22nd Nov. Anuradhapura to Jaffna

Yep. There's been a change of plan. I was going to stay in Anuradhapura for four days and maybe do the 'sunset over crumbling ruins' trip. Well, whilst I thought this latest place I stayed in was a good 'un, in fact it was a bit of a let-down. The manager had double booked me and moved me to his other property. This turned out to be a bit far out of the city centre. Then the lock on my bedroom door jammed and the muppet took well over an hour to come and fix it (even I couldn't burgle it with the bent spoon I tried). Nice enough place and staff - just incompetent.
So I paid my bill and left this morning.
On a bit of an impulse, I took the bus to Jaffna. It's way up at the northern tip of the island. You could almost spit to India.
(Speaking of spitting - tenuous link coming)
The bus drivers and 'conductors' - the chaps taking the money for fares and shouting something incomprehensible when the bus gets near a stop - are constantly spitting out of the window or the door, or somewhere else as bad. I reckon I've cottoned on to why it is: The conductor will sometimes make a flying stop at a roadside shop and pick up a damned great bunch of what I thought were tea leaves straight from the bush. Well, whatever it is, they chew it and spit the brown gunk out every so often. I'll get the spelling wrong, but maybe it's that stuff called 'khat', pronounced 'chat'.
Whorevaah.
Please accept my apologies for the pathetically small selection of photos today. I've been travelling a long while on a rickety old bus, and the weather's been its usual self: tail-end of the monsoon; two downpours per day.
Anyway, I got to Jaffna and it looks okay. The place I'm staying in should've been a breeze to find, but I walked past it at least once and the tuk tuk driver I fell on the mercy of, was a complete numpty and couldn't find it either.
Seems like a nice place though, run by a nice guy with an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Golden Retriever who's obviously spoiled rotten and knows it.
Chicken fried rice from the takeaway for din-dins.
Shower.
Bed.Read more