Day Seventeen - Lazy day

Today has been been a fairly chilled out lazy day, with a slow windy drive along the southern coast from Hiriketiya Beach to Bentota Beach, which yes you guessed it, it is another empty golden sands beach. Once checking in to our hotel, we went for a wander down the beach, to see yet more sand and gentle waves, before spending the afternoon lazing around the hotel pool (and a Pina).

Day Sixteen - Lush beaches

Neo and Diesel spent the first part of the morning playing cricket with a group of local boys. Before going to the neighbouring town Dickwella (Dan says not to be confused with Paul Weller) for a couple of supplies. Whilst we were there we thought we should check out their beach, yet another stunning virtually empty beach with soft lush sand and calm clear blue water.
We returned back with our supplies to discover some visitors sitting on and around our balcony, Diesel was fascinated in the monkeys and one of them was fascinated with him too. We later returned to our beach for the boys to enjoy the waves again.
This evening we took Bob out to get some tea, when there was a sudden down pour of torrential rain, this only lasted for about 20 mins, but that was long enough for the little roads into streams. Dan enjoyed the challenge of driving Bob on the small bumpy dirt tracks/streams, this was the first and potentially the last time we will have driven Bob in the rain (as we only have him for three more days, before moving onto Sri Lankan railways).
After tea, we returned to our hotel where the boys ran around trying to catch the fireflys, with no success, before returning to our room only to discover one trapped inside.

Day Fifthteen - Catch up

Today was a special day of our trip as we met up with some old friends, Neo made last time we were in Sri Lanka seven years ago (we had kept in touch via post, but unfortunately during one of our many moves we lost contact).
We also took advantage of the quiet roads in Yala to record the little video below, before travelling to Hiriketiya Beach. Where once again the boys enjoyed the clear blue Indian Ocean its waves.

Day Fourteen - Elephant Toll

Back down the very steep windy road, where we had to avoid a Black Mamba snake, several different types of monkeys and a ruddy mongoose on the road.
An hour later and we're driving through yet another national park (Yala) which not only has the friendly police checks, but its own special toll which excepts bananas as payment for passage.
Dan and myself spent the rest of the day lounging around sipping cold drinks attempting to watch the local wildlife, whilst the boys ran around like wild animals (hence the word attempting).
ADDED EXTRA - We popped out to a local bar and met a Sri Lankan Cricket player, then on the  driveway back into our hotel Dan gave the boys a mini tuktuk driving lesson.

Day Thirteen - Train trip

Today was a fun day of drinks and trains, This morning, we chilled out watching a local cricket match, before catching the train from Ella to Badulla (and back). This is listed as one of the top train journeys to do in Sri Lanka and its easy to see why, with the jaw dropping views of Sri Lankan tea plantations, its Nine Arch Bridge and the Demodara Loop (the only looped spiral trainline in the world).

Day Twelve - Long windy drive

Today was a long and windy drive from Arugam Bay to Ella, we looked out at amazing hill top landscapes and watching for elephants crossing the road on the national park roads, whilst avoiding the scary lorry/bus drivers on the windy mountain roads and stopped at a couple of friendly local police checks. We had a short break and leg stretch, with a little climb up a waterfall. And ended the day watching the sunset from the top of Adams Peak. Where of course the boys made friends with a couple of local stray dogs (I mean what else would you expect them to do 1141 meters above sea level).

Day Eleven - Waves, waves, and more waves

This morning we took Bob for a quick check up and greasing session at a local garage, as we have reached the first 1000km point of our trip. I believe we were probably the only westerns to use the garage, they were high entertained by the sight of us with Bob.
After Bob's service, we spent the remainder of the day on the beach, enjoying the waves. The boys made friends with a couple of Dutch children and of course a few strays of the beach. Thanks to a kind local lending the boys a couple of boards (for FREE) the boys even learnt how to body boarding, which meant I got to enjoy a sneeky Pina Colada on the beach.

Day Ten -

Just a short drive 140km from Kalkudah Bay, to yet another stunning beach (Arugam Bay). This time our drive was full of temples and ceremonies, with whole communities washing each other within the rivers and temples (which on the whole meant the roads were great to drive on, with everyone in either a river or temple. That was until they all piled out of one of the massive temples and started climbing onto any method of transport going 😂). Once on the beach the boys had fun wave surfing and jumping, until the thunder and lightning arrived, at which point we took advantage to have a sneeking pub crawl (as you can see from Neo's face he was not impressed at this), the clouds soon cleared and the boys returned to the sea.

Day Nine - A day of beaches

Today is day of beaches, Dan decided to go and watch the sunrise at beach 1. Before saying goodbye to our amazing host family, then off we went for a couple of hours in Bob dodging the local cattle (cows, goats and water buffalos) and land monitors on our drive to our next location slap back in the middle (5 mins walk either way) of Pasikuda Bay and Kalkudah Beach. The beach within the bay is flat white sand with virtually no waves, compared to Kalkudah beach with a long wide beach with large waves. Both of which had a grand total of ten people of us being four of those.

Day Eight - Beach day

Today has been a very chilled out day, spent most of the day lounging around on the virtually deserted beach enjoying the clear blue Indian ocean with great crashing waves, followed by chilling out on the veranda of our beach cottage, watching the cows go by. Finally topped of with a homemade Sri Lankan meal with the cottage owners family.

Day Seven - Mammoth tuktuk drive

Morning started with a massive Sri Lankan breakfast, followed by a quick trip to a local colourful temple before our mammoth 239km trip from Jaffna to Trincomalee. During which we once again saw some stunning sights whilst driving through some of the National Parks with wild gibbons crossing the roads, some seasonal festivals (watch the video with a guy being suspended by his skin flying down the road) not the mention the amazing Sri Lankan coastline. What better way to end the day with fun in the sea and a cold beer.

Day Three - Monkeys!!!

A day of monkeys and dirt tracks.
We were woken up with monkeys on the top of and all around our tree house. Then after breakfast we went to Pidurangala Rock for abit of a hike and rock climb, with an amazing view and once again being watched by monkeys. We arrive back to Bob, to discover he had been ransacked by a group of monkeys (one stole Diesel's bottle of Fanta).
What you can't see in the first short video, is that I walked behind Bob, as it had to go up a 45% hill climb up a bumpy dirt track.

Day Four - Willpattu National Park

Today we swapped Bob for a Jeep with a driver (actually named Mr Bobi, haha) for a safari around Willpattu National Park. Where we saw countless wild animals, including different types of birds (Inc Sri Lankan jungle fowl) , deers, monkeys, water bufallos, several crocodiles, hares, land monitors, boars and... Some leopards, the best of which was a mother and her cub drinking from a watering hole. Photos below are not the best as all taken on my phone, as we have no way to retrieve the camera photos until we return to Thailand.

Day Five - Long drive

A long slow drive from Anuradhapura to Jaffna (210km) with lunch at a little hut, petrol from a random house, a couple of police stops for no reason other than me being a white woman driving a tuktuk. Afternoon spent nosing around Jaffna Fort.

Day Six- Jaffna

Morning spent at Nallur Kovil Temple,  followed by a walk around the town's Market and the fisherman's village, where I looked at the highly decorative houses, Neo looked at the local street dogs and children and Diesel hunted for bullet holes in buildings (in fact that's all he's looked for since being in Jaffna). Followed by a swim in the hotel pool for the boys, which turned into a amusement for wedding guests in the hotel function room, who left the wedding function to watch two white boys play in the pool.

Thailand King Coronation

A super crazy boiling hot day celebrating the new Thailands King Coronation Parade

Milo Milk

11am -

Diesel - "Please can I have a milo milk?"
Mummy - "Yes, but you only if you put pants."
Diesel - "URGHHHHHH Why do I always have to put pants on to have something, it doesn't matter if I'm naked."
.....
(10 mins later)
Diesel - "OK I have pants on, now can I have a milo?"
Mummy - "Yes"
.....
(while drinking his milk)
Diesel - "I don't understand why it matters if I have pants on or not, it's not like you've not seen my penis before .... anyway I can just take off the pants after I've finished my milk."

Sharing

Neo - "Mummy can we both share the den?"
Mummy - "Yes, of course, you can"
Diesel - "No, we can't I need to be alone"
Neo - "OK, I'll put on a timer.... 5minutes"
Diesel - "No, I'm not going to be in  here 5 minutes I'm going to be in here 10"
Neo - "OK"
Diesel - "No, I mean 12"
Neo - "Oh ok, I've set the timer for 12 minutes"

Blow your nose

Neo to Diesel - "Diesel stop sniffling, blow your nose"
Diesel - "I can't, whenever I try it won't stop"
Neo - " Try again"
Diesel - "I can't, whenever I try my hardest it stops my heart beating"

Mother's day

Mummy - "Where shall we go for dinner?"
Diesel - "I want frozen pens"
Mummy - "What for dinner?"
Diesel - "Yeah, I want peas"
Mummy - "Just peas?"
Diesel - "Not just peas, frozen peas"

Diesel's 6th Birthday Pool Party

 

Pirates Verses Mermaids

First big school production
Neo played Gangrene (one of the main 3 Pirates within the production)
Diesel sang and danced within the production

My book

Diesel - "Everyone loved my book in school today"
Daddy - "Ah that's good, did they love it when you could fly"
Diesel - "No their favourite bit was when you carried a car over your shoulder"

Starfish

Diesel - "I found a starfish"
Neo - "That's not a starfish, it's coral"
Diesel-"It's not coral this is Bo, Yo's bro"

Yo

Diesel found a young coconut on the floor and now takes it everywhere with us, he's even named him 'Yo'. After being out all day in the car, mummy parked the car next to the coconut tree.
"Yeah we are parked next to Yo's family"

Canada

Pretty Nanny to Neo - "What's the capital of Canada?"
Diesel - That's easy K"

Making pizza

Neo - "Diesel you're meant to put the sweetcorn on the pizza not in your mouth"
Diesel - "It make no difference its going to get eaten"

Same room

Diesel - "Neo just got blood on me"
Daddy - "But you were not supposed to be in the same room as him"
Diesel - "I wasn't, he was in the same room as me"

Nany and Genga have arrived

The boys are asleep, but that's OK with Lerory as it means 100% of the fuss is going to him.

Bangkok Traffic

Neo - "Is this a short car journey or a long one?"
Mummy - "Neo, as I have said countless times before the length of a car journey totally depends on Bangkok's traffic. A short normal 10 minute car journey, could take up to 45 minutes if the traffic is bad"

Diesel eating Pho

Diesel - "Have I had this before? I think I've had it before"
Daddy - "It's Pho Bo of course you've had it before, you used to live off it"
Diesel - "Oh I thought I had it before"

School photos

Neo - "Mummy if the pollution levels are over 150 in the morning will we still have school photos outside?"
Mummy - "I don't know Neo, I'm guessing so as we won't be outside for very long"
Diesel - "If we are not allowed to play outside in the morning, then we can't have photos"
Mummy - "I don't know"
Neo - "Yeah, Diesel's right if there is no play then there should be no photos that's the rule"

Neo's first teacher visit

It was great to catch up with Razia today, Neo's first teacher from back in Abu Dhabi is now currently living 30 minutes drive away from us in Bangkok. Reminds you how small the world is.

Some things never change, Salami and bread for Diesel and BBQ Ribs for Neo

Diesel's dog

Diesel's class have been making dogs in Art, here is his one. He had to make a mini Leroy :)

Diesel in school

Babies

Mummy - "Ahhh look Diesel there is a tiny baby, she can only be a month old"
Diesel - "Yuk"
Mummy - "Yuk?"
Diesel - "Yeah yuk, I hate babies"
Mummy - "What all babies?"
Diesel - "Yeah, apart from Louie....but Louie is not a baby anymore he's a little boy, so I hate all babies"

Haha some things never change

Silly Genga

I showed this photo which Genga sent to us whilst Nanny and Genga are on holiday in Iceland, Diesel's words were...

"Silly Genga melenga... Nanny won't think its real, she will be drinking tea in a cafe"

Mummy - "What do you mean?"
Diesel - "He's just doing it so nanny will come to him but she won't"

Bronze certificate

Diesel celebrating getting 25 house points

School residential

Miss Neo

Diesel - "When is Neo coming home, from his school trip"
Mummy - "Tomorrow, why do you ask?"
Diesel - "Because I miss him"

Thailand national children's day party

Big free party, with free food, free drinks, children's games, bouncy castle and an old school open air movie showing (check out the size of the reel projector)

Pyjamas

Mummy - "Diesel have you got your pyjamas on?"
Diesel - "I don't want to wear pyjamas"
Mummy - "OK, what are you going to wear to bed then"
Diesel - "This"

No quiet trip to the hospital here

Diesel - "Why are they making so much noise, dancing and blowing bubbles don't they know this is a hospital .... Your meant to be quiet in hospital, people are sick" ?"

Brown bum

Diesel - "Look my bum is turning brown"
Mummy - "No that's where you had different shorts on, so the sun got to that white bit."
Diesel - "No it's not, the brown is spreading down because I want a brown bum"

Banana bread

Mummy - "Oh wow, look at the size of the burger..... And what are these?? Shark bread?"
Diesel - "No mummy, that's banana bread"
Neo - "Oh yeah, banana bread. Haha"

Flying pigs

Neo - " I just had the strangest dream ... flying pigs trying to eat me, because I've eaten loads of bacon"

First day back to school

Daddy - "Did you both have good first days back at school?"
Neo (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Diesel (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Daddy - "Was it good to see your friends again?"
Neo (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Diesel (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Daddy - "Did they all have a good Christmas?"
Neo (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Diesel (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Daddy - "So what did you do at school then?"
Neo (quiet lack of energy) - "Learn"
Diesel (quiet lack of energy) - "Lessons"
Daddy - "But it was good though?"
Neo (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Diesel (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Daddy - "Are you tired?"
Neo (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Diesel (quiet lack of energy) - "Yeah"
Daddy - "So I ...."
Diesel - "Daddy stop talking, just shhh"
Daddy - "Ok"
Neo and Diesel - "Shhh"

Summer

Neo - "Where are we going this summer?"
Mummy - "Ummm I think we're going to Australia"
Diesel - "NO!!"
Mummy - "Why not?"
Diesel - "Australia means injections"
Mummy - "No it doesn't"
Diesel - "Yes it does, where else can we go?"
Mummy - "Papya New Guinea"
Diesel - "Ooo that sounds interesting"
Mummy - "New Zealand"
Diesel - "No"
Mummy - "India"
Diesel - "Umm maybe"
Mummy - "Where do you fancy going?"
Diesel - "Africa"
Mummy - "That could mean injections"
Diesel - "No"
Mummy - "Plus if we go to Australia we can see great Uncle John"
Diesel - "No, he's not part of my family"
Neo - "Yes he is, he is Pretty Nannies brother"
Diesel - "No, my uncle is Boo Boo"

5 mins later...

Diesel - "And in Australia there is just sand"
Mummy - "It's not all sand"
Diesel - "Yeah it is you've never been so you don't know"

Quick swim at the end of the day

Die warts

Mummy took Diesel to the doctor to have them look at his warts on his finger, originally there was only one but everytime mummy or a doctor tries to get rid of it, it either grows and multiplies and now he has four big warts on his finger.

When at the doctors -
Diesel - "Why are we here?"
Mummy - "To see is the doctor can remove your bumps on your finger"
Diesel - "Wha my wart?"
Mummy - "Yeah, your warts"

5 minutes later ...

Doctor to Diesel - "What can I do for you?"
Diesel to the doctor - "Can you kill my warts"
Mummy - "Yeah we are here to see if you can treat warts on his finger, we have tried several times and unfortunately they are still there"
Diesel - "Yeah they won't die"

Leroy made a friend

Today we went to BMA dog park in Bangkok, and Leroy and this little dog enjoyed rolling around together

Good day

Mummy - "Have you had a good lazy day today?"
Neo - "Yeah, I've played with my Xbox"
Diesel - "Yeah"
Mummy - "So Diesel, what was the best thing you have done today?"
Diesel - "I shot Jeru"
Mummy - "That's not good, that's naughty you shouldn't shoot Jeru. Has she ever shot you?"
Diesel - "No, that's why it's good"

Penis

Whilst driving to the resturant this evening...

Diesel - "Neo just poked me"
Mummy - "Neo, leave Diesel alone"
Diesel - "He poked me in my penis"
Neo - "No I didn't, I poked your hand and your hand poked your penis"
Mummy - "OK guys, it's over now so no more poking or talk of poking"

...

Diesel (1 minute later) - "Mummy, did you know that the penis is more commonly known as a WILLY!" (Willy is in capital to show the volume which Diesel shouted the word, whilst sat at the traffic lights with the windows slightly open, I guess it a good job we live in Thailand)

Sparky Leal

Introducing Neo's bearded dragon