May 11th: The Sun, salt water and spice had they way with some of us.

Today, I went to wake everyone up only to find that three people had been ill all night! Hilda, Brendan and Eric all felt quite ill after our day at Palm Paradise yesterday and I am still unsure why. We all ate the same dinner, but I think that maybe the spiciness, the sun and salt water had their way will several people. The three stayed at the guest houses while the rest of the group went to work. Brendan and Eric now feel a lot better, but Hilda is not feeling so hot. She started Ciprofloxacin this evening and I am hoping that this will help her out over night (in combination with lots of rehydration salts and water and rest!). I made sure to reiterate the importance of letting me know when anyone gets sick, regardless of the time, so hopefully if things turn south tonight, I will hear about it asap and be able to act quickly to help out.

On another note, today at work, we finished digging the trenches at the Trades Training Facility and started (alongside the masons) laying rocks and mixing/pouring cement in the foundation. The temple group has been working hard but also enjoying the company and amazing generosity of the head monk, who has peppered them with treats throughout the day ranging from chocolate and oranges to biscuits and tea!

After work, Patricia managed to get a sim card for her cellphone (we needed to get our passports from Anil so it was a bit of an adventure), then a few of us went to Food City to get some fruit for rice pudding tonight and also for breakfast in the morning (mangos- yum!). We also did a little window shopping, and I bought some awesome Sri Lankan flip flops. I am hoping that everyone gets better soon! But if they still feel ill tomorrow, they will take another day off, and we will be sure to get them some professional aid if their conditions worsen.