Chennai!!! Or Madurai??

Train: Weligama to Colombo

It was an early start this morning. Up at 5am we threw the last of our possessions in our bags and headed out the door. We didn't get far though. The huge sliding front gate of our resort was locked. We found the security guard who suspiciously let us out, probably assuming we were making an early start to avoid paying our room tab. For the record, we finalised it yesterday.
We stepped into the dark street and started walking, intending to do so until we found a bus stop. We saw a bus approaching before walking five metres and Chris threw his arm out to hail it with not much hope of it working. It did though and we boarded and arrived in Weligama with great efficiency. And, for a grand total of 40 LKR for both of us.

Colombo Fort railway

The ticket salesman at the train station was sleeping when we arrived. We had found the way easily, knowing the path from when we arrived in a similar level of darkness almost a month ago. Once the salesman woke we got ourselves two second class tickets to Colombo for 440 LKR and began the 40 minute wait for the 6:18am train. As we waited the platform filled, and filled and filled and we began to reconsider whether the train had been our bet option. Flash backs of the three and a half hour standing journey we took when we arrived came flooding back. However, as the train pulled up the crows thinned as people spread between the carriages and we scored ourselves a seat that was facing forward and everything! Well, it was facing forward. Until we pulled into and reversed out of Galle station. We would complete the journey going backwards but hey, at least we were now on the right side of the train for sea views. The train was an express train so we had a comfortable, and relatively quick, journey to Colombo. We arrived at 9am. Then we were on the hunt for a post office to ditch anything Sri Lanka related.

Colombo Fort railway

We wandered this way and that way and back and forth and eventually found a long way around the train tracks to reach the post office which was frustratingly only on the other side of the train station. If we had exited the other side of the station we would have come out next to it. Never mind.
I got a quote for posting a parcel to Melbourne but the bargain hunter in me thought I could do better. I went in search of the Sea Mail office. I went next door to the post office as directed but was redirected, and redirected and redirected until I ended up in a back alley with people sorting mail. I entered a dingy office where I was told sea mail would cost twice as much as the airmail I was quoted at the post office! I wandered back with my tail between my legs to the woman who told me that was probably going to be the case.
Instead of trudging back around the station we were on a mission to find a way through. We trekked across the tracks hoping to avoid the ticket guys who stood at every exit. No luck. So, we walked through the station and as we exited and heard them request our tickets we simply put our heads down and claimed selective hearing.
By now it was 10am as we still had to find the bus station. It was a sensory overload as we explored the streets of Colombo. Coconuts were on fire on the pavement. Men carried loads of fruit and veggies on their shoulders, sweating under the weight. Men at the street stalls sold all manner of things including giant speaker systems which suddenly explained why everywhere played loud music always.
The bus station was a hot, dusty, confusing mess of diesel puffing giants. As we squeezed between them a Tuk Tuk driver offered us his services. Not offended when we declined he kindly directed us to where the airport bus would pull up and chatted to us until it did.
The bus arrived and slowed just enough for us to yell 'airport?' see a nod and climb aboard. We paid our fare (100 LKR for both of us) and sat. And sat and sat and sat. To the point that we were unsure if we were on the right bus. Nothing looked familiar. Had we really seen 187 printed on the bus before we climbed on? Was 187 even the right bus? Was the guy hanging off the bus yelling 'airport' every minute or so just yelling some word that sounded like airport? Our nervousness grew as an hour and a half passed and, having posted our Lonely Planet back to Australia, we had no point of reference. Chris jumped off at the petrol station and confirmed that we were on the 187 but was it the right bus? Was it taking us to Negombo airport? Did Negombo have an airport? We consoled ourselves in a way that has worked quite well over the last month. With 'surely' statements. "Surely this is the right bus." "Surely there is only one airport." "Surely there's not a Sri Lankan word that sounds so similar to airport."
Finally, the ticket salesman made eye contact with us and indicated that we should get off. After a short walk past some men with guns and down a road with no real foot path we arrived at the airport with three and a half hours to spare, or so we thought.

Spice Jet

After finishing off our snacks we went in search of our flight. When we discovered that it was missing off the departure board we went to the only Spice Jet desk looking for answers. Two very unhelpful men looked at our itinerary with confused looks on their faces for a little while then informed us that Spice Jet, as of Novemeber, no longer does that flight and said we should wait for a Spice Jet representative to come and see us. We then waited for what felt like an eternity to discover our fate. After probably 20 minutes we were informed that we now had to fly from Colombo to Madurai then on to Chennai. And the flight would be leaving in an hour. We headed straight for the departure gate. Then started the big question...do we bother going all the way to Chennai or do we try and get everything we need in Madurai? Chennai is a long way North and we had planned on going through Madurai anyway. But we knew at least a little bit about Chennai. About Madurai? Well, lets just say we had to look it up on a map to know where we were flying to.
We ate some expensive muffins (you know they're expensive when they quote the price in US dollars) and tried to process what was happening then jumped on a shuttle bus and out they took us to our 'aeroplane.' If you could call it that. It had propellers. And was tiny. And the window was sticky taped on. And we watched a very elderly woman get picked up out of her wheel chair, carried up the stairs and man handled into her seat. But it got us to Madurai in 40 minutes so we could wait in the immigration queue for another 40 minutes. A man sang. Another blared his iPhone. A few had no shoes. Lots stood all up in our personal space. And my splitting headache, that had been creeping up since being told our flight didnt exist, was now in full swing. To add insult to insury, out of all of the crazies at the airport, the man at immigration gave us the third degree. Questioning us considerably on what our plan was because we didn't have a ticket out of India. We got through though, and once through immigration (about 3 metres later) had our passport checked again (incase the guy a few metres back at immigration didn't do his job properly we guessed), went through another security scan and collected our bags (one from the carousel and one from the ground where somebody had so kindly dumped it) and stepped out into India about 4:30pm. By force. We wanted to stay in the airport and sort out what to do next but a police man with a large gun ushered us outside and we were not about to argue. We again tossed around our options. Chennai vs Madurai. As much as we liked the idea of flying by the seat of our pants and entering India through Madurai, which Lonely Planet described as India's soul, we just weren't convinced. And when we asked a couple of taxi drives about buying a motorbike in Madurai and they gawked at us in disbelief (or a lack of English) we decided to keep going to Chennai.
We thankfully got our onward ticket with little hassle at a Spice Jet counter on the outside of the airport. Lucky, because you're not allowed into the airport without proof of having a flight for that day. We got inside but were allowed no further as we were so early for our flight that wasn't leaving until 6:40pm. So we sat and rested my head which was now thumping viciously until we were called to go through the first of many many security checks. The first was just so we could get to a security x-ray of our check in bags and then proceed to the check in counters. Then it was upstairs to go through yet another passport, bag and personal security check. This time with a good old fashioned pat down. Mine got done in a little discreet booth while Chris got put on a pedastool, literally. We finally got some food into us before going downstairs through more security to our gate. The power at the airport went out again a few times while we considered what Chennai may bring.
Another shuttle bus took us to our next plane for the day. This was was thankfully slightly larger. My headache felt like my head was about to burst at this point and all of the aircraft noise was not helping. They did dim the lights for a few minutes during takeoff and landing though which provided some relief. As we were landing a little girl sang "I like to move it move it..." and I found it funny. I must have been feeling better!

We arrived in Chennai and fought with four plane loads of people for our luggage which had all been put on one carousel. We were suddenly understanding the Indian way of doing things. Then it was off to find a taxi, or Tuk Tuk or something that could get us safely to our guesthouse.
We took the first taxi that was offered to us. 500 INR. After the taxi driver moved some rocks out of the way so he could drive out rather than going around and we climbed into his very old fashioned British car turned cab, he took us about 200m before seeing the traffic was banked up and pulling over in a dark side street next to the highway. He got out, wandered around, jumped on his phone and wandered some more. We had no idea what was happening but eventually got it out of him...his car wouldn't do so well sitting in traffic so his friend was going to come get us instead. And he did.

A family outing

The taxi ride was probably the most nerve racking hour and a bit of our trip so far. The amount of close-calls was a joke as the driver pretended he was a motorbike and zipped between cars, trucks, motorbikes with families on them and anything else that got in his way. Chris took advantage of the situation, sticking his camera and head out of the window and into the traffic to capture some awesome photos, mainly of men and women and their sleeping child on motorbikes with a sari and the flowers from their hair blowing in the wind behind them. We got about half way before the driver stopped for petrol and demanded we pay him then and there so he could pay for his petrol. Wary but with little bargaining power we agreed and hoped for the best. And it was fine. The guy even tried calling our guesthouse, asked numerous people for directions and took Chris' phone around the place barefoot to help him get an idea of where our guesthouse might be. We found it finally, down some noisy side street, saw the room and without thinking much, agreed to it. After paying and filling out a form we went back to the room and realised what we had gotten ourselves into. A squat toilet (stinky), no sink, no sheets, a fan that only worked on cyclone mode and enough noise coming from the other guests that sleeping seemed impossible. We opened the Lonely Planet and vowed to find another place to stay tomorrow before rearranging the room so our two 'smaller than single' beds were together. Naw.

Final Day at the Resort, Mirissa

Vegetable roti and lentil flour doghnuts

Our last day flowed between "I don't want to leave" and "I just want to go now" and back again as we prepared ourselves to say goodbye to Sri Lanka and hello to India.

After our final buffet breakfast for the week, and taking advantage of the air conditioning, we partook in the usual morning of swims and lazing and lunching on the balcony. Today, they had lentil flour doughnuts! Yes!

While Chris was productive and packed, I gave the yoga app I downloaded onto the iPad a go. I had woken with a stiff calf muscle and we were both feeling lethargic (or relaxed) thanks to not doing much all week so I felt I needed to get moving. It was a good choice and inspired dreams of becoming a yogi in India.

Final swim, Mirissa Beach

After being slightly productive we rewarded ourselves with our final swim in Mirissa. While the waves had grown and were churning up a fair amount of sand, it was nice to cool off and enjoy the tranquility while we could. With what everyone keeps telling us about India, we need to be as relaxed as possible if we're going to tolerate the craziness.

Chris' favourite chair (not!)

We then enjoyed a swim in the resort pool and lazed on the day beds, again just because we weren't sure when we would next be able to do so. Similarly, we took advantage of the wifi (we're not sure if our $5/night accommodation in Chennai will have it) and chatted to friends and family both in Australia and New Zealand. The joys of technology.

Lauren's imitation of a polar bear

It was then time to get organised. We scrubbed, soaped, shampooed, shaved and soaked ourselves into some kind of normality, relishing the hot water and the opportunity to get properly clean. So long salty, dirty, ringlets of hair...you have convinced me of the joys of going without shampoo for a week but it's time to go.

Rice and curry with vegetables and kottu roti

We finished the day at the cranky lady's restaurant only tonight...she was far from cranky. Recognising us from two days ago she smiled, served us up our favourites and even gave us our bottle of water for less than the 'maximum retail price' which is printed on the bottle. Unheard of! Generally we're charged more than the RRP, even thought from what Claude told us that's illegal. What a perfect end to a perfect month in this beautiful country.

Thank you Sri Lanka for your warm hospitality. Your food, despite making us slightly ill, was delicious. Your weather, despite the monsoon, has shined upon us in all its glory, coming through especially on occasions when we really were reliant on it (i.e. Adam's Peak and World's End). Your people, despite ripping us off on occasion, were warm and friendly and helpful and smiling and gave out more waves than we could ever have hoped for. Your beaches, despite being rainy in the East, were pristine, rivalling even those of our home. Your accommodation, despite hard pillows, short beds, cold water, geckos and more bugs than we can name, was affordable and, despite a man entering our room in the middle of the night (and again this afternoon) made us feel safe. Your money, despite being stupidly confusing (10 rupees coming in both note and coin form and 20 rupee notes coming in a few different colours) kept us well fed and sheltered.

Rupees!!

So, thanks. We are sad to be leaving but hopefully we'll see you again soon.

Sad to be leaving at Sun Set Resort

 

Day five at the resort, Mirissa

Giragala Rock by night

Today began at 4:15am when Chris went out in search of the perfect photo and I lay in bed awaiting his return. 45 minutes later I was relieved to see him enter the room and excited that the outing had been a worthwhile one. Big time! We had a quick viewing of the photos before trying our very hardest to get a couple more hours of shut eye.

Toilet views

When we woke for the second time this morning we went down to breakfast we noticed some people and their three extra large suitcases. We realised that both of our bags could easily fit into one of their suitcases and probably still leave room for smuggling an average sized human. This small amount of clothes that we have is fine when you are moving from town to town each day or two because you can repeat outfits and nobody will ever know. However, when you're staying at a resort for a week and the rich Europeans around you are looking stylish day after day, you really do feel obliged to make some kind of effort. So, today, when most of my clothes are still wet from doing laundry yesterday, I had to get creative. Thanks to my newfound obsession with Pinterest, I discovered a new way to tie my sarong/scarf/hat/Chris' lip protector into a stylish little skirt. I then turned my Bob Marley tank inside out to create a brand new top! Genius I thought. Surely nobody will notice the seams of my top sticking out. Or that my skirt strongly resembles the material they saw me lazing on the beach on yesterday. Surely!

Having discovered another window in our bathroom that opens we now have views of the Indian Ocean from both the shower and the toilet. Perfect!

Lauren's attempt at a self portrait

Chris aka one of the locals

Today we went back to a little bay we named Mirissa's Paradise the first time we were here. If you walk East along the beach from the main beach, past Giragala Rock, you reach a bay. If you continue walking, you cross black sand, another bay and a bunch of rocks and finally reach Mirissa's Paradise where locals haul their boats up the sand and only a few tourists snorkel about. We spent the morning lounging on the quiet beach and swimming in the familiar turquoise water. Twice we had to move for fishing boats to return to their homes. Chris even assisted in the dragging of one boat in. We were happy to relocate though. Nothing could possibly upset you when you're on this beach.

Mirissa's Paradise

Just another day in paradise

Crystal clear waters obscured by a Christopher

We returned to Main Beach with the intention of going straight upstairs for lunch. The water though was too luxurious to resist. It was the clearest we have seen in. So clear that you could see the sun's rays making patters on the sand below. After bobbing around there for a while we finally dragged ourselves to grab a roti for lunch (unfortunately they didn't have any lentil flour doughnuts today) then back upstairs to get out of the heat.

W lounged around and researched India. It's amazing how little of the Lonely Planet we have read. It seemed so far off when we left Australia. Now, it is almost upon us.

After recharging our batteries we went in search of some beers. It was time to celebrate my birthday in a chair rather than on the back of a wet motorbike. We had postponed the celebration, thankfully, because if the 10th of January was actually my birthday celebration I would have been madly disappointed. While probably one of the more memorable birthdays, my butt hurt way too much for it to be considered a party. Tonight would be the night.

Water Creatures restaurant

We found ourselves at Water Creatures restaurant on the Western end of the beach. It's a part of Surf Bar and is decorated with surf stickers, worldly flags and brightly coloured lanterns. We sat ourselves down at a little wooden table, thankfully one of the ones that was beyond the high tide mark, and watched the surfers carve up the waves while skilfully avoiding the fishing stick and rocks.

We apprehensively ordered a Western meal knowing full well that Sri Lankans often don't do Western well. So, we were happy when a delicious spaghetti bolognaise and a meat pizza arrived and actually resembled the dishes as we know them. Top it all off with some spiced battered prawns, cooked to perfection, and you've got yourself a darn good birthday dinner. Three tallies of beer, an entree and two mains on the beach for $18. Pretty good. I fed the pizza crusts to my newest friend while we took in the sea breeze and watched as some big joints were passed between the staff.

We waddled home barefoot (I'm finally convincing Chris of the redundancy of shoes) along the beach past piles of fresh fish just waiting to be chosen and cooked up and finished the night with Grand Designs. Ahhhhhh.

New friend/Garbage disposal

Surfers at sunset

 

Day Four at the Resort, Mirissa

Mirissa Beach

Sun Set Resort, Mirissa

This buffet breakfast thing just never gets old. Today we enjoyed our first rambutan. Just like a lychee only with a more exciting exterior. Yum!

Deciding we really did need to get off our butts and do something, today we added walks to our normal routine of swims and naps. And, today was the closest thing we've had to a cloud-free day since leaving Australia. Apart from the odd wisp of fairyfloss-like cloud floating across the sky, we enjoyed sun, sun and more sun.

Between swims, walks and lazing on the balcony we got some lunch which included the best weird doughnut thing we've had yet. Let me tell you...we've indulged in our fair share of weird lentil flour doughnuts but this one took the cake. Also, as a side note, we are yet to find any dahl cookies in Mirissa. They were my favourite roadside treat when we were further North but they're difficult to find, especially when you are unsure if infact they are a dahl cookie or some other concoction that the man who sold them to you didn't know the English word for. I will continue the search.

Ice cream time!

Chris' hair reacted strangely to the ice cream

After lunch we rewarded ourselves with yet more food to fill our growing Buddah bellies. Now Chris has his appetite back we really are indulging. We got ourselves two ice creams (the Sri Lankan version of a Cornetto.) I gawked at the price of 120 LKR for two knowing full well I had seen them sold elsewhere for about 80 LKR for two. I then realised that 120 LKR is the equivalent of about $1 AUD. Probably shouldn't complain too much. I mean...how am I going to cope when I get back to Australia and they want $4 for one? I guess I can just never return home. Lucky it's nice here.

We enjoyed our ice creams as we strolled up and down the beach, racing the sun to see who could destroy them first. Then, after more swims and more sitting we had a fulfilling afternoon of laundry!! Laundry day when you are travelling, as Mum suggested it would be, is probably one of the most exciting days. Clean clothes are a luxury and one we will be pleased to take to India with us. Additionally, and almost just as excitingly, our boots are dry!! After only three full days of sitting in the sun, they are finally rid of the monsoon induced smell and feel that they had had for the previous week.

Sweaty sunset Lion beer in a Heineken glass

Some beers at our beach-side restaurant were next on the agenda while Chris took some photos of the sun setting over the water. Once the sun set we headed back to the same place as last night to visit the cranky lady and get some more delicious food into us. We were not disappointed. Tonight's rice and curry was even better than last and the kottu was chock full of vegetables. And the lady was even friendly! Infact, she even topped up our dahl supply as we ate. Well, Chris thought she asked if the dahl was good so he said yes very enthusiastically. We then realised she had asked if we wanted more dahl. So, as she returned with yet another bowl of delicious lentils our bellies groaned with delight and fullness.

For the record, a rice and curry with vegetables is such a bargain! Not only do you get a huge bowl of rice (that we are still yet to finish) but you get between three and six little bowls or piles of different vegetable curries or sides. Dahl, spiced potatoes, coconut sambal, tomato salad and often some other things that you have never seen before in your life. And, more often, a bowl of chillies that you don't recognise as chillies until one of you is brave enough to bite into one and confirm that yes, that is a bowl, consisting entirely of chillies. Oh, and the best papadums you've ever eaten. All for about $1.30 AUD.

Sunset over the beach cricket

 

 

Day Three at the Resort, Mirissa

Look at my foot!!!!!

Another gigantic breakfast that today included the elusive Woodapple Juice that I've been searching for. It was...interesting, brown, tasty and had woody chunks in it. The omelette maker knows us now and happily cooks our omelettes just as we like them without prompting.

Today very much resembled yesterday in that it mostly consisted of naps and swims. The sun was out in all its glory, for once not even blurred by a layer of haze. Blue skies and crystal clear water and a new sunscreen that seems to wash off as soon as it hits the water combined to leave Chris slightly resembling a lobster.

We hit the tiny grocery store and stocked up on snacks to get us through the next couple of days then spent the afternoon swimming and sitting and swimming.

 

Chris taking sneaky photos

Sunset

We tried our hardest to get dinner at 5:45pm but were told to go to the beach and return at 6:30pm. So we did. Chris had a chance to get some photos and then we headed back to the cold, cranky lady at the restaurant. Turns out service does not equate with quality though as our food was delicious. I might even go as far as to say that the fried rice was the best yet. And the dahl didn't have a kilo of salt in it which was a bonus. We washed it all down with fresh banana juice and pineapple juice and as we watched the locals chow down on a range of rotis, all dipped in fiery chilli sauce.

Dinner

We returned to the beach in hope of getting some photos of the stars only to find it had clouded over while we had dinner. Photos of the pretty lights, some of which are wrapped around the coconut trees, would have to suffice. Then back to our room to watch some Grand Designs and be annoyed by the lounge music blaring from down stairs.

Mirissa Beach by night

 

Day Two In The Resort, Mirissa

Mirissa Beach

After Chris stirred from his sleep, finally, it was breakfast time. We stuffed ourselves silly yet again...buffet breakfasts are the best. Then it was time to head back to our room so we could mentally and physically prepare ourselves for a day of beach and naps. We rested in preparation for the big day ahead.

We took a dip in the ocean then sat on the beach, entertained by people getting knocked over by the tiny waves and ladies posing for photos in the shallows. Next we took advantage of the sea views with some pineapple on our little balcony then took a stroll down the road in search of some more food. This day of beach and naps had really got our appetite going. We ended up at the same place we had eaten last night and got ourselves some vegetable roti. With food in hand we continued down to the beach to sit and eat. Energised, with food now in our bellies, we strolled some more, back to our usual swimming spot to have yet another swim. After swimming and some sitting in the sun it was back to the room to rest after all of the strolling. What a huge day!

Mirissa Beach

Chris really loves the roti

After some more naps we were yet again ravenous. We got ourselves a couple of cheap rice and curries but were unfortunately a little disappointed with the quality. It appears they had accidentally spilt a kilo of salt in the dahl but served it anyway. Oh well...guess we just have to get more roti!! This time...pineapple and banana. Mmmmm.

We headed home for an evening of resting before bed while we watched Grand Designs. Yes, the obsession has followed us to Sri Lanka. As have the obsessions with Pinterest and Flickr.

Tuk Tuk wisdom: "He who does not fail will not get rich."

 

 

Returning The Steed

Locals making a house boat

We started the day by wandering downstairs and enjoying a buffet breakfast. There was toast, scrambled egg, fruit, omelettes, Sri Lankan noddles, curries, cereal, tea, coffee and juices. It will be nice to have that for the next 6 days.

The next job was to return our trusty steed to Unawatuna, the final 30km. With next to no petrol (as we had picked it up like that) we were praying the whole way that we would make it. When we arrived we needed to get more Rupees to pay the man. He informed us that the closest ATM was 4km down the road, so back on the bike we got for another 8km of praying that we wouldn't run out of petrol. Luckily we didn't run out nor did the guy we rented the bike from hear the "strange noise" the bike was making. We did 1850km in 14 days on the little 125cc motorcycle. It only dropped out of gear half a dozen times and started making the "strange noise" in the last two days. I think that's a pretty good effort.

After dropping off our wheels it was back to public transport. We caught the bus back to Mirissa. It reminded us how happy we are to have had the bike. We couldn't have gone the places we did nor could we have done it in the time we did. The buses are so slow even with the crazy bus drivers. However, the bus rides are good for entertainment. In this short trip we saw a boy with a large fish in a plastic bag full of water, a man playing a wooden flute and asking for money, a gear stick that was over a meter long and plenty of crazy overtaking on hairy bends.

Locals playing beach cricket

Once back in Mirissa I laid down by the pool to commence my relaxation. As I did, two kids swam and I wondered briefly where their parents were. I watched to see they could both swim ok before letting myself relax. As I did so, I noticed one of the kids flailing a little by the edge. Initially I thought he was in trouble, then I thought he was pretending to be. By the time I thought to do anything he had reached the edge and pulled himself out. He sat there a while and still, I thought he was attention seeking as he looked around for his parents. When the manager of the resort came though, they spoke Sinhalese and he seemed concerned, walking the kid to sit down. A small crowd of staff gathered and they all looked over at me as if I had somehow caused the incident. I went over, made sure the kid was ok and, in a panic, claimed I had had my eyes closed until it was too late and he had made his way to safety. I questioned the manager as to where the kid's parents had been only for the manager to tell me he was the boy's father, that the boy can swim and that he had stepped away only for a minute. I was questioned as to whether I saw anything, as they trawled through video footage, and I wondered whether he was questioning why I didn't act, or whether his son was indeed attention seeking. Distressed, I went upstairs before again going down to apologise for not having kept an eye on his son. I found them both back in the water and told myself that this meant that surely, the child could not have been too distressed. I was probably the most worried out of everyone, kicking myself for not having jumped into the water rather than sitting to think.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt and whether the boy was actually in trouble or not remains a mystery. In future, I vow to jump in and pull the kid out whether I think they're pretending or not. Better to be safe than sorry.

We spent the afternoon walking, swimming, lazing, snacking, blogging and wifi-ing. And, because we hadn't had a good kottu since we were in Mirissa last, we headed back to our old haunt for a couple of big plates of the stuff as well as a banana and a chocolate roti. Mmmmmmm!

View from our balcony

Note: We have views of the ocean from our shower and toilet. If at all possible, I would like this feature designed into our house back home.

Tuk Tuk wisdom: "Don't let them change you."

 

The Big Push South

The monsoon and our little bike in Arugam Bay

Ok...it's not funny anymore. Stop raining!!!

Again, we woke to the sound of pouring rain beating on the roof of our beach cabana. As the roof starting letting the odd draft of misty rain come in and land on our bed, we made the decision to get as far South as possible in a dire attempt to escape the monsoon once and for all. We considered doing the trip over a couple of days but decided, for the sake of our sanity, to try our very hardest to be wet for only one more day.

Our room at Paradise Inn was to cost us 2000 LKR. Only problem was that we only had 1912 LKR and the closest ATM was back in Pottuvil. Thankfully, with some gentle persuasion, the owner accepted our offer and even let us keep our 2 rupee coin. So, with 2 rupees to our name, we set off in the torrential rain to the sound of laughter from those around us.

The road was good when it wasn't covered with water. Numerous times we slowed to tackle up to six inches of water which covered the road.

Again, we convinced ourselves that if we rode hard and far enough, the rain would surely stop. Surely, as we left the East coast it would stop. It didn't. Surely, when we got out of the hills it would stop. It didn't. Surely, once we reached the South coast, it would stop. It didn't. Surely, as we headed West away from the monsoon it would stop. It didn't. We were battered with seven and a half hours of non-stop rain over almost 300km, travelling at a pain staking speed only ever reaching 60km/h. When we hit Tangalle it eased enough for a few people to lower their umbrellas, before it escalated again and then, finally, ran out of juice as we rode into our destination of Mirissa.

We rode straight to Sun Set Resort, where we had our first dinner in Sri Lanka, what seems like a lifetime ago and booked in for a week of sun (hopefully), sand, naps, massages and general recuperation. It feels to be back in Mirissa, a place that we know quite well already. To know where to eat, where to swim, where to stay makes this week coming an easy one. Well, so we hope.

Baby turtles

As we waited for our dinner to arrive, we spotted crowds of people down the beach. We took turns to investigate and were rewarded with the sight of newly hatched baby sea turtles making their way across the sand and into the ocean. Pretty amazing.

Tuk Tuk wisdom: "Time and tide wait for no man."