Around Galle - and a special birthday

February 19th, only two days left in Sri Lanka, a day touring, and a final day at the pool and beach.  It was also my birthday, and Ranjan had plans for us! He had already bought me a batik shirt and a sarong, but today he wanted to show us some new sites.

First we journeyed beyond Galle to a turtle sanctuary at Hikkaduwa. Turtles have many predators: humans who like to eat their eggs for longevity, dogs, honey badgers, gulls that eat the eggs and also the emerging day old turtles, sharks,

and fisherman. The survival rate is only 1 in 100 eggs, and around the world conservation centres have been set up to protect the species.  Here the threatened species was the green backed turtle, and the owner paid 20 rupees for each egg brought to him for incubation.  Unusually he also took in injured turtles and rehabilitated the back into the wild.  We saw turtles that had been caught in fishing nets or struck by a boat propeller, that had lost one, two and even three fins, that were slowly taught how to swim and dive against they could be released back to the sea.

We visited a moonstone mine,the only one in the world to produce blue moonstones, and watched the entirely manual process by which the seams, some 45 metres down, are dug out, the mon stones sifted for the sand, and then patiently cut and mounted.The prices were beyond our reach.

We took a boat safari through the mangrove swamps, seeing how cinnamon was extracted from the bark of a tree, rolled into cinnamon sticks or ground to a fine powder, and how cinnamon oil was produced. We visited an island temple, not the most elaborate or spectacular on our tour, but perhaps with the most knowledgeable guide.  The disciple with the blue face had done something very bad in a previous incarnation, but had been reincarnated as a protector of animals and all living things!

Our driver dropped us off at Jungle Beach to watch the sunset whilst he went off to run an errand.  It was a lovely beach, although rather popular on account of its beautiful reputation.  At sunset all the sun bathers packed up and left leaving it briefly to just ourselves.  And then, as if on cue, at the end of a day's work, the locals arrived, stripped down to their underwear and enjoyed a dip in the cooling waters before returning home for dinner.

Ranjan collected us.  He had been preparing a birthday surprise meal! We ate traditional Sri Lankan fish curry and rice at his mother's home, surrounded by his family including his beautiful wife, his charming son of 14 years age, top of his school and winner of the village prize, who speaks excellent English and wants to be a doctor, and his very pretty 8 year old daughter.  He was so proud to introduce us to his family including his 72 year old father, and we felt honoured and privileged to have been invited into his home.  It was a  perfect end to a memorable birthday.  Thank you Ranjan!