Ceylon over...

We ended our journey in the seaside town of Negombo as it was much closer to the airport, seeing as our flight was at 815 am. My camera decided  to die on me there hence why there arent any pics. Which was just as well, i thought, since I dont think I wanna be photographed positively flummoxed from the tuk tuk fiasco earlier that evening.

Throughout our journey, Zul and I agreed that Sri Lanka is indeed a beautiful country though we kept on waiting for a climax that never happened. Prior to our departure, I read a comment from a man on Lonely Planet who had just returned from Sri Lanka and said that as compared to India, there is nothing remotely interesting about the country. Everything seemed to float about middle ground with nothing that completely blows your socks off. Surely that was a very nasty thing to say, but having spent 10 days, covering almost probably half of the country, I can understand and appreciate his point of view. Coming from Malaysia, you wouldn't be surprised at how similar the country's landscape is to ours and I would imagine, maybe that is what our country would have looked like 30 odd years ago. Their food is also more or less like our Indian food here. The only difference is probably in the spelling- Roti and Rotty. We also wonder if it could be due to the fact that the people in Sri Lanka are predominantly bhuddists hence why everything is done in moderation- Nothing overt or outlandish.

Apart from all that, Sri Lanka is also a country that is just recovering from the aftermath of years and years of civil war, which is probably why it's a little rough around the edges in welcoming visitors. The war ended in May of last year, but even then a lot of questions have been left unanswered and there are even speculations about the truth in that statement.

I enjoyed our time in Sri Lanka, undoubtedly and there were a few parts of the country which I absolutely adored, such as the highland town of Ella and the beach at Mirissa. My only issue is, I wonder if it justifies travelling so far for something so familiar? If there is one thing I would champion about the island, is its beaches and how great it is for surfing for any levels. I particularly enjoyed the waves and as I said somewhere in my earlier posts, it would be a good reason if any, for me to return....

Till then.....it wont be long..

21st March- Hikkaduwa to Negombo via Colombo

Final day and we are in  the capital! Nothing to shout about, to be honest. Just like any other city in this region except that there are a lot of guards around holding AK47s. Smoggy, polluted and people here will not think twice about cheating you, as we were by a shameless tuk tuk driver. It's a long story and though we were very careful about things like this throughout the journey, people in Colombo are a bit more sneaky. To cut it short, we were charged hidden costs for what he told us initially as the overall price. He also kept pushing us to a certain hotel in Negombo because he'd get commission from them. I was livid, to say the least and screamed his ears off which he was evidently very resilient to. In the end, i offered him a sum of money and told him to take it or leave it. So remember kids, ALWAYS establish a price before you get in a tuk tuk. If they hesitate in quoting one and usher you to get in, WALK AWAY.

Dude was SUPER hungry :P

Upon recommendation from my lonely planet guide, we had lunch at the lovely Gallery Cafe, old residence of famous architect Geoffrey Bawa who made Sri Lanka his home. It was very pretty indeed and for a moment I forgot that I was in Sri Lanka and Zul had a whale of a  time admiring the interiors. Prices are a bit steep, but what do you expect from such a beautiful location?

Bastard tuk tuk driver who cheated us in blue!

19th March- Mirissa to Hikkaduwa

Leaving Mirissa

I slept badly that night and ended up waking up just before dawn. I love quiet moments like this and sat by the high wall that acted like a cliff between the sea and dry land. I looked around and realised that I will miss Mirissa and it really proved hard to leave...

Hikkaduwa

Hikkaduwa is another town about 40 minutes north of Galle. It's famed for being the surf hub on the west coast due to its consistent breaks which are more suited for beginner's or intermediates. Professionals may find it quite frustrating. Neverthless, you'd still have a good time riding the waves and just chilling out by the beach. Hikkaduwa is also a tad touristy for my liking so you get all sorts of ppl there, from the hippies right down to the more discerning traveller. Zul and I still prefer Mirissa any day, but if you're looking to learn to surf, this is the best place. I took one lesson and practised on my own after that. Zul was sleeping on one occasion and away on the other....so no pics of me" riding" the waves.....haha. Coincidentally, the Japanese Pro Surfing Association was having a tour in Hikkaduwa whilst we were there so Zul and I were bombarded with "konichiwas" whenever we were out. Actually....we got that almost everywhere in Sri Lanka....

Dinner where I paid 20 bucks ++ for dumb fried chicken. Rip off!

The Arabian themed chillout bar at Top Secret guest house

18th March- Day trip to Galle

We only planned to stay in Mirissa for one night actually, but seeing as how lovely it really is, we decided to give it one more night. We ventured out to Galle, a town about 40 mins further up from Mirissa. I've read so many things about Galle (being the eager beaver that I am) that I kinda had a slightly more romanticised version of it in my head *rolls eyes*. Galle or as the Sinhalese call it, "Gar-ley", has a heavy dutch influence to it what with being an important dutch port eons ago. It reminded me of Melaka tho (big surprise there?!) and the town is didvided into two parts- the old fort and the new town. No points for guessing which one we favour.

The luxurious Amangalla hotel. They converted an old townhouse into something truly magnificent. We only got as far as the lobby before I felt even more like a dirty backpacker.

Zul made me look short in this shot. I'm blaming the camera.

My puffer fish impersonation

17th March- Tissamaharama to Mirissa

Since we managed to save one day at Tissa, we decided to push on to Mirissa and leave our derelict guest house behind. We have never been so glad to leave a place that we were practically running to the bus station to catch our bus. This also marked our first time on the public bus, so I had no idea what to expect. Turns out, it's also fairly straightforward and all you had to do was shout out your destination before a tout would lead you to your bus. The old man who got us on the correct bus was a joker of some sort as he pulled the window aside from where i was sitting and said "A/C", accompanied with a snigger.

Mirissa is a tiny little town on the south coast of the island with a stunning beach and great waves for surfing. A little bit inconsistent but still an enjoyable ride, nevertheless. Zul and I immediately fell in love with Mirissa for 2 reasons: 1) After trekking through dry land for a while it was nice to actually anchor by the sea...and you know the thing about me and oceans...2) though a bit more than our budget, we stayed in the lovely Palm Villa and owner Niko really has an eye for great design.

For some reason, I kept thinking of Daniele in Mirissa and how she would have loved to be marooned here with nothing much to do but lay out in the sun. It was indeed paradise and if ever there was a big enough reason for me to return to Sri Lanka, it'd be Mirissa. There, i said it..

We had dinner at the guest house that night, a veritable feast of prawns. One of the kitchen staff approached us with 2 big ones earlier that evening, so we agreed thinking that it probably won't be enough to accommodate our bottomless pits. But when it came to it, there were more than 2 prawns on the plate. Unless they magically reproduced and matured over a couple of hours, this was probably additional cost we didnt need. True enough, they tossed in an extra two for good measure, but not without charge. Oh well....we polished it off anyway.

16th March- Ella to Tissamaharama for Yala National Park

We shard a van with a German couple down to Tissa. They asked us if we were from Malaysia to which we answered yes. "We have been to Maleyszia a few times....highly develowped!", the male out of them said. I smiled and thought, you have obviously not been to Kodiang.
Yala National Park is a protected wildlife zone where animals like elephants, deers, leopards, crocs all roam freely. It was a highly anticipated visit as neither of us had ever seen a leopard in the wild so we were quite looking forward to it, assuming of course, we could find a leopard. We arrived at our guesthouse to find 2 French girls and a guy waiting to go on the safari at 2 and they suggested that  Zul and I share their jeep as well so that it'll be cheaper. We did plan to stay in Tissa for 2 nights but seeing as we got there early and the guest house was what Zul coined as a "whorehouse for whores in transit", if we can do it now, why not? Slight miscommunication led the Frenchies and the organiser having 2 conflicting ideas to pricing, so an arguement ensued. I told Zul that these French people are making every cent count whereas we Malaysians were okay with a relatively reasonable price and our RM is a good times 5 against the Euro. Funny. In the end everyone agreed to pay Rs4000 (RM 100++) each and we set out on our way.

Babi huts!

Yes, there's a beach in the park! Amazing isnt it?!

ELEPHAAAANT!!

No leopards :( boo

I was quite surprised at how the landscape changed from hilly and fresh to dry and dusty- feels almost like Africa! not that ive been, but I imagine it to look more or less like that. We went round for a while to look for leopards but none came out to play :( we had fun, nonetheless, mainly because we didnt expect this from Sri Lanka. The French were great company on the jeep as well where one of them claimed a mongoose as a "giant squirrel", for lack of a better word :P