After a couple of visits to the sub-continent craziness that is India I was looking forward to a gentler version in Sri Lanka. Often called "India for beginners" Sri Lanka gives you the quintessential experience without the mind blowing hassle factor!
Colombo certainly lived up to that - a nice mix of colonial architecture, cool places to eat and drink and a bit of noise, heat and dust thrown in to complete the picture
From Galle I moved along the coast, spending a few days at a Street Dog Sanctuary - see my post here...
Sri Lanka Veterinary Experiences
....after that it was beach time...
The south coast of Sri Lanka is well known for it's wonderful beaches and good surf. I had already found out a few years ago that I'm not nearly bendy or flexible enough to be a surfer so it was laying on the beach watching others do it!
There was lots of other interest too with the Stick Fishermen, Sea Eagles (they caught far more than the stick fishermen!) and the wonderful sight of a turtle laying her eggs in the sand.
As I mentioned this coastline was badly affected by the Boxing Day Tsunami - a devastating blow for a country that was in the middle of a civil war. Recovery from both these events has taken place and now Sri Lanka is rightly taking it's place as one of the world's must see places...
Another great reason to visit here is the food - not quite on a par with India but pretty close! Amazing street markets and good quality restaurants make eating here a pleasure
Sri Lanka is a country of immense scenic variety - 3 or 4 hours on a bus took me into the hill country.
While all the other tourists hiked back down the mountain I decided to follow the locals on the railway track..Fortunately the trains are...
1. Infrequent! 2. Very slow! 3. And you can hear the horn from miles away!
I pushed on from Kandy towards the ancient cities of Sri Lanka - Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa. These are like mini Angkor Wats - the ruined temples of the ancient Sri Lankan civilisations of 1000 years ago .
Below getting my temple fix at Sigiriya....
Thoroughly "templed out" I headed where not many tourists go...Jaffna.
For many years a stronghold of the Tamil Tigers and up until a few years ago a no-go area for tourists. The 25 year civil war ended in 2009 but only in 2015 were tourists allowed back into the area.Even now some areas are still off limits...
My moped on the roof of the ferry across to the islands!
After Jaffna I headed back down the coast to the airport - it had been great trip round this friendly little island still finding it's way back from the adversities of war and natural disasters - go there soon before everyone finds out!
Colombo certainly lived up to that - a nice mix of colonial architecture, cool places to eat and drink and a bit of noise, heat and dust thrown in to complete the picture
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| Bustling Colombo - when all the heavy loads get too much you can always sleep in the back of the van! |
The sub-continent is all about vibrant colours - no pastels here! - and that extends to the transportation!
Like India the train is the lifeblood of Sri Lankan transportation. As you can see from the pictures not everyone gets a seat!
Like India the train is the lifeblood of Sri Lankan transportation. As you can see from the pictures not everyone gets a seat!
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| Room for one more...?!! My next destination was the coastal town of Galle on the south coast. An impressive Colonial Portuguese fortified town - when the terrible tsunami hit this coast in 2004 the old town was untouched - protected by those 400 year old walls - those builders knew a thing or two.. |
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Galle from the air
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| Scenes around Galle Town |
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| Buddhist Stupas and Paddy fields seen while biking in the south |
Sri Lanka Veterinary Experiences
....after that it was beach time...
The south coast of Sri Lanka is well known for it's wonderful beaches and good surf. I had already found out a few years ago that I'm not nearly bendy or flexible enough to be a surfer so it was laying on the beach watching others do it!
There was lots of other interest too with the Stick Fishermen, Sea Eagles (they caught far more than the stick fishermen!) and the wonderful sight of a turtle laying her eggs in the sand. |
| Turtle heading back to the ocean after laying her eggs in the sand - we watched for an hour while she popped her eggs out ... you can see the depression in the sand where she lay |
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| Hauling in the nets early evening on Sri Lanka's southern coast |
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| Top : Amazing dosas in Jaffna - Left: Prawn fritters on the seafront Colombo Right : Dried fish in the markets |
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| Markets at the top and below typical Sri Lankan breakfast of Fish Curry, Egg Hoppers and String Hoppers - no need for lunch after that lot! |
Sri Lanka is a country of immense scenic variety - 3 or 4 hours on a bus took me into the hill country.
My first stop was the cool little town of Ella. Touristy but cute with lots of nice little cafes and bars. I pulled on my fleece for the first time in a month - it was a good 15 degrees cooler than the coast!
In the colonial days the British would come up here to cool off The area has beautiful mountains to hike and peaceful tea plantations to walk through.
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| I made a hike up to the Ella Gap viewpoint |
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| Just out for a walk but the helpful guy who gave me directions wanted to sell me land and get me married to one of his daughters...! Such is Sri Lanka! |
1. Infrequent! 2. Very slow! 3. And you can hear the horn from miles away!
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| Top : Carrying wood for cooking along the line... Right : Railway workers oiling the tracks... |
The British may have brought colonialism but they also brought tea - a major economy here and it makes for a beautiful hike. As you can see the women do all the work with the men "overseeing"...
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| Lots of wildlife on view here in Ella - just a few of the creatures who crossed my path - the snake was non-venomous but I didn't find that out 'til later! |
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| An endemic problem in Asia is litter - this picture just about sums up the attitude ... |
Further up the railway line was the town of Nuwara Eliya - locally known as "Little England" - another former colonial Hill Station - sadly though very little remains to connect to the British time apart from a couple of overgrown churchyards .
The major draw here is Horton Plains National Park with it's wonderful scenery over the "World's End" Escarpment
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| Top: Dawn at Horton Plains Bottom : View from World's End |
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| Nuwara Eliya town - a mix of Hindu temples, English churchyards and sleepy dogs... |
It was then all aboard for the "Slow Train to Kandy"....20 km an hour but when the scenery is this good you really don't mind.
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| Everything is very "Old School" here... from the departure board to the toilets! Oh and they let you dangle your feet out the carriage as you trundle along... |
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| Often mentioned as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world...can you see why? :-) |
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| Cool Aussie run backpackers! |
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| Entry is free for monkeys... |
Love temples and getting close to Buddha? Then head to Polonnaruwa...
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| No selfies with Buddha in the background here...yes people do actually do that! |
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| Cycling around Polonnaruwa was lovely but get home before dusk! |
Sri Lanka has stunning rural scenery - a great place for hiking or travelling round by bike or moped...
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| Paddy Field and Lakes |
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| Agriculture old style - ploughing the land with oxen... |
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| Water buffalo are seen everywhere with their little tick eating Egret friends... |
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| Cold beers are always good after a long hike! |
For many years a stronghold of the Tamil Tigers and up until a few years ago a no-go area for tourists. The 25 year civil war ended in 2009 but only in 2015 were tourists allowed back into the area.Even now some areas are still off limits...
The civil was ended in very shadowy circumstances - with human rights atrocities on both sides- (the Government Pro Buddhist Army and the Hindu Tamil Tiger Resistance
Both sides had little regard for human life - the Tamil Tigers recruiting child soldiers and the Government bombing civilian "No Fire" zones No one has come to justice yet despite UN resolutions and although there is peace here one senses it is uneasy...
Both sides had little regard for human life - the Tamil Tigers recruiting child soldiers and the Government bombing civilian "No Fire" zones No one has come to justice yet despite UN resolutions and although there is peace here one senses it is uneasy...
The conflict has left the area with quite a poor infrastructure so travel and tourism is still evolving. No tourists...just the way I like it!
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| Battle scarred buildings are common on the Jaffna peninsula |
I stayed in a traditional Sri Lankan homestay and the host Jonathon told us fascinating stories of his experiences in the civil war. How his family hid from both the Tamil and Government forces, how they had to search for food trying to avoid soldier patrols and the loss of neighbours and friends during the conflict
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Buddhist temples (left) and Hindu temples (right) a few hundred metres apart on one of Jaffna's islands |
Hindu temple rules are pretty strict!
Jaffna is a busy Sri Lankan city but the evidence of conflict is still there on bullet ridden walls... I headed out into the countryside over the huge causeways to the islands on the peninsula. There were many bombed out buildings but also gentler sights such as fishermen and flamingoes..
My moped on the roof of the ferry across to the islands!
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| Jaffna is a great place to grow coconuts - these are the husks being taken for processing |
After Jaffna I headed back down the coast to the airport - it had been great trip round this friendly little island still finding it's way back from the adversities of war and natural disasters - go there soon before everyone finds out!
Wandervet
