Sorry it's been so long between emails - we spent much of the last couple of weeks in Sri Lanka enjoying some spectacular beaches, so internet cafes just couldn't compete!
When I last wrote we were about to take a train from Nuwara Eliya (the peculiarly British town in the hills) to Ella (a spectacular, much more Sri Lankan village). We thought the trains couldn't get any slower - but it turns out the train we were on that day was a goods train - the trip was only about 50km - five hours later, after delivering mail and packages at every two bit town in the hills, we finally chugged in to Ella, just as the mist started rolling in for the night.
The next day, accompanied by three dogs from our guesthouse, we did a great walk up to Ella Rock, which was a couple of hours away and has amazing views across the mountains (and apparently down to the coast on a clear day) - although the last half hour of the walk was more like a mad scramble through fairly thick bushland, straight uphill. What made our huffing, puffing and cursing worse was that the local youth group were also doing the walk - girls in saris and thongs seemed to be able to walk gracefully up the mountain without raising a sweat!
If that wasn't bad enough, that particular day was the monthly Poya Day (a religious day, and a public holiday - but most importantly for us, a day when no alcohol is served!!) - after that walk, we were definitely in need of a beer or two. Luckily we found a little cafe that had decided rupees were more important than religion. So there we were, sitting in this little two dog town (population: about 150 people and 400 dogs) - and what comes blasting over the stereo but the Hilltop Hoods - one of those very bizarre moments when you are almost at home - but so far away!
After Ella, we hired a driver to take us down to the coast (there'd been a bit of trouble with the Tamil Tigers on the road we needed to travel on, so we decided the buses just weren't worth the risk). We did the usual thing and had a quick squizz of the Lonely Planet to pick somewhere to stay in Tangalle - you can imagine our horror then, when we arrived at this remote place, and found out it had transformed itself into a yoga retreat - and most horrifyingly, didn't serve beer!
Luckily we found out that the next bay around was home to Sri Lanka's most expensive resort (Amanwela, where every bungalow has its own pool, and where rooms go for up to US$800 a night!) - we swam at their beach, drank beer at their bar - and then headed home to our little zen like room (our beer o'clock meant we'd missed meditation hour!).
From there, we basically beach hopped our way back to Colombo. The four beaches we stayed at were all equally spectacular - turquoise water, white sand, coral, shells, palm trees, sunshine, fresh seafood, cheap beer - it really was paradise (some of which cost just $11 a night!!!).
The south coast of Sri Lanka was really badly affected by the tsunami, and much of the damage is still visible. Lots of washed away houses that have been abandoned, schools still using outdoor classrooms while new buildings are completed, some families still living in really ramshackle treehouse camps, and the carriages of the train that was swept away, just lying by the side of the track.
Of course, for all of the tragic stories from the tsunami, there are also so many great ones:
- we met an English couple who had been holidaying at Unawatuna Beach with some friends - and, having had a few too many beers on Christmas Day, had arranged to have a lie in, and a much later brunch with their friends than usual on Boxing Day. Luckily, they were staying on the top floor of a guesthouse - the first they knew of the tsunami was being woken by people climbing up onto their balcony from below (they still maintain a hangover may have saved their lives!). Unfortunately their friends had decided to go for an early morning walk - and were caught in the thick of the waves - and missing. After two days of helping to bury the dead, this couple had just packed their friends' belongings to send back to family in the UK - when miraculously, the missing couple made it back to the guesthouse - they had been swept a long way, but had survived.
- in Mirissa, we met Geeth, a local teenager who worked at our $11 a night guesthouse. He very proudly showed us his surfboard, and told us it was given to him by some French friends. Turns out, he was working on that Boxing Day morning. The French family were staying at the guesthouse, and the Dad had headed a few bays around for a surf. His wife and toddlers were on the beach in front of the guesthouse when the first wave came. The wife (understandably) freaked out, ran back to the room with the kids and shut the door - not realising she was effectively trapping them. Luckily, Geeth came to the rescue, was able to open the door, grab the kids and help them run inland to safety. Luckily the Dad also survived - and the family regularly return to Mirissa - and do what they can to thank Geeth, who was a really reluctant hero.
Of course, no Julie adventure abroad would be complete without some sort of little mishap - this time, it happened by the beach in Unawatuna. The guesthouses there are built almost right over the beach - the waves almost crash into the ground floor rooms. Our guesthouse was raised up a little bit, and had this set of about 8 really steep concrete steps leading down to the beach - the steps had been twisted up a fair bit in the tsunami. So, I'm heading down to the beach - one step, two steeps - boom, boom, boom all the way to the bottom. I now have bruise on my left butt cheek the size of a small Pacific Island nation. And just like that, my grand plans to sunbake in a g-string vanished (I'm joking of course!). The bright purple bruise did cause some raised eyebrows on my next few massages though!
After being beach bums for a week or so, we headed to Galle, an beautiful old fort town, which is world heritage listed - and as well as being home to a great mix of Sinhalese and Muslim families - is now also home to lots of English investment bankers who are buying up the gorgeous Dutch houses and restoring them. We stayed at the Galle Fort Hotel, a renovated boutique hotel, restored by an Aussie guy and his Malaysian boyfriend - this was serious five star luxury - although remarkably, the routine didn't change too much (massage, swim, cocktails) - the price tag was just much bigger!
We squeezed in one final beach (Hikkaduwa) before taking one final train journey back to Colombo, where we stayed at the Galle Face Hotel (the one we'd visited previously, complete with two towers of armed guards and the slightly worrying patrol boat).
We spent our last couple of days doing what the expats do - eating amazing food, drinking, and shopping like demons for homewares and clothes - which we did so well, we had some serious excess baggage to bring home (including four beautiful leather butterfly chairs, which weigh about 35kg!).
So, sadly, it's home time - and back to work tomorrow to start paying for all that shopping!
