On Saturday I went back to the French Garden to get some photos of where I wasn't, thanking all gods & goddesses, when the EVENT happened. Here is a shot of what once was Room 4, the key of which I have as another souvenier of the various journeys I've been blessed to enjoy -- and survive . . . ;)
I was sitting in the righthand corner of the porch looking out at the lovely Indian Ocean blue-green sea with the friend I took the bicycle with until about 8:40 a.m. We discussed having a second pot of coffee before hitting the pedals for our planned bike ride to visit a sacred temple site, Velgram Vihara, for both Buddhists and Hindus for the past 2200-2500 years. We decided not to have the second pot of coffee and about 10 minutes to nine got on the road heading inland. Good choice. If not, we would no doubt have watched the wave overcome us and who knows what may have happened.
Here's another shot taken from behind what once was Room 4 where I slept quite soundly the night before looking now towards the muddy-green Indian Ocean.
My computer bag with MeMojoMac along with my Arizona and International driving licenses, all my toiletries, a flash disk and bunches of chargers and other stuff (lucky for me meNewiPod, wallet with credit cards, etc. was with me on the the bike ride) swims with the fishes. MeMojoMac is dead. Long live MeMojoMac. It is truly miraculous that not only did everyone of the some 20 guests, staff and family members who own the French Garden survive, no one was even seriously injured.
I was able to retrieve a black leather journal with my passport in it when I went back later in the afternoon of the EVENT futilely seeking my computer bag. I happened to see it sitting open, completely sand/mud/seawater-logged, open on a chair. It is almost dry completely dry now, complete with sand and mud, but mostly readable. Pregash the son of the owner and manager of the French Garden said he had found it sitting in a seawater puddle about 500 meters up the road. Amazing!~!~! At least I don't have to go through the hassle of getting a replacement passport.
Here's one other item I was able to salvage . . .
Ah yup, amazing detrius story number 2 was that when I went back last Saturday to take these pics and hoping maybe the computer bag had materialized (not to be) there just as real as you please lay the Veterans for Peace t-shirt I had worn to the Christmas Party the night before, sand and mud stained, but quite nicely sun-dried.
Indeed, it is quite a life, my journey this time around . . .
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