Our New Zealand Adventure: Day 85 traffic standstill,

Monday 26 march
We had a leisurely breakfast and then had to dispute the bill, where we had been overcharged. Dinner had been added on to the bill despite us being half board. I then pointed out to the owner that normally half board means a slight discount on the price of the meals as they are guaranteed your custom and can plan more effectively but his price was MUCH more expensive than if we had bought the meals on an individual basis. He wanted us to be happy so knocked $10 off the total bill. By my reckoning we were still quite a bit out of pocket so I neglected to tell him he had forgotten the snack we had when we arrived (although the drinks were listed). This put things more in line. I also suggested putting a blind in the bathroom as its disconcerting to have workmen looking directly in. In fact I'd gone to the other hotel to have a shower which is a shame because it was a lovely bathroom, just not very private!

breakfast at Mount Lavinia

waiting for the car

our room and balcony at the top

Our car arrived slightly late and we started the long journey to Mount Lavinia in Colombo. And this was a long journey. Traffic in Sri Lanka moves slowly at the best of times but once you get close to Colombo it just stops. Traffic was at a standstill just inching forward and not helped by the massive thunderstorm and pouring rain that suddenly started. Tuk Tuks closed their curtains as they don't have glass sides, motorbikes pulled over under bus stops, water was coming out of drains, everywhere people beeped their horns as they crawled forward. Our cab driver got us to the Mount Lavinia area and then we used our sat navs to get him to the hotel as he didn't know where it was. The journey had taken over 5 hours with only a couple of minutes break when our driver had run to the loo a few hours back. (We'd been offered a lunch break but had declined wanting to get to Colombo)

We had booked a suite which had a great view of the sea and once we were ensconced, headed back to the bar to get a drink and something to eat. Breakfast had been a long,long time ago! The bar was full of boys from Stamford private school in Lincolnshire obviously gathering to go off on a trip with their teachers so we sat on stools at the bar until they had gone and we could claim a table. The fish curry rolls were delicious as was the fresh guava juice. I had a bit of a wander around the hotel to discover where things were and then went back to get Jono who had been trying to access Microsoft to see if he had been paid (they'd mucked up and once again his salary was not there). We needed a leg stretch so wandered around the few small boutiques that were part of the hotel (lots of carved elephants but no one had carved monkeys!) then went on to the private beach and walked along it.

View from hotel bar over ocean

waiting for our room key

bathroom

bedroom

lounge area in suite

sitting at the bar

The rain had stopped and it was beautifully warm. There was a big iguana or komodo dragon walking along the beach and as we tried to get close, it determinedly moved away carefully keeping us in sight.

We walked along the beach which at first sight seemed reasonably clean but along the tide mark and floating in the sea it decidedly wasn't. At the far end we could see a clean up crew raking up debris which I thought was promising, until we realised they were digging holes in the sand and pushing the rubbish inside and burying it. Not a good way of dealing with this! On the way back we found a small tortoise sitting on the beach. Thinking it was a turtle we tried to launch it in the sea. The tortoise was not impressed and wouldn't go. One of the hotel people came up and explained the problem, rescued the tortoise and said he would take it to the front of the hotel where there was a small garden and pond. He also showed us a collection of large shells he said had been found by diving close to the beach. They were stunning shells and he had a book in English that told you about each one.

We also investigated the swimming pool area and terrace that looked out over the ocean and had a drink by candle light sat outside before having dinner. My first ever mint dacquirie!

The staff wanted to sit us in the air conditioned part of the restaurant but I had to ask them to move us as it was too cold. They found us a table overlooking the pool with the night breeze just stirring the air and it was perfect. Dinner was an amazing buffet. There were different salads set out in one area, Sri Lankan buffet in another, western style food in a third and Japanese style in a fourth. Some of the Sri Lankan dishes were becoming familiar to us: banana flower, jack fruit, fish curries and dhal and we both opted to eat from this section. There was also a massive dessert section including an array of vegan desserts. It was the chocolate mousse that caught my eye though. Desserts had been thin on the ground in Asia and chocolate just not there. It was delicious. Thoroughly stuffed we went back to our suite.