the lying-around continues

These posts from Tangalle must become monotonous in the way other people's quiet pleasure seems. Delicious food, swimming, lying in the sun, reading, talking walks, repeat. Our hotel is about 12 bumpy kilometers from Tangalle so we go in once a day for this and that, but otherwise we are hanging around the hotel and relaxing. From our room, we see the big lagoon and so yesterday we decided to follow the hotel's map ("very easy!") and after two tries, we just couldn't find it. It's right there!! How can we miss it! And yet we did. Marc went out once, early in the morning, and came back feeling defeated, but together we couldn't find it either. Crazy. It's right there.

i love the delicate colors, in a country that's usually characterized by deep and rich colors

crabs crawling all over the rocks at the beach

the rock pool near our hotel, on the Indian Ocean. so beautiful.

this young monitor lizard lives in that shell by the hotel restaurant

really cute, for a monitor lizard!

this one crossed the road when we were wandering through the countryside.
a little less cute.

And so we swam, we lay in the sun, I read a lot, we snoozed, and in the late afternoon we tuk-tuked into Tangalle to go to the bank and do some errands. The driver took us here and there and waited as long as we wanted, but that always makes me feel anxious. I know he's just sitting there in the tuk-tuk, and it's kind of hot, and I'm aware that he's just sitting there in the tuk-tuk waiting for us. We went into the bank to change some dollars and the young woman who helped us was the most beautiful woman I can ever remember seeing. By far. I couldn't take my eyes off her beautiful face, and her eyelashes were thicker and longer than any eyelashes I've ever seen, even fake ones. Hers were real and unadorned and just beautiful. Her face lit up when we said we were going to Galle next, when she asked about our visit to Sri Lanka. She is from Galle, and she stays in Tangalle while she works because it's a 2-hour drive. I hated leaving the bank because I wanted to keep looking at her. There are uniformed men holding long rifles everywhere; the guy inside the bank lobby was old and toothless, but his rifle was very long and visible.

One thing we wanted to see in Tangalle was the harbor, but it turned out to be simply a working harbor, and since we were there in the mid-afternoon all the action was over for the day.

We decided to have dinner back at our hotel and I WISH the light had been better because we finally had kotthu roti and it was amazing. They crisp-fry curry leaves to sprinkle on top, and they're so light but crunchy and add a nice peppery bite to the kotthu roti. I'm going to miss Sri Lankan food very much, and will probably want it every time I return to New York. Marc will probably learn to make it for me, too.

Today's mission is to find that damn lagoon -- we'll use the hotel bikes this time for a change of pace. We'll swim and lie in the sun. I'll keep reading (books 7 and 8 now, boy will I have a lot of book review writing to do when I'm home!). We'll tuk-tuk into town this evening to eat Indian food at this little place in the bus station, one of the top two restaurants in Tangalle. Another beautiful day in this paradise, surrounded by physical beauty and people beauty and sun and happiness.

Happy day after Thanksgiving, everyone. So much to be thankful for!