Dec. 24 - Let's get it started

OK, so it takes a bit of effort to get to Sri Lanka. I flew out of JFK; made a stop in Hamburg, Germany; changed planes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and then flew to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

My seat mates for the NYC – Dubai part are an Indian guy heading home after working in Jersey City, NJ for the past 3 months and a guy from British Columbia, Canada going to Cairo for a 3+ month underwater welding job.

Flew Emirates coach class; really liked this airline. Good food and lots of it. An extensive in-flight entertainment system (movies, TV, radio and you can IM, call and play games with other passengers). I watched Little Miss Sunshine and Devil Wears Prada. They also have cameras in the nose and belly of the planes, which is cool for take-offs and landings.

The Colombo airport is pretty mellow. I expected a much more hectic scene. The hotel has arranged for a guy named Sugith to greet me & Clara inside the airport and his brother picks us up outside in a van.

We meet Michael & Shani at the Hilton and deliver precious cargo from the States: Sinutab. They arrived Sri Lanka a week earlier, and Michael has been sick and having difficulty finding over-the-counter cold medications.

After lunch with them, we carry on for the 3+ hour drive to Unawatuna on the South Coast. Driving in Sri Lanka is best described as an adventure sport. The coastal road is a two-lane road that's not in good condition. The local custom is to honk the horn when you are passing/overtaking another vehicle. There’s a lot of passing. However, the road is busy with traffic so all the passing creates a continuous game of “chicken” with oncoming buses and cars. Aside from all the near collisions, the views of the beaches and coastline are beautiful.

We finally arrive at our hotel, drop off our bags, grab an early dinner on the beach at Blue Moon on the beach and zonk out.