Thursday 31st May 2012 - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Lahari and I had made plans to Skype in the morning at 5am gmt (9.30 SL time) as she is going on holiday on Saturday and I haven't skyped her for ages. It was so good to see her face!  Neesh was supposed to come at 10am to pick me up to go to the national park but I didn't hear anything from him until 11am so I decided not to go anymore. I thought it would be too awkward anyway given lastnight's occurences and I didn't want to lead him on. Instead I chilled at Tsunami talking with the owner Lee, the manager Lee and Lola (one of the Russian girls). The manager Lee has a big crush on Lola and on my first day in Arugam Bay he had taken her up the coast to one of the bigger towns because she wanted to buy silver and he wanted sheets for the hotel. She didn't seem interested in him like that and I think was just being friendly. However Lee had created this huge romance in his head and was hung up on her bad. Everytime I spoke with him the first thing out of his mouth would be about Lola and the latest happenings - which was either she was wonderful or she was a bitch! Today he didn't like her because lastnight he had been desperately trying to make progress with her and apparently had been made to feel like an idiot by the Russian couple who spoke in Russian and laughed which made him think it was about him. Lee is a nice enough guy but is a bit of a psycho! It's like he has split personality and is really rude to his staff - I told him off many times during the day about how rude he is. At one point he got really pissed off about Lola and stomped over to the kitchen shouting "wheres my fucking juice".  Lola, him and I were talking and at one point I asked her about her boyfriend. Lee was so rude and turned around and said "Let's be serious Lola, we both know that you would cheat on your boyfriend". She looked completely shocked and had no idea what he was talking about. During the tuk tuk ride with Lola a few days before, Lee had called me saying that Lola was so beautiful and how he really wanted to kiss her and that they were close to kissing at one point - again I think he had created the scenario in his head and that is probably wasn't the case that they were close. I think when today Lee said that he knew Lola would cheat he was referring to this scenario.  When it came to me paying my bill Sri Lanka Lee and said that I should give the change for staff welfare. I was shocked and turned around and said "there is service in the bill so why am I giving more money!" SL Lee replied that service did not go to the staff - only to management (Lee and his partner). I couldn't believe it! I walked straight over to the owner Lee who was placing poker with the Russians and asked him if it was true. His response infuriated me! "I don't agree with service charge! I only took over the running of this place 23days and haven't decided what to do with the service yet but I don't like it." My response was that if you haven't decided what to do and don't like it then why are you taking the money - that's not fair! I want to give money to lee for his great service but that means paying service and then a tip on top! He told me to fuck off and stay out of his business.  Do you know why it bugged me so much?! Because SL Lee was a 57year old man only earning Rs.10,000 per month (£100). Service would help him and the other staff out massively. Also he gives great service and is such a friendly lovely guy that always talks with me and has taken me under his wing like a daughter. For what reason should he do all this and not get rewarded?! Instead the arrogant, rude, and greedy managers who rarely deal with the customers and are certainly not serving them food get the SERVICE charge?! If owner Lee didn't agree with this and actually cared about his staff's happiness and wellbeing this should have been one of the first priorities on his list - and if it wasn't he should have just stopped charging service charge until he worked out what to do with it then people could tip and it would go to the waiters.  Owner Lee called me later to offer a really bizaare apology but it made me want to physically hurt him! After apologising his words to me were this; "when we were giving the staff the service they were sometimes earning four times their salary and earning the same as a teacher. You should be proud of me anyway, it's like modern day colonialism!" Oh my frikin god!!! So what if they earn good money?! Why should you want to repress them and keep them at the bottom. It should work the same way as retail in England - the people doing these jobs are usually fresh out if school and just stay in these jobs to earn money while studying and then move onto bigger and better things and then the new generation comes and takes the job - the cycle continues. You should want to do the same here - nurture your staff, help them achieve, let them have enough money to save and perhaps set up their own business! Not give them so little that they can barely survive nor progress.  I was leaving Arugam bay tomorrow to go to Colombo to go and chill with my boys Gayan and Shiran for a few days and to pick up my suncream that had arrived from my papa's girlfriend Angie in England. I had lots of invitations to go out with different people today - Sergo had invited me to dinner with the group and wanted to pay for me, Neesh wanted to meet, and some random guy asked me to come out but all I wanted to do was chill my boy Ananiyas. This boy was now to me like Gayan and Shiran. I loved him a lot like a brother. I gave him money to go and buy beers for us and we chilled in the dining area eating Kotu Roti and talking and laughing. I told him about my argument with owner Lee and then found out that Ananiyas also doesn't get service! I hated this! What kind of BS corrupted rubbish is this?! It has really made me determined to start a business here and do things differently for people.  After a while I told Ananiyas I would be back in a bit because I wanted to go and see SL Lee to say goodbye. I walked into the kitchen at Tsunami where all the staff were working quietly. They all smile when they saw me and thanked me for speaking up for them. The word had obviously spread! SL Lee was supposed to be doing a barbecue tonight for all the guests (it had been planned for days) and had bought a massive barracuda fish in the morning for it so I was shocked to see nothing was happening. SL Lee said to me that he cancelled it because he didn't care to do anything to promote the business. I think I had really struck a cord with everyone today. I felt really bad but the staff all looked at me admirably. Lee told infront of everyone that he really Luved me. He explained that because it was love with a U and not an O it was not a romantic love but a caring luv and one that means that he loves me as a person and respects me a lot. He said I had such a good heart and thanked me for caring. He took out his phone and called his daughter and told her about me and introduced her to me over the phone. He took my email address and gave me his and his daughters number and hugged me goodbye. It was such a beautiful moment.  I then went back to my hotel and continued my evening with Ananiyas. It was really good fun chilling with him - he also called him nan and told her about me and let me speak to her.  Ananiyas told me that this was only the third time he had ever drank - the first time was because his friend was leaving to go to England, and one other time. He was so drunk it was hilarious. He couldn't stand up and I had to help him into one of the rooms and tuck the mosquito net around him. He then ran out of the room and vomited everywhere!!! The poor guy had work at 8am as well! I got him some water and left him to it and headed to bed aiming to be up at 5am to catch the bus to Colombo.