashbacks to floor toilets, yeah definitely better to persevere & flush toilet manually than move rooms to a floor toilet 😂
Have to say your food looks delicious except the hot stuff of course.
Taking Jayden home today after open home, he says he doing well with his homework & doesn’t need help, only 2 weeks left of term time.
I saw late last night an earthquake across the ocean from you in Myanmar, bad one as well, thankfully no tsunami towards you, take care Xx
2 days ago