We had another study site to visit called Biyagama and I was told it was quite a tuk-tuk drive away, which was fine by me as I love them, I’d bring one home if I could. I suppose they reflect my nature, excitable and not all together there. Our tuk-tuk driver/ field assistant, Maduranga, finds my obsession with them highly amusing, especially when I become really animated if we drive past a tuk sales lot. I can’t help it, they’re adorable and they come flat-packed! It’s like an Ikea car!
Monthly Archives: October 2015
Food! Glorious Food!
Visiting another country is all about immersing yourself in the culture and, for a greed monster like me, that means the chance to scoff loads of new tasty food. My philosophy for discovering new dishes basically follows 1 rule, if you can’t pronounce it or have no idea what it is –then eat it! This has worked really well for me so far. Luckily for me I also have insider knowledge. Anya, my Sri Lankan friend and field work buddy, is also a food beast so when it comes round to lunch she knows just where to go. I seem to have the best of both worlds, guaranteed great food for lunch and I also get to explore places for myself when it comes to dinner time.
Where the wild things are
After finishing our urban habitat surveys we moved on to our second site, located outside central Colombo at some unpronounceable (Thalawathugoda) reclaimed wetland. Earlier in the year Anya had captured and collared a fishing cat that, due to his unfortunate habit of stealing chickens, had to be relocated and this was the area that was chosen:
Snow White and the multiple room mates
Living in a hostel is 60% great and 40% a pain in the arse. The positives are that you learn all the hostel quirks to your advantage. For example:
– Which shower is the largest (by about 5cm but as Tesco love saying, ‘every little helps’) Continue reading
Feed me Seymour!
Anyone that’s met me knows how much I love food. There is very little I will not try, I’ve eaten bugs before now but I draw the line at testicles and eyeballs. Luckily, I seem to have quite a strong stomach which has –in the past– prevailed over some suspect food while others have been left glued to the loo. I do, however, have a slightly unusual reaction to spicy food that both my friends and family find hilarious – I hiccup. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a cutesy little hiccup, it’s a beastly depths-of-your-body-rocking mouth explosion. It’s embarrassing; onlookers think I’m having some kind of fit. It takes ages to get rid of them and they hurt. I do usually get warning if it’s about to happen. I feel this strange sensation at the back of my throat and I have learnt that I should drink some water or take a few mouthfuls of something bland like rice or yoghurt. My problem is I really love food and don’t have a lot of self-control when it comes to food. I always think ‘Oh, just one more mouthful, I can get away with it’ then BAM!: Dying whale in the room.
Leaving Footprints 