Month: March 2015

Hey all,

We finally parted ways with our driver, after a long 8 hour day in the vehicle, navigating the constant threats of death you have while on these crazy roads. We had arrived at our hotel in beautiful Mirissa Beach, a bit down the coast from my last beach days.  Our plan was to veg out for our last few days, before heading out of Sri Lanka.

The first day we were pleased to just sit and watch a rain storm fall, while we ate some great food. We turned in early, eager to see some hot sunshine the next day. The beach did not disappoint. Sara and I morphed into solid beach bums. We soaked up the sun, drank beers and drinks all day, and ate delicious fresh cooked seafood by night.

It was easy to pass a few days like this. Our tans darkened and the most out of the ordinary thing we did was to almost drown in the waves. No really. We almost drowned. Sara roamed out to splash around, and I watched her get buried by a big one. It didn’t look too bad from shore, but what I didn’t see is she had just taken two other large waves, and bumped her head lightly. She pulled herself out, but was a bit rattled, and had a new respect for the power of water. Sadly, the next day, I over confidently convinced her to come out with me again. We did well at first, but then we got nailed by a big one. Comical now, but alarming at the time. We did survive, but it took one more round for me to have enough.  Lesson learned!

The time slipped away beautifully on that beach.  Before we knew it, we were preparing to head back Colombo on our last day. The next early morning would be a flight back to Bangkok.  Sara originally had planned to stay another 10 days, but she felt some pressing things from back home, and chose to return a bit early.  She was a fantastic travel partner, and we saw some amazing sites together. This also marked a full 3 week run for me in Sri Lanka. I had a fabulous time, and a new understanding of the culture and sites of this small island in the Indian Ocean. Anybody even considering a beach or site seeing vacation should check it out.

See you in Bangkok where I will try to figure out what comes next in this travel mission, and see Sara off back to home.

Hello all,

when last we talked, Sara and I had faced down the great Adam’s Peak and were heading off to the central highlands to a town called Nuwara Eliya.  Known for its lush tea fields and accompanying plantations, Nuwara Eliya would make a great place for us to rest and take in some great views. Also, it was a bit cooler, being up higher in elevation, to give us some relief from the sweltering heat!

The first afternoon, we checked into our very lovely villa, and were eager to get some rest after being up at 2am.  Our room was possibly the nicest I’d stayed in to date, but unfortunately we ran into some trouble. Some locals were staying there also, and had brought about 8 children with them. Now, I’m ok with kids, however what I’m not ok with is paying $80 bucks a night to listen to screaming, noise and sounds I’d never thought I’d here in my life!  I politely asked the owner to do something about it, but to no avail. We decided to just get up, and go explore a bit, taking in some delicious Indian food.  Later that night, after the noise was still rampant, Sara laid down the law, and told them, the noise stops, or we leave. The noise stopped.

The next day, after regaining some patience from some sleep we headed out with our driver to explore. First stop was a tea plantation!  A lovely girl gave us the tour of the place, and we saw how tea goes from a fresh plant all the way to tea bags.  Much of the factory was still using machinery from 100 years ago which was quite impressive, although if a part breaks, I’m not sure who they call. Next up we drove to a famous waterfall and grabbed some great photos. However, it is dry season, and the falls are much less spectacular than in the wet season.

After our site seeing, we found our way back to the Grand Hotel where the good Indian food was and chilled in a cafe to catch up on some interneting. It proved to be entertaining. At one point a crew with a camera tripod were setting up outside our window. Sara asked “wtf are they doing?”, and I joked, “clearly taking photos of us”.  Before we knew it, the manager of this resort was coming in, and asking Sara to sit up so her hair would stop blocking her face.  They were doing photos to put in the resort pamphlets!  Not, hey, do you mind modelling for us? Just more your hair, it’s in the way!  Funny stuff. So next years, Nuwara Eliya, Grand Hotel promos may feature your’s truly.

That evening we wandered down to the night market to have a look at the bustle and commotion. Sara had been itching to see an authentic market, and managed to buy herself some quintessential Asia elephant pants.  Once we had seen enough, we found a restaurant mostly for locals, where we had some pizza ( not so local ) and a bottle of wine.  It was great to unwind.

We were set to finish our guided part of the tour the next day. Having a driver and site seeing is great, but sometimes you just want to wander on your own. The next stop is the fabulous Mirissa Beach, marking my full circle on the island.

See you in the waves!

Hello again,

The latest journey continues as Sara and I made our way from Kandy to Adam’s Peak. The drive there was our first scenic viewing of the winding mountain roads, rewarding us with stunning views of tea fields laid out across the countryside. A magnificent site.  Our reason for heading this way was to climb the famous Adam’s Peak.

Adam’s peak has a historical holy meaning to all religions.  Buddha is thought to have visited the site, and also at the top a footprint in the mountain is believed by others to be the first foot print of Adam on earth from Biblical tales.  For us, it was more of an adventurous outing to see some cool things and get some exercise. A challenging hike, you walk up 5200 stairs, crossing many religious stalls along the way to get to the final building at the top. Here you ring a large bell to mark your climb, and also watch the sunrise.

Getting to the peak by sunrise means waking early and beginning your hike at 2 am. We settled into our hotel, and went to bed early. We had been unsure if we needed a guide, and our driver suggested one, so we forked over 20 bucks to bring a local guide along.  The next morning we met him early, and headed on our journey.

Sadly this became one of those cases where bringing the guide was a negative. He spoke almost no English, and the path was trivial to follow. Oh well, win some lose some. It wasn’t that simple though. As he marched ahead of us, he continually farted, burped and spit into the wind, almost hitting us.  To top it off, at one point we walked off the trail and he was nowhere to be found!  We had a good sense of humor about it all, eventually :).

The hike itself was great, and the view from the peak was fantastic. It was howling wind, so we were thankful for the warm clothes we wore.  After being put in a bit of a jaded mood by our guide, we couldn’t resist making some jokes about how they had perfectly hung power lines in the view of the sunset.  Attention to detail people!  But overall, it was memorable. The hike down was tough, but eventually we parted ways with the gas producing spiting machine, got some breakfast and prepared for the next leg.

Off we drove to the tea capital of perhaps the world, Nuwara Eliya.

See you then!

Well, my glorious run at the beach has come to a short term hiatus. After a great week soaking up the rays and sinking to the bottom of the sea, I booked a ride to the airport to go meet up with Sara. I did get one extra day out of the beach, as poor Sara missed her connection in London, adding 8 hours to her already absurdly long journey.

After a 2 hour leisure ride on the new highway, I was perfectly timed to greet her. We had booked a driver to optimize our time for her portion of the trip, and we got acquainted with him at the airport. It was great to see a familiar face again, and she was happy to be done her 32 hour trip! Not quite there yet, we had a 4 hour drive still over some rough roads to get to the small town of Sigiriya.

Our reason for coming was two fold. The first morning we scooted over to the close town of Dumbulla to see some famous Buddhist temples. They are situated in the ancient caves and are over 2000 years old. The monks were said to have housed a King in exile in the caves, and after he regained the throne, he paid tribute to them by building the temples that exist today. It was a very beautiful and interesting site to see.

To round out the day, we were encouraged to take an authentic village tour. We shrugged and said, why not. Well, authentic may be a bit of a stretch. We took a tuk tuk to a hut on a pretty lake where a lady made us some delicious curry. No complaints. After, we were taken on a boat across the lake, and then hopped a bull drawn wagon back to the start. It was mildly painful of a ride, and for the cost, we realized it was a huge tourist trap. But, live and learn. At least the curry was good 🙂

The other reason to be here was to see the UNESCO heritage site, Sigiriya Rock. Sometimes referred to as the 8th wonder of the ancient world, Sigiriya is a fortress built on an enormous rock sitting amid a flatland.  Meaning Lion Rock in the local language, it was the fortress base of an ancient king 1500 years ago. The site itself is stunning as you walk through ancient gardens, and slowly make your way up the steps that lead you up the walls of the rock. Along the way, you observe 1500 year old frescoes, paintings of ancient ladies rumored to be the wives of the king, and leading some to believe it may have been a pleasure palace of sorts.  Sadly many of these paintings were removed by monks hundreds of years ago, as they found them offensive.  Soon you learn the meaning of Lion Rock, as you ascend the final climb to the top, two giant lion feet are carved into the stone.  On top you have a stunning view, and also a chance to see more ancient architecture.  A very impressive site indeed.

After Sigiriya, we hopped back in our vehicle, and headed to the cultural city of Kandy for our layover. We were looking forward to it, as the temperature at Sigiriya was a cool 37 C. Yikes! We were to just have a brief layover in Kandy however, as our schedule was tight, and other stops had intrigued us more.

Till the next adventure!

Greetings,

I have found myself further down the coast of Sri Lanka in the small beach town of Unawatuna. I had come in search of some better diving sites than my previous home of Hikkaduwa. The town itself is a small tourist oriented stop, nestled around a small but cozy beach. Again, this poor town was in the path of the great tsunami and was pretty much obliterated. The Sri Lankan spirit prevailed though, and the town sprung back.  I got my bearings, and first thing, found a local dive shop to get myself back in the water. No problem, I got 2 dives lined up the next day.

Sadly I was again disappointed with the dives. It’s the tail end of the season here so I’ll use that as an excuse, but there was a strong surge, and very poor visibility, with not much to look at. Despite all this, I still did 3 dives before I pulled the chute.  Not to despair, I was in a stunning town, and took the time to just veg on the beach some more. Before I knew it, a few days had passed in this docile state of drinking beer, soaking sun, and catching up with emails.  It may sound like I’m incredibly lazy, but between sorting out plans, getting yourself around from place to place and actually trying to enjoy yourself, it’s hard to keep up with the chores of typing.

Some mild restlessness settled in, and knowing I was soon heading back up the coast, I back tracked to Hikkaduwa for another 2 days. This was much of the same. Laying in the sun drinking beer, not a bad life.  The slow beach life had taken hold and I was in a negative momentous run of pleasure in the sand.

But the beach life was to end soon. I was to head back to the airport, not to leave Sri Lanka, but to greet my great friend Sara who is joining the world adventures for 3 weeks!  We will be heading inland to see the famous sites of this beautiful island, before coming full circle to the beach 10 days later.

Stay tuned!

Hey folks,

last time I had continued to fight my plague, but finally found the strength to face a day on the train so that I could find my way down the coast to greener pastures. Errr… bluer waters that is! The train itself is a bit of fun experience in Sri Lanka, as the old lines pass through remote areas of the country so you can see some rural life as your pass by at a slow pace.  I enjoyed my trip, and found my way to the beach destination of Hikkaduwa.

A huge strip of sand set right off the main highway, it draws backpackers from around, and is quite popular with the Russian travelers in particular. As indicated by the signs sporting Russian fonts. The town itself had fallen into the path of the 2004 Tsunami, and taken heavy damage.  I had come to lay in the sand however, and to once again find myself to the bottom of the sea.

I booked myself a two dive combo at a local shop, and after an easy evening including a massage, I turned in.  Then next morning we were heading out in sunny skies and blue waters to have a look at what was lurking below. They were decent dives, and it felt like home to be back in the water again. However, the dive sites were not the most interesting. This is the tail end of the season on the west coast, so visibility was not great as the sea starts to churn.

That night I kicked back a cool beach bar that was playing some sweet beats. For those that haven’t ventured, SE Asia plays some of the shitiest EDM bullshit you could ever feast your ears on.  The Sri Lankans however, seem to have found their way to an awesome collection. A pleasant surprise indeed!  I chilled and drank beer, but had decided I would move down the coast the next day to another beach town called Unawatuna. A friend told me the diving was better down there, and I was eager to give it another shot.  Also, I was approaching my 50th dive too, an achievement I had hoped to knock off at the start of the trip.

The next day I grabbed a tuk tuk and hit the road to find the next stop!

See you under the sea again soon!

Hello all,

After my food poisoning incident, it was a slow recovery.  I managed to make my flights, and landed in Colombo, Sri Lanka at about midnight.  I had booked a room in the nearby little beach town of Negombo to avoid facing the traffic, cluster f&*$ of Colombo.  Technology came to may aid on my first ride as my taxi driver had no clue where he was going. I had cached the map on my phone, with the location of the Villa, and we managed to make our way.

Still being in a dilapidated state of body and mind, I quickly found my room and had a long sleep, relieved to be in a comfy place. It’s always a bit nerve wracking for me to go to new countries and new cities until I get there and get my bearings. This is part of the excitement of travel, but becomes a bit more challenging when you are sick.

The next morning, I awoke a bit confused, in a beautiful large bedroom. My place is a room in a beautiful villa owned and run by two amazing local hosts.  They were my first taste of the genuine hospitality and friendliness of the Sri Lankan people.  I nibbled on some breakfast, and told them my tales, but could only manage a small sampling of the meal they prepared.

I set out on a bicycle to have a look around Negombo. A  ramshackle little coast town, I found the main beach road, and started to soak up the sites of this strange new land I was in. Children waved, and men said hello as I passed. Tuk tuks buzzed around like flies, and soon I found the beach and plopped myself down for a rest. Cycling the massive 1.5km took it out me!

I soon realized there really isn’t anything to do in Negombo, nor a great deal of tourist infrastructure. I did manage to get a massage, and compare the offerings that Sri Lanka has compared to others, as I consider myself an expert in this now. Reasonable but expensive!   I was eager to find the famous beaches of the south west coast, but alas I had to remain for one extra to day to find some strength.  A 6 hour train ride filled with people was a bit daunting still.

I passed the next day again, peacefully, taking a walk around. I saw things that seem normal to me now, but perhaps once would not. Screeching horns, random goats walking the street, locals fascinated by my white skin.  That evening the owner of the Villa took me on his motorbike to grab some cash at the ATM and dropped me to try some local food. I stuffed as much as I could into my piehole, but again, my appetite was tiny.  On the way back he informed me that the previous evening, one of the female guests had requested to sleep with me. Now, I’m not sure where in the line of Russian-Sinhalese-English this got lost in translation, but some thing doesn’t sound right here? Or maybe she just really like me. I dunno. He told me his wife thought we should not bother me, so who knows!

The next day, I hopped in a tuk tuk to the nearby train station, and began my journey south bound to Hikkaduwa. A famous beach town.

See you on the beach!