WYE VALLEY TSUNAMI FUND

Close of play Tuesday 15th March

On Monday morning (early !!) I went shopping in Colombo while Sally stayed in the hotel, Colombo is hot, in fact very hot, chaotic, busy, noisy. Just my sort of place but not Sally's. I bought 30 dolls, 50 toy cars, 12 drums, I don't know how may cuddly toys in the order of 100, 12 cricket bats, 12 sets of wickets, 36 balls, 20 bat and ball sets, 400 school book, four gross of pencils, 100 pencil sharpeners, 100 rubbers , 12 tins of biscuits and some sweets.

Was planning to get my hair cut for 100 rupees (about 50p) but didn't have time in the end.!!!

Sally and I met up with Ralph and Anita Medora in the Colombo Hilton. What a small world and they were fantastically supportive. I have local contacts from Ralph if we need anything, help or advice. Thanks to them.

Asha and the Honeyman arrived at our ostentatious hotel on time looking happy. We loaded up their mini bus (people seem to like mini buses out here) I would have liked to rip the seats out as we would have had more space but was out voted on that idea.

The journey to Unawatuna was reasonably uneventful and took just on 4 hours. The further south we travel the more destruction we saw. In fact we have travelled the road on a number of occasions but did not recognise many areas. In many places the landscape has totally changed, maps will have to be re drawn, in others no damage what so ever.

We past hundreds and hundreds of tents. Some had been erected in row after row to form townships housing up to 3000 people on areas that had previous been covered with houses but now flattened. Others erected by individuals on the slabs and among the rubble where their homes once stood. What also struck Sally and I was ---------------- less people.

We arrived at Galle about 6 o'clock. Wow, these people have worked a miracle. The main street that was filled with water and debris as one of my earlier pictures showed, had been cleared and the shops re opened. This street was however a little protect from the tsunami. The properties fronting the sea and just heap after heap after heap of rubble and replaced by yet more tents.

We arrived at Unawatuna about 6;15. Emotional to say the least. Sally sobbed and I shed my second bout of tears. (The first being when Charlotte Church sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow at the Tsunami Concert in the Millennium Stadium . (Come on Wales on Saturday ). The clean up by the locals is dramatic to say the least. It looks so different to the days after the tsunami and also what it looked like before the event. Within minutes of our arrival we met Silver back. He nearly fell off his new bike (a present from some Dutch people) when he saw us. He is living in a tent near the beach with and old uncle (we found out Silverback is really Mike and is 49) as the house that he was living in with his parents has been passed to an elder brother who is married. That is the way it works in Sri Lanka. He now has an idea to freeze pineapple juice and sell to the tourist when they return. He is currently working for the local association here helping with the clean up and the rebuilding of boundary walls etc for 400 rupees a day about £2 and in his words 'I am really really happy and looking to the future, what a guy. We found out last night that he could rent a house here for about £20 a month for a twelve month period. We will look and the implications and if possible propose to pay his rent for a year, £240.

Today we have met up with Tom Tuk Tuk his family and Marla. They provided lunch and we sorted out the repairs of his Tuk Tuk. He and his family were over whelmed.

We have bought two bicycles today and sold them on as a 'business arrangement' to a waiter at the hotel for 1 rupee (about 1/2p).They we be available to anybody who comes to Unawatuna in the future and mentions the Wyevalleytsunaminfund, for rent free of charge. He told us his story of the tsunami. He can not swim but found himself swimming in 20 feet of turbulent water, a mini bus went flashing past his head and his closing statement was, 'I will never die again because I think I have died once already'.

The people here are all so wonderfully friendly and so pleased to see us. They all are so positive towards the future many having lost everything and lots sleeping in tents on the beach. One guy is sleeping in a tree house 15 foot up in the air. However we have not seen one sad person or one person begging or asking for anything.

To night to our surprise and amazement the chef at the hotel cooked us a special meal, carrot and peanut soup, spring rolls, and wait for it roast lamb and mint sauce. We had bought some post cards and they were on the table and the waiter and the chef said to Sally, don't let him write them, look what happened last time he did.

Tomorrow I am going on a few missions to spend some more of your so generously donated dosh!! First trip is to the orphanage and then to the old peoples home. Both in a terrible state. I hope also to go to some schools. Also going to look at fishing nets and boats. No government help as yet here, but the people don't expect any so are all off their butts and helping themselves. They are so grateful for any help we give.

What a holiday we are having.

Over and out from your appointed missionaries in Sri Lanka

Love Kelvin & Sally