Let the motorcycling begin

Chris and ScootyPuff

Who knew hiring a scooter could be so complicated? After our standard Amanda Resort breakfast, eaten on the top floor with views of the sea, we headed out with a plan. We intended to go into town and hire a scooter for $5 like we had seen others do yesterday. However, we spotted a place on the way and figured we'd just rent from there. The Italian owner offered us a price of 1000 LKR and ushered us across a rickety bridge to his guest house. After giving him Chris' license, a debacle with waiting for a key, needing the licence and therefore having to go back to our guesthouse to get a passport and generally not liking the guy running the place we decided we'd get out passport and reconsider our options. However, when we returned and told one of the local guys that 1000 LKR was too much, he simply lowered the price to 800 LKR and we were off. We filled up with 300 LKR of petrol, funnelled into the bike from two vodka bottles at the local Lanka Filling Station and headed East.

 

 

 

 

Parey Dewa, Matara

We dodged traffic and followed the coast to Matara where we checked out Parey Dewa (a big rock in the ocean on which a small buddhist temple sits) connected to the mainland by a pedestrian bridge. Matara was also home to a large standing Buddah with some elephants in its garden. We were excited until we realised they were chained so tightly that they couldn't even take one step. It's hard to understand who could be impressed after seeing such a sight.

 

 

50m tall mosaic Buddah, Wewurukannala Vihara

Demons and sinners, Wewurukannala Vihara

We continued along the coast to Dondra Head where we searched in vain for the lighthouse before continuing through Dikwella to Wewurukannala Vihara (just up the road that heads toward Beliatta), home to Sri Lanka's largest seated Buddah...50m tall! We paid 200 LKR each to climb to the top of the Buddah and explore what Lonely Planet describes as "a real hall of horrors." The life size statues depict demons punishing sinners by way of being sawn in half, dumped in a cauldron and disembowelled. This hall seemed to really inspire the need to pray as we watched many devotees pay their respects after seeing this confronting sight. Again there were elephants chained up. It's sad to think that enough people pay to have a photo with these animals to justify keeping them there.


Dotted along the coast road are countless temples and shrines to Buddah. More confronting though are the signs dotted along the road which point to roads which should be taken in case of a tsunami and warning signs that remind you that this is indeed a "tsunami zone." A confronting reminder of all this place has been through and recovered from.

Again we followed the coast to Tangalla to be mildly disappointed by the beach we'd heard so much about. So, after a quick dip and an attempt to scrub some of the grime off our faces that had accumulated thanks to all the buses and tractors, we headed inland.

Rice paddies

Once we passed through Beliatta and headed towards Kirinda Sri Lanka really showed us her beauty. The traffic was comparably non-existent and the number of tourists was nil. This fact was emphasised by the stares, waves, big smiles and congregations of people we attracted as we rode along. Bright green rice paddies were framed by lines of coconut trees, the air was fresh and water buffalo grazed. Ahhhhh!

We looped back to the coast at Matara and the traffic was once again hectic as we rode back towards Mirissa. Chris' level of comfort of being behind the handlebars had increased as the day progressed so by this point we zipped between obstacles with ease. And boy, were there some obstacles to zip between. Buses seem not to view motorbikes as actual vehicles and as such enjoy overtaking cars while motorbikes are coming the other way. Some of the wildlife we encountered, and dodged successfully included a monkey, a goanna, countless cows and dogs some of which were so haggard looking they resembled hyenas rather than canines.

Lauren waving to her mates.

Back in Mirissa we dumped the bike, scrubbed the soot from out faces and rejuvenated our bodies in the salty ocean. Next...nap time.

For dinner we found a cheap chicken kottu (again breaking our no meat rule) and a rice and dahl. 330 LKR might be our cheapest dinner yet. After a sit on the beach to unwind after a day of way too many car fumes, we contemplated a life lived in Sri Lanka and are considering changing our travel plans already. The undisturbed East Coast is calling.