February 2012

Day 143: Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka 20/02/2012

Awake at half five to a mysterious knock at the door. Some local guy is looking for the weird Australian guys staying here. Out on the side of the road before 6am, and on the bus for ten past. Meet a guy from Wakefield on his way to Colombo to meet his girlfriend from the airport. Change at Monoragalam for the Colombo bus. On the way to Colombo we pass a National Park, where we see about twenty elephants! A very hot, busy, sweaty journey is made all the better by a local guy telling us about the much quicker, easier route we should have taken to reach our destination.

Change at Colombo for the journey along the coast, which given the length of the day seems to take forever! Twelve hours after leaving, we arrive back in Hikkaduwa, find a half decent room at a decent price and have an early night. We are not sure we wanted to leave Arugam Bay after all!

Day 144: Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka 21/02/2012

After a good(ish) night's sleep (the room is VERY hot due to the faulty, pedestrian paced fan and loud because of the noisy main road) we head for breakfast next door before (sigh) heading for another long, arduous day at the beach. Taking care in the sun (after our last experiences here...) I hire a surfboard for the day and take to the ocean waves, man. My previous two days' experience stand me in good stead and I catch a few waves, managing to stand up and ride to the beach a few times.

We have lunch at a Starbucks rip off called Starbeans, where all the merchandise and cups, plates, etc. has the ripped off Starbucks logo adorned all over it. Gemma has a hot dog and baked beans and a chocolate brownie, which is pretty good. I wait an hour and a half for a 'chicken burger', which I would actually call a 'hot (chicken) ham sandwich'. The guy working there went to school with Malinga and used to play for Hounslow, so he says.

Back in the sea for the afternoon, have dinner at the hotel and an early night.

Day 145: Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka 21/02/2012

Another hot, sweaty, loud night in the room and go for breakfast again next door. Hire a board and head for the sea. Catch a couple of waves and decide to step up to the better waves near the big boys that can actually surf. Turns out to be a good move, as the better waves are bigger and quicker and I find it easier to hone my skills. I still crash and burn numerous times but also catch a few waves in quick succession. A turtle comes and swims right under the board.

Another tough afternoon spent at the beach. We go for dinner next door where they also show a film at half seven, but the food is average and the volume too low, so we go for a walk along the beach instead, where we piss about for a bit.

Day 146: Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka 22/02/2012

Our third sticky, noisy night in the room. Of course another day at the beach for us - hire a board, surf for a few hours and find the whole experience more frustrating than golf even, at times feeling I have really nailed the tekkers, at other times feeling like I am getting nowhere with the whole thing. Find the hardest thing of all paddling back out when there is a set of waves coming in - keep getting knocked backwards despite learning to dive under the waves and take pretty much ten minutes longer than every other surfer to get back out to the break point. See a huge green/blue fish under the board and two turtles. Gemma meanwhile is having a torrid time lying in the sun reading her book.

A quiet night, head to the cashpoint and pop our heads round the door of a tattoo studio...

Day 147: Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka 23/02/2012

Last day on the beach for this leg of the journey. Cue sad faces all round. A crap fan and nearby party has resulted in a poor night's sleep but this is rectified by yet another breakfast next door. We hire a surfboard again and I take Gemma for a lesson (being the surf pro I am). This, perhaps predictably, does not go particularly well - Gemma is not overly fond of being thrashed around by the waves, I am no Mister Myagi on the teaching front.

Gemma goes and does what she does best on the beach, leaving me to have a good morning's surfing. I am a lot more confident and catch some good waves. However, I still struggle a bit with the whole paddling out thing...Spend the afternoon in the sea after lunch and as it gets later and later, I search for the elusive 'one more wave', which does not come. Oh well, learning to surf has been fun and should see us in good stead for some of the other surfer spots we plan on visiting.

The rest of the evening sees us doing something that could see me grounded for life, as we go for a tattoo...

Day 135: Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 12/02/2012

Up early enough after a good night's sleep and a decent breakfast. Catch the bus to Arugam Bay (eventually!) which we tried so hard to do yesterday. Carry the bags the five minute walk to the bus station, with some muchos achey calf muscles and the bags, which seem doubly heavy today. Two hour journey to Arugam Bay and on the way there we see some wild elephants mooching about on the plains. Get to the bus stop then take a well overpriced tuk-tuk the 4km to the area with the accommodation. Try the Beach Hut with its slightly shabby rooms and cabanas and then look next door at Surfer's Park. The rooms here are great, brand new and clean and we are able to negotiate a very good deal with the guy there. Have lunch next door at the Beach Hut which is very overpriced and fairly average, although Gemma did have an awesome peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Hit the beach - very careful in the sun today (Factor 50) - and it is practically deserted. There is not much surf (far bigger in Hikkaduwa) though the season for surfing starts in April apparently. A tiny town here, it is literally one street and there is not a lot here but the more we see (or the less as it seems) the more we love it. Amazing dinner at the hotel - chicken curry for me and pasta for Gemma.

Day 136: Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 13/02/2012

We learn the hard way not to eat in a place where the prices are not shown on the menu. Toast and tea costs us a fortune. Go to the beach again in the morning and again take care in the sun. Go for lunch at the local roti joint and then, upon hearing of a crocodile laden lagoon down the road, we start walking in its general direction with every intention of catching the bus when it comes along. We end up walking miles and find ourselves in the middle of nowhere. We are surrounded by wildlife - see a big lizard, a ferrety water cat thing, a dead snake, some turtles (slippery little things that are a bit camera shy), an eagle and the obligatory monkeys. After watching so much Animal Planet/Discovery channel in India I find myself involuntarily slipping into a South African accent and getting a little jittery around the edge of the murky water...

Get a lift further down the road on the back of a tractor before wandering off the beaten track and watching with horror as the elusive bus rattles past. Missed it! Head back in the direction we came and hitch a lift on the battered pick up truck bus service. Another quality adventure!

More superb food at our digs. Dream of snakes and crocs and all things Steve Irwin-y.

Day 137: Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 14/02/2012

Happy Valentine's Day to all the romantics, emos and weirdos reading. Whilst sitting down and enjoying a couple of rotis for breakfast, the first thunder and lightning since Goa arrives, bringing with it a torrential downpour of real fat rain. We sit for a couple of hours in the roti shop - endless rounds of tea for me - as we wait for the storm to pass. The owner of the establishment tells us his harrowing tales of the Boxing Day tsunami and that he has been unable to rebuild his business as it was before the event. He then throws a business proposition my way - if I invest and help him rebuild 'I will be manager, you will be boss'. Hmmm, 'a tempter but alas no capital I'm afraid old boy', I say.

It is still raining two hours later (though not as hard) so we decide to leave anyway. We write some postcards. Some time later (it has finally stopped raining!) we take a walk to get some lunch. Glancing nonchalantly down into the drainage channel at the side of the road, I spy one of the camera shy turtles we saw on our pedestrian safari, sitting bold as brass watching the world go by. Naturally, being a wildlife photographer I have forgotten the camera so it is a quick, graceful, flip flop clad sprint back to the room. We needn't have worried - the little hero in a half shell has no intentions of going anywhere in a hurry.

We spend the evening in an internet cafe (tin shack) and take the poor weather as an opportunity to update Unbelievable Trekkers, the epic, award winning blog you may have heard of. Whilst in here, the thunderstorm rears back into life and the noise of the thunder is deafening. At one point there is an almighty clap of thunder overhead and the shack is shaken to its foundations, knocking the power out and giving Gemma a pretty big static shock. The few hours we spend here is the biggest bill the internet guy has ever charged and we doubt he will need to open again for the rest of the month.

Day 138: Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 15/02/2012

Back once again for breakfast at the roti shop, where again the five year old daughter is running riot, though she is over the moon with the pen we gave her yesterday, sitting drawing at the table next to us. After failing to find the crocodile place on our last excursion out of the town, we decide to give it another go and after discussing the merits of the mystery bus, we commandeer a rickshaw to take us to the town and instead of simply getting off at said town, we embark on a three hour tuk-tuk safari.

The driver takes us on a magical mystery tour of a land far away, into the countryside, which has been flooded by yesterday's storm. At one point, the dirt road is under about a foot of water, covering the vehicle's wheels and making it look like some sort of 007 rickshaw-boat-submarine hybrid. Things then go from the sublime to the ridiculous, with the tuk-tuk getting stuck and both the driver and myself having to scramble furiously with our feet to get through the puddle, resulting in the Bond-mobile suddenly becoming very Fred Flintstone.

The off roading is well worth it though and before long we are seeing crocodiles in the flooded lagoon, as well as some monitor lizards, a huge ferret thing and some incredible birds, including a huge peacock with its feathers out. After our safari we get dropped off at the post office to send our postcards and come across a dead snake. It is very fresh judging by the blood dripping from it and the suppleness of the body. Great photo opportunity.

Go for lunch and spend the rest of the day on the beach, where the sea is a bit murky after the storm.

Day 139: Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 16/02/2012

After the obligatory banana rotis for breakfast we head to the beach, and though the weather is a bit better than it has been last couple of days it is still a bit cloudy and before long we feel a few raindrops...not damp for long though today. We head back for lunch at the roti shop, where the little girl is causing trouble and is about to get into trouble. As with any family dispute, it is extremely entertaining for the outside observer...

Excellent prawns for dinner, even though we both tried to eat the first ones with the shell on, so engrossed we were in 'Outsourced', an American comedy set in an Indian call centre. We are so uncouth.

Day 140: Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 17/02/2012

We have a lazy morning and early lunch and then head for the traditional day at the beach, going a lot further down than normal, at the mouth of the lagoon. We think we will move on tomorrow so discuss the options. I swim across the mouth of the lagoon (keeping an eye out for crocs!), which is a strange sensation as it seems like you are swimming in the sea since you are still on the beach but the water is not salty.

On getting back to the room (the 20 second walk to the beach that it is) I borrow a bike off the nice bloke who works there and do a beer run. These go down a bit too easily and before long I am back on the bike to get some more and we have revised our plan to leave in the morning. A good dinner and some tv in the restaurant section tonight. Gemma falls asleep in her chair and falls off, onto the concrete floor, before sitting back up and going back to sleep. I should care more than I do at the time. Sorry.

Day 141: Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 18/02/2012

Wake up feeling a bit rough after too many Lion Lagers, Gemma with a huge egg on her head where she fell off the chair last night. Cheese, tomato and onion rotis make us feel a little bit better and some fresh air, the sea and a sleep on the beach sees us right as rain again. Tonight they are having a barbecue/party at the hotel tonight so unfortunately, that means the Lion will flow once more.

They do us some great fish at the bbq (even Gemma likes it) and they get a big bonfire and some music going. We play some cards with a cool young Swedish couple and after they go to bed, I am persuaded by the Sri Lankan contingent to get up and dance with them, resulting in pulling some impressive shapes and making some more friends.

Day 142: Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 19/02/2012

Wake up a little worse for wear for the second time in two days after getting to bed some time after 3am. We go for brunch with the Swedes - they are very nice and even invite us to Stockholm. Me and Seb (Swedish guy) have to get some cash so we get a tuk-tuk up to the town with the ATM. They go to check in to the place we ate for the night and we help them with their bags, which when they get them on, causes them to topple over! Know the feeling, which is why I am lucky Gemma lets me carry both the big backpacks since the weight of one on the front and one on the back balances me out...

Gemma and myself head to the beach for the afternoon, busy as always. We go back, knackered, have tea and pack our stuff, ready to leave in the morning, pay our bills and generally get ready to go. The Sri Lankans have other ideas and with it being a bank holiday tomorrow are having another barbecue party. It takes us a while to get our goodbyes and photos taken with our new friends and we eventually get to bed about half one, ready for our 5.30 start tomorrow!

Day 134: Monoragalam, Sri Lanka 11/02/2012

Today was possibly the longest day in living memory. We were up at 2am for for the climb up Adam's Peak, a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site. There are more than 5,500 steps up the side of the mountain and each one burns the quads, whilst our eyes burn from the knowledge they should be sleeping.

A long way up but ultimately worth the effort. We watch the sun rise over the mountains, which results in some truly outstanding views of the surrounding landscape, enjoyed by the hundreds of other people that took the climb up during the night. The climb down feels as long, if not longer than the climb down and after being very cold at the top (after sweating our way up) it is very warm on the way down, with our jellified legs screaming at us all the way. The whole experience was incredible and is a definite highlight of our time so far in Sri Lanka.

Straight back to the room, we resist the urge to lie down and we quickly pack and leave, getting onto the bus to Hatton absolutely stinking. We feel sorry for whoever sits near us. Unsure where to go next, we decide on a town called Ella, another hill station. After making all the right bus changes, nobody is able to actually tell us how to get there so we decide to make our way to Arugam Bay on the East coast. Again, multiple buses are required and we set about taking the right ones (we think) and eventually end up at the town before Monoragalam, where we need to connect for Arugam Bay, sometime after 8pm after 36 hours on the bus (it seems - though some amazing views and scenery en route). We get off the bus to be told all other bus services have finished! Devastated. Somehow end up paying a fifteen year old tuk-tuk driver less than a fiver for the 20km trip to Monoragalam. We arrive, find a room and have a great dinner with a much needed beer. Eventually get to bed about 21 hours after we awoke to walk up a mountain and back down and travel hundreds of light years on the bus and seeing my peeling skin float around the bus to land on other passengers.

Day 133: Dalhousie, Sri Lanka 10/02/2012

Up and out (I break the shower head at our overrated guesthouse) and have a good breakfast down the road. We get to the bus station to catch the bus to Dalhousie and Adam's Peak. The journey is painless and easy. Arrive in Dalhousie where there are a number of very strange market stalls selling some serious tat. Get a spare room in someone's house, as the guesthouses next door are far too expensive. Have a cold dinner and an early night to prepare for tomorrow. All of it.

Day 131: Kandy, Sri Lanka 08/02/2012

Get up and go early doors. Being sat idle this close to the beach is killing us as we wait for our skin to recover fully. Pick up some breakfast from the bakers and catch the bus back to Colombo. This is quite busy and despite a minor (major) panic when our bags 'disappear' (the conductor has put them in the boot) and our shoulders are squashed together by other passengers, we have a fairly easy journey back to the capital. We are then straight onto another uncomfortable vehicle for the journey to Kandy (4 hours) and arrive more than ready to stretch our legs.

Tuk-tuk from the bus station to one of the cheaper hotels in the Rough Guide. More expensive than anticipated for a pretty basic room so we hunt about. It seems the prices have all gone up since the book was printed. Eventually go back to the first room.

We go for a walk and have a quality evening. We find the Kandy Garden Club as described in the book and have a quality tea of devilled chicken and prawn and fried rice and noodles, which comes to about 4 quid with drinks. We then head next door into their bar area, which is basically a working men's club thrown back to the 1960's (I would imagine). We have good cheap beer (rum for Gemma) and a game of snooker in their billiards room, where the return of Tommy O'Sullivan occurs and a high quality tactical battle occurs. Of who can go the longest without potting a ball.

We take the wrong turning on the way home and are chased by some dogs before finding our way back and being welcomed by a giant cockroach in the bathroom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R28-wB9RINg).

Day 132: Kandy, Sri Lanka 09/02/2012

Well, a great day had in the sweetest city I can name...

Woke up, had a rip off breakfast of banana pancakes and briefly go online to see the clown Capello has walked. We head out and walk towards the city centre, taking the route around the lake, where we see some big fish, a snake and some water monitor lizards, big, scary, prehistoric looking smelly reptiles. Creepy.

We set our sights on walking up to the huge Buddha statue that sits at the top of a big hill here in Kandy and first have a walk through the city centre. There is a fun second hand market and some clothes stalls (I buy a fake Reebok skin to surf in - turns out to be about twenty sizes too small for me). We make our way up the steep hill to see the Buddha statue (turns out to be a temple) in the midday sun, the hill being at about a 45 degree angle, making for a hot, tiring journey. It is definitely worth it, with some outstanding views of the city below us.

A tout joins us for our walk home, getting mad when we decline his kind offers ('why you waste my time?'). Another trip to the Kandy Garden Club tonight, but the Crucible impressions are not repeated.