Bentota

Our first day of relaxation was pretty much all that we wanted. Breakfast for royalty delivered by buffet ( well ok very few royals have to gather their own vittles....and it was fried eggs and bacon on toast..but hey - we did have options). After that we strolled over the lawn to the pristine beach and quickly established ourselves on lounges, under a brightly coloured umbrella with pretty much the whole place to ourselves.

The surf looked inocculous but delightfully produced the best body surfing ever. Just need to know how to manage being dumped on sandbank without a board to protect you. Non-blogger tried successfully a couple of times before being dumped and tweaking her back. The rest of the time under the brolly was spent negotiating with a local sand trader. And there was the dog... A local was carrying down a small skinny black pooch to the water. Dog seemed petrified enough that this was the end of the known universe. In the end it got a wash/clean and after that bounded back across the sand like the universe was full of 2 month old buried bones to consume. Non-blogger (being very dog focused) spoke to the guys and found out they are simply caring for the pooches as they share a common space. Nice people, nice dogs, nice vibes. Then as our first day on our own (we'd bid a fond farewell to our fabulous guide the night before and we hope by now he's at home safely in the arms of his family) we headed out into the wilderness of the local town - loaded down with a bag of dirty clothes looking for a cheap launderer (not cash). After talking to several locals we eventually captured a TukTuk driver who took took us to the cheaper place in town and interpreted for as well and then took took us back to town. We had a couple of guys who latched onto us. The last one stuck - he reckons they were his shops but not so. I think they just all know each other and work things out between them. NB was in her element as negotiating rang through the air and all sorts of excuses abounded. Definitely reminiscent of Brian trying to buy a beard in a hurry. It would appear that men's clothing is far more available and fashionable than the girls. Thus the exploration focus is on seeing if linen pants can be found in the female sections of the shops. So far no luck. Persist we will. We then followed our guide up the street. 2/3rds of the shops closed due to the national day of mourning and stories abounding of a complete island shutdown as apparently some of the terrorist cell are still active, moving around and have more devices. Thus the tension climbs a little more as they are obviously targeting western society - not just a specific religion. Anyway, our walk up the road ended at a local spa place and we both received pleasant massages (not any cheaper than the hotel but it was a great experience) and we committed to returning the next few days. We were took tooked back to the hotel in the TukTuk owned by the spa. The elderly driver was not as aware as previous drivers and didn't see the dude walking across the pedestrian strip. That was a close call and a further insight into what makes up the chaos of the roads here. Stopping off at the local wine distribution joint which actually distributes a lot of wine. For the tourists - so it is of course - rediculous prices compared to home. Did get an NZ Sav Blanc though so all is good. Back in the rooms to wash off all that oil and to realise the sun was actually burning whilst in the water this morning. Woops. Hopefully all the oil will help remediate the after effects.

A knock on the door and we were kindly presented with a lovely Anniversary cake from the hotel. A very nice recognition of our assurance efforts in order to get a room with a sea view. The swan towel on the bed had arrived earlier when they made up the room. Suspect it flew in when they opened the doors. Goodness knows what creature will arrive on the bed tomorrow. So we are feeling safely secured away in the hotel. Watching the sun set through colourful clouds whilst reading and blogging. No real idea what is happening out there as there are rumours of shutdowns but no official notices. Dinner was a delightful buffet.