Baby Love - Diapers

We initially decided to take the traditional (and semi-traditional) option of diapering - non-disposable diapers. We bought the traditional ones - the huge pieces of cloth that we had to fold, and the modern take on non-disposable diapers - the one which came with reusable cotton inserts and diaper covers. We used those for a bit when Boo was a newborn, then switched to disposable diapers not long after (the washing...OH THE WASHING...not to mention that the poopy bits can get messy).

Anyway, for disposable diapers, I had sent in requests for samples. I was sent samples for Huggies, Drypers, Merries and Mamy Poko. The hospital used Huggies for Boo when he was there and they gave us a packet.

Huggies - Right from the start, we did not like Huggies as it was a poor fit for Boo, and his poop kept leaking.

Merries - Was okay. The fit wasn't the best, but it was okay, so we didn't continue with it.

Mamy Poko - We liked this. The fit was not bad. We are now back to using Mamy Poko as we switched to the pants-type disposable diapers.

Drypers - The fit for Drypers was the best so we stuck with Drypers for a bit. We were okay with it, but found it a bit bulky. Later (at around 3 months, I think), we also had issues with his poop leaking (his poop was very explosive then).

Pampers - I visited a friend, and happened to need a diaper. She was using Pampers, so she gave me one from Pampers. We loved it! It was very soft, and the diaper was thinner than Drypers. We did not have any issues with leaky poop with Pampers.

Onwards - this is a local brand. We just tried their sample very recently. Seems okay, but we have started using the pants-type diaper. If we were to go back to the ones that are fastened on both sides, we will try Onwards.

Don't buy diapers in bulk before your baby is born. Some bulk discounts are very tempting but your baby's skin might not take to certain brands well. Also, you don't know how fast your baby grows. We used S size diapers for a very, very brief period before we changed to M, and the L not too long after.

Baby Love - Clothes for Infants

Our friends were very generous with their presents and we had a lot of infant clothes gifted to us. However, after the little Boo was born, we realised that there were some items of clothing that we did not use at all.

1. Some newborn-sized clothes. Some newborn-sized clothes are very small, and we did not use them at all as it was easier to put on a bigger outfit for little Boo. I also loved clothes that I did not need to pull over my baby's head.

2. We also hardly used the items with long sleeves as Boo gets hot easily.

3. We did not use the pants at all. We usually just dress him in a diaper and a top, or a diaper and a onesie. As mentioned, he gets hot easily.

4. We hardly used socks, and did not use mittens at all. This is actually quite unusual, and not initially intended on purpose. We had lots of socks and mittens for Boo, but he actually managed to find a way to kick off the socks and take off the mittens mere minutes after we put them on him (we tried smaller sizes and all but nothing seemed to stay on).

This is just our experience with Boo. Other babies may have a less tolerance for cold and want/need to be covered up more. What I found terribly annoying was the number of people who came up to us (when we were out) to tell us that our baby was not sufficiently covered up. He was already perspiring in the light clothing that we dressed him in. Babies are not all the same and one should really just go with the needs/preferences of their babies. There is no one fixed formula for all.

Sri Lanka, Oct-Nov 2012

Sri Lanka - end October to early November 2012

We were in Sri Lanka for 11 days in Oct/Nov 2012. This was our first time to Sri Lanka and the main purpose of our trip was to attend a wedding in Point Pedro, a town in the Jaffna district. We also took the opportunity to spend some time up north in Jaffna and in the capital city, Colombo.


Arrival in Colombo

We got to Colombo in the late afternoon on a Saturday and there was a private mini van waiting to pick us up to drive us to Nelly Rest, the lodge in Colombo that my father-in-law had booked. The journey to Nelly Rest took about 2 hours although the journey felt much longer.. The roads in Colombo reminded me very much of the roads in Jakarta - messy and noisy with small shops by the side. Nelly Rest is a small establishment. The rooms were not well maintained.  They were supposed to have water heater and air conditioning but the water heater was not working. There were also a lot of red ants in our room. It's only saving grace - the restaurant next to it.

Nelly  Rest in Colombo

Nelly Rest in Colombo

On a side note: The food and entertainment on Sri Lankan Airways was decent. However, I was not happy with their service as I had to ask them for water 4 times before I was told they had run out of water.

Journey from Colombo to Point Pedro (by rail)

We woke up early the next day to take the 6.50 train from Colombo (Fort Railway Station) to Vavuniya. 

Fort Railway Station

We bought second class tickets (at SGD 4.50 per ticket). Our section was not very crowded. The trains were a little old and dirty, but the long ride (about 6 hours) was fairly comfortable. From time to time, we also saw a couple of people walking up and down the aisle hawking local food but we did not buy any.

On the train en route to Vavuniya

There is not much to see along the way - just a lot of paddy fields and cows.

About 6 hours later, we arrived in Vavuniya.

Just outside the railway station at Vavuniya

It was drizzling when we got to Vavuniya. Again, a our private van (which was pre-arranged by a friend) picked us up and we went to Nelly Restaurant for a meal before starting on the 4-hour drive to Point Pedro. The roads along the way were fairly smooth. There were some bumpy parts but the roads on the whole were pretty good.

Road to Jaffna

Road to Jaffna

Along the way, we also noticed many army posts and army vehicles. There was a checkpoint after Vavuniya for which we all had to get off. They asked us some questions (where we were going etc) and made copies of our passports. The whole process was quite fast and the army officers were quite friendly.

Slightly under four hours later, we crossed the Elephant Pass, also referred to as the Gateway to Jaffna.

Elephant Pass

For a fairly long stretch after that, there were just paddy fields on both sides. It was actually very scenic. Sometime later, the van turned off the main road into a small road and from there on, the roads were very bumpy. We had turned into the road leading to Point Pedro, a small coastal town. Here, the roads are full of gravel and from time to time, we'd pass by a small shop by the road side. We arrived in Point Pedro about 30 minutes later.

One of the towns we passed on the way to Point Pedro

Point Pedro

We were in Point Pedro for 6 days and during our time there, we  stayed at a relative's place. The house here is a little different from what I am used to - front porch was not tiled, just mud and soil.

In Point Pedro, the electricity supply also goes off from time to time - sometimes for 15 minutes, sometimes longer. Once, there was a huge thunderstorm and we didn't have electricity for slightly more than a day (that was also the day of the wedding so the bridegroom's family rented a generator for the occasion - didn't dampen the celebratory mood though). It rained quite heavily throughout our stay in Point Pedro.

During our stay here, my husband's aunt cooked almost all of our meals. She is a fantastic cook and  I looked forward to all the meal times. The food is one thing I really missed.

One of the dinners cooked by the hub's aunt

The drinks, however, were not so much to my liking. The coffee here is extremely sweet and milky, and it lacks any sort of kick that coffee normally supplies. While I had enjoyed my first cup of this beverage, I got sick of it pretty quickly.

For the next couple of days, we explored the little town on foot and on auto (a three-wheel vehicle). We visited a couple of schools, a library, a hospital, a beach and the little town area.

A school

A building inside the school compound

The signboard for the library

The hospital

The beach

The beach

The town area

The town area

Jaffna

We decided to take a day trip to Jaffna on one of the days and hired a car for the day. Jaffna is about 35 kilometres away from Point Pedro.

Our first stop was the University of Jaffna. After that, we went to the town area but did not find anything particularly interesting so we didn't spend much time there. On our driver's recommendation, we headed to the Dutch Fort next and walked around the ruins. The fort was beautiful and we had lots of fun exploring it.

The Dutch Fort

The Dutch Fort

The Dutch Fort

From the Fort, we saw a road to a nearby island and decided to go check it out. The road connecting Jaffna to the island was really scenic. At the island, we decided to go to one of the beaches - Chatty Beach. The beach was gorgeous! The water was crystal clear and the whole place was peaceful and pristine. There was also a church and a mosque in the vicinity. Strangely, the whole place seemed deserted and uninhibited. We hardly saw anyone else in our (short) time on the island.

On the way to the island

On the way to the island

At the turning to Chatty Beach

At Chatty Beach

The waters at Chatty Beach

The waters at Chatty Beach

The mosque near the beach

The church near the beach

Colombo

After spending 7 days in Point Pedro, we headed back to Colombo to spend a couple of days. For our way back to Colombo, we decided to take an overnight private mini van. We boarded the van at 7p.m. at night and arrived in Colombo at 3.30a.m. The journey took a little longer as the van went around picking up passengers from all over the island. We only crossed Elephant Pass at about 9p.m. Along the way, the van also made multiple stops. This seems to be the norm as we also saw a lot of buses stopping at the same rest stops. Food can be found at most, if not all, the rest stops. Toilets can also be found at all the rest stops though the conditions were appalling. However, one does not really have much of a choice. When we got to Colombo, the mini van drove around various parts of the city, dropping passengers off at their preferred locations. We got off in front of our hotel. For this trip, we paid about SDG20 per ticket (if I remember correctly).

We stayed in Renuka Hotel. It was a nice hotel with very reasonable prices. Its location is very good so we walked to many places from our hotel. On our first day there, we went to a Chinese Restaurant for lunch (the food was good. Not fantastic, but good), visited a couple of shopping malls frequented by the locals and an upmarket bookshop, and ended our day with meals from McDonald's!

Renuka Hotel

Renuka Hotel

Seaside...next to the road

Bus Station...sort of

Along the streets

Along the streets

Along the streets

A bookshop

A local mall

Road next to the local mall

Streets at night

McDonalds's veggie burger

McRice

McRice

On our second day there, we went walked around some more and discovered a more upmarket mall. We also decided to go look for Odel, another place to shop. We were told that Odel was a 20-minute journey by auto, but we decided to walk.

Renuka Hotel

An upmarket mall

Along the streets

Another local mall

Along the streets

Along the streets

Outside a park

Outside Odel

Our time in Colombo flew by and we left early the next morning. Again, a private van was hired to take us to the airport as we heard it was safer that way. The trip was an eye-opener, and the local food was tremendously enjoyable. Safety though, at some points, was a concern, On the whole, it was quite an experience and I believe I'll be back! :)