Ella, Sri Lanka

A resident of Ella on the bus with stumps for legs and a weeping hand (he'd been to the hospital) wished me luck on my travels, a one-eyed man let me have a cup of tea for free and a Sri Lankan man called Roy supplied me with a gem of a room. Maybe my faith is now restored?

Getting off the bus into the cooler hill air of Ella I knew I'd like this place. The lush green hills surround this cute little town. Little cafe's and shops line the tiny street and people are super-smiley. Excited by the photo opportunities I sweated my way up (backpack and all) to the nearest vantage point, much to the amusement of tuk-tuk drivers (whom i'm boycotting). Up at the Ambience guest house the views are magnificent, down Ellas gap with Ellas rock on the right and little Ella on the left.

After gazing for ages I make the descent to try and find a guest house in my budget. Most places are overpriced because you have a view from your balcony or air conditioning. I just want a small room, good price. Fourth place i'd looked at: too expensive. Further down the street a Sri Lankan chap called Roy pops out "Room sir? Good price" The price is in budget (£14 for two nights) so I have a look. He leads me into some kind of palace thing with columns, then up stairs with big Japanese paintings at the top. As he opens the door he says "Room quite small sir". Expecting the worst the door opens into a GIANT room.

The mosquito net covers both beds

I ask Roy "Why so cheap?" and he just says "You're lucky". Once paid and Roy gone I sit in the little throne in the corner and wonder what on earth possessed someone to make such bad use of space?? There's a little table and two chairs, one double and one single bed. A throne, two sun loungers in the ceiling to floor windows and an en-suite. I'm still in wonder now, two days later! Was this the man on the buses doing?

Me on my throne, surveying my kingdom

Once I'd gathered my thoughts I came across the next bonus. Fast wi-fi, very close. This is how I've now managed to upload all my photo's to date (you may need to befriend me on Google+) and update this blog, pretty much to where I am now! (I'm sitting in this palace). 

Sampled the famous garlic curry at the Rawena palace hotel that evening, kinda wish I'd taken my camera but was charging the battery. And I didn't think that it would be such a spectacle of 15 dishes, with fresh lime soda and large bats flying around the open restaurant. 

Next morning up at 6am. Packed biscuits, water, bananas, oranges and chocolate for the walk up Ellas rock. This isn't a walk by English countryside standards. There's no signposts, you have to walk along railway tracks, across a rickety bridge, through head high reed fields, tea plantations, forests then a steep rocky top section. I was lost in the reed fields when a "farmer" popped out of nowhere to show me the way. I was glad, as I was on my own with no-one else about at that time. He lead me to the top to an incredible view, and super-fresh morning air. 

We stayed at the top for ages. He told me that his name is Javaheda (that's how it sounded anyway!) and he is actually a farmer, and produced tomato seeds - a sure fire sign of a farmer. I gave an approving nod and we had some food and drink. He didn't seem so sure when I pulled Monsta out of my bag though.

Quick jaunt down and I offered him 200 rupees for the help and walked off back down the tracks towards town. The rest of the day was spent doing the same, but in various other not quite so strenuous monkey infested walks then relaxing in the palace finishing the photo uploads and drinking tea. 

Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

VERY quiet here. Pretty much nothing going on apart from the locals and some dogs. Arrived with nothing booked and walked up and down the high street speaking to locals. The room rates here seem to vary wildly. This town has (apparently) one of the top 10 surfing breaks in the world, and regularly holds competitions. The best surf is in May, but some guest houses hold their high prices all season.  Have they never heard of supply and demand?

The high street

I bargained hard and got a 700 rupee room on the beach. I later ask about the tsunami and how it affected him. He tells me that it flattened his house and business and 5m of water gushing over the beach nearly killed his family - they managed to get inland quickly. The tsunami only reached 100m inland. Nothing near the scale of Thailand but equally terrifying. I felt bad about bargaining hard and in the end I paid a little extra.

The beach is wild. You can see the hyped offshore break and there's a few surfers pootling about on it but it was small. I walk miles down the coast accompanied by a pair of rowdy dogs! There's lots of tsunami damage: house foundations, broken trees and even black palm trees, though i'm not sure how they got to be this colour. Found what I thought was a football washed up on the beach, but was a fully inflated puffa fish.

 

In the evening had a real German beer in a Thai bar owned by a real German and his Thai (I can only assume) wife! Delicious. Grabbed some incredibly spicy (and cheap) rice and curry from a local hotel over the road and went back to the room. Not much else to do!

I think my little toe was up against the mosquito net in the night as it got painfully munched.

Next day, had another trust episode with Sri Lankan men while waiting for a bus. I was 99% sure the bus came this way, but got told by tuk-tuk drivers, and locals who had tuk-tuk driver friends, that there was no bus, or the bus wasn't until the evening. I shrugged them off then later a lady hotel owner came over and told me that there IS a bus and it'll be there at 11:30. Sure enough 11:30 came and so did the bus. I'm now only speaking with women!

You can see all of the photo's here

Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka

I was unsure about coming here but as it's tucked neatly next to Yala national reserve and I really wanted to see some wildlife I thought an investigation was in order. The bus dropped me on a tiny high street, just a few shops but an array of tuk-tuk drivers as usual. As soon as I get off the bus I head across the street to a hotel and grab a samosa. As usual I could feel people looming down on me offering services. The guesthouse I had in mind was a way out of town, I had to get a tuk-tuk.

With the driver in the front and his friend in the back they began the hard sell! I was weary and after a little bargaining I decided to head to his friends guest house: it was half the price of the other place I'd chosen! Then the safari selling started. This is why most people come here to "Tissa" - to see leopards, elephants etc. I kept saying no no no, telling them i'd been to the best place in the world on safari.

Got to the guesthouse and it was the tuk-tuk drivers friends birthday, and they were in the garden drinking Sri Lankan whiskey. I got invited to sit with them so I did, and they gave me some whiskey, and some delicious food and all was good, but the safari selling never stopped. "More whiskey!" they said and topped up my glass. I could now see where this was going so stopped with the whiskey. One by one they spoke to me about the safari options and I kept a strong defence. Then they asked me if I wanted to go to a foundation party: his friend has just finished the foundations on his new house. They asked me if I liked to have "fun". I said I didn't understand their meaning of fun, but had an idea after the tuk-tuk driver experience. Indeed they did mean sex. I said absolutely not in a man-on-man way and told them i'd had the same question asked the other day! They explained it's common here. I asked about the women and they said that they can't have fun: they're not allowed to drink - only "certain" women can drink.

At this point the tuk-tuk drivers brother turned up and asked if i wanted to go to a famous temple with him. I said yes and made a hasty exit from the ever increasing drunkardness. He was fine, and explained that he doesn't like some of his brothers friends. He did though try the safari sell and also asked if I wanted a lady for the evening! Wtf! I declined both! The temple was lovely, full with locals singing and dancing.

I'm now extremely weary of Sri Lankan men, either because they want to sell me something or  want to have "fun". I really don't want to feel like this, it's bloody annoying. Also the extreme hard sell completely put me off the safari, which I was actually considering.

The next morning I bumped into a few of the hungover friends, who again went on about the safari. Stewing over the whole situation in the night I'd become highly irritated and ignored them and went for a walk by one of the wetlands nearby. Apart from the occasional tuk-tuk driver trying to flog me a safari it was blissfully serene with an abundance of birdlife and insects. This cleared my head a lot.

On my way back to the guesthouse I got talking to a lady washing her clothes in the river. She was an artist and sold her paintings in France. She took me to her house, i met her husband and looked at her art. Very colourful people paintings, not my thing but good. She made me sweet tea, sweet onion and egg hoppers for breakfast. Lovely lady! I wish I could remember her name. I wrote it down, but washed the piece of paper in my shirt.

She completely cleared the frustration and I left to grab my bag before the (non-gay) brother and his (hairdresser) friend dropped me at the bus stop. That arm on the hip is a dead giveaway I'm sure!

Sri Lanka buses

I thought the bus drivers in India were insane but after riding local smoke-belching metal-monster buses down the Sri Lankan coast i'd say that these guys win. Wait at a bus stop and one comes screeching to walking pace and you jump in the back door - mid-jump the conductor shouts something that sounds like "alle alle" and the bus roars off again while you fight your way in to try and wedge yourself somewhere. The bus by now is at top speed and overtaking everything with 5 to 10 second blasts on the horn when approaching something. When i say overtaking I mean forcing cars on the other side off the road.. This seems perfectly acceptible to the person coming the other way. I don't have a particularly large self-preservation nodule but i feared for my life on several occasions. The funniest part is the absolute calm of the locals on the buses: men chatting, children laughing, grannies asleep!

The driver and conductor are a tight team. Barking commands up and down the bus: who's getting on who's getting off, waving arms when overtaking, collecting cash, choosing which Sri Lanka music to play on the big sound systems. The whole theatre is very interesting to watch.

The government buses are rickety old Tata buses, painted red. The private Leyland (slightly more expensive buses) are white and are totally customised as the driver/conductor team see fit. They're amazingly boasting: turbo injection, super-intercooler, express and all manner of flames, stickers and things hanging off the front. On the inside the seats and seat posts are patterned, the light fittings have trims, there's fancy curtains and Buddha items.My favourites are the absolutely fantastic flashing Buddha pictures with the Hindu gods flashing next to him. 

When the bus stops all manner of people jump on and make their way down the aisle selling their wares. Food and posters/maps are the main fayre but today a gnarly man with one arm got on and started banging a tambourine against his stump while humming. I liked him and gave him 20 rupees.

Once at the destination and on checking my limbs were intact I had to smile and acknowledge the driver as I leapt from the bus (still moving) Good work sir! Does Sri Lanka have a bus racing team? It should!

I love the buses here. These are definitely one of the highlights of the trip. You can get a real feel for the culture. 

Weherehenea, Sri Lanka

I didn't stay in Weherehenea. I literally had all of my worldly possessions with me as I was travelling from Mirissa to Tissamaharama. I'd read about this temple so hopped on the 349 bus in Matara and the friendly bus conductor informed me when to get off, or I would still be on the bus now i'm sure!

The temple was deserted apart from some Monks and a man cleaning the dome. Shoes off and a scorching barefoot walk into the concrete grounds (100 rupees) reveal the enormous sculpture.  Quite something! This is the biggest Buddha on the island at 50m, and that's in the sitting (meditation) pose! If I was to ever have a sculpture of me I would want it this size.

 

Another 200 rupees and you can walk down into the tunnels and up into the building surrounding the Buddha. It was nice and cool underground. Every inch of wall or corridor has a painting or sculpture of Buddha - you wouldn't forget even if you tried. Eventually you get under the giant Buddha and to the stairs to make your way up to the top, with various viewing platforms along the way to look at Buddha's various parts. I particularly like the feet, as sat in the lotus position.

At the top the view is fantastic. Not only of the Buddha and temple grounds, but the countryside in each direction. I took quite some time relaxing up here as there was no-one about. Lovely!

You can see all of the photo's here

One month down

Travelling for one month now. It's gone quickly. I'm obviously missing my family and friends. Travelling is pretty damn lonely at times, and even the people you meet in hostels are fleeting friends. I'm certainly missing my bed (not that I actually own one). The most I've slept in the same bed is 4 nights. I'm also missing rain (i've not seen rain since leaving England) and cheese.

Mosquito free sleep. I miss that LOTS! Little buggers nipping in the night. Where there's no mosquito net I've taken to sleeping in trousers and a jumper, with deet soaked hands. They don't normally attack my head but one did give me a lovely bite SLAP BANG in the centre of the forehead, it must've been in sheer annoyance at me lying there smug in my anti-mosquito outfit. But after being bitten 9 times on my left elbow the other night I'm almost numb to the itching now and I'm becoming quite a dab at catching them. My favourite is catching them inside the mosquito net, then getting in and torturing them! mwuhaha! No escape now you little sh*t.

My Pears soap has nearly gone. The replacement will be stolen soaps from more upper class places I've stayed. It's done well: washing a very sweaty me and all of my very sweaty clothes. It also helped me through the initial bout of botty squirts (as there's no toilet paper in India) but I will  forever now associate the smell of Pears soap with that function.

I've had one haircut and shave, in Pondicherry. I aim to have one in every country I visit.

80% of the time I'm living on around £10 a day. Catching characterful £1 buses, eating amazing street food (vegetable-chilli-egg-roti's = mouthwatering) for around £1 and staying in cheap accommodation when I can. I should hopefully be under the £5000 mark by six months down. Although at the time of writing this I'm sitting in a German bar in Arugam, which stocks a full compliment of expensively delicious imported beers! C'mon, there's only so much Lion or Kingfisher beer a man can take!

Sri Lanka - Colombo to Mirissa

A quick half-full flight from Chennai and i'm in Sri Lanka. The guide books tell of pollution, noise, hassle and scams. This is of course relative as I've just been in India: Colombo is sleepy town! Walking off the plane the heat difference is noticable and as soon as I get out of the terminal sweat literally runs from every pore. I've already lost a few kg's in India. If i lose 12 in total it makes up for the weight of my backpack and i'm neutral! (jokes)

I'll try not to make too many comparisons with India for obvious reasons but i will say that it's a cleaner, friendlier, more accessible alternative. Colombo has a city centre banking district, the streets have pavements (bliss) and there's even western style supermarkets, of which India has none.
I stayed in a beach hostel south of Colombo called Adikram. Cute hostel, i would recommend. There are 3 mixed dormatory rooms (sleeping naked not an option) and the rest of the place is the owners house. A quick jump over the busy train tracks and you're on the stunning empty beach. All the tourist resorts are further towards Colombo.

I was sharing my dorm with one other. A 70 year old (next birthday) spritely lady from Finland. She had been travelling since her husband died, and had pretty much done the whole world looking at some stat's she kept. She SMS'd her daughter every day to tell her she's ok still.
I went for a drink and some food with her one evening and i then realised that she likes a drink! I had to duck out after 2 (large) Lion beers as my tolerance has gone right down from not drinking. She had 3 Lions then wanted to go to a nightclub! (which never happened). 70 is the new 20 apparently.

Spent a day in Colombo getting hassled most of the time. People who just want to practice their English, and then take you to a shop, or ceremony. Constant "Hello!" from tuk-tuk drivers and guides wanting to show you the real Colombo. A beautiful sunset on the city promenade, where EVERYONE had gathered and food stalls had popped up from nowhere. Spoke to lots of genuine people, families would come over and say hi, wanting to know where you're from. Had a tandoori with two locals lads who were out looking for girls, but with no luck! I wished them luck and headed home. Thought about a bus but it was such a nice evening i did a Forrest Gump and just carried on, walking all the way home.

Caught a bus from Colombo to Galle and got off, expecting to find accomodation. Turns out there was a music festival on so i had to re-think and head further out: 16km further out. The only place i found was somewhere called the Lace Rock Cabanas. Walked in and no-one about. An elderly Indian man asleep on the floor woke up and through broken English I ended up in a room. No passport taken, no money or anything. The Cabana was right on the beach, with booming crashing waves and palm trees it was lovely, but it was dead. I have no idea if anyone else were in any other rooms. I left and got the bus to Galle to check out the Dutch fort and old town: very beautiful. Got back to the Cabanas and still no-one about. Went to bed. Got up and still no-one about! Decided to (after finding someone) pay and leave then head further down the coast, this place was soul less. Don't go here!

Next stop Mirissa. Incredibly picturesque surfing beach with lovely restaurants dotted up and down the palm fringed shores. Found a room for a great price, in the back room of this lovely family home.
I wanted to surf but looking at the enormous break (about 0.5km offshore) i decided against it. The shore break was hectic itself, some waves looming over you and booming down onto the beach. I love it and spent most of the first day getting thrown at the beach by the waves then chilling with a curry under a palm tree.
There's not much social here. No dormatories and all couples or friends. Had fleeting conversations with people at the cafe's but people aren't interested in making friends when they already have their friends here!

Went whale spotting. This part of Sri Lanka is on the migration route and they come here to feed. Of course as soon as someone realised this multiple companies were created, fishing boats converted into whale spotters and tourists pay a bomb! That is unless you're staying in my room! The father could get great rates, almost half of what some people paid on the same boat and I was told not to tell the other tourists about this.
Me, a portly Italian chap and four mid-twenties French girls had the top "luxury" platform, with comfy mats on the floor and a better view. Down below were the people that paid a wedge. After a 1 hour ride out we spotted two blue whales in the distance and we raced over but their tails were in the air and they dived down. Twently minutes later up again for air then the HUGE tails in the air and down. Quite incredible creatures, the size is bewildering. To think animals so big are just cruising about down there gobbling plankton. After a few more viewings our driver heads back, much to the disgust of a Russian chap who starts raising his voice to stay longer, even pushing our driver. The other Sri Lankan men hanging about (there's always some hanging about) bunched up and the Russian man shut up.
I have a new favourite thing. On the way back we spotted flying fish. Wow, these guys can fly fast! Skimming the water and plopping back in. I'm maybe going to have some of these when i get a flat but i'm not sure on the logistics. Maybe two tanks, one either side of the room so they can fly between. I will need to think about this more.

One tuk-tuk journey i took the driver seemed nervous. He kept looking at me in his mirror. Eventually he asked me if i wanted to go for a beer. I said no, i want to get back. Silent for a few minutes he then said "sir, do not take this wrong. Do you want sex?" Assuming i misheard over the noisy tuk-tuk i said "sorry?" He repeated. I said "No. I don't like men in that way. I like women!". He seemed pretty embassased by asking and I told him it's fine, don't worry, there's nothing wrong with being gay, but of course it's not the done thing in Sri Lanka and he begins to tell me that he's married, his wife is 6 months pregnant and he does not get sex at the moment. A this point we arrived. Dumbstruck and unsure what to say I just thanked him for the ride!