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After 5 nights in the very impressive Colombo, it was time to move on. We had a month to play with in Sri Lanka, so there was no need to rush inland. This provided ample opportunity to head down the coast, see a few places there and visit what will be the final beaches of the entire 8-month trip. Despite floating the idea of visiting Bentota, I decided that Hikkaduwa and Galle were to be the next places added to the itinerary. Hikkaduwa offered beaches in a small town setting. Galle is more of a city, one that I thought was too major to just pass through. It was time to experience a Sri Lankan train journey firsthand and make the two-hour journey south to Hikkaduwa.

Hikkaduwa

After learning that a second-class ticket in Sri Lanka gets you nothing more than the opportunity to stand next to a more comfortable seat, we arrived. We did get to sit for about 20 minutes before we reached Hi The ticket did cost us less than €1 each, so I couldn’t complain. My first impressions of Hikkaduwa were exactly what I expected it to be. A small beachside town, where all the activity is centered around the main road. After a very mediocre hostel in Colombo, Ayesha Guesthouse was a dream come true. It was a small house with just two rooms on the same grounds as the incredible owner’s home. As it was low season, my girlfriend and I would be the only people staying there. The whole house to ourselves. Perfect!

We had to walk a short distance into the town from our accommodation. The town was littered with small restaurants, souvenir shops, and travel agents, many of which were closed or rarely open at this time of year. The surprising thing about Hikkaduwa was that a large percentage of the tourists there were Russian. So much so, that many signs and some menus were translated for them. Apart from Nha Trang in Vietnam, I don’t know of another place where this happens. The few nights in Hikkaduwa were nice and relaxed. We didn’t do a whole lot. The high tide meant that the beach was covered in water most of the day, perfect if you like to surf. Our time was spent in cafés and restaurants overlooking the sea, rather than on the sand.

We did visit a turtle hatchery. It was quite small but offered us an opportunity to learn about the work that they do. We were told that locals dig up eggs on the beaches with the intention of either eating them or selling them. This was quite shocking to hear. The hatchery has had to buy the eggs back in order to save them. Apart from that, we spent our few days drinking coffee and beer, eating Kotthu and Roti (The two cheapest foods readily available in the town), and enjoying having the house to ourselves.

Galle

It was time to move on from the small town of Hikkaduwa. 20km down the road was another city waiting for us, Galle. Definitely not as big and crazy as certain parts of Colombo were, Galle still had its fair share of hustle and bustle. Tourists come here for one main reason though, Galle Fort. This is a quiet haven in the center of the city. Barely any cars or bikes drive the streets inside the Fort, making it perfect for pedestrians. Unfortunately, we quickly learned that prices are at a premium inside the Fort. As is always the case, the more tourists there are, the more you will have to pay for everything.

We checked into our accommodation, Reliqua Galle, larger than Ayesha but still quite a personal guest house. It was a little further away from the Fort than we had hoped for though. It took about 30 minutes to walk to the Fort on a busy road. The first night we chilled out, ate at the hostel, and planned to make the walk the second day. The Fort was great to see and it was so peaceful to walk around. Outside it was the craziness of Sri Lanka but inside, it offered an escape from all that madness. There are a number of shops, cafés, and restaurants. Tea, gelato, souvenirs, clothes, and pretty much anything that tourists tend to buy were sold there. Restaurant prices were very high but that was to be expected. There is not much activity happening in the Fort itself, so if you are not eating, there is no need to spend more than a few hours there. We did however finally find some of the famous Hoppers, something I had heard so much about before visiting Sri Lanka. They certainly didn’t disappoint us and made for a really tasty breakfast.

The last day, one that was possibly a day too many in Galle was much the same. I did give in to the temptation and buy some Gelato, there are only so many times I could say no. The highlight, however, on a scorching hot day, was the meal at Lucky Fort Restaurant. It consisted of 10 different types of curry, rice, and some poppadoms. As expected, eating inside the fort, cost considerably more than a normal meal in Sri Lanka. It set us back 1800Rs between two people, but we did leave stuffed. As pricey as it was, it was worth every penny. I have to say thank you to Becky over at www.treasuredtravels.co.uk whose blog post made me keen to eat there. The day wasn’t too exciting apart from that though. I was sure that I had spent long enough in Galle and it was time to move on.

A Word of Warning

In Galle, along with what seems like most of Sri Lanka, scams seem to be very frequent. There is always somebody trying to get your attention, throwing out random facts about your Country, in an attempt to make you interested in what they have to say. In Galle, I experienced my favorite one yet. Leaving the fort, we were approached by an elderly gentleman. He had a look on his face as if he had just seen a long-lost friend. He pointed at us, smiling, and said that he saw us eating dinner last night. His grin widened with every word, he asked us how was our meal. Very animated, he pointed at himself a few times before proclaiming that he was the cook. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing in front of him, before politely walking away. I didn’t expect it at all. I’m sure that if we entertained him for just a second he was going to ask us for a tip of some sort. I don’t know who falls for these tricks but it amuses me that they must work the odd time. Why else would they persist with them?

Where To Next?

Hikkaduwa was a great stop between the two cities. Galle, as nice as it was, didn’t need three nights. The second full day was slightly monotonous. It was definitely worth the visit though, and I am glad we went. Next up is Mirissa, another beach town south of Galle. This will be the last bit of sand that we see on this trip. After four nights of lazing on the beach, (we hope!), it will be time to move inland. Our plan is to head up into the hills and into tea country, visiting Ella, Kandy, and Sigiriya. These are three places that promise to offer a very different experience from what we have seen so far in Sri Lanka. The temperatures there might also help prepare us for our imminent return to Europe. But for now, the most pressing issue is chilling on the beach in Mirissa, hopefully maxing out our tans.

To read more about my time in Sri Lanka click here. Alternatively, you can read my Sri Lanka Travel Guide by clicking here.

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The Roaming Irishman

roamingirishman@gmail.com

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