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..