It's almost time, just 3 days to go before I begin a volunteer placement at the Millenium Elephant Foundation in Kegalle, Sri Lanka. I have been frantically fundraising for the last couple of months, and everyone I know has put their heart and soul into it, my friends, family, and wacky work collegues, that saw some of the male staff experimenting with bright colours on their crowning glory! I have car booted, sold stuff on ebay (for far less than it was worth, conned by all those ebayer fiends that know every trick in the book on how to nab a bargain!), and gone round my work collegues with a bucket begging for any loose change, all in the name of charity! I have been in every local paper imaginable, even ones that I didn't know existed (courtesy of works communication department!). I am now no stranger to local celebraty fame, and swallowed my pride when a young journalist insisted that I pose with a stuffed elephant(toy, not real before all you animal welfarists get onto me) that for some reason was holding a rose in its mouth? maybe elephants eat roses? I dunno, soon find out and update you on that one!

So this is supposed to be the trip of a life time! if thats so, then why am I so nervous?! I've had major anxiety dreams, ones of giant elephants (well, their not actually that small I know), with piggy evil eyes and boars faces with mean looking curly tusks! Whats all that about? I'm sure my fellow psychiatric collegues will work that one out for me!

I'm just about packed, raincoat and sunscreen (to cover all eventualities), mossi bands to keep the little critters away. I'm sick with anti-malarials, and I've bought my gift of Yorkshire tea to give to the mahouts, as I'm sure that in the land of Celoyn, where many a fine leaf is picked, they would be intrested to know what the locals round here (yorkshire) call a real cup of cha!!??
I've got my guide book, and I've read Mark Shands 'travels on my elephant', so now I must be an expert on these large grey creatures, right!?

So it seems that I'm just about prepared!? I've got comprehensive instructions on what awaits my arrival at Colombo International airport: reads thus: 'someone will be there to meet you, if after an hour no-one has arrived, then call Mr Dias's taxi company, if a taxi has not arrived after 4 hours, then it may be neccersary for you to make your own way'. Am I missing something here? I expected no less than a bloody elephant with full decorations to collect me, after all I'm going to be scrubing them for the next 4 weeks!!

Well this it, the next time I write I'll have experienced the colours and flavours of Sri Lanka and everything that that brings (wind probably!). The journey begins.......;)