sri lanka was crazy. a good crazy. the traffic was insane and noisy (and kinda dangerous). the food big on flavour and spicy. the people were friendly, chatty, and had the best smiles. urban centres are hustling and bustling. the hill country lush with nature and elephants. the southern beach we visited was wild, unspoiled and gorgeous. buddhas in abundance and sri lankans worship of them even greater. being right under the equator, the weather was hot every single day.
the southern coast was all about rest and relaxation. we stayed at a boutique hotel owned by a friendly belgium. imagine hotel is only 18 months old so everything was shiny new. we loved it. kai practically lived in the gorgeous pool.
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| shark attack! |
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| love kai's smile! such joy. |
next door to the hotel was a hotel/events centre where sri lankans gather for weddings and other festivities and one morning this lovely wedding party came next door to take photos. the little wedding attendees would watch us on the beach, and although shy would wave and say hello with great big smiles.
the hotel was located just outside the main town of mirissa. the town had the same shops and noise you find elsewhere. as well as the wandering cows crossing the road. we ventured into town only to find cheap eats and it was always delicious. i can't recommend no. 01 dewmini roti shop enough!
the beach! the hotel was located along the island's most beautiful coastline. i think i might declare the indian ocean to be my favourite body of water. the water along this stretch of the beach was not as calm as the touristy area but i loved being in it nevertheless. the water clear and warm and such fun to play in. this beach was exactly what we needed; peace, solitude and gorgeous nature.
we were often the only ones on the beach along with some locals. why tourists would want to pack themselves like sardines on the more popular beaches i don't know, we thought ourselves pretty lucky. the happy snorkeler was often hanging out and would invite stefan
and kai
to snorkel with him, pointing out where the colourful fish were hanging out, and he gifted me some pretty shells. the kids nearby shy yet smiling and waving. oh and i must not forget to mention the dogs belonging to the beligum
owner of the hotel, one or the other and sometimes both would often accompany us onto to the beach, it was incredibly sweet.
while in the south, we visited the yala national park for a safari. the leopards we hoped to spot stayed in hiding during the six hours we roamed the park along bumpy paths. at least the landscape, savannah-like, was spectacular with watering holes dotted around. we saw peacocks sitting pretty, tons of water buffalos and happened upon two of them having a bit of a shoving match, and the 3 day old boar frolicking in the grass was incredibly cute. i could have watched them all day long. there was spotted deer, painted storks (so pretty), and other brightly coloured birds (so amazing what nature produces). we came upon animals we didn't know about like mongoose and sloth bears. and there was an elephant too.
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| my monkey! |
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| art installation in memory of the tsunami |
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| baby boar!!! |
the food we ate was big on flavour, not only here in the south but in colombo and kandy too. the best roti were the ones we had from the food carts by the side of the road; veggie and egg roti with the perfect amount of spiciness. the sri lankan way of having curry, even for breakfast includes lots of small plates and big flavour. so delicious. we tried khottu too, a dish of day old roti chopped up and mixed in with chilies, egg and veggies or meat if you prefer. actually the sound of roti being chopped became very familiar while we were in sri lanka. the fresh fruit was the perfect way to start off each the day.
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| breakfast, everyday. |
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| egg roti, roadside. such an easy, delicious snack. |
we made a short stop to the historic fort area of galle with its dutch-colonial buildings, boutique shops and cafes (mostly owned by expats and therefore more upscale than we've seen elsewhere). it feels a world away like you aren't even in sri lanka at all but then you remember that although the dutch built it, the colour and style is all sri lankan. we were instantly charmed as we wandered the old walls and streets. and we ate the best roti here. the fort is a unesco world heritage site and not surprising as it was quite breathtaking.
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| cricket! |
i needed an emergency getaway to a sunshine-y place and sri lanka was perfect. if you have been thinking about going to sri lanka, go now.
the first two posts are here, sri lanka, colombo and sri lanka, kandy.
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