On The Road Sri Lanka Mar/Apr.12 Pt2

Hi Guys, Just a quick note to update you on life on the road in Sri Lanka so far. And yes all the images and productions are mine to answer an enquiry made.

The East Coast is where we start this news after leaving Aragum Bay with hardly anyone there. I had heard about this inland town called Ampara and somehow I wanted to detour 40km (in and out) to see it. Well the scenery was all very nice but the town was no different and in fact a bit rough so we stayed one night then headed off very early the next day with the usual group of dogs chasing and barking at our heels.

As we make our way to the coast again we head up along the main road which is an endless town as one joins another and they appeared to be mainly Muslim with many mosques. We doubt if any tourists do anything other than whizz past these places in their air conditioned buses and 4X4's as we are now really in another Sri Lanka where it resembles India in some respects, such as being not as well off as the west & south side. It was mainly the east and north that suffered with the troubles for the three decades.

We were heading for Batticaloa known simply as Batti. Well we needed some food so we stopped in a town where we saw alot of activity around a very nice restaurant so we dived in there where they made us feel very welcome and placed us in an air conditioned lounge whilst the rotti chef kept an eye on the bikes. Now this was the best authentic Sri Lankan meal we have ever had by far. With chicken rice and many different veg dishes along with soft drinks and coffee the whole thing came to 495 rupees for us both which taught us for sure how tourists get completely ripped off at tourists resorts because that was only £2.45 where as in tourist areas you would not get half that for £10

So with all my navigation skills we did get to Batti but there were no signs to say so hence we cycled right through it and then thought this is strange as we headed along beside a large lake and looking at the map, oh dear that was Batti. An about turn and back we go until we saw a liquor store on the left and rooms to let on the right so that sounded like the right recipe so there we stayed for two days because the Kallady beach which we also missed on the south side of town ended up being the nicest beach Mary had ever experienced meaning warm and calm and reasonably clean with no one around for miles. After getting completely burnt we headed for the Riviera hotel and had two lovely cold beers in their lovely garden overlooking the lagoon, yes British prices but very nice.

The country side is still lovely but there are signs it is getting a little barren as we head to Passikudah and Kalkudah beaches. Cycling many km's along a dirt road being rebuilt, we arrived in a turmoil of a place where the Government has commissioned 14 new hotels which were at the midway point of construction with a couple already happening. This is the beach in the photos above and this was my favourite beach because of the warm turquoise sea. After staying a couple of days we tried to find our way north from here but that was a mission with all the dirt roads being in a hell of a state so after many requests to the locals we finally found the main highway roughing it through very poor townships with Indian styled chaos.

Now decision time, do we head to Trincomalee on a new but noisy asphalt metal road and observe the landscape becoming more and more barren then maybe up to Jaffna which is apparently like a construction site presently, or do we head north west to the ancient capital of Anuradhapura. The latter was to be because the countryside was still lush and the road was smooth although hilly.

Through many towns over the next few days, a couple of national parks, passing deserted houses due to the war and elephants encroaching, the ancient capital with hardly any trace of history, we ended up on the west coast at Puttalam and had some lunch after a wonderful downhill ride knowing now why it was so difficult cycling the last few days, obviously up hill.

We were told about a lovely beach where we would surely find somewhere to stay so onward for 30 km's south then north up a peninsula and through some very poor areas then down a very long dirt track until we found the beach place they were talking about but alas they were all too expensive and god knows why so oh dear we are stuck until we got desperate and asked a family if we could set up our tent in their coconut tree back yard. All sand so a bit annoying but they brought out their two inch hose and we enjoyed a massively powerful shower in the heat of the afternoon and that night encountered the only rain storm to date.

A couple of days there and observing the Indian guys from Tamil Nadu erecting the 90 metre wind turbines, which was quite incredible, we headed south to Negombo and after a night or two at roadside guest houses we arrived at the popular tourist area (mainly due to it being only 12km's from the airport). Not a bad beach but the always shabby budget so called resorts were not very exciting but great to have a room looking out to sea as the first photo below shows. Of course the package tour fraternity stay at the really nice resorts of which there are a few.

Onward to Colombo from the north and through many run down suburbs until we saw the twin towers they call the Wworld Trade Centre (sound familiar) and down Galle road to have some KFC which by this time after days of rice and curry, seemed like heaven but expensive comparatively. Onward to our apartment in South Colombo and home.

We leave Sri Lanka on the 21st and go back to Chennai and with Mary now having a bad rash called prickly heat, and with the monsoon weather now upon us, we have decided a couple of days in Chennai then a flight back to Goa and work out what to do next, but we are in no hurry.

As for Sri Lanka, well it was all very nice and the people on the road were lovely but the touts and tourist places were after as much of your money as possible not realizing that not all white foreigners have a lot and what they do have they generally worked hard to get, but then working hard to get what you want seems to escape most Sri Lankans thinking as most appear to rely on their top heavy government which is simply everywhere with more ministries than we ever thought possible.

It was a separate trip we made to the hill country for 7 days subsequently as it is so incredibly steep that cycling was not an option. We took a combination of trains and buses as we weaved our way around the delightful scenery but same old style towns. Tea is still one of the main exports and what a gem it is as it grows so well up there. We did visit the very first plantation set up by the English in the 1840's and that still had the original machinery on display.
I will make the movie once back in Goa and post it on our YouTube Channel: Morrisonlifedotcom

Our route to date at the 15th of April is here.

Description of the Photos below (Clockwise from Top Left)
1. Looking out from our ground floor balcony to the west coast sea in Negombo.
2. Upon our arrival at this hotel near the country's largest tank (reservoir) the monkeys were all over the place..
3. Ancient Sir Lankan ruins but dating back further than the Roman Empire at Polonnaruwa.
4. Mary at a Government Rest House in Badulla in the hill country.
5. The view from our balcony in Nuwara Eliya which is Sri Lanka's highest point and is called little England as the climate is similar and very cold at night (We confirmed we prefer heat).
6. A typical view of the tea plantations high up in the hill country near Badulla.
7. I enjoy cycling along by water whether a river sea or lake, simply wonderful
8. Kandy lake was very picturesque and not a bad town really as we stayed next to the lake in Ye Old Empire Hotel built 1850s' in wood but a bit tired now.