Mount Lavinia

Sunday 30 July

We drove up to Mount Lavinia in a van. The resort is about a 30 minute drive from Colombo. The marbled waterfront Mount Lavinia Hotel is the former residence of the British Governor. The views are spectacular (see photos). A mixture of tourists and natives wandered the beach or browsed the boutiques and souvenir shops. We watched the sunset on the beach, wandered the hotel terrace with its pool and had dinner at a place called Seafood Cove on the beach. We could pick our own ingredients and style of cooking. It was so beautiful eating in the moonlight with the stars above us. I had crab chilli and the portions were large so dessert wasn’t even an option. For a party of 10, the bill was under 30 GBP. You cannot get any cheaper than that for the quality of food.

Mount Lavinia is my favourite place of the trip so far. The views are breathtaking and I would recommend it to anyone visiting South East Asia or SL. My sleep cycle has been varied this trip. Last night and during the weekend I got very little sleep compared to the weekdays where the 11 year old nick named me sleeping beauty because of my hypersomnia. She asked if I needed permission from my ‘mommy’ to go out. I sneakily replied yes. The naivety of youth…..

Wax

Friday 29 July 06

The morning humidity is intense especially on the bus journeys to the hospital. We had a grand round with refreshments (baked snacks) afterwards similar to the U.K tradition. We saw massive splenomegaly which I will never forget, liver disease in pregnancy, hepatitis C, Norwegian scabies and Corrigan’s sign (aortic regurgitation). I got to take a history in
English for the first time today and this made a change from my staccato Singhalese phrases. Many patients in the hospital have murmurs, even the relatively uncommon (vs. U.K) ones-diastolic murmurs such as aortic regurgitation and mitral stenosis. We got tips form the other students on sites to visit in Colombo and where to purchase cheaper souvenirs.

After dinner the door bell rang. A beautician was here to wax and thread every strand of unwanted body hair into non existence. I am a wax and thread virgin so I took the plunge with my eyebrows. For those who don’t know, you can hardly even see them and as the lady told me, I don’t have bushy brows. The result was neater sculpted brows at the cost of my pain fibres. Unlike my predecessors, I resisted the urge to scream and clenched my fist instead.

In the evening, I went to a house party in Colombo. Sri Lankans can drink and party. The surrounding gardens were beautiful at night and the patio area was a make shift dance floor with DJ. ABBA and pussy cat dolls were a recurring theme as well as old school classics. If you are spotted with an empty glass people insist on refilling it or offer you tequila. I had to hold my resolve. Afterwards we went to a club called ‘R&B’, ironic because the live band had left and dance music was the only genre on offer. The crowd were older and the men persistent- I ended up sharing a pepsi with someone just to get away. I rolled into bed in the early hours.

Saturday 30 July 06
Today was spent recovering from last night’s festivities and eating a lot.

Galle

Thursday 27 July
I have yet to upload the many pics I have taken and I apologise but most of the computers we have access to do not have drivers for my digi cam and we don't have administrator privileges to install the software.

Today consisted of the usual tuk tuk ride to the hospital, ward round and endocrine clinic. Cases today were aortic pulmonary window, tonic clonic seizures, hiccups, diabetic gastroparesis, dysphagia, shingles, bronchiectasis and polycythaemia with splenomegaly. During the lunch break, we went on an expedition to Borella, determined to find a guest house which could be closer to the hospital. In summary, it was a long hot journey with the usual fanfare of shouts and stares and the place was not as close to the hospital. On the way back, we met a nice SL lady who gave us a lift back to the hospital in her air conditioned vehicle. Thank you lady!In endo clinic we saw frilarial infection, short stature, Grave's disease, thyrotoxicosis, polycystic ovaries, microadenoma and metabolic syndrome. I saw acanthosis nigricans for the first time which was interesting. The consultant was friendly and keen to teach. We braved the bus home. It's far from a London bus. I can only describe it as an american school bus in white, with very few seats and two doors at the front and rear of the bus. You pay the conductor when you get on and we refused to be ripped off. It was jerky and quick ride home.

In the evening we wandered Galle Road, a busy road with shops and restaurants. The prices are so cheap. A cheeseburger is 60 rupees, roughly 30p and a mcdonalds meal is 260 rupees which is just over 1GBP.I got a chocolate sundae from McD's on the way home and I won't even describe the Pizza hut's prices! I have been looking for a gold or silver ring so we were wined and dined in an upmarket jewellery shop by suave sales people. I decided to sleep on it and come back if necessary and we left by the security exit at the back of the store. I felt like a movie star for about 10 seconds. The walk back jolted me back to reality.

Tuesday 25 July

Our first day at the hospital and we arrived by tuk tuk (3 wheeler vehicle) in an experience I can only describe as being on a bumper car, in traffic with no traffic rules. The first time was scary but it was fun on the journey back.

We met the registrar and the head of clinical medicine at the medical faculty. The final year students are on holiday, so the teaching is very informal and will be based on our requests. We visited the male ward and met the registrar. The staff are so friendly and the patients compliant. Some of the elective students speak Singhalese so they ask for consent. We are learning a few basic medical requests in Singhalese. The working hours are very relaxed and there are a multitude of clinical signs. In the two days on the ward, I have heard mitral and aortic regurgitation murmurs, seen atrial septal defect in an adult, pulmonary hypertension, angina, atrial fibrillation, dilated cardiomyopathy and polycythaemia. Patients with snake bites, bronchiectasis, hepatitis A, alcoholic cirrhosis, renal calculi, diarrhoea, cellulitis, hepatic encephalopathy, hypokalaemia and pelvic mass have presented.

There are many elective students from the U.K and North America. Our rotations differ but we generally stick together. The latter part of the day is spent exploring Colombo, eating, sleeping or relaxing with friends. We went to Borella, probably one of the busiest sections of Colombo. We are semi-celebrities in Colombo. People wave, stare or smile at us as we go past and ask where we are from.

Our accommodation is comfortable and I cannot get used to being waited on by a maid. No cooking or making the bed. I insist on washing my own dishes, it is crazy otherwise.

This weekend we plan to go to clubbing in Colombo and then to Mount Lavinia near the seaside.

Elective

Thursday 20/Friday 21 July 06

I left my family at Heathrow Airport and after a flight of 10 hrs and 45 minutes, I arrived in Colombo. The stewards on Sri Lankan airways are hardly leaders in customer services. I had to repeat my request for water to about 5 different stewards and another noisy passenger was put in a seat next to us with no warning. Sri Lankans are so friendly; the lady next to me on the plane promptly introduced herself. The food was nice (oriental lamb curry, prawn noodle salad and strawberry cheesecake for dinner). Breakfast was bacon and eggs. I got hardly any sleep because the seats were so uncomfortable. We landed at 13.33 (08:33 GMT) and I breezed through customs and baggage control. Luckily for me my contact in Colombo had a driver pick me up fromt eh airport. I was ready for any touts who tried to rip me off. I ain’t Sri Lankan but I ain’t no damn tourist either! There is a heavy military presence at the airport due to the ethnic conflicts. The humidity is the first thing to hit you as soon as you step outside. There is no breeze. Thank goodness for the air conditioning in the mini van. My SL initiation was to drink thambili (an orange coconut drink) at one of the stalls on the way to central Colombo. The giant billboards at the roadside, advertise everything form mobile phone companies to cosmetics. Palm trees line the streets, interspersed with metal shacks selling tourist goods and food. The tuk tuk 3 wheelers weave through the bustling traffic. The main aim on the road is to protect yourself and two near misses confirmed this. The infrastructure becomes more modern as we approach Colombo. We drive past Colombo’s medical school, steeped in over 100 years of history, the National Hospital, Carey College and the Eye Hospital with its red and yellow brick Islamic architecture. As we waited in traffic, I watched the medical students leaving the medical school, smartly dressed all in single sex groups. I felt the urge to jump out and introduce myself but I knew there is plenty of time. My accommodation is in Colombo 03. The flat has breathtaking views over the city. My room is clean and most importantly has a fan. The centerpiece of the flat is a balcony overlooking the city. My host is a local family who speak perfect English (like a fair proportion of Colombans). After sleeping off my jetlag, I was treated to chicken curry for dinner. We watched dvds after dinner and as I retire to bed I have one last look over the balcony and I know I am going to like this place.

Saturday 22 July 06
We went on a drive around Colombo. The British Colonial architecture is amazing exemplified by the National Museum and old parliament building with their imposing pillars. The seafront with the high waves and hordes of people kite flying and playing in the sand. There is talk of visiting Kandy for the Perahera celebrations running from August 1-8 in the month of Esala and ending on the full moon.

I visited a shop selling SL- made souvenirs, furniture and art. On the streets, taxi and tuk tuk drivers try to get my attention. As an obvious tourist I signal business and cash.

Tonight we had a traditional SL dinner at a place called the green cabin. Hoppers (like pancakes), rotti, cattle fish and chicken were some of the delicacies.

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In the Frame

On heavy rotation at the moment:

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Sergio Mendes Timeless - esp. Samba Da Bencoa & Loose ends feat Pharaohe Monch and JTimberlake

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Zidane's sending off spoilt the world cup final. I can only describe it as a moment of temporary insanity. Federer steam rolled Nadal (bar the 3rd set), much to my delight. Serves him right after he threw Agassi aside like a piece of trash.

I passed my exams and got my act sorted so my Canon ixus 750 arrived today. I love it and I've only had it a few hours. I went to dinner with a school friend and ordered yummy Carribean snapper with savoury rice. Afterwards I met some friends at Plastic People. It's the hottest venue I have ever been to with no functioning ventilation and a dark dancefloor (you could hardly see anything). The music can only be described as eclectic but it got better 5 minutes before the night ended. Shoreditch crowd of men with ironed on skinny jeans, women wearing vintage boiler suits (why?), lots of converse, polka dot and vintage shoes.

I've been watching Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 2 and it is hilarious possibly better than Season 1. The show is in its 5th season on HBO in the USA.

Sweet Scent Of Summer

Hello world, jadefox is back! I approach the end of an arduous academic year riddled with many exams with relief. The last few exams did not go as well as I had hoped (messy' is the street term) but at least it is over. The end of exams saw my entire year completely lashed. I watched from the sidelines in amusement. My friend took me to friendly gathering which was fun but the past 3 weeks caught up with me. I need to sleep for a month. This weekend I moved out of the flat leaving behind months of untidiness and some fond friendships. These next few months herald the start of a life changing experiences and I cannot wait.

It took me over a year to purchase my mp3 player. All the major brand had some akiles heel and I was not prepared to compromise. Another gadget assignment beckons: find a digital camera for the fussiest person in the world.

England v Portugal was watched in a quiet pub with friends. They did well to hang on despite being a man down thanks to Rooney. The tension was unbearable during extra time and penalties. France played out of their skin against Brazil and the magician (Zidane) taught us a trick or two. What was the Brazilian coach thinking? Ronaldinho worked so well on the left wing feeding balls to the other Brazilian strikers against Ghana and the decision was made to move to right wing position. He couldn't make the passes the whole match. The loss was not solely because of this but it did not help. I missed Andrew Murray's annihilation of Roddick (evil laugh) but I did watch Federer's warm up matches/masterclass sessions against his poor opponents.

So much time and so much fun to be had (wink)....

Check out the new 3LW video. These girls are all grown up and with JD's production things should get better.

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