Down by the sea

Sri Lanka Again

Today I’m off on my second visit to Sri Lanka.  There are a few reasons for my visit:

• Even though I’ve travelled extensively around Sri Lanka, I don’t have the true feel of the country and its people.  We were in a rush as it was a 6-day stopover on the way to Iran, so we hired a car and driver (it wasn’t that expensive).
• I’m here to visit the places that I didn’t cover last time  –  the west coast beaches.
• This was the only way I could get to use my Emirates frequent flyer points to go to Beirut.

Setting off from Kuala Lumpur to Hikkaduwa

With jetlag on my side, I woke at 0300 in Kuala Lumpur … then dozed till 0400 when I had to wake for my 0615 flight to Colombo.  The airport terminal was walking distance from the hotel.

Airline advertising on tray table.

Upon arrival at Colombo at 0715, I enquired about a taxi down the coast to Hikkaduwa.  It would be a 4 hour drive costing USD70.  I opted to take public transport instead for a grand total of USD5:

• A free bus from the airport to the bus station (10 minutes).
• A bus to Colombo Fort railway station (2 hours).  Hot, sweaty, fumy and noisy.
• A train from Colombo to Hikkaduwa, the beach village (2 hours).
• There was some waiting around at the railway station, but only long enough for a light lunch of roti and vadae.

I noticed on the train that much of the coastline is very orange coloured sand … sienna. Unfortunately this rich colour renders the water an awful colour when the sand is churned up into the waves.

I also noticed that the elderly woman sitting next to me holds her hands in prayer position each time she sees a Buddhist temple through the window … that’s the kind of thing you’d miss if you just tour Sri Lanka in a car with driver!

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At Hikkaduwa

My family-run hotel, Ocean View Cottage, at Hikkaduwa (or more accurately Thiranagama) was modest and simple but very clean.  Unfortunately the sea is very rough … I stood 3 inches deep in the water and could feel the undertow dragging me in.  I settled for the small but clean and cooling swimming pool.

In light of my disappointment (with the sea), it feels so good that I didn’t pay USD70 for the taxi ride down.  I will treat this stay by the beach as a base for exploring Galle (tomorrow, further south) and as a relaxing break on the way to Beirut.