It’s hot. Really hot.
Hot enough to change from our ‘budget backpacker’ mindset and start paying for rooms with AC. Hot enough to avoid the beach in the peak hours of the day, with a 10 minute walk turning us both into sweat monsters. Hot enough to be uncomfortable on public transport for the first 10 minutes and spend the next 4 hours dying and unable to form thoughts or sentences on arrival. Travelling to the coast, we thought that it could only get cooler, but it got a whole lot hotter! So hot we nearly dedicated an entire post to heat and sweat, but you probably get the point.
During our stopover in Singapore, we casually read an article which reminded us we were traveling to Sri Lanka in the hottest month of the year. Looking at a map and realizing the country is effectively on the Equator, we naively thought ‘how hot could it really get?’ and ‘traveling in shoulder season will be great, no crowds of tourists!’ 2 1/2 weeks later and we really do know how hot it gets, and while it may be shoulder season for foreigners, it is the time to travel for the locals, with Sinhalese New Year celebrations seemingly into their 2nd week.
We based ourselves in 3 beachside towns in the southwest of Sri Lanka, Mirissa, Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa, and had unique experiences at each beach.
Mirissa is known as the most beautiful beach in Sri Lanka, and for a good reason. We were welcomed by a ‘Touristic Zone’ sign, and a touristic zone it is, With restaurants scattered across the beachfront, fresh fish are delivered from the boats daily, serious surfers (aka not us) catch mega waves at the western end of the beach and there are families galore. Although touristic (still don’t believe this is a word), there was still an enjoyable relaxed vibe here, and Mirissa may just be our favorite swimming beach, we were content enough here to be tempted to stay a 3rd night!
Thanks to our favorite travel app Maps.Me (offline maps for an entire country at a time), Luke noticed a point called Secret Beach, and with no clear path on how to get there, we grabbed a scooter and ventured out through the local winding streets, and rock filled tracks to end up at the secluded spot. A stunning cove, filled with black sea urchins and coral making it not quite so swimmable, but complete with a tree hut style rasta bar with local boys selling overpriced beer and pizza. We were sold for the day, and it was the ultimate chill spot, albeit shared with around 20 others.
Unawatuna – We didn’t eat any tuna here.
Located so close between Mirissa and Hikkaduwa, if we had to substitute one beach from our itinerary, this would be it. We weren’t in love with the beach town, but it turned out to be an ideal location to be based in, both for great food and to explore the surrounding areas, including the historic Galle Fort, just 20 minutes by scooter.
Sri Lanka, along with many nations in this part of the world, has a scrambled history of ‘conquerors’ and different reigning countries. One key place in the history of Sri Lanka is Galle Fort. Originally built by the Portuguese in 1588 then taken over by the Dutch in the 17th century, there is still a high number of Dutch owners who are keen to develop the area further and make it ‘one of the modern wonders of the world’. The European architecture is evident and Galle has a quaint charm about it. Being a UNESCO World Heritage area, it is beautifully maintained and there is no shortage of overpriced cafes or rooftop restaurants to dine at. To keep costs down, we have been following the Sri Lankan custom of lunner (lunch/dinner in one meal) or sharing a large meal for lunch.
Galle is a beautiful area to spend a day, and may be even more enjoyable in other months of the year, when you are able to walk freely for more than 100m without the fear of heat collapse.
Day 2 in Unawatuna and we thought it would be a great idea to escape the heat of the beach and head inland to find a waterfall in a rainforest. Luke came back with the scooter and news of a leech infestation in the Kanneliya area, so after a quick visit to the pharmacy for some coconut oil (questionable benefits), we were on the road again. The drive to Kanneliya was stunning in itself, the lush tea plantations and jungle surrounded us, and we passed through local towns, which barely see foreigners. Jelley even got her first attempt riding a scooter, overcoming a lifetime of fear and memories of other travellers bandaged up.
We opted for the shorter of 2 hikes into the rainforest after quickly discovering that it was indeed no cooler than the beachside town we escaped. Our easy 3 hour return hike was rewarded with a refreshing dip in the Anagimala Waterfall. We observed the various unique wildlife of this biodiverse area, including a monitor lizard taking on a crab, bats in a cave, plenty of fernery and moss and fortunately, no sign of leeches.
Prior to our departure from NZ, Luke had read amazing things of the relaxed hippy beachside village of Hikkaduwa in the 70s .. luckily we got ahold of an updated travel magazine along the way to be warned of its new status as a resort haven, so we weren’t set up for disappointment as there was no sign of a 70s hippy camp to be seen! We were pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed Hikkaduwa Beach, a beautiful coastline stretching for endless kilometers, and while the ocean is a little too rough with rips, currents and rocks, the friendly locals and cheap beer helped us relax into this haven.
Our first guesthouse was chosen through our somewhat amateur method of ‘cheapest possible room with AC kinda close to the beach’ that ended up being an extra 500m (0.31 miles) from the beach, and proved impossible to walk in the heat of the day. You would never think Jel worked for a travel agency back home … On day 2 we splurged out for a $50 room (almost triple the usual rate 😉 ) and stayed in a budget hotel with a pool right on the beachfront, which was absolutely ideal. We would really recommend Niwasa Villas as an affordable option amongst 4 star resorts and the odd non-AC guesthouse, which cover the remainder of the beach. This is what being on holiday is all about, walking down to the beach, reading a book (in the shade) and just plain chilling out.
The sunsets in Hikkaduwa were incredible and the best we have experienced here in Sri Lanka. Pictures can never capture the beauty of the day’s closure, but we gave it our best.
Unfortunately, the food wasn’t quite so great, and while we can’t pin down the exact meal, we both woke up with a less than ideal case of food poisoning. It was time to keep moving north and brave the big city of Colombo, and we optimistically boarded the train for a ‘quick’ 4 hour journey to reach our next AC guest house of slumber.
Without a doubt this has been the most challenging day of our travels so far .. and it was a Saturday! (which usually means the day will be amazing, regardless). The upset stomachs, 4 hours standing in 3rd class on a crowded train, delays due to a ‘person on the tracks’, missing our station to end up in the heart of Colombo, a city of close to 1 million, and then turning up to our ‘guest house’ with a padlocked gate, closed windows and no sign of life. A kind neighbor down the street let us crash in his empty kids room for the night, which was a shining light in our day. Walking down to the beachfront, we missed the sunset, got hassled by a local for cash for walking on ‘his beach’ before finally enjoying a beer and beautiful dinner in what turned out to be an up-and-coming suburb in the South of the city. The temperature dropped as we walked home, and past a group of local children and adults singing and dancing on the streets. It was a fleeting glimpse of the capital city, with the sights seen via tuk tuk the next day on our travels, but it was enough. We can hold out any need for a city environment until we return to Singapore next month, the ultimate of all cities!
It seems we have saved the best accommodation for last in a beautiful historic villa with a swimming pool back where we started here in Negombo. Ideally located close(ish) to the airport and walking distance to the beach, it ticks all of our newly formed boxes – AC, functioning wifi and a half-decent shower. It almost feels like a home base here, reflecting on our journey through Sri Lanka and starting to plan for the next one. All that is missing is an ice cold Lion lager and one final sunset, approx. 1 hour away (courtesy of Luke 😉 ).
Jelley has broken a lot of things in the past couple of days, including sunglasses and jandals, but fortunately not Luke’s MacBook Pro, after dowsing it in a puddle of water for the night. Although usage rights were revoked, the threat of Luke having to write an entire blog post alone seemed to reverse the consequence and our story can continue.
Keep an eye out for our final blog post on Sri Lanka in the next few days, what we have learned during our time here and we will pass on some final pearls of wisdom before jumping on a red-eye flight to Cebu, The Philippines, via one of the least popular stopover airports known to assassinate North Koreans, Kuala Lumpur. With a terrorist threat in place in the Central Visayas where we had ‘planned’ (planning is a loose word with our travels) to spend the next week, who knows what adventures will await us and which path we will really take!
Until then,
A Kiwi & A Cali xoxo
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