Unawatuna is a beachy area that Rehan recommended, though it's so close to Galle we didn't really need to book a different place to stay. We take a tuk to our new guest house from the centre of Galle. When we arrive, a pretty huge iguana is trundling down the track. The tuk driver has to chase him down the drive and into the garden. Every time I walk through from now on, I try and spot Iggy again so I can get a picture but he does not reappear. After a bit of confusion with the room (we seem to have booked two rooms...) we get upgraded to a slightly nicer room with a view and a fridge.
We head out and explore Unawatuna. The beach, the central focus point, is beautiful. It's populated with restaurants and bars which each have tables and chairs, and loungers, out on the beach front. We walk around in the scorching midday heat until finally deciding to have some lunch at a place right where we started near the guest house. Inclined to 'do something' we ask about taking a boat ride around the place. It's a little pricey at 3000 rupees (about 15 pounds) but it turns out to be very cool. The sea is pretty rough here and so it occasionally feels like we're going to capsize. I hold on to my camera fr dear life. We then stop for a drink on a lounger, and I decide it's time to take a plunge in the Indian Ocean. Making sure I'm no-where near the boats I jump into the cool water and begin swimming towards some pretty large waves. This lasts a knackering 20 minutes before I let myself get swept back to shore. We chill out on the loungers for a little longer before heading back to the guest house.
There's one thing we've been told we must check out here - The Japanese Peace Pagoda. These are large monuments modelled after the 'stupa' that can be found in Buddhist temples, but on a much larger scale. There are around 90 in the world, and this one was built during the civil war here as a symbol of peace. We ask a tuk driver to take us up the hillside to get there. The tuk struggles but makes it. Our driver is very friendly and walks around with us, telling us a few interesting facts. We just manage to catch the sunset on top of the hill. I also take some pictures of Galle. Our driver then has some more ideas of places to take us. We agree to go to a spice garden. When we get there, we're given a list of products they make there and ask if we want to try anything. Awkwardly I ask if we can just walk around the gardens. We get a small tour around and get to smell and taste some spices, but our tour inevitably ends back in the shop. When prompted, we give a small donation for the tour then head back into town. We finish the day with a candle-lit dinner on the beach.
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| Peace pagoda. Looks small in this pic, isn't |
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| Clouds try to thwart my photography efforts once again |
Galle and Unwatuna are both really nice place, if a little touristy. I'm no travelling hipster (yet) but when it's a struggle to find traditional Sri Lankan cuisine it's a problem. Food is one of the things I was most excited about for this trip! Most places here will have one 'Traditional Sri Lankan Curry and Rice' dish, and the rest will be Western, Chinese, etc. I've tried to stick to course (so to speak) but I can't be having the same thing for lunch and dinner every day.
The next day we know will be a struggle. We're travelling from Unawatuna to Kandy. On a map of Sri Lanka this may seem fairly simple, but direct trains from Galle to Kandy are sparse so we have to go via Colombo. Getting back to Colombo was fine but the next stage was a bit harder. We were told to get reservations from Colombo to Kandy but we forgot, and when we get there we find only 3rd class is available. We considered this but thought we'd check in with a tourist information places beforehand. The gent there recommended getting the bus, which after a bit of food we did.
The coaches here have an extra seat that folds out into the aisle, making each row 5 seats. whilst this is an effective use of space it makes for a slightly claustropobic ride. Moreover, the journey is long and, truth be told, a bit boring (I've never been able to read on a road vehicle). When we get to Kandy it's dark. We get a tuc to our new guest house, but when we get there there's no sign or anything. We ring the bell and a young lad asks me if I'm Heidi Scott. He lets us in and takes us to our room downstairs. Our guest house is clearly underneath a family home. after settling in, we head our for some food. We're knackered so we go to the first place we see which is a restuarent attached to a hotel. I ordered the chop suey and half of my clearly instant noodles were uncooked. Hallfway through eating there's a sudden thud - a lizard had dropped from the ceiling to the floor. This was a culnary experience to remember for all the wrong reasons.
Kandy is Sri Lanka's second biggest city and is perhaps most well known for the Sacred Temple of the Tooth - where one of the Buddha's teeth is kept. We've since found out that there are multiple temples that make this claim - the one in Singapore claims it's the same tooth and the origin is identical. But I digress.
When we arrive we're greeted by a spritely young man who introduces himself as a tour guide. He asks if we would like him to take him round. I don't feel as if we've learnt much on our trip so far, so we take him up on it. He turns out to be well worth it. He takes us round and teaches us about the origin of the tooth, a little about the temple and a little on Buddhism in general. The tooth is kept in a golden casket, which is kept enclosed within it's own little chamber and only brought out for special occasions. I wonder how many tourists complain that they don't see the tooth (we read ahead so our expectations were managed). After the tour, our guide tells us about a cultural dance show that happens every night, and he shows us where we can buy tickets.
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| Nearby monastery |
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| Outside the temple |
We have some lunch (more curry and rice) then decide to head to Kandy's tea museum. We take a tuk up the mountain path and have a fairly interesting tour around the converted tea factory. It ends with a cuppa which is nice. On the way down from the mountain the tuk driver doesn't start his engine and coasts for quite a while. Another example of Sri Lankan efficiency. A few minutes later he asked me "Do you like Tuk driving"?" At first I assumed he was asking if I enjoyed the mode of transport, but he was actually offering for me to drive the tuk. I'm not one to let opportunities to pass up, so I hop in the front seat next to him. He retains the control of the break, which was probably wise given that we were on a winding mountain road, and I controlled the acceleration and gears (both controlled at the handlebars). It was pretty great despite the fact I couldn't go too fast. After I clearly demonstrated I didn't understand the gears, he gestured it was time to stop. He said I was a good driver but I suspect he was just being polite.
The last thing we did in Kandy was the cultural dance show, in the city hall. There are several different performances including plate spinning, etc, but the thing I (and, I suspect, most people) was anticipating most was fire walking outside the hall, which happened last. I have some great clips of the performers breathing fire then gingerly treading over the hot coals. I can't currently upload videos on here but I will see if I can in the future. After the performance, we grab some 'short-eats' (Sri Lankan pastries) and head back to the hotel. We have an early start to get back to Colombo, so we hit the hay early.
Our journey back to Colombo was a far pleasant one, as we had managed to book first class back in Kandy. We go straight back to Rehan's and decide to have a quiet one to recuperate. We both have an afternoon nap and only head out in the evening. I'm a little tired of curry and rice so I ask for Rehan for a recommendation for somewhere to have a good burger - he says "Sugar Bistro". There I have a burger appropriately entitled the 'Big Daddy".
Next stop: Singapore!
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