Freedom!

 

The lighthouse at
Galle Fort

After four and a half months of being confined to the Port in Galle, we have been granted shore passes. Although we still don't have visas, we can now leave the port on our own. This means we can finally go shopping on our own and actually see some of Sri Lanka.

Dutch architecture
in Galle Fort

We have been taking full advantage of our new-found freedom. The boys have not even complained about the length of our walks (the first day we walked 6 miles in the pouring rain and 8 miles the second day).

 

Galle Fort, apparently usually bustling, was fairly empty and many of the businesses and eateries were closed because of the lack of tourists. That doesn't mean we were completely unable to find an outlet for our restaurant and ice-cream needs.  Unfortunately, our freedom has come with a literal cost: we managed to spend way more money in our first few days out than when we were trapped in the port with almost nothing to buy.

We are still getting used to being able to buy groceries when we need them, rather than sprinting through the store trying to buy enough for the next three weeks.

In addition to old buildings,
there are some huge mature trees

We also enjoyed some 'fun' time for the first time in months: A nice beach is just around the corner from the port and the boys were able to get in the ocean. Conrad even managed to surf some decent waves. 

These fishermen have challenging
surf to navigate when going out

For now, we plan to stay in Sri Lanka while we're allowed, while we wait for countries to open up along the route back to the U.S. 

We visited the Mahamodara Sea
 Turtle Hatchery Centre

A Shikra (small bird of prey) with
a broken wing that Conrad rescued.

Our friend Ruwan cutting
some King Coconuts for us

Ruwan and family