WYE VALLEY TSUNAMI FUND

Our return in March to Sri Lanka....

Two weeks in the life of Mr & Mrs Good (as nick named by Sam)

Flight UL502 has delayed take off – due to a change of shift of baggage handlers. A huge amount of medical supplies to be loaded. The plane was also diverted at Malle because a small aircraft crashed on the runway. The runway is now closed until further notice. So we are now flying to a place beginning with Triccoll……………….i, which is an airport of the east coast of India. I have never been to India before. What Joy!!!

Without too much delay, and Kelvin was able to stand at the open door to the plane while it re fuelled we are now off to Colombo. No problems with Colombo and we arrive to a warm welcome at the Galle Face Hotel. To add a little spice to the day we are shown to the Royal Commonwealth Suite. Not a room but lots of rooms and as Kelvin put it ‘like a small continent’ we laugh and decide to test the pineapple juice in the bar.

13.3.05

After breakfast we take a tuk tuk to the city and do a little shopping. I have been given a list from family and friends so today is the day for getting this little job out of the way. Also we are not expecting much stock in the shops down south so best to do this now. I am quickly reminded of how much I dislike Colombo – its dirty and dusty and it’s a city. At 53 I know that not all people are good and it takes more time than a quick chat to distinguish who is who. It has to be said that the very friendly ones are the ones you have to watch. Good manners cost nothing and are free to society. In my mind they count for a lot. You don’t need to do a lot of talking – not straightaway.

After the shopping £1.50 for a tee shirt, about the same for 6 pairs of socks, we climb into a tuk tuk and go to the Supermarket. I stay in the tuk tuk and Kelvin goes into the shop. The driver broke into conversation and was interested in knowing ho much taxi fare were in London. After a quick conversion excersize we agree that the price increased by a factor of 10 e.g. 100 rupees to go to the shops in Colombo and 1000 to pop around the corner in St. James Park. Not including the tip of course. In Sri Lanka the tip would be 400 and in London it would be 1.50 upwards. So tuk tuk man gets rich from tips. Back to hotel then into the pool for a swim. Lovely.

The view from the pool looking out to sea reminded me of the last time I saw this. Urgently wanting to be home, hoping that nothing else would happen. On our way, nearly there, but not quite.

Someone has just told us about the constant tremors and that last week the sea came up to the Galle Road, I couldn’t help but ask myself, why are we here. Our degree of help is minute but help nevertheless – around us are white skinned people that are here for the same reason.

So after our swim, we miss supper and go for a stroll. There is a festival of blessings on Galle Face Green, lots of people some seated within a covered area and most people sat or standing on the grass. A family of well-dressed women stopped and asked my name. Mother, daughter and about 7 grandchildren and eldest granddaughter speaking very good English. In turn the all asked me what has happened to the money. – I wanted to cry – I had no answer – they have had lots of promises and nothing else. I can see trouble ahead.

A short shower brought our walk to a hasty end. I was tired, hungry and just wanted to sleep. Wales were playing rugby so there were other priorities ahead. A good score for Wales made a happy end to the day.

( Mums birthday)

After breakfast Kelvin arranged a mammoth shopping trip to get supplies to take down to the south. School books, pens, toys etc and we then went to meet Anita and Ralph Medora at the Hilton hotel. Ralph and Anita were at the Asian evening in Llandogo and they very kindly offered any help we needed. Just get in touch.

We need to get to Unawatuna – we don’t know what we are going to face yet.

Asha and honey man are waiting at the hotel when we return and we load up the van and begin our journey to the south. On the way down we stopped at the honeymans shop and had a look at Galle’s devastation. Horrendous to say the least. Galle is still alive and kicking and getting on with it. We do not know why honey mans shop has not been repaired. The shops around it have been repaired or replaced by new shops. His shop has had some blocks to the back but nothing else. He tells us the cost of the repairs is 10 lak. This we know is rubbish and when we ask him how much the new stock is again he says 10 lak. Oh dear, we are not happy about this. So on we go to arrive at Unawatuna for 5.30. Preshan are waiting to greet us and as we walk through the gates to the hotel we cannot contain the emotion and tears flow. Preshan says this is a new time and Unawatuna is happy and very pleased to see us. We must not cry must not be sad – everyone is trying to be happy. OK we will give it a go. We walk up the 44 steps to our old room and have another big hug on the balcony. Scary. We had a shower and decided to walk down to the beach. Kelvin walked into the sea in his clothes and ceremoniously spat in it. I thought maybe I would get my feet wet tomorrow. We had a lovely meal at the Thapraban on the beach and then walked back to the hotel and bed.

15.3.05

After breakfast off we went to the beach. It takes us ages to get anywhere because everywhere we go people stop us and talk and talk. They remember us and ask why we have come back. We tell them it’s a holiday and ask how everybody is, and then to the beach for a swim. The sea was not very clear today and gently lapped on the beach as before, except there was more beach now and it actually looked cleaner than before the tsunami. A lot of effort has gone into the recovery of Unawatuna and if it weren’t for the all the still remaining ruins it would be like Unawatuna 15 years ago. Some of the locals say that they are waiting for some long promised help from the government. That will only come if they have the evidence of loss. There is a notice to say that the government do not want anyone to rebuild 100 metres from the sea – for safety reasons. That puts a lot of people in a difficult position – where do they rebuild?

Tonight the chef at the hotel is preparing a special meal to honour our return. We take lots of pictures in the hope that we can do something to get more people here. After a super meal we set off to look for Sam the man – our key to allocating the money to the most needy places. As we approach his house he is on the veranda and we shake hands exchange info and make an instant impact. We arranges to meet in the morning to make a number of ‘calls’

16.3.05

We met Jake Zairians at the Rock hotel and then set off with Sam to 1. The School 2.Orfanage 3. Home for the mental and disabled. At the school we ask them what they would like most and number 1 on the list is an intercom so that the principal can talk to all the children at the same time. Any loud noises and the children flee to the top floor of the school in fear. The intercom would reassure the children and stop the panic. The top floor of the school is not built to take that many children at one time. Number two item on the list is an Internet connection so that the children could communicate with children in other countries. Kelvin rang Ralph Medora from the school telephone and it was agreed that the line would be put in, hopefully before we return to England so that we can establish the connection to Llandogo School.

Next stop, the orphanage to get a shopping list of what they most need. They were much already sorted. The orphanage was very clean and tidy and well staffed. A medical student from Canada showed us around and explained what it was like when then accidentally stumbled on it 6 weeks ago. All the children had scabies (skin rash caused by no vit.c) all had intestinal worms (no weight gain) the whole building was rife with bugs and most children had body lice. Thanks for aid received from Canada and two Scottish nurses working there full time voluntary they were now is a position to say that all the children were lice free, now gaining weight and had all recovered from the scabies skin problems. Still, they needed nappies, wipes, soap and dustbins. The medical student had to sleep on the premises to maintain standards. As soon as the Sri Lankan staff regained controls the bad old ways returned and all the good was stopped. This he feared was inevitable as the ‘system’ did not provide any future or quality of life for these children – they are in SriLanka classed as rejects. They do not count in society. Surely this is not one of Buddha’s great rules to live by.

Next we went to the Sambodiq mental home for the mentally and physically disabled.

This home made the news for the first time ever when 100 inmates that were strapped to their beds, drowned when the tsunami hit Galle. They don’t have drugs to sedate patients in Sri Lanka so people are tied to their beds at night and in the day time if needs be. At the home they have an English teacher who is in need of a new set of legs. He is a polio victim and needs new callipers. He had two colleagues who also need new callipers so that’s another couple of items for the shopping list. I would like to buy them a television but I am told that there are other things of more value than a television. We can do a lot of good here.

Off we went to Galle to buy a stereo for the first school we went to. Vie a polish guy and a friend of Sams wanted to buy something for the school and a stereo system was next on the list so off we went to Singer in Galle to make the purchase. This shop was on the main shopping street in Galle and in 2 minutes shopkeepers were telling me their stories about the tsunami and what happened to the shops and their stock. It really is amazing what they have done so far. They asked me if I was in England and I said I was in Unawatuna, they asked me what happened there but for some reason the words would not come out. We all drank king coconut juice and went back to the school to take the stereo. The men went inside the school to talk to the principal and I stayed outside and talked to the children. This is a government school and all the children have shoes, uniforms and water bottles. – All donated from other countries. Kelvin and Sam make the arrangements for the intercom and the Internet connection and then we went back to the hotel, in time for ginger tea and then supper, then bed.

17.3.05

Kelvin meets up with honey man and Tom Tuk Tuk and they talk about the repairs. Honey man just wants the money for repairs and doesn’t appear to be making an effort. Kelvin says to order the doors – he says he already has – they disagree and Kelvin leaves them. Sam is meeting us at 12.00 but does not arrive and then calls to say he will meet us tomorrow instead. So what to do, we have an afternoon spare, oh yes lets go and see Hazel and Graham in Talpe.

Hazel and Graham have lived in SriLanka for 6 years – they used to sell houses but now the market has shrunk they have turned part of their new house into a schoolroom for local people. Sadly, Hazel has fallen and damaged the tendons in her leg so she cannot get around much at the moment. They are helping the poorer families in the Talpe area and they ask us to buy shoes, water bottles a roneo copier, books and other stuff for the school. This is a self-funded school not government. It’s for people that give nothing in taxes and they get nothing back. I feel really crap today, something to do with the tuk tuk not been able to find Hazels house, I don’t know. I just feel like I have been dropped from another planet, landed on earth totally alone. I try to talk to Kelvin and he says to pull myself together, he is busy writing e-mails and he does not have the time to talk to me. I keep trying to phone Joy but I just keep missing her. I manage to get Helen and it really is a tonic to talk to her. Kelvin is going at a much faster speed and I feel like I am forever running for a train that won’t stop so I can get on. I am about to stop running. I don’t have a problem with what he is doing, we don’t have the amount of time I need. Oh yes, it’s an express train. Tomorrow I am going to do my own thing – Mind the Gap.

18.3.05.

Kelvin is off at 7.30am with Sam and Jake. Jake wants to talk about drains and Sam is on the same train as Kelvin. After breakfast I went to see Marla, I would like her to talk to the honey man so we can be sure our first impressions are correct. Marla rang him from the Post Office and he was doing nothing at home. So she told him to get on the bus and get to the shop and start cleaning it out. The carpenter is coming tomorrow and we will see if he does.

Apart from that I am having a quiet day and its better.

I meet up with Kelvin at the hotel on the beach and he tells me about all the shopping he took to the orphanage and the rest of the train stops he has made. Busy, Busy, Busy….. A fax from Ralph confirms that we can donate a bell, shoes and bottles to Hazel and Graham. We also decide to give them 1000 pairs of glasses to distribute through the Rotary Club in Galle.

At the end of a good day a very Hungary insect decides to have a 7-course meal on my leg. So on it goes………….. Guess what, Kelvin is having a day off tomorrow, or did I just dream that.

19.3.05

After breakfast, we get on the bikes and go to the beach. Wales are playing Ireland in the Grand Slam and the Welsh flag is firmly in situ on the beach. At lunchtime in Thilak restaurant the train is standing on platform one, however, something has come up and Kelvin is off to the Refugee Camp in Welligama. Everyone at the camp lost someone they know, family, friend, and neighbour. Maybe we can find a home for the 200 spare toothbrushes. Anyway, I fell asleep at 2.00 and awoke at 3.30, Kelvin returned at 4.00 and we went back to the beach. He was very upset by the sights on the way to the camp – whole areas of coastline totally flat. The camp was funded by the Belgians about 300 residents 4 or 5 to a tent with one bed, a small single put u up type, and everyone else sleeps on concrete. A communal kitchen with stoves all around, it’s a cow shed type building. The children have no toys and all the people have to eat is rice and Dahl. So the shopping list for tomorrow is 70 fresh food parcels and some toys for the kids to play with.

20.3.05

Today we plan to have a relaxing day. We have arranged to see Marla and the family at her house for tea. Graham and Hazel have been trying to contact us. Kelvin has bought 600 water bottles, but before we make the drop we need to speak directly to the principal there’s something not quite right about this one. When we went to Galle for the bottles we asked a man called Saman if he knew where we could buy a school bell. Saman works at the Morris Minor factory and as he had done business with the shop before, he suggest that he get a good price for us on the bell. As we were sitting on the beach Graham and Hazel find us and Kelvin talks to Graham about the shoes. After a brief discussion we leave the beach. Next appears Saman with the bell and his daughter who just happens to be 8 today. We all enjoy a pineapple juice and celebrate the birthday. Saman leaves his e-mail and we promise to keep in touch. What a nice family. Just as he is leaving he reminds us that another Tsunami is coming at the end of the week. Make my day why don’t you.

At 4.00am Tom Tuk Tuk arrives and we go to Marla’s for tea. Everyone is pleased to see us and they beat the drums to announce our arrival, Asha blows the whistle and little Tom rings the bell. Kelvin makes everyone laugh when he shows them how to pull funny faces – and takes photos of everyone making a fool of themselves.

21.3.05

Another day dawns and Kelvin is getting stressed about not having enough time to full fill all our promises. Everything needs checking out and we have to buy all the stuff ourselves – we cannot hand out cash – the only way we can be sure that the people who need the stuff actually get it is to buy it and delivery ourselves – it all takes time. We are not happy about the principal at the school in Talpe so we are going to check him out. At 7.30 we meet up with Sam and after the school run we went to Minipen school – oops we forgot the bell. This is the school that needs shoes, uniforms, Roneo machine and two manual typewriters. While Sam talks to the principal Kelvin does a tour of the school and every one has shoes, uniforms so the picture previously painted is somewhat different in reality. While the boys were in the school, Wasanthi and I sat in the van and chattered to people walking past. A fisherman carrying his granddaughter stopped to talk. When the wave struck he was on the sea in his boat – he was washed up the road to the school – he laughed – it was the quickest way home he every knew. Others stopped at the van and asked for food and sadly we didn’t have any and Wasanthi kept handing out enough rupees for bread and milk. This was a very poor area before the wave – even poorer now.

Kelvin and Sam are not happy with the principal and he gets nothing. Too many lies and he wants too many things.

We then head back to Unawatuna and they drop Wasanthi and me off at her house.

Wasanthi’s mother had a stoke 2 years ago and her left side is very stiff. I took her hand and the first two fingers were cramped together. I could feel a very strong energy trap somewhere is her wrist. Wasanthi makes some ginger tea and I explain about the benefits of reflexology and within the hour her fingers and toes are straighter and she can’t believe her eyes. Its seems that her wrists and ankles were very stiff, fingers and toes in a kind of cramp. A gentle massage really helped relax the tendons and the fingers and toes straightened. I hope to do the same tomorrow. After a couple of cups of ginger tea – I left and went back to the hotel.

When I arrived back at the hotel the Irish lady with two children that was caught up in the tsunami was there at the hotel waiting for me. She heard that we were back in Sri Lanka and thought I might like some of the clothes back that I gave her in December. It was good to see her and her family all together and safe. Since her return to Ireland she founded a charity called Cork Aid – set up to help people in Sri Lanka after the tsunami – we chat and agree to pool information so that we do not overlap. What a strange day I am having within an hour a young man arrives at the hotel and produces a newspaper cutting? Do you know this man, he says. Yes of course we do, its Gordon Pearce. Gordon and Pam Pearce were another couple that were injured in the tsunami. Kelvin spent sometime with Gordon during that time trying to locate his bags from the hotel that was swept away when the wave struck. Pam was injured and spent a day and a night on a bed in hotel reception waiting to be airlifted to the hospital. Gordon was trying to find out what happened to his parents, as they could not remember. He left a card and I said Kelvin could ring him when he gets back from Galle.

Still waiting for Kelvin to return, it seemed a good time to go to the beach. Wherever you are people come and speak to us – European skin denotes help. Some get help, some don’t. The basic principal seems to be that if you were hard working and had a thriving business before the tsunami then you will get help now. If you had a house the same applies. Many tents are placed n the ruins of houses simply to maintain the ownership of the land. Possession is 9/10 of the law here. Respect rules too. Then there is money and power. That makes things happen too.

Sam and Wasanthi are of sound judgement and they have been in the village all of their lives. Everyone speaks well of them. They have been dishing out their own money to help people since December and now it has run out. Without tourists they have no income and they want to carry on helping people. So we feel it’s a good plan to seek their advice and together with Friends of Unawatuna we can all make a BIG difference. Tomorrow, we are going to fill 70 food parcels with good fresh fruit and vegetables, powered milk, sugar and tea and hand one to each of the 70 families at Welligama Refugee Camp.

At 5.00 Kelvin and I meet up and leave Unawatuna to go to a meeting at Project Galle in Galle Fort. Kelvin has been asked to attend a meeting and talk about drainage of one the camps, apparently flooded, due to rainwater. The camp is in Hikkaduwa and I will walk around Galle Fort till he comes back. I decided to sit on the ramparts of the Fort and look out to sea. After a while I walked down to the town and had tea in a Dutch Hotel, all very civilized.

Kelvin returns from the meeting with Noel from New Zealand, also interested in drainage, sea walls etc. Off we go to the café to talk some more. He arranges to meet Noel in the morning while I go to the market for the food parcels.

23.3.05

After a very early breakfast Kelvin leaves to meet Noel and I cycle up the Wasanthis house. She has cooking to do for the family before we can leave, so we eventually leave about 11.00 and set of to the market. It’s a bit of struggle to get all the food in the Van and eventually with a lot of help we manage to squeeze in a sac of coconuts.

Kelvin texts me to say the camp is horrendous and they have just discovered a body under a blanket, so there will be a delay in his return but to pick him up in Galle. He comes back with the news that there are another 500 bodies at the bottom of the lake in Hikkaduwa. The carriages of the train where 2000 people died leaves the camp with an eerie silence and he feels that to do a good job, he needs to stay.

Off we go down the Galle Road to Matara towards the camp at Welligama. This is a very well run camp although very basic. The drainage is effective and the recreation rooms are pleasant. There are 300 people living here – 70 families in 70 tents. The people greet us smiling and the camp ‘manager’ asks the families to go to the recreation room and collect a food parcel. The manager asks us for the Government papers. Sam says we haven’t any and that this drop is a personal gift from Wales. He is happy with that and as the manager calls out a number – the family representative comes up and collects a food parcel. As each person takes the parcel and say thank you, the eye contact is something you cannot put words to. It says much more than words and for me this is the most rewarding day of my life. The whole story is in their eyes. It’s impossible to look away. We stay and chat to the women, Kelvin plays cricket with the kids and Wasanthi recognises a friend from her village. This very good for us as we now get a chance to get some real information of their needs. As we leave, they call to us ‘Please come back’, we call back – We will. – We mean it.

During the evening we talk to Sam and ask him is he is prepared to take on the responsibility of talking food to the camp every 4 weeks. Sam says he would really like to do that with Wasanthi and together they can find out what to include in the next parcel. After a few calculations we discover that a food drop for 300 people will cost £100.00. The Wye valley Satsuma fund can keep this camp in quality food for the next 7 months – till we get back in October. Now this is a big turnaround for me as I feel this is the most rewarding job so far. This is what real help is, and it is not a one hit wonder. Tomorrow we must review all the projects and do any chasing up. Suddenly I feel it’s all been worthwhile, I feel strengthened and now I know for me this trip has had a big turnaround – now I feel good inside.

24.3.05

The review list for our last day includes. Collect photos from Galle, Go to bank for cash, See Marla at Post Office, pay for Shop Doors, Check up on Honeymans Shop. Go to mental home, check on school intercom, say goodbye to Woodcarver, take radio to old lady in village, see schoolroom that needs painting and deliver school bell…………………… Did I say last day? We need another two weeks.

As least

We left the hotel without breakfast at 7.30, completed all of the above tasks and arrived back at the hotel at 2.00. Kelvin wanted to sun bathe and I had promised another reflexology session for Wasanthi and her mum. This was concluded by 4.00,

And I met a very lobster coloured Kelvin on the beach. On our way back to the hotel we called on the Woodcarvers shop. He has carved a thank you plaque to the Friends of the Wye Valley. After an emotional Thank Your Opening ceremony he presented me with another survivor of the Tsunami – a hand carved Turtle. Sam is collecting us at 7.00 tonight and taking us to his house. Wasanthi is cooking dinner for us. A last night treat. When we arrive there are Jake and Vie and all the family waiting to eat with us. We have a lovely evening and Sam gives us a sample of his speech to the Wye Valley Friends – Mambo Number 5 style. What a night, it’s a good job we have already packed ready for tomorrow. We have decided to catch the train to Colombo tomorrow and Sam is collecting us at 6.00 in the morning. We had had a great night.

25.3.05

A call at 5.30 from Sam to check that we are awake is a good sign that he is not going to be late today. The van arrives and Sam, Wasanthi and Dill, all with sleepy faces, whisk us off to the station. The train arrives and Sam rushes off to get us some good seats, and wait for it, he even returns with two coffees for the journey. A big hug for the whole family and we are off.

In any other circumstances this journey would be amazing, however, it was in your face tragedy all the way to Colombo. Pile after pile of stones that used to be houses, tents and huts along the track. The rebuilding of Sri Lanka is a long journey ahead, in a small way you can see it has begun. It needs the world to form an army and rebuild the place, get it back on its feet and the tourism will return before its too late.

The plan for our future has been changed.