Work Party

This is actually a pre-party, not a post-party shot. The Air conditioning in the minibus packed up so everyone opened the windows for some fresh air. Unfortunately the air was anything but fresh and proceeded to shower me in fine particles of dust. In an attempt to save my lungs and eyes from being sandblasted I attempted to turn off, tune out and drop off. Free lager was available to all, although I tend to think it's best not to overindulge in the vicinity of your employers.

I carried my camera all night and took the grand total of zero photos. I took part in a tug of war, which we lost, didn't understand half of what was going on, as I don't speak Singhalese, but had a good time all the same. I managed to eat and drink well and avoided having to take the minibus home as I blagged a lift off a colleague. There was singing, dancing and a beauty contest but you'll just have to imagine that.

Make mine a Brandy

The factory manager had a party to celebrate his daughters first birthday. The party was rammed with the host's family, friends and a good proportion of the work force. Sri Lankans feel it is almost insulting to turn down an invitation, but luckily they seem to enjoy socialising. Before coming to Sri Lanka I hadn't drunk Brandy since I was about 16 and then one sip almost made me sick. Hard liquor is drunk more than beer here and Brandy seems pretty popular, along with arrack, which is the locally produced coconut based spirit. The food was good and I had just enough brandies to aid conversation.
The just enough Brandies turned into too much brandy when I got back to Colombo and thought it would be a good idea to head out to the local nightspot; unfortunately no amount of brandy was enough to make the dire music being played tolerable. After attempting to converse over the 70's soundtrack and another few drinks I bailed out, still managing to negotiate a fair price (70p) with the 3 wheeler taxi driver who transported me home.
Boy I hate hangovers.