Time to Fly Home

22nd March 2017

It is our last day and we take full advantage to have our last taste of the delicious Sri Lankan food for breakfast.

We have learned that if you are hanging out for a European meal, get ready to be overcharged and disappointed. However, we did have some fine food at the Ceylon Tea Trails which truly is top end. With the exception of the Tea Trails, the best food is in the buffets, which all become very familiar and a bit monotonous.

Everywhere the Sri Lankan food has been very good, and I am sure we will have withdrawal symptoms when we get home.

Surprisingly, Sri Lanka is not a cheap destination if you stay and eat in reasonable hotels. Food and drinks are priced at Australian levels and then add about 28% in service charges and taxes. Outside the hotels, it is cheaper, but still no a bargain.

Check out time is 12 noon and our driver will be here at 2pm to take us to the airport for our 8.30pm departure. Whilst the distance is huge, on the roads here you can only average around 40km per hour on the busy "highways".

We also have to be at the airport early because of the very high traffic loads in the terminal from 4.30pm when the airport reopens after and 8 hour closure during the day for runway repair work.

As it is or last opportunity to get some exercise before a lot of sitting around, we go for a final walk along the beach.

The sea is calmer and people are back in the water

Walking back down past the Jungle Beach restaurant, there is a lone fisherman trying his luck on the beach. Maybe he is getting the catch of the day for tonights menu. A mate is helping him get some bait.

It is already getting very hot and we need to head back to the hotel to check out. A local pointed out turtle tracks on the beach and explained that turtles are currently laying their eggs at night on this beach.

Back at the hotel in time for the 12 noon checkout, our driver is already there waiting for us. He is happy to sit around and wait till the agreed 2pm departure, but we are ready to move on, so leave the hotel at 12.30pm. It will mean sitting around at the airport for a bit longer, but we would have been sitting around at the hotel anyway. We are also not too sure how much chaos to expect at the airport.

After about an hour on the now familiar, very busy country roads, we all of a sudden encounter our first motorway. It is a joint project financed by a local company and the Chinese. Eventually it will run from Matara to the Airport, but at the moment it stops on the Northern and Southern sides of Colombo, and the connecting link is under construction. A number of transport methods are banned from the tollway.

These modes or transport are not allowed on the tollway

The airport was busy, but not chaotic. It took a little while to find our check in counter and managed to get the 4 of us through the priority check in counter using my Oneworld lifetime Silver card.

It was then a lot of waiting and sitting around in airports before we finally hit the tarmac at Kingsford Smith Airport sat just after 6pm last night.

We had a great holiday in Sri Lanka. There is some spectacular scenery, great local food and very friendly people. It is more expensive than we though it would be and there is a healthy effort to extract as many dollars out of foreign tourists as possible. Tourism infrastructure has a long way to go, but it is very worthwhile to visit at this point in their development, before it becomes too commercialised. The Chinese appear to be investing heavily in Sri Lanka.

Our last day at Ahungalla

21st March 2017

One last day of relaxation by the beach, and we will be on our way home to Australia tomorrow. It is another balmly day, not a lot of breeze and plenty of humidity.

A late breakfast was organised and we meet up at 9am. Service in the restaurant is a bit better this morning as the crowds are less due to a large group leaving this morning.

After breakfast some exercise is in order, so we went for a walk along the beach, before it got too hot.

Initially, we thought we would go for a walk up the main entrance way to the main road, along the way being distracted by some monkeys swinging around in one of the stands of bamboo beside the road. Once we got to the main gate, and ventured outside, we were swamped by taxi drivers, tuk tuk drivers, people wanting us to visit their jewellery stores, spas or sightseeing tours. We quickly retreated back in behind the security of the main gate and walked back to the hotel, deciding to walk along the beach instead.

 There is a very large hotel next to us and most of the people on the beach appear to be from that hotel.

The Riu Resort Ahungalla 

The surf is still quite rough sand the shoreline is lined with people taking photos, but not many are venturing in far.

After our walk we had a swim in the hotel pool and then had to think about lunch. The prospect of eating at the coffee shop or buffet restaurant was not high on our list, so we thought we would give the Sunshine Beach Restaurant a go.

It was only a 10 minute walk from our hotel, and we took a shortcut through the Northern wing of the hotel, which came out near the beach and past yet another large swimming pool that is part of this hotel.

Taking a beachside track we were at the restaurant in very little time. Sharon had to stick to walking on the foliage as the sand was bloody hot, and shoes were not a compulsory part of the dress code.

There were tables available, so we settled in to study the very comprehensive menu.

Some interpretive skills were needed to decode the menu but eventually Carole and John settled for fried noodles, Sharon had the Red Sheper (also known as snapper), and I had the devilled Calamary (calamari).

The devilled calamary took a little longer to prepare, and turned out to be like a Sri Lankan version of sweet and sour with a bit of a chiili kick.

All of the serves were huge, and none of us could eat it all. The food was good and reasonably priced.

After a walk back along the beach waterline, to avoid the hot sand, we were soon back at our hotel, and in no time the girls were in the pool.

We agreed to meet up at 6pm for pre dinner drinks and headed back to our rooms.

Service at the pool bar has not improved and there is a large cocktail party out near the beach which further distracts the bar staff.

As it is our last night in Sri Lanka, we decided to go to the fine dining restaurant, a bit of a risk but we go anyway. We are encouraged that when we arrive at 7.15pm, there is one other couple already there. The menu is ambitious, if not a little too complex, but looks appetising. Sadly the food delivered bore no relation to the descriptions on the menu, and we did not get our main course until 9.15pm.

It is such a shame that such a nice building, albeit getting a bit tired, in such a great location, has such appalling service delivery.  It is right across all of the F & B outlets and management must be aware or just don't care. Anyway, we will certainly make the local tour operator (who own this hotel), what we think of it. The housekeeping staff are great.

Not the best way to finish off our otherwise very enjoyable trip to Sri Lanka, and certainly nowhere near the standard of the other hotels we have stayed in.

Relaxing at Ahungalla

20th March 2017

After such a long day yesterday, none of us had trouble sleeping. We chose to have an easy dinner at the 24 hour restaurant (once we found some staff to serve us) and had an early night.

It was back into the fray at the buffet restaurant for breakfast at a respectable 8.30am. Once again, staff are a bit scarce, but we eventually found someone to seat us. The breakfast spread, and layout of this restaurant is not as good as our previous hotels and the staff are slow and totally unmotivated.

When we returned to our room after breakfast, housekeeping had been  usy in our abscence

Nevertheless the hotel is comfortable and in a great location, right on the beach, and has a great swimming pool.

View from the hotel foyer

After breakfast, we had a bit of a look around the hotel. The entrance is quite spectacular with a big water feature in the middle of the access driveway.

Looking from the foyer back up to the main road entrance 

Sharon and Carole in the grounds

We had a quick look at the shopping arcade which consisted of a jewellery store, selling local gems (that look a bit oversized to be real), and a small souvenir store. There was not much of interest although you have to admire the Sri Lankan sun screen marketing.

They have a special grade of sunscreen for Cricketers

Further exploration along the beach seems to be in order. There are supposed to be some good restaurants within walking distance in either direction, so we will see if we can find a venue for dinner.

Like most of Bawa's architecture, our hotel really blends in with the environment

Walking down to the beach we decide to head South of the hotel along the waterline where the sand is nice and firm. We are looking for the Jungle beach restaurant, which is recommended in Trip Advisor as the best restaurant in this area.

The surf is dumping today, so there are not many people in the water

After about 15 minutes we found what we were looking for.

The restaurant is tucked away in the palm trees just off the beach, so we wandered in to see if we could find someone to see what type of food they served and when they were open. I nice young guy came out and advised that they opened at 10am, and closed when the last people left. The menu looked good, mainly fresh seafood and the prices reasonable. So it looks like we have found somewhere to have dinner tonight.

The restaurant is small but looks nice

To the North of our hotel are some other options, so we walk back up the beach to what is for offer up there. 

As we got closer, it looked to be a hotel/restaurant complex, and while is was a bit old, they were renovating and it would be difficult to get a better location.

The White Villa Hotel

On a little beach next door is another small "resort" that looks more suited to surfers and backpackers. A few fishing boats on the beach adds to the charm.

According to Trip Advisor the second best restaurant in the area is the Sunshine Beach Restaurant, which is located in the jungle behind the White Villa Hotel. The food must be great, because the ambience is less than salubrious.

It is now noon and very hot, so we backtrack along the beach (the waterline because the sand is too hot), for a swim / rest and lunch.

The best option for lunch is the coffee shop as we are a bit over buffets. The service is still incredibly slow as one person only is attending to everything. We think he also cooks the food and does the dishes. There is only one other table of guests in the restaurant and it took an hour from when we sat down till when we had a meal in front of us. 

After a bit of a rest after lunch we met up with Sharon and John at the pool bar for a pre dinner drink, before walking off into the dark along the beach to find our restaurant.

We were at the restaurant by 7.30pm, and there was a bit of a storm brewing, with plenty of sheet lightning, but no thunder or rain at this stage. There were a few other tables occupied at the restaurant as we were seated and the waiter appeared with a platter of seafood to explain the daily specials.

Whilst not on the menu or drinks list, the waiter explained that they do have beer and wine. John and I ordered a Lion Beer and we asked what white wine he had. He wasn't real sure but thought it was a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. He explained there would be a bit of a delay in getting the wine as it was in his fridge at home. He returned later with a bottle of South African Chardonnay, which was actually very nice and much cheaper than buying it at the hotel.

Carole and I ordered 2 small lobsters and 4 large prawns with chips and salad

The storm did develop but it only rained for a short time and they had roll down plastic curtains so we didn't get get. By the time we were ready to leave the storm had passed and we had a pleasant walk back along the beach to our hotel.

After so much exercise, a cleansing ale was in order, and we sat around talking for a lot longer than we realised, going to bed just before midnight.

On Safari at Yala, then on to Ahungalla

19th March 2017

It is a very early start today, meeting Sharon and John at 5.30am for tea in Pug Marks Bar, before heading out into the wild in our safari jeep to see the wildlife at 6am.

There are quite a few jeeps lined up picking up other customers, and when we left many were racing past us, as if getting there early was of some benefit. What we didn't realise is there must be hundreds of these jeeps heading out each day, and they all have to stop and buy entrance tickets before approaching the park entrance. This process took about 20 minutes.

With so many jeeps roaming the park looking for wildlife at the same time, our expectations of seeing anything worthwhile are deflated. You would think the government would regulate the number of jeeps in the park at any time, but they just appear to be milking the revenue.

Finally we have our tickets and are on our way. The Jeep has virtually no suspension, so it is a rough old ride, but we are travelling very slowly over poor road conditions.

Anyway, for the first hour, we do not see a lot, just some water buffalo and some quite pretty birds.

It is a pretty scrappy landscape, but there are lots of waterholes

Green Bee eater

Hornbill

We see lots of Peacocks and hens

This one is trying very hard to make a good impression, but the hen is totally disinterested

We are hoping to see a leopard, and this one of their favourite haunts, but they are not coming out today. There are 35 leopards in this 45,000 acre reserve.

However, we do see a crocodile.

And a herd of spotted deer.

Two Jackals are wandering around nearby

A bit further along the road, we spot a mongoose looking for snakes

We get very close to some spotted deer grazing by the roadside

and saw some more colourful birds

including this beautiful bright blue Kingfisher

and of course there are monkeys

We came to a very large expanse of water with a generous amount of water hyacinth growing in it, and in amongst the hyacinth in the distance we could see 2 elephants up to their stomachs in water browsing around.

This one had a passenger

Just when we had given up all hope, our guide believed he had spotted a panther in a nearby tree. A look through the binoculars had him convinced it was there. So he backed down the road to position the jeep so we could see the tree in question. It took us a long time to confirm that he was right. Without a guide, there is no way we would have located the leopard, they are so well camoflaged.

Because of the distance between us and the tree, it was difficult to get a good photograph, but if you look closely, you can clearly see him lying on the tree bough.

Everybody is happy we have finally found a leopard and we head back to the hotel. On the way back we stop to watch an elephant coming through the scrub, eating everything in it's path. it refuses to cross the road whilst we are there, but eventually wanders a bit further down and crosses behind the jeeps.

There were a few other animal sightings on the way back to the hotel, capping off what turned out to be a very interesting morning.

A large monitor lizard

Wild Fowl

A wild boar having a drink at a waterhole

It was 9.45 am when we arrived back at the hotel, so it was straight of for breakfast before the restaurant closed. We decided to make it brunch, as we still have a far bit of travelling to do to get to our next destination, Ahungalla, and we are not sure whether there will be any great lunch stop along the way.

Departure from the hotel is planned for 11.30 am, so we have time to have a shower, relax for a little while and recover from the bone shaking ride of the last few hours. Despite the discomfort, we thoroughly enjoyed it and were lucky to have such an enthusiastic young guide.

The minibus leaves on time, and after not too long, we start following the coast line North. Today is Sunday, so many of the locals are out enjoying the day.

Apparently this is how young courting couples spend their Sunday, sitting along the shoreline under umbrellas allowing a bit of private space between couples

We had a toilet stop at a roadside park opposite a boutique hotel that is on an island and can only be accessed by walking across at low tide. The girls are unimpressed that nthe toilet attendant wants 50 rupees before letting them in, but somehow they managed to get past him with a promise of returning with payment later

Hotel accessible at low tide

There are fishing boats along the beaches 

We are now getting well and truly into the tourist resort areas and beachfront activities are becoming more prevalent including signs up for surfing schools. Apparently this stretch of the coast is very popular with backpackers.

Further down the road we come to our photo opportunity to see Sri Lanka's famous stick fishermen.

We have to pay their agent 300 rupees for the opportunity and as soon as we wander off they are down the poles, sitting back on the shore waiting for the next tourist. At least we got a photo with the agent who very proud of his little enterprise, having been a stick fisherman himself in his younger years (there was no charge for the additional photo).

Up till now we have seen no cyclists, but last year friends of ours went on a cycling tour in Sri Lanka and we had begun to wonder where they went when the were here. Well we have finally found some lycra clad tourists enjoying the 30 + heat and about 95% humidity. At this point, the airconditioned minibus feels pretty good.

We are beginning to see more and more people swimming in the ocean, and some of the beaches look quite inviting.

Soon we arrive in Galle, where the primary attraction is a huge fortress built by the Dutch on a site originally built by the Portuguese. It is a massive fortress with a complete walled city inside and gun emplacements all along the ocean front.

The original Christian Church is still standing and in remarkably good condition due to ongoing support from the Dutch Government.

A plaque inside the church tells of the original Methodist missionaries that came here to convert the locals.

The Dutch East India Company were based inside the fortress and below is the entrance to their main building. They also had many warehouses inside the walls.

There fortress is so large that you need to drive around it to see it in a reasonable period of time. Our driver let us walk along part of the seawall and picked us up further down the track so we could get a feel for it.

An entrance through the wall showing how thick the walls are

A section of the wall facing the ocean

We walked up past the lighthouse (added later by the British) and along the wall

One of the gun emplacements

Well preserved, many of the buildings inside the fortress still have important functions like courthouses and a jail. A lot of buildings are also now used as restaurants, hotels and retail outlets.

You can see by the cross streets how busy it must have been

Nice Hotel !

Galle also has some very nice beaches which seem very popular with the locals and tourists alike.

Obviously we could not leave Galle without visiting the famous Galle international Cricket Stadium. We drove into the entrance and proceeded to walk around. The security guard wanted to know who we were and our guide told him that I was an ex cricket coach, so all was well.

The Stadium is near the fort and it is possible to sit on the fort wall and watch a game of cricket without entering the stadium.

Enough of Galle, although I am sure there is a lot more to see. We are on our way to Ahungalla to our hotel and home for the next 3 nights.

By the time we reach The Heritance Ahungalla (another Geoffery Bawa designed hotel) the day is almost over. It has been a long but very interesting day and we are all looking forward to putting our feet up at the beach for the next few days before flying home to Sydney.

The hotel is busier than the others we have been to and the staff seem to struggle a bit, but it is visually very nice.