Day 9 Sri Lanka

Breakfast followed by a walk around the beautiful hotel gardens while Amy and Paige chose the gym and a swim. Soon we were on our way further south to the beach area. 

The drive along the scenic coastline of the Indian Ocean gave us different views of Sri Lanka again. We passed some beautiful beaches, some swimmable, some not.

Next stop was to see the traditional way of stilt fishing. Today it’s mainly to show the tourists. Ruthie and I had a go on the stilts but didn’t catch any sardines. It seemed like a lot of uncomfortable trouble to catch those little sardines.

Our tour guide related the events of the 2004 Tsunami which devastated Sri Lanka. There were no warnings in place at that time and the rumour goes that the Foreign Minister was told at 9am that Tsunami was arriving and he went to the airport with a sign held up for what he thought was a Japanese diplomat with the name Tsunami. It took our tour guide 3 days to find all his family!  He was on tour at the time but cancelled the tour to go and search for his family. There was no communication and hopefully, things have improved now. 

Karnal, our tour guide then told us about the 26 year civil war which only finished in 2009. He was shot 3 times! It is estimated that nearly 100,000 people died in the conflict. There is an Australian connection. The LTTE – Tamil Tigers fought to create a separate state north east of the island. Adele Ann – an Australian woman married Anton Balasingham and became head of the women’s wing of Liberation Tigers. Born in Warragul Victoria she later participated in peace talks with the Sri Lankan government. Some women on our tour actually knew this woman.

Our hotel, the Radison Blu Resort in Galle was right on the ocean front. Unfortunately the beach wasn’t safe for swimming but we had a beautiful swim in the pool before heading up to the rooftop bar for happy hour. A seafood restaurant a couple of doors down was magnificent. Set under a thatched roof right on the beach with a light balmy sea breeze and the lights of the fishing boats in the distance, it was just perfect.

As we wandered back to our hotel along the beach we were greeted by a cultural performance and topped off with fireworks.

Day 10: Sri Lanka

After breakfast our day began with a tour of a silk factory which actually surprised me by how fascinating it was.

Next stop was the fort in Galle. Galle is a natural harbour that has been settled by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. Despite the scorching heat, the history was fascinating. From the fort’s walls, we had a breathtaking view of the famous Galle cricket stadium. Apparently, the balmy army would sit on the wall and watch the cricket game instead of paying the entrance fee. I’m surprised no one has fallen off the wall after a few beers! Also, this cricket ground was affected by the 2004 Tsunami and Shane Warne donated funds to help rebuild the stadium. Sri Lanka actually received a public holiday when Shane Warne died. Ruthie attracts attention wherever we go. She was accosted for photos with the locals in Galle and the same thing happened on the top of Sigiriya rock. Anyone would think she was Shane Warne! 

The heat was relentless and as the girls and I looked for an atm Ruthie joined some of the tour group and scampered back to the meeting place hotel. They said she was like a horse running for its stable and water!

Afterwards, we took a refreshing dip in the pool, ready to head to the recommended restaurant for dinner.

However, our experience turned into a surreal adventure. It was an hour before we received our ordered drinks, and with 21 of us, the staff seemed overwhelmed.

Instead of enduring the wait, we decided to move to the restaurant next door, where our standard order was a Lion beer with 2 glasses and 2 Negronis. We had a fantastic night! The food once again was magnificent and the night ended with singing and dancing. 

Day 11 Sri Lanka

I actually chose to stay at the  hotel while Ruthie did a tour of a moonstone mine . Ruthie’s adventure was a top secret expedition through the beautiful lush countryside passing many cinnamon plantations to a moonstone gem factory. (Our tour guide wanted it kept on the down low.)  Five of the ladies took off on a drive that took about 45 minutes each way and passed the train track that had seen several carriages washed away with many lives lost during that fateful boxing day tsunami. 

Our guide wanted them to walk to a meeting spot away from the hotel. The ladies set off along the bustling road side and as they were walking one of the colourful local buses stopped to see if they needed a lift!  What a great service. 

They saw first hand how the gems are mined. It is hard work and the miners work 2 hours on and have 1 hour off. Even though the mine is on a private property they are regulated by the Sri Lankan government. The blue sapphire ring once owned by princess Diana (now worn by princess Katherine) was mined from here. Something similar was out of our price bracket so Ruthie settled on a moonstone ring. 

Meanwhile Paige had wisely retreated back into the hotel room while Amy and I endured a tropical downpour at the pool. 

A pity it was too rough to swim at the beach but Ruthie and I enjoyed a walk on the sand just the same. Another swim and snooze and it was time for happy hour where Arrak punch was the choice of drink. We sat at the rooftop bar enjoying the tropical storm. We have been very lucky with the weather, although sometimes a little hot, it hasn’t affected any of our planned activities.

Day 12 Sri Lanka

This is our last full day of touring with the group, although we had to say a sad farewell to 4 of our group who were heading off to more adventures without us.

Down south, we drove through the area where the Tsunami hit hardest. Many damaged houses are not rebuilt as all the family members died. It’s certainly very surreal to know that many who survived the first wave, thinking they were safe, only to be hit with another wave and die. There are several memorials in this area including one for all the unidentified bodies. 

Our first stop was at the turtle farm where some are rehabilitated and the young hatchlings released into the ocean at various stages. The rescue centre had many backpacker volunteers which would be a great experience . 

A mask factory was the next stop. It was very delicate and time consuming work. The workers are only trained in 1 facet of the mask making, meaning 1 worker cannot complete the whole process. We were shown several masks that were surprisingly light and each with a healing power. The Sinalese believe an illness is a demon entering the body, so there were masks for problems with ears, chests, hearts etc. The Cobra mask is for protection and a bird good luck. Others were for prosperity etc. 

On the way we drove through Ambalangoda. Many famous Sri Lankan cricketers have come from this area mainly due to the cricket academy located here. 

A city tour of Colombo ensued and we drove past the current parliament buildings located in the middle of a lake. Ironwood trees lined memorial drive where we passed the war memorial honouring those that died in the Sri Lankan civil war. Just after passing all the embassies we reached our hotel.

Hilton is an oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Colombo. The word Colombo relates to a harbour with leafy green mango trees. A quick visit and some market shopping before a pool dip and dinner.

Sadly, Amy is leaving a day before us and we said our goodbyes. 

Our flight back to Melbourne is just 1 day away. I haven’t written about our tour group but we couldn’t have wished for a better group of people. Our tour guide, Karnal, thank you for your humour, Sri Lankan facts and knowledge and people skills when needed. We have loved everything about Sri Lanka from its dense jungle, amazing wildlife, peaceful shores and bustling cities. The history, culture, food and people of Sri Lanka are sensational. We are deeply saddened to learn that since we have been home in Australia, many of the beautiful places we got to visit have been devastated by the torrential rain and landslides as well as loss of life.

Best of all…. I got to share this amazing happy holiday with the three most important ladies in my life!

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