Sri Lanka part 1 - the coast

08 - 11 November

It was a long trip from the UK to Sri Lanka, which involved a long stopover in Bangkok Airport (where I got a shock at the local spicy food) before finally arriving in Colombo after 10pm local time. I was due to stay with Ashan and Isabelle, two friends I'd met in Peru, who now live there, and Isabelle picked me up from the airport and took me to a birthday party they were both at.

I must admit I was quite looking forward to Sri Lanka. After over five months in Westernised countries, the chance to see somewhere less developed, catch up with some friends, and enjoy some better weather than the UK was highly anticipated.

I certainly got warmer weather, although a typical tropical downpour also greeted me to Colombo. It was pretty neat to see some of Ashan's old friends, and quite interesting noting just how much the same young adults are around the world, regardless of the country! They all spoke English between each other too, which made socialising much easier. Sinhalese and Tamil are the native languages mainly spoken, but English is still well known and rooted from the days of Ceylon as a British colony.

So, what to start with? How about beer and a typical Sri Lankan curry for lunch by the beach in Mt Lavinia?

Not a bad welcome to the country...

Nice spot for a restaurant!

I ended up spending just two nights in Colombo, as once I got talking to Ashan and Isabelle I realised how many things it sounded like I wanted to do in the country. After another birthday party on the second night, I headed to the train station in the morning and got my first experience of the Sri Lankan railways - that a train that's half an hour late is really "early".

On the train from Colombo to Galle, where I happened to run into a fellow New Zealand backpacker, Alice

Arriving in Galle, I took a train out to the beach resort of Unawatuna, and found myself a cute little room in a guesthouse right on the beach. This was certainly different travelling to the "book a hostel before online" in Europe - only private rooms, bargaining for prices on the spot on arrival... Given that my host accepted the first price I suggested, I think I offered too much...

Dusk outside my guesthouse - the "Sea Song" - right on the beach, while enjoying a beer

Alice, a NZ student doctor I'd met on the train, who was doing a placement in Galle (!) came down to Unawatuna for the evening and while having dinner - dhal (lentil) curry - we watched the NZ cricket team, playing their first ODI on a short tour of Sri Lanka, be lucky to escape with a rained-out draw on TV.

The breakfast dining room - curry again (yup, even for breakfast)

Local shop - bananas, anyone?

It was a very lazy morning - reading, sunbathing, and several swims (why not with these surroundings). Despite the strong desire to stay there, I managed to head into Galle for the afternoon, a city famous for it's old Dutch fort, dating from original Portuguese construction in the 16th century.

On the Galle Fort, with as few buttons done up as possible against the sweltering humidity

A guest as I walked around the fort walls

I also took a walk around the streets of the city, enjoying just people watching and soaking in the busy atmosphere of the locals going about their business.

Streets of Galle

I had considered heading to the next cricket match in Hambantota, but with so many things to do and bad weather forecast, I decided to aim for another match in Dambulla several days later. Instead I reluctantly left the coast and took a bus up into the hills to Ella.