A BBQ stacked with hand-length fish sizzled away out of the beating midday heat. A small body with legs bolted on revealed itself from a darkened doorway. The dog only looking after his owner's well-earned lunch. The road leading up and away to the higher part of Ferrel. One where you can see out west, to Peniche, the Atlantic and all of the new world which rests awaiting daybreak beyond the horizon. You get an eery feeling standing atop a lookout knowing the old world ends there and a new one sleeps thousands of miles to the west, For me, this was a magical idea somehow.

I looked back at the shore. The eastern coast of Sri Lanka is different to the south, more vast and sandy. Distracted and dreamy, a hand bashed onto the side of the rock, it was the local man I saw earlier now eager and committed to dethroning me. He laughed and said “Good morning”. I slowly peeled my eyes from the glimmer of the ocean and at his excited face. “Morning”, I replied. A leisurely morning had turned into small talk. “It’s my birthday today” so the morning also turned into a birthday party.