Surfin' in Sri Lanka-November 2019
One thing we have learned is we LOVE traveling to Buddhist countries. You can’t beat the genuine smiles and helpful gestures of the Buddhist folks. I think that Sri Lanka may be one of those island nations that is often overlooked in Asia. It is the "teardrop of India" It has incredible beauty, varied biodiversity, and is super kind.
After traveling from the Maldives where the feel is less than welcome, we were rewarded with the mindful residents who call Sri Lanka their home. The beaches are not crystal clear waters like the magical Maldivian Islands, but they have friendly faces, and welcoming gestures, out of this world landscape that has a very diverse range from mountains, jungle, beaches, city, and small mountain towns. We did it all, in nearly a month. We would have stayed longer but……..we both got kinda hungry.
Our Destinations:
Willagama (Beach)
Marissa (Beach)
Hickadua(Beach)
Ella (Mountain Town) Kandy (City)
Colombo (Airport)
November 2019 We flew into Colombo and it was super late at night. We prearranged our pick-up and stayed in a small family Inn. The next morning we were starving and devoured the breakfast offered by the local family. They hired a private ride for us to the coast town of Willagama where we would continue to surf.
The food was certainly not our favorite part of the country, but the rest of the experience kept us there for a month. We were there to continue to practice surf basics we learned in the Maldives and we were able to accomplish that. We liked the beach towns but ended up loving the small mountain villages just as much. As we were there it became less and less about the ocean.
WILLAGAMA-Southern Coast
This is a backpacker paradise. The accommodations are affordable, there are surf camps on the beach, and the golden yellow sand sweeps the bay in this Southern Coastal town. It isn't the most beautiful beach and water but it was perfect for new surfers. There were "stilt fishermen" who sat on tall sticks in the water.
I guess you can’t have a home run in every category when you visit a foreign country. The cuisine in Sir Lanka was not getting top honors in our book. Thankfully our first week we stayed at a darling guest house run by a fantastic Lebanese couple who knows how to rock the kitchen. After hanging out and learning more about Lebanon, we hope our PMA leads us there.
Yes, our boards were big, but you have to start somewhere. We had an instructor in the Maldives, and I pretty much decided I wasn't going to pursue the adventure but loved watching Brett continue his journey.
It is a total body workout, not a leisurely beach activity. I will never hear the words "paddle, paddle, paddle again and not think of surfing.
And he is up! You don't need to be a pro to learn to get up and catch a wave. You do need to to a good swimmer and comfortable in the water and with crashing waves.
This area was sandy and unassuming great for learning. The Maldives had sharp rock coastlines that made it much more intimidating.
We loved our darling Inn in Willagama where the Lebanese hosts treated us like royalty. It was low season, and there were very few other guests there. They cooked and cooked tabbouleh – Parsley Bulgur Salad, Fattoush – Pita Salad. ... Labneh – Creamy Yoghurt, Spread-Hummus – Chickpea Dip Muhammara – Roasted Red Pepper Dip and Veg Manakish. We did get daily homemade bread from the local bread truck. The truck was a large tuck-tuck that played the techno version of "St Mariglesae" and high-decibel, ear-piercing volumes.
Next Stop-- Marissa , Southern Coast
Sticking on the southern coast, we got in a Tuck-Tuck and headed to Marissa Beach. We loved our local family Inn the Turtle Reef Guest House. We stayed right on the beach and we did see quite a few turtles when we snorkeled. This area is known for its whale migration, but unfortunately it was not the season when we were there.
Perera, our host was so accomodating all week. It was amazing that we
didn't speak any common language and got along just fine.
There were monkeys on the neighboring roof every morning that we enjoyed
while we had our fruit breakfast and coffee that was nearly not drinkable. It is however the land of tea, so we will give them that one.
Heading North--HICKADUA BEACH
We negotiated a rate for a cab to drive north to a beach which had quite a bit more excitement. We enjoyed some of the craziest roof top yoga classes we had ever experienced. The instructor was the most intense English guy. He wasn't trying to be outlandish, but he was and he had us in stitches.
As you can see the hosts were loving, and so kind. The sunsets were beautiful. The accommodations were simple, very good value and close to if not on the beaches. They all had pools and a super warm buddhist greeting.
The photo gallery tells the story of the PMA experience we rocked while traveling there. It is always about the people, you can’t find a particular exception to this rule. If ya don’t have cool folks to share their culture with you, ya aint got nothin’.
Off to the Mountains--Darling Ella Town
Treacherous Terrain, but we Made it.
In our travels, there are times when we feel a bit unsafe, but rarely times when we feel seriously frightened. Our 9-hour transfer from the beach to the mountain town of Ella was one of those times.
It wasn't the entire 9 hours, only the last 4 with the muddy mountainous roads when our driver didn't know where he was going. It wasn't that we had been in a small van alone with a non-English speaking nice gent for numerous hours who didn't know where he was at, it was more the narrow slippery mountain mud roads without rail guards that turned our stomachs. At one point Brett leaned over and told me under no circumstance should I look over to the left.
Ya, you had to be there, I wanted to walk. We both had to use as much of our practiced breathing and calmness we could muster. We both jumped and ran out of the van when we saw the sign for Ella. Ahhh, but Ella was a dream. We absolutely loved the tea growing mountain jungle town that greeted us with open arms.
This was one of our favorite local families who hosted us. It is amazing looking back that none of the hosts spoke any English but the experience was more than fabulous. We spoke very little English the entire month we were there. All the accommodations were run by local families. You weren't in their house but in a house on their property.
Train Ride from Ella to Kandy
Some people come to Sri Lanka simply for the experience of the train ride from Ella to Kandy. It was a memorable experience that will be up there in our top experiences of all times.
Facts and Get to Know:
Sir Lankans don't like to be referred to as "Indians", they are their own country
There isn't a lot of English spoken by local folks
The local language is Sinhala, Indo-Aryan language
Sri Lankans eat with their hands, this is a tough one for westerners to get past
Roti, a very salty rice dish is common. They do cook with curry
The dollar goes a long way here, the general population is poor by US standards
They treat tourists so well, some of the best people we have ever met
It is all about TEA. The tea fields are beautiful and plentiful throughout the central region
There are a ton of waterfalls that power the country with hydropower plants
We have not been to India, but a lot of travelers consider Sri Lanka as "India Lite"
Final Stop. The bustling town of Kandy. Our family-run Inn was a 3rrd generation-wealthy group of Sri Lankans who had a fantastic setup for their Inn located on the family homestead. It was the edge of Kandy and you felt like you were in the jungle. We loved the monkeys, walking to town, and chilling out visiting with other travelers who had also recently had the train ride experience.
Truth be told, we left because WE WERE HUNGRY. The food was not so great here. We thought it was bland, fried, nearly cold and super salty. We didn't complain one bit because the experience way outweighed our desire for something we loved.
It was a wonderful month, we had so much diversity in the types of places we stayed, the landscape, and the activities. We went from surfing and hanging with a lot of young ethnic backpack travelers in the surf towns to local community mountain towns to the city of Kandy.
If you are an adventure traveler who likes to seriously experience local people living and doing their deal while hosting you with the most generous and kind touch, put this one on your list---we are certainly glad we did.