Over 500 kilometers tuk tuking!!

The first trip downtown with my
daughter Jacquie who took the pix.!

Drying my washing on a hot rock down in Unawatuna
with Tukie parked in the background!

I was required to display "L" plates
for three months before taking
my tuk tuk test.

A real Texas customized  license plate
previously on my son's Volvo in Texas.

Finally, I'm on the open road with Tukie!  

I have passed my tuk tuk driving test, removed the big red "L" plates and am allowed to drive him anywhere on the island as long as I don't exceed 40 kilometers per hour, which is roughly about 28 mph.  I found out about the max speed for tuk tuks in Sri Lanka last week while tuk tuking down south near the town of Galle.  I was pulled over by a policeman operating a radar trap along the main road.  He showed me his radar gun which had me registered at a blistering 48 kmph ( little over 30 mph!).  Fortunately he spoke a little English and told me that 40 was the limit for tuk tuks.  I admitted guilt through ignorance of the law, promised him I would not race Tukie in future, smiled a lot and we talked about fishing for a few minutes and he let me go with only a verbal warning.

I was down on the south coast doing a story with pix for Serendib, the Sri Lankan Airlines in flight magazine, on the Hiyare pocket rainforest about 20 km north of Galle.  It contains about 600 acres of original tropical rainforest and a reservoir of 56 acres which once supplied drinking water to Galle.  The headquarters facility is now run by the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle and their main activity is providing medical treatment and care to wounded or abandoned wild animals, who when cured or reach maturity are released back into the rainforest from whence they came.

After Hiyare, I stayed in my Swiss son in law Reto's brother Rico's house which he he had built over 20 years ago in Unawatuna.  It's a beautiful three story stone house near the beach and barely 20 minutes from the supermarkets and cold beer in Galle. The house has electricity, and there is a strong and cooling breeze blowing off the near by sea both day and night.  I could charge my camera batteries, connect my netbook to the internet with my trusty dongle and keep the fridge filled with Lion Lager, the beer of choice in Sri Lanka which is brewed by Carlsberg at their brewery up in the central highlands.  Talk about paradise!!  Nuwan, the keeper of the house speaks excellent English and was my cook and travel guide for almost a week.  Everyday we would select a new subject and site for a story, usually located several hours by tuk tuk further down along the beautiful southern beaches or up hills into the jungle covered north.  Everything from the villiage processing of cashew nuts, turtle hatcheries, wild fruit bat habitats and beautiful and ancient Buddhist and Hindu Temples. All in all, I put over 500 kilometers on Tukie, that's over 300 miles in about a week on the road.  I still have a lot more of this beautiful, wild island to discover.  Hi yo Tukie, Away 

 An abandoned baby bunny
being cared for at Hiyare

   An abandoned baby hog deer
.being taken care of at Hiyare

Dragonfly on a fern frond. in Hiyare

A wild giant fruit bat from a colony of
several thousand just south of Galle

    

Carnivorous pitcher plants
growing around the Hiyare Reservoir.. 

A wild leaf monkey lunching in a jackfruit tree.

The Colombo Cultural Circle by Tuk Tuk

This was the first actual mention and picture of my tuk tuk in print.  I wrote a story with pictures for Serendib, the in flight Magazine of Sri Lankan Airlines, on what is referred to as the cultural circle of Colombo, Sri Lanka.  It's only a short ride from hotel row on Galle Road and was done from the perspective of using a three wheeler as a means of seeing the sites which include the National Museum, National Art Gallery, National Archives, Vihara Maha Devi Park, Independence Square and Town Hall. One of my photos shows my tuk tuk across the road from Town Hall.  It's the one on the first page beneath the map with the rack and luggage carrier on top just behind the fence.  I've scanned the first two pages of the story and pix so you can get an idea of what I'm doing with the little champagne colored bugger.  There's more to come once I get my official tuk tuk license and am able to circumnavigate the island and explore the countryside.  After while crocodile.  Captain Kurt.  

What's in a tuk tuk tale?

Installing Tukie's car seat. 

Sunanda, without whom Tukie
would not have been possible.

Me with Tukie on the first day home
before customizing began.

I'm writing this blog from Colombo, Sri Lanka and this is my initial report.  I recently bought and customized a Bajaj three wheeler, more commonly referred to in these parts as a "tuk tuk", a name derived from the sound they make while idling.  I plan to journey throughout this beautiful tropical island in my champagne colored tuk tuk, bestowed with the name of "Tukie" by my daughter Jacquie after her first ride.  I'll be taking photographs and writing tales about the varied adventures and serendipitous happenings I encounter along the way. Not all my tales will necessarily be tuk tuk oriented.   Sometimes Tukie will remain safely tucked away at home as I travel to far distant shores to go fishing, white water rafting, kayaking and engage in other challenging out door and vigorous indoor activities.  And at times I will even reminisce about other mostly humorous past adventures of wild and woolly daring do encountered during my world travels in which I have either purposely or inadvertently became involved.  I am currently writing my autobiography and as I fill it out, I shall fill you in.  And until I officially pass my three wheeler driving test which will allow me to legally take Tukie tuk tuking down the open road, I'll just say fair thee well, auf wiedersehen and adieu and disappear in a cloud of dust with a hearty "Hi Ho Tukie, away!!!"