April 11/12th
After a three and half hour flight and several episodes of Fawlty Towers we arrive in what we and most other people think is Colombo Airport. The airport code is CMB, the ticket says Colombo however the airport's true name is Bandaranaike International Aiport which is in fact located 35km/22 miles from Colombo in between Negombo and Katunayake, a point worth noting if you have booked accommodation in Colombo. Journey time from Airport to Colombo is about an hour dependent on traffic.
Prior to the trip we had booked a driver recommended to me by a friend I play cricket with here in Singapore called Krishna, a Sinhalese of Tamil decent. On arrival we sent Krishna a text and he replied asking us to meet at the car park. Krishna, wearing an Audi/HP branded baseball cap and brandishing a huge white toothed smile greeted me with a handshake and a "hi machan" (slang for basically, mate). We follow Krishna to his van, 7 seats, white, slightly beaten up but comfortable. We throw our backpacks in and head off for our first stop Pinnawala a good middle point in my opinion between the airport and Nuwara Eliya. It takes approximately an hour and half to get there, the first half an hour proving to be quite nerve racking. Seemingly there is one additional lane as people weave and overtake each other on the equivalent of a UK B road with a pre-beep of the horn. Quite common practice we learn as the trip goes on. After an impromptu water and cigarette stop for Krishna we make the final leg into Pinnawala. James and C both fast asleep as the two and a half hour time difference catches up with us.
In Pinnawala Krishna is unsure of exactly where the Elephant Bay Hotel is, we pull over to the side of the road, whilst he phones the hotel. The hotel say they will send someone out to where we are and direct us in. After 20 minutes we all realize this is not going to happen and therefore perform a slow drive by pace looking for hotel signage. Meanwhile Krishna avoids stray dogs in the road. Finally we see a sign that looks promising and head a short distance down a dirt track where a man, we assume hotel representative is waiting (what was he doing there, why wasn't he at the end of the dirt track?!) and he directs us in. We check in, not much to report about hotel as its dark, and we are tired, apart from they sell "poo paper". Some confusion over our booking, they think I have booked a single bed, I show them booking for double. Finally sorted we head up and hit the hay immediately. Intense start, sign of things to come !
I wake up about 6am and peer outside, curious to see our surroundings and see if I can spot any elephants. Our hotel is one of a few that looks out onto a large river bed area where elephants are brought for tourist to see every day at 10am. The alternate option is to pay to see elephants in an orphanage which can be more costly. Unfortunately the view was obscured by large trees so I head downstairs for coffee and to scope the area. Restaurant still shut but I manage to negotiate a coffee and switch between reading a Sri Lanka story "Running in the family" by Michael Ondaatje and toying around with our new GoPro camera. Why didn't we buy one for New Zealand?! I start talking to the waiters who invite me for a game of hoops. Four different drinks bottles are lined up and we all take turns to try and get effectively a bracelet round one of them. None of us are successful but it gives me my first insight into how friendly and welcoming the Sinhalese are. It also strikes me how business savvy they are as it gets round that I am looking to change money (Changi Airport does not change SGD to SRL) and that our driver is dropping us off half way round so we may be in the market for a driver. I decline the driver but convert money as the rate is good.
Christina surfaces and an hour later so do the elephants. Seeing elephants so close is a great experience however not something to spend hours doing. The treatment of the elephants at this particular reserve we learn is better than most, as they are allowed to roam somewhat during the day however you can see they are chained at night. The views were good and we spot a kingfisher, for the first time, diving down into the river for its breakfast. Its colours are incredible.
Krishna arrives on time and at this time it is probably worth explaining where he sleeps. At some hotels there are cheaper lodgings for the drivers and in other towns/cities drivers sleeping quarters. Krishna explains that last night though he slept in the van as he arrived at one of the sleeping quarters to find three others in the same room. Because he snores and doesn't like to bother people he sleeps in his van. I feel a pang of guilt at the thought of us sleeping in a comfortable bed and Krishna sleeping in a van but remind myself we are paying him good money for the trip and he is accustomed to this way of life. He eats breakfast with another Sri Lankan driver at our hotel and watches the elephants with us for a bit.
We gather our things, we have seen enough elephants, and head in the direction of our second stop Nuwara Eliya. Not long into the journey we see a lady with a porcupine on the side of the road, we stop, neither of us have seen one of these before. The lady beckons Christina to get closer, Christina is reluctant but is persuaded to sit and put the animal on our her legs for a few quick snaps. We pay the lady SRL200 and she gives us a porcupine needle as a further gift. Thirty minutes in to the trip and we hit what can only be described as rush hour on the M25 times 5. The combination of it being Sinhalese New Year, Saturday and the season where locals head to the hills (to escape warmer climates) result in the journey from hell. We edge feet by hours as the midday heat increases (why did I say a vehicle with no AC was ok?) and the Sinhalese smiles turn to angry frowns. We are not the worst off, we pass buses packed with people of all ages, some without seats and look back in our van to see 3 free seats, more pangs of guilt. An elderly man is in a van in front of us sat on a plastic seat at a funny angle, wedged in by packs of rice, it does not look comfortable. As we stutter along we see pick up cricket matches in full flow in fields and on the side of the road. We are going that slow I have time to jump out the van to buy some water and stretch my legs. What a start to the holiday ! Finally though we reach the turn off to Kandy and the traffic resides, a feeling of a relief for all involved. Thank god we are not going to Kandy as the majority of traffic is going that way. Just after the Kandy turn off we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant serving a buffet slightly disappointed that we had missed lunch at the tea plantation restaurant we were planning to visit. The food was good rice, yellow dhal, spinach and curried cabbage. Not far from Nuwara Eliya we make a stop at a spice farm, there are several we see on route. As soon as we got out the van we were pleasantly greeted by a tour guide, a man probably in his sixties. He asks us to follow us to the entrance of the small spice farm and upon entering breaks into a presentation he has given several hundred times. The array of information we received in the following 30 minutes was quite a shock to the system after having been in the car for what seemed like hours, all the same it was interesting and probably something I would recommend doing but only once. Our guide, who finished every sentence with 'lovely' introduced us to smells of cinnamon, cloves, pepper, cardamom, sandalwood and explained the health benefits associated with these spices. King Coconut oil for example is great for the hair and is used by the Sri Lanka's in place of shampoo. Much to the amusement of Christina the guide shaved a section of my leg with natural hair remover! We were given a complimentary head and shoulder massage and feeling relaxed then ushered into the souvenir shop. We weren't inclined to buy much except a small display draw of different spices so we gave the tour guide a tip and headed back on the road to Nuwara Eliya. Temperatures begin to drop as we ascend into tea country, quite a relief after the journey we have had and the humidity we get in Singapore. The mean annual temperature I learn later is 16 degrees c.
Given the delay we had gone through it knocked our itinerary. Our plan was to spend more time at the tea estates and ambling round the outskirts of NE but it was a little rushed through as I think we all had our mind on getting to the hotel. Krishna still took us to a waterfall where locals were enjoying themselves. One family having a picnic another group of 20 something's (I can say that now being in my thirties) were playing drums and were either high on life or something else because I didn't see any alcohol. They beckoned me to join them dancing so of course I obliged as Christina promptly hit record on the Gopro! Sri Lankan family ecstatic.
Joining Krishna back in the van we headed up and up climbing steeply through the carved out mountain roads. We must have double backed on a 100 + curves on our way up to Bluefield tea plantation. On one curve we see a boy selling flowers then on the second curve we see he has run up a steep incline and is again presenting the flowers. On the third incline we see him again, sweating and panting and I ask Krishna to stop and buy Christina the flowers. According to Krishna the SL boys do this during the holiday season to support their families and target, understandably tourists in vans ! Hook, line and sinker.
The tea plantations are beautiful and we approach Bluefield tea plantation which resembles a typical British factory building with a blue roof that distinguishes it from the rest. A female tour guide, approaches the car as we get out, dressed aptly in a blue sari, skin glowing, huge smile. Krishna waits near the car and talks to other drivers. We learn about the different teas produced, white, black and green tea and how the tea is graded. In short the finer the tea leaves the stronger the tea and the larger the weaker. The grade names of the tea however are an indication of size/and or appearance and not its quality. As we arrived late the tea segregation process had finished, there were only a few ladies there sweeping up, I took a few pictures and each time was asked for money. I stopped taking photos. We completed the tour with a cup of tea in the cafe and some cake. I bought some black tea in the souvenir shop, Christina some green and we made our way down to the centre of Nuwara Eliya. Really cold now, jackets on.
Nuwara Eliya or the "city of light" was found by Samuel Baker, the discoverer of Lake Albert and the explorer of the Nile in 1846. Nuwara Eliya's climate lent itself to becoming the prime sanctuary of the British civil servants and planters in Ceylon. Nuwara Eliya, called Little England, then was also a hill country retreat where the British colonialists could immerse in their pastimes such as fox hunting, deer hunting, elephant hunting, polo, golf (very nice golf course if you ever get out that way) and cricket. Although the town was founded in the 19th century by the British, the whole district is today visited by native travelers, especially during the month of April, the season of flowers, pony races, go cart races and auto rally. This was certainly evident as we made our way in. Also many of the buildings retain features from the colonial period and even new hotels are often built and furnished in the colonial style. Many private homes still maintain their old English-style lawns and gardens.
Passing through the centre of town in the direction of our hotel there is a party atmosphere in the air, obviously due to the NY celebrations. Finally after leaving Pinnawala at 11am we reach our hotel, Chez Allen, at 6pm. A drive that was meant to take 2 hours. We are exhausted but drawing energy from the excitement of actually arriving at our destination, Krishna takes us down to the centre of town and leaves us for the evening, I believe he is staying at home tonight as its close to NE. We eat at the recommendation of Krishna at a restaurant called Milano, we choose a sizzling meat combo dish, setting is ok, nothing special but we are please to be sat down, no alcohol served ; ( Food comes out, plumes of smoke, laughs from neighboring diners as the smoke fills up the restaurant and looks for a place to escape. Little ventilation so we shrug our shoulders. The process is repeated as others order the same dish, now our time to laugh at them !
Gasping for a beer we head after dinner to the Wyndham Hotel across the road, its supposedly upmarket but we weren't that impressed. We leave after sharing a large Lion beer, the Sri Lankan local brew, quite a heavy, hoppy taste, 4.8%. I buy a Sri Lanka cricket shire in the market. People seem somewhat used to seeing tourists but still curious, we attract some attention from passers by, all good humored. We drink another Lion at "The Pub" then decide enough is enough for the day. We jump in a Tuk Tuk, they are everywhere and a cheap mode of transport. We get back to the hotel and talk more with the hotel owner, she offers us tea, is very helpful and smiley. It seems the family live downstairs and the guests stay on the second floor, there are about 8 guest rooms. We briefly talk to a South African couple before they head out. We retire to our room and go to shower, water is cold, landlady disagrees, I have no energy to argue, we have cold showers! Mosquitoes everywhere. Christina has been a trooper, been a rough day with travelling and its been super hot. Looking forward to Hortons Plains tomorrow however I realize Adam's Peak is a 4 hour drive from NE and a 7 hour night trek, too tired to think about that zzzzzzz
April 13th
Awoken at 5am by our alarm, landlady has kindly made us a takeaway breakfast and prepared tea. Krishna arrives bang on time. I give him a Singapore Cricket Club training and playing shirt, he seems happy. The journey up to Hortons Plains, designated a National Park in 1988, is a 1 hour drive but its pretty bumpy and twisty which make it seem longer. We are charged S$50 for entry, our bags are searched and we are told the trail takes about 3 hours. We read an information leaflet which informs us that it is a protected area, covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. The plateau is rich in biodiversity and many Sri Lankan species are found there endemic to the region, including 24 species of mammals, 87 species of bird, nine species of reptiles and eight species of amphibians. The Sri Lankan Elephant disappeared from the region in the 1940's. Rainbow trout and the common carp swim the streams.
The walk is relatively easy, in comparison to trek's and trails we did in NZ, and on the way we are fortunate to see Sambar deer, several species of bird, and a black-cheek lizard which in fact was green? The route we took passed by mini Worlds End (420m), big Worlds End (873m) and finally Baker falls. The views were amazing, Sri Lanka seems to have a mystical air to it, maybe due to the high altitude and clouds coming off the mountains. We were lucky as it was a nice day and cloud did not obscure the views, as they do frequently we are told. We completed the walk in two and half hours, drank tea and ate biscuits and headed to back to the van where we found Krishna asleep.
We returned back down to the centre of NE and had a vegetarian curry lunch at a restaurant chain called Remarko. Krishna left us and the plan was for him to pick us up at 10pm from the hotel for the long journey to Adams Peak. We were conscious we should get some sleep before this big trek but first we bought some warmer clothes, as we had heard it is freezing during the Adam Peak walk, and then ambled around Victoria Park which was in full bloom. Locals love seeing a foreigner in a Sri Lankan cricket shirt!
We return to the hotel to relax and pack but slowly in doing a combination of both, realize what we were about to do. We were going to drive 4 hours at 10pm at night, trek up hill most of the night in pitch black, with hundreds of people, and then drive 4 hours back to Nanu Oya then get on a 3 hour train journey to Ella! The thought of this brewed with us over dinner, we went back to Milano, for lack of other options, no need to spend two nights here. During dinner we decided to ask the waiters what they thought about doing this and if it would be a good idea given it was Sinhalese New Year. Most agreed it would be not a good idea. Adams Peak is Sri Lanka's Holiest mountain and each year Pilgrims flock to climb its 5200 steps. It is said that this is the place where Adam first stepped food on earth when he was cast down from heaven. It is also believed that it is the place where Buddha last stepped from earth before reaching Nirvana while others believe it is the giant footstep of Lord Shiva. What is unique about Adams Peak is that it is a pilgrimage for every religion and given that it was NYE more pilgrims would be making the journey up. We also read reviews on TripAdvisor saying that festive seasons weren't a good time to make the climb and we make the final decision not to go.
That night we play Carom (air hockey meets pool) with a Sri Lankan couple at the hotel who are in bit in awe of meeting us, no idea why? We drink far too many Lion beers and listen to Sri Lankan music on YouTube. We compare lifestyles, they share their food with us (Kothu & Biriyani) and we learn some Sri Lankan. We also learn about a Sri Lankan NY custom. After dawn of the New Year, the first task of the year is lighting a hearth or firewood stoves and boiling milk which is expected to boil over and flow over the vessel. The custom is called Kiri Uthuranawa and is a sign of prosperity.
April 14th
Wake up, we go for a run downhill then back up, the hard part, head sore, stomach full of curry. Christina getting looked up and down by the locals. The road we run on splits the 10th tee and the fairway, a hooked shot could easily end up through someones windscreen. Shower freezing again. As we sit and have breakfast overlooking NE we are reflect on our decision not to go to Adams Peak, we agree it was a good one. Our Sri Lankan friends from the night before are leaving back to Colombo, they kindly give us a bagful of fruit. \
We have the morning to kill before our train journey from Nanu Oya to Ella so Krishna takes us up to the highest point of Sri Lanka. It is a heavily guarded area as several Sri Lanka's communication towers are positioned here. On the way up we see a Leopard painted on a sign with DANGER written on it. Once we reach the top we are told by a guard that certain areas were strictly prohibited. Krishna is asked to park and we are asked to get out of the vehicle. A short way up the guard, with a cheeky smile on his face, talks to Krishna in Sinhalese and apparently for a fee we are allowed to enter the prohibited areas in order to get to the OFFICIAL highest point of Sri Lanka ! We pay 500SRL for the privilege, totally not worth it.
The sight of the army may have moved something in Krishna as he explains on the way down, how he was discriminated against during the Sinhalese/Tamil conflict which ceased only 10 years ago. His brother was picked up on the roadside one time and put in prison for six months with no reasoning given as to why. Tamil's even had separate social security numbers to the Sinhalese so they could be identified, this is no longer the case.
We came back into town and went to a Ramayana temple packed to the rafters due to NY celebrations. The story of Ramayana is an interesting one if you get time to read it. We finished the morning tour at the Botanical Gardens, the main attraction for me being the several species of trees from around the world and then, after lunch headed for Nanu Oya to catch the train to Ella scheduled to depart at 15.01. Note to self, next time book a 4x4 land cruiser, road from NE to NO pure living hell, glad we are getting train, I think ?
We had reserved first class tickets (observatory class) prior to the trip so were assured a space. A three trip costing only 1000SRL. As we waited we saw people walking up and down the tracks seemingly unconcerned. I notice a man on crutches, with only one foot and think about what sort of medical cover Sri Lankan's receive, if any? 40 minutes later we are still waiting, I shout across the platform to someone who looks officially, how long I ask? 20 minutes I am told. 20 minutes later we learn through others on the platform the train's engine has broken and another train is being sent to replace the service. 18.01 we are giving as the expected time of arrival. We see the South African couple on the platform from NE, they are also on their way to Ella, I talk to them, they are on honeymoon, nice couple, Dom and Pieter, we hit it off. Dom and I go and talk to the ticket desk to see if there is any alternatives. We are told another train will reach here before ours but there are only 2nd class tickets available. Why not we decide and we wave goodbye to Krishna as the train pulls up. He has kindly waited to make sure we were ok, he will drive and meet us in Ella.
Waiting for our second booked train to arrive I speak to others on the platform, I talk to a couple from Barcelona who work in London, he reaffirms there are still no jobs in Spain. I tell him to buy two 2nd class tickets, he doesn't and tries to use his first class tickets on the earlier arriving train. As we get on in 2nd class we see him and a few others being rejected first class entrance, they will have to wait a while I think to myself.
Christina is not happy as we enter the train, 2nd class is full, no seats and it looks like we will be standing for three hours. Krishna has still actually not left, Christina suggests just going with him, I say no lets stick with it. We stick with and it was the right decision, the journey was amazing, probably the highlight of the trip. We shuffle around the carriage double checking for seats, I am surprised that some Sri Lankans' offer their seats, sometimes even girls. We decline of course. Dom and Pieter find a seat but not next to each other. In the end we see an exit with no door, and decide to sit on the stairs hanging on for dear life as we shoot past the Sri Lankan countryside. We take turns putting our head outside the train so we can see the train spiralling through jungle, forest, towns and tea plantations. An exhilarating ride made more enjoyable by spectacular views and kids showing off how far they can reach out the carriage, crazy scenes. On one occasion we go through a tunnel and exit to see a straight cliff drop below us, we both look at each other in shock, we hold on a little tighter. Thirty minutes to go to Ella four seats become available and we get together with Dom and Pieter again. Locals break into song and start hitting the side of the train to create a drum like beat. Everyone seems to know the song. We, the foreigners, are asked to sign an English song, but nothing springs to mind, pathetic right, what is a English song you can sing in that situation? We arrive in Ella at 7pm, Krishna there as promised. We wave goodbye to our SA travel buddies.
Krishna takes us to our hotel (Ella's Edge Resort), only 10 minutes from the station. The hotel looks still under construction, we get out however and take some steps down and are shown to a nice and modern room. Although dark we can see the views will be good the next morning. There are no driver quarters at the hotel, so Krishna drops us back in the centre for dinner and takes off to find a place to stay. New Year's celebrations means that only one restaurant is open and it is packed full of foreigners. The waiters are doing there best but its simply understaffed, we are not in a rush and we order a couple of Lions and watch the chaos develop. In the end several people walk out and our patience is rewarded. We time our order of seafood noodles and chopped chicken roti right and the food arrives in good time. When they chop the roti it sounds like someone is playing the drums. I bet Christina, that we will see the SA couple, given this the only place to eat in town and soon after we seem them walk in. They join us, order the same food as us and together we sample the local rum, Arrack and drink a few more Lions. Mid sip Dom suddenly reaches for his leg with a grimace and pulls off a leach, and on further checks Pieter also pulls one from her leg ! They had apparently walked through a swampy area to get to the restaurant. Christina keeps her feet up the rest of the evening ! Aussie at another table is given a guitar by the waiters and breaks into song, he is good, a nice surprise to the end of the evening. We bid farewell to our SA mates and have to walk 20 minutes back to the hotel as even the Tuk Tuk drivers seem to have taken the night off. Quite an eerie walk as no street lights and jungle either side.
April 15th
I wake up at 6am maybe in anticipation of seeing the view, the main reason I had booked the Ella Edge hotel. I wasn't disappointed and our doors opened out to one of the most spectacular views of the trip. I caught up on my journal and dank tea next to, yet another Spanish couple. Christina wakes and we have the best breakfast of the trip. Fresh fruit, papaya, pineapple, and watermelon, a Sri Lankan omelette with a fair amount of chilies, coconut sambol, onion sambol and cocount roti (pol roti) and more tea ! We now love Roti, especially with jam on. We hadn't much planned for Ella, there are a few walks you can do but on the whole it is more of a stop off point and we start towards our next destination Arugam Bay on the East coast, views out of Ella continue to amaze us.
I will never trust Google maps again. Arugam Bay, was I thought two hours away but in fact speaking to Krishna and the locals it was more like three and a half, just what we needed, another long trip in a van which I am amazed lasted the course. Fortunately the road was ok and straighter than we imagined which you would think is a good thing. In fact the reality is Sri Lankans', given a clear stretch of road perform under and overtaking maneuvers Lewis Hamilton would be impressed with. There is a complete disregard for safety and we experience several close shaves which don't phase Krishna. You notice it more in Sri Lanka than you do in say Vietnam or Bali as traffic is so bad there people are forced to go comparatively slowly. The only time Krishna does slow down is to allow a land monitor to cross the road. We spot it some distance away, and stop to take some pictures. On the outskirts or Arugam Bay we see water buffalo, wow they are big, and peacocks. Krishna explains that Arugam Bay was badly hit by the 2004 Tsunami and the government had to reconstruct the area extensively. We also learn Arguam Bay is predominantly Muslim. We arrive in what we think is our hotel, Arugam Bay Surfing Resort and are told we have no booking. Then we get to understand there is another hotel 2 minutes up the road called Arugam Bay Surf Resort, we are staying there ! Hotel is nice, several foreigners relaxing in the restaurant area, sea can be seen as we walk out our room. We have lunch, Krishna leaves however we agree to meet up at 6pm. He has asked me to help him with his Facebook and TripAdvisor page and he needs a domain name, difficult if you don't own a credit/debit card.
After lunch we hit the surf, Arugam Bay is renowned for being a great surf destination. We learn later that "The Point" is rated in the top 10 surf destinations in the world. I hit the surf, on large beginners board, I am still very much a beginner, I am given surf boots at the bottom is sharp coral. Christina tells me to be careful, asks me to check with locals on check on where to enter the sea, currents etc. I ignore and start to swim out. Five minutes later I have gone nowhere deciding to turn back manage to the board leash wedged in between the coral. It will not shift and the swell is getting bigger pushing me towards the shore, I can't get back. In the meantime I see local Sri Lankan youngsters asking Christina to pose for pictures with them, she doesn't seem to mind. Onlookers take pictures as as my pride slowly disintegrates. In the end we get the surf shop owner and releases the entire leash which ends up costing me 2000SRL. I pay and walk off tail between my legs, I admit The Point maybe to challenging for a surfer of my level, waves are huge.
I am cheered on the walk back by the arrival of a snake charmer, I am fascinated by snakes and watch documentaries on Discovery when they are on. The man tempts a Cobra out with a flute and I watch for about half an hour, Christina remains some distance back on the beach. I am told the Cobra still has teeth in, apparently some snake charmers remove the snakes top fangs but I know from documentaries that the bottom fangs can still deliver a punch of poison. I am becoming a bit of a spectacle myself as locals ask my name, where I am from, and whether I have Facebook. They are quite pushy about adding me and ask also for my phone number, I deflect this and we go back to our hotel to swim, relax and read.
I help Krishna for an hour and I learn about Krisna's goal to create a large tour company. I am impressed by the focus he has and want to help him out. I agree to buy the domain name for his website and get the privilege of naming his website, we decide on lionlandtours.lk with help from Christina. It strikes me that the generation I have grown up in has too many options with globalization and the internet boom, we are never happy! In countries like Sri Lanka there are fewer opportunities and people are much clearer about what they choose to do.
Christina and I go for dinner at the Green Room across the road from the hotel. It is busy with both foreigners and locals. We start with Roti and then share a seafood platter. Food is great, especially the crab. We buy a few sparklers and head to the beach where the hotel has started several fires. We then decide to call it a night, we have traveled a lot over the last few days.
16th April
I wake early again and grab a coffee in the hotel restaurant. I get talking to a guy from Israel, he is with his girlfriend here for two weeks and has pretty much done the same route as us but stretched it out more. He is going surfing at The Point and invites me along. I tell Christina and I am going for another shot, I can't let it go how bad things turned out the day before, I am intent on at least catching one wave. This time though I decide to rent a body board, the Israeli tells me I don't need surf shoes, I stupidly agree.
I enter the water this time further down shore but still get swept away by the current before passing the breaking waves. For the second time I move further up and manage to pass, the waves are at least 6 feet tall. I catch up with the Israeli. I finally catch a wave but am soon dumped off the board and spun around towards the sharp coral, I feel my feet being sliced as I try and steady myself. I decide enough is enough, limits have been pushed, and I head back to the hotel, feet in agony with sand entering the cuts.
I wake Christina and we have breakfast, tortilla breakfast wrap for me, Spanish omelette for Christina and the best combination of all the Roti's, chocolate, banana and honey. We relax by the beach opposite our hotel, I body board most of the morning, waves are much easier here but still big and the bottom is sandy. We have lunch, Christina has said Roti again for lunch, I have grilled fish, halibut, I write up my journal, Krishna arrives, we get cash out and start our journey to Yala, approximately 3 hours.
Trip to Yala is uneventful. Upon arrival in Yala though it is not easy to find our accommodation for the night, Big Game Camp . Krishna asks a few locals without success and in the end we call and are informed the manager will be along to collect us. We meet by a large Buddha and say our sad farewells to Krishna, I wish him all the best and promise for the 43rd time I will give him a good review on TripAdvisor. He has to now return home to NE then to the airport to collect a Saudi Arabian for an 8 day tour. We transfer our bags in to a 8 seater 4x4 jeep and head up a bumpy side road towards the camp, a sign of things to come. There is a feeling in Yala that you are really are in the middle of nowhere however we pull up the camp and the welcome we receive is good. We are given warm wet towels and a fruit juice called wood apple, which is apparently grown in the camp. We are then given an introduction speech but a naturalist who works at the camp which was interesting as he explains that this is an eco-campsite on the border of Yala National Park. He tells us a bit about the animals living in the park and invites us on a nature walk. We learn its an hour and half and politely decline, we are looking forward to the safari tour tomorrow. We are then walked to our tent and are pleasantly surprised. The tent is large and houses all the creature comforts, shower, plug sockets, sink, toilet, fan and mosquito net. We leave our things inside and explore the area, its not huge so we think right now what ?! We see a chess set, Christina has never played so I explain the rules to her and we sit there until dusk playing and drinking a few Lion beers. Camp lanterns are fired up along walkways and at the entrance to tents, which provoke a medieval atmosphere. A South African family arrive, we chat to them for a while, they explain how tough is travelling long distances with kids. One of the camps representatives comes round and tells us about a surprise dinner at 745 so we go back, shower and get ready. The dinner setting is very romantic, a few tables dotted around, a big fire in the middle and a bar lit up by more lanterns. Staff are very attentive and we are told that a jeep would be along to collect us in the morning at 5.30am to take us to Yala Natioanl Park. We have a three course meal, a bottle of red and then retire to our tent. We find our bananas have been eaten by something and Christina finds poo on her pillow. Is what pooed still in the tent? We brush it off and choose not to worry about it however sleep with one eye open.
April 17th
Our alarm goes off at 4.45am and a gentle rap on the tent door follows shortly after, our wake up call. Bleary eyed we made our way to the meeting point communicated the previous evening after an enjoyable encounter with a very quick and large spider. We leave our backpacks in the tent firmly zipped up. We have tea and the driver arrives at 5.30 in a 4 x 4 jeep, we are told we will be back at camp by 10am for breakfast. Yala is a 30 minute drive and already the lead up to the park was quite bumpy, for those who know them, visualize a nodding dog! The park opens at 6am and on arrival we see a number of jeeps waiting to get in. Their drivers outside waiting in a disorderly line to pay the entrance charge, about 2800SRL pp. Also dotted around are wild boar which prompts tourists to jump out and take photos.
We are told that leopards are more likely to come out in the first hour, people are most interested in seeing leopards, however the first signs of life we see are in fact crocodiles. Their heads and tails are the only parts that can be seen and as we focus our eyes more we see several in the water and some lazing on the bank. Apparently there hasn't been rain for several months and the park is suffering a period of drought. As we are thrown around we also manage to spot, peacocks, coyotes, and exotic looking birds including white egret's, hanging parrots and a kingfisher. Nearly an hour into the tour our driver suddenly stops and points to an area where a leopard's footprint is clearly visible, we are enthused as we both were starting to feel that it wasn't our day. The enthusiasm though is short lived as the morning temperatures start to soar and there is still no sign of a leopard. Leopards and most big cats, we are told hunt early to avoid the sun and then spend the rest of the day sleeping in the bush making it much more difficult to spot one. Probably three hours in and my patience is wearing a bit thin as the feeling of getting thrown around like a rag roll starts to become less of a novelty. Then just as we are giving up hope of seeing a leopard our driver gets a phone call and apparently two leopards have been seen sleeping not far from our position. We make a mad dash for the site, clinging on to the seats in front of us for dear life. Our anticipation is short lived as we descend upon a huge line of jeeps, word has spread like wildfire. We wait in line for what feels like an age, with no breeze the heat and humidity become uncomfortable not to mention all the exhaust fumes the jeeps are kicking out. The other Sri Lankan drivers become impatient and start to overtake. The dirt track is too small for this and traffic coming the other way has nowhere to go so it really plugs any movement. Finally park rangers arrive and some order is restored but unfortunately due to the commotion, fumes and mass pile up around the area where apparently the leopards are we don't get to see anything. We are moved on and the driver finally has had enough, it is now 10.15 and we start back towards the camp and experience another 30 minutes of bumps. I am personally amazed at the amount of jeeps they let into the park but am told that due to Sinhalese New Year there are a lot more tourists. Advice obviously to others therefore is don't go to Yala during this time and in fact even if it were less busy, 4 hours of bumping around just to see a spotted cat, in my opinion is not worth it, go to a zoo.
We have breakfast and are a bit behind schedule so I ask to settle the bill. There is huge confusion over this and I question the amount being asked. We had already paid S$140 for the night stay, expensive I thought anyway and the camp manager was asking us for another US$195. For this amount one could have a 5 star stay at Marina Bay Sands so I declined to pay and said I would be taking up the matter with our booking agency. They agreed, but on my return I saw that the amount had been charged, case still ongoing but they have refunded me US$175. Enough said but don't stay at Big Game Camp Yala and consider a smaller National Park if you are determined to safari.
A three hour drive to Mirissa was our next venture, the camp had got something right, and organised a very nice driver and comfortable van to take us. Roads improve as you go out towards the West Coast, we sleep some of the way. The driver occasionally points sights out and gives a brief commentary. Christina and I don't understand a word apart from one stop where we take pictures of the tallest Buddhist statue in Sri Lanka and take a few snaps of the nice coastline and increasingly turquoise water. With the last leg of the journey in sight and the hectic pace of the trip decreasing we start to feel more relaxed. A big sigh of relief at the idea of staying more or less in the same place for two nights, Mirssia for one night and Unawatuna for one. Before reaching Mirissa we see stilt fishers and stop to take a picture. A guy approaches explaining the five people currently in action are his family and he would like 500SRL, 100SRL for each member, I give him 100SRL and get back in the van. Arriving in Mirissa we are not overly impressed, there didn't seem to be much there and we were quite relieved when we arrived at our guesthouse to be told that the booking agency had overbooked that night and we would have to find somewhere else for the night.
We paid our driver an extra SRL1000 to take us 45 minutes onto Unawatuna after being told by a local that there was more to do there and in the end we were happy we did. A new air of excitement hit us at the thought of venturing away from our itinerary as we headed towards our hotel where we were due to stay the final night. The idea being that they may be able to do us a deal if we stayed two nights instead of one. In the end no one knew where it was and our driver got a bit flustered and mistakenly went up the wrong road. It turned out to be ok though as we ran into a strip of hotels on a beautiful beach. We decided to pay him and let him get back on the road home. We decided to stay at little guesthouse called Tartaruga Hotel and loved it so much cancelled our original booked hotel for the following night. We negotiated SRL6000 a night which made me think, looking back if it were really necessary to book hotels in advance at all.
We dropped out things off, had a Lion beer and headed to Galle. We had heard great things about Galle and were excited to check it out. We caught a Tuk Tuk there which only took 10 minutes and drove past the Galle cricket ground before entering the infamous Galle Fort first built by the Portuguese in 1558 and then extensively fortified by the Dutch from 1649 onwards. Clearly they did a good job as the Fort withstood the 2004 boxing day Tsunami which damaged part of the coastal area of Galle town. I and I think Christina immediately fell in love with the architecture and feel inside the Fort. You get a very Mediterranean feel as the buildings are mostly white, structures light brown and hanging flower baskets dot the streets. My main intention was to catch the 5pm pick up cricket match but we were hungry and went straight to the Rampart hotel which offers amazing views out to sea. The food was good but the sunset better. There was a brief thunderstorm and we watch people run for cover. A bus full of Chinese people stop at the shop opposite and we look down on them scanning souvenirs. What is it with Chinese people all wanting to get on a bus and see the same sites as the rest? I cannot think of a worse way to travel, must question Chinese colleagues. After dinner we walk along the Fort wall. Locals jump off the edge into the sea, what initially looks like suicide as it looks so shallow. As we get closer we see there is a deeper pool of water in which they dive into however still a fair leap to reach it. Finally we stop off at a shop called Barefoot recommended by my cricketing team mate in Singapore. It has some really good unique souvenirs made in Sri Lanka and I bought a few things to take back to the UK. After we walk off dinner and then head back to the hotel, in a Tuk Tuk of course, and finish the evening with a cocktail at the posher hotel next door to ours.
April 18th
Whilst we had breakfast looking out to the turquoise Indian ocean we planned out our day. After not catching cricket the previous night I asked a waiter if he knew where exactly the game/s took place. Not only did he know but also he offered to take us, his evening job conveniently being a Tuk Tuk driver so I was relieved to get this organised early. We had discussed doing some snorkeling the night before with the hotel manager and he had organised a boat for us leaving at 12. Prior to that though Christina convinced me to join her at a local Yoga class at 9.30, a short walk from our hotel. It turned out to be a private lesson (as no one else had turned up) with a friendly Sri Lankan called Asiri. It was an hour long and cost a 1000SRL each. I am not the most flexible of people but it was a good start to the day. On the way back to the hotel we bumped into Ginger a colleague of Christina's. We knew she was in Sri Lanka, having a detox and yoga week, and had tentatively agreed to meet up assuming we were in the same place. We did not however expect to turn a corner and bump into her! She was in fact thinking of coming to Mirissa to see if she could find us, lucky she didn't. We invited her to join us snorkeling if she hadn't other plans and she agreed to meet us at our hotel.
We had agreed an hour on the boat for 3500SRL but were conscious it wasn't the season for it, the water wasn't really clear. All the same we were happy to get out onto the ocean. The boat advertised on its side glass bottom which was actually a very small pane of glass built into the bottom of the boat. We go out for about ten minutes and then anchor up, we are passed snorkels, mask and flippers and all head closer to a patch of rocks where we are told the water is clearer. We spent about 45 minutes bobbing around and saw a variety of colourful fish, one I have recently learn being a sweetlip fish that can be seen in our Sri Lanka video. Also there were a number of sea urchin's so you had to be careful where you swam. The rocks protruded out of the sea so you could quite easily find yourself spiked with a big swirl of current. In the end visibility wasn't great so we headed back to shore after taking a few photos of ourselves under the boat peering through the glass pane.
We lunch at a restaurant called Kingfisher, food is great. Ginger explains her trip from Hikkaduwa to Unawatuna. For her it is a detox trip, with no alcohol, lots of exercise and dining at inexpensive local restaurants, quite the opposite of ours! Although our travel had been long I thought at the time, now relaxed, how fortunate we had been to see so much in such a short time. The long drives now seemed worth it. We swam more after lunch and then left Ginger on the proviso we may meet for a drink later. We shower and then wait for the waiter/tuk tuk driver to take us to Galle again.
Upon entering the Fort we take a different route and see several cricket games going on. The Fort is not huge but I realize that the night before we were on the other side hence why we hadn't seen any cricket. Games, I had heard started around 5pm and we arrive just in time. We get dropped off, thank our Tuk Tuk driver and sit on the edge of a game about to start. I edge closer to the game and finally pluck up the courage to ask if I can field for them, they kindly agree. My fellow teammates are young Sri Lankan's, in their high teens, sporting modern clothing, dress shirts and khaki shorts. All are in flip flops. The bats being used have literally been carved directly from a piece of wood and we play with a tennis ball. I have no idea where the boundary is, until one of the guys points to a piece of wood sticking up, and explains the road and the sea mark the other boundaries. The rules are simple 6 players, 4 overs per side. Our game is the main event however there are other families around us, and other youngsters practicing on the same patch of grass. We stop occasionally as a small child walks onto the pitch, she is quickly picked up by her parents and plonked back down where she should be. This process repeats itself several times. There are stands being built for the next day NY celebrations and groups of men standing totally unconcerned by kids running round trying to catch or field a ball. A largish crowd gather, the atmosphere is amazing.
I join the game in the final over and take a catch in the deep. I am then asked to open the batting. Christina being intently questioned about my cricketing ability by the other team. It gets round I am nicknamed Murali by my fellow Singapore teammates, everyone finds that highly amusing. I hit a few good shots but its not easy judging the the tennis ball bounce and dealing with the pitch covered with stones. A hit a large six but am eventually bowled. Everyone else chips in but we fall short of the 35 total required. In the next game I am asked to open the bowling, a larger crowd gather as people seem fascinated at the strange sight of a white guy playing. I keep it pretty tight but in the second over the ball is lost, hit for six over the Buddhist temple. Visions of Wisborough Green cricket as the majority take a seat and do nothing whilst two guys run off and return with new balls. Game on. We unfortunately lose again, on their side is a very talented left hander. We bid our farewells, Christina has been very patience, James is very sweaty ! We walk along the Fort walls before dinner. There really is a mystical feel to this place, we agree we could both live here.
We dine at Crepe-ology owned by an American from Seattle. He had come over to help the Tsunami effort and ended up falling in love with the place and the people. He then met an English lady who was travelling through Sri Lanka and they married. We read an interesting magazine during dinner called Life Times, in this particular edition it tells the story of several Sri Lankans' and what jobs they do and their typical day to day. One general theme of the article is that Sri Lankans' are ambitious and intelligent, but they simply don't have the opportunities to better themselves, a sad fact of life in many SE Asian countries.
April 19th
Our last day, we would love to stay a couple more days. I wake up and jump straight into the sea, have breakfast and Christina and I go shopping for souvenirs. Christina buys a wooden Buddha statue carved by one of the locals. We then came back and have a long swim with the Gopro. We captured some good video footage and then headed back to the hotel for a shower and to check out. We wanted to spend some more time in Galle before heading to the airport so we cram our backpacks into a TukTuk and make our way there. As we pass by the coast, fisherman bring their catch in and display it simply outside their wooden shacks. There is a softball match going on at Galle Fort, we watch for a while before being dropped off at Serendipity Arts Cafe owned by an English lady. We have lunch. If you go I recommend the Sri Lanka curry, I could eat that every day and the juices are amazing. We walk around for some last minute shopping, go back to Barefoot, again, visit the Galle post office and a Dutch church. A slender snake darts out in front of us at one point, a Rat snake I am informed by the locals, non venomous.
We negotiate a lift to the airport which includes stops at a turtle hatchery outside Hikkaduwa and the Ministry of Crab restaurant in Colombo owned by Sri Lanka cricketers Sangakkara and Jayawardena. Our driver is quite a character, he is buddhist and loves people from the UK and cricket. He tells me he "knows everything" about cricket, he can bat left handed and right handed. When he bowls he can imitate the action of Shane Warne and Murali when called upon and also bowl left arm, right arm and plum, whatever plum means?! I tell him I hope to see him playing for Sri Lanka some time soon. He is not too keen on Americans, he says they are always so worried about everything when travelling?!
The turtle hatchery is great fun and well worth the stop. The particular hatchery we visited was swept away by the Tsunami however has survived due to donations from visitors of several countries. The different tanks are named after those who have given donations. We are fortunate to see a turtle hatch and Christina lets it out into the tank with the rest of the newly born. We leave a donation and head back on the road to Colombo. Drive through Bentota, looks fun.
The journey up is uneventful, it takes some time to find the restaurant but in the end we get directions to the old Dutch hospital where the restaurant is located. We agree to meet the driver back where he dropped us in an hour. The restaurant is superb and more Westernized than anywhere we have been before, the service is also much better. We order prawns and curry crab. I am kindly given a tour of the kitchen by the waiter after name dropping a bit. I told them I had met Sangakkara and Murali some months back at Singapore Cricket Club, I was interested to see if he was coming tonight, unfortunately as the restaurant was fully booked he had decided not to (as a side note, make a reservation here if you intend to come). I buy a MOC apron for Dad. The food is excellent with just the right amount of spice. We wash it down with a Sri Lanakan ginger ale and before we know it the driver returns and we head back to the car and onto the airport. What a trip, we feel we have squeezed the juice out of Sri Lanka !!
Tamil and Sinhalese Songs that we liked - Suranganavi Magi / Moongil Kadugale & Urugudhe Marugudhe
