Lets Go Exploring

Due to popular demand I have decided to write about my weekend adventures around Sri Lanka, which means that I don’t have to update everyone individually too!

After our first weekend in the jungle we thought it was best to spend our time enjoying the beautiful coastlines of Sri Lanka, so we decided to visit Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa for the next two trips away from Maharagama.

Our bus arrived in Unawatuna just in time for the most amazing sunset, the perfect start to our weekend! It was nice to finally relax and soak up the sun, away from the intensity of our week-life. After dinner next to the stilt fisherman we had a night out in Happy Bananas, it was a treat for me to hear Western music again! Saturday was spent on the sand under the palm trees, swimming in the clear water of the natural sea bath, and sea food on the beach for dinner – paradise!

The next day we were lucky to have a private tour of Koggala Lake, where our homestay family are building a holiday villa. We were paddled across the water by two fisherman, with some planks of wood in between their boats as our seat! We saw jumping fish, bats, birds of prey and also some boats fishing prawns on the edges. The lake is huge and comprises of different sized islands - Bird Island, Temple Island and Cinnamon Island. Afterwards the fisherman took us to the tiny Cinnamon ‘factory’ nearby where the leaves are burned and used to make oil. It was really beautiful, apparently the director of Harry Potter lives next door, alongside other celebrities!

The following weekend was spent in Hikkaduwa, again arriving to see the sunset on the beach. That night we went out to a bar called Vibrations where there were Kandyan dancers, fire eaters and traditional drums, it was incredible! On the beach the following day we were delighted to find they had beds, with some mattresses in huts shaded by palm leaves. What more could you want? The waves are a bit bigger in Hikka so it wasn’t ideal for swimming, but a few of the others hired a board and tried out surfing! On the Sunday we stopped off in Galle on our way home and demolished some chocolate rotti’s at our favourite Dutch Café in the Colonial Fort.

After chilling out for two weekends we decided it was time to venture further into the island. We caught a bus from Colombo to head to Uda Walawe National Park, so we were up before the sun rose for our safari. There were hundreds of species of birds, lizards and crocodiles chilling in the lake. At one point our jeep became surrounded by a heard of mother and baby elephants grazing, they were absolutely fascinating to watch so close up in the wild! Unfortunately we didn’t spot any leopards, there are only around ten in the entire park so they are very rare to see. We also visited the Elephant Transition Home nearby, which cares for orphaned elephants and aims to rehabilitate them in order to release them back into the wild.

 Then for the six hour bus journey from Embilipatiya to Deniyaya, which was surprisingly enjoyable! I sat right next to the windscreen and loved the scenic route through the tea plantations on the narrow winding roads, watching the ladies plucking the tea. Another early start at 5.30am the next day to climb up to a rock temple, with a beautiful view of the sunrise over the hills on the way up. The view from the dagoba at the top was worth the steep trek up, on a clear day apparently you would be able to see Galle lighthouse too. We observed the chief on his morning meditation, pacing alongside the temple one hundred times; it seems a bizarre concept doesn’t it!

For the following weekend I was excited to stay with my Sri Lankan family again, three years after my first trip here. The Friday was Poya Day, so every full moon is a bank holiday (I think Sri Lanka has the most public holidays in the world!). In the evening we visited Panadura Temple for their traditional offerings and prayers; I was the only white person in sight so I got quite a few stares! Then we headed to the beach with all the locals to enjoy the atmosphere and the stars. The rest of the weekend was spent catching up with the family, walking along the beach, playing with their cute nine-month-old neighbour and getting a good night’s sleep! On Sunday we also visited Bambalapitiya Hindu Temple in Colombo, it is so ornately decorated and it was really interesting to watch their prayer routines!

I will leave it at that for now and update you on the remaining weekends soon!