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Sri Lanka & Maldives
  • Gavin Wilson

Sri Lanka & Maldives

Just a short month's wander around fascinating Sri Lanka's beaches and culture, followed by a week's hedonism in various islands in The Maldives. Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 7, 2025
    Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    Tired already, and I’m just setting off

    November 7 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Train from Northallerton to Manchester Airport via York. About to eat brekky and get on the Qatar Airways flight at 08:50. Oh the thrill of it all 🤨

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    1

    9th Nov. Hikkaduwa

    November 9 in England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Breakfast was a good start to the day. The place may not be luxurious, but they try hard to make up for this by offering larger than average portions: ommelet, sausage tomato, bread, jelly/compote, coffee, lassi.
    Another tuk tuk got me to the local train station at Kattuwa, but the wait for the connecting train for Colombo was a bit long.
    Still, more local 'colour' to photograph.
    The train journey wasn't great - standing up for quite a bit of it - but we got to Hikkiduwa along the coast, past several beach-side hotels, bars and assorted hovels okay.
    Hikkaduwa was a bit of a gamble. It's slightly touristy in that beach bum, surf's up kind've way but without much or real excitement. The hoped-for sunset got a lot of people down to the beach expectantly, but it was a weak affair.
    On the way back to my digs, I found a lovely welcome from a woman in a little kiosk I'd not noticed before. I asked if she sold coffee, and she invited me in. It was actually her home, so I sat with the family, drinking coffee and arranged to have breakfast there in the morning.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    8th Nov. Negombo

    November 9 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    (2nd time of writing - the wi fi is so sloooowww.)
    Nobody tells you about the hassles, do they. This travelling malarkey can be, er, interesting. Even though I had an hour to change planes in Doha, the flight from Manchester was so late in arriving that I missed my connection. Fortunately, a kind Qatar Airlines chappie and several helpful young ladies (why are they all so similarly tiny?) got me on a Sri Lanka Airways flight later in the evening. Huge drama over, just the small hassle of the numpty in the seat behind swinging on my seat for most of the journey. Ah, well.
    A quickly discussed tuk tuk fare got me to my accommodation for the first night. It's okay - helpful friendly staff: a man, his wife, daughter and a brother (who struck me as a very small version of Lurch out of the Addams Family).
    Walking around Negombo became uncomfortable after the sun got up after 10am and the humidity kicked in. I got lost of course but found the railway stations for tomorrow.
    The day needed three (3) cold showers and a snooze before turning in. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
    Negombo
    'It's the heat I tell you, the damned heat Caruthers'.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    2

    10 Nov. Galle

    November 10 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Up in good time to nip down the lane from my digs for breakfast with the nice family: a kind of sweet pancake, some other sweet but meaty-looking stuff in banana leaves, tea, small bananas (they're everywhere) and a mango smoothy.
    I'm set for the day.
    Just as promised, the men at the local bus 'station' are gathering people onto the rickety old buses for the drive to Galle 45 minutes down the coast. Surprisingly comfortable in that plastic seat and busted window kind've way, and only 100 Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR), that's about 27pence.
    Oops though. Galle doesn't look much on first sight. It's quite built up, on the coast, small fishing industry.
    After finding my digs for the next two nights, a shower and short rest gets me feeling a bit more human. I still haven't got my body clock sorted out yet, so I'm prone to snoozing at odd times.
    A walk around the local-ish area isn't all that inspiring: a small fish market, a stupa and buddha. An old chap pointed out the old Dutch market to me. He seemed overly proud of it, but it was a small affair with not a lot going on. Curry and rice at a street-side cafe went down well though.
    Then the sky darkened and people began scampering for cover. The rain had just about started when I dodged back inside the hostel. When it rains here, it really rains.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    11th Nov. Galle

    November 11 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    (Mantra for the day):
    Always have a cheery 'hello' for the street sweepers. They have a hard enough life already. Anyway, it's often they who offer a smile first and a 'good morning sir'. The place would be a right old mess without them.
    I could hear the overnight rain relenting, so I nipped out for something like breakfast. Blimey, the temperature is rising so it was clever of me to take my brolly with me for a change - for showers or the baking sun.
    Today I had planned to walk to Galle's old fortified part of town - it's on the list of 'must-sees' in Galle, and definitely worth it. Whilst checking the bus routes in the bus station I was accosted by a young man who wanted a chat. He turned out to be a student about start his PhD in business studies (Not more of that, surely?) at Leicester University. It was a middle interesting conversation but I soon gleaned he was a bit of a bore, so I left before it became painful.
    Galle Fort is excellent though. The perimeter sea walls have bastions every so often, named after Greek gods such as Triton and Neptune. Much of the architecture has been left from the Colonial era: Portuguese, Dutch and British. (How many of these ex-Colonial trading cities have I visited in recent years? Think Malacca.) I even found an okay street cafe filled with locals just around the corner from some army lot doing some square bashing on a patch of lawn. Chicken soup a vegetable roti and black tea, seeing as you asked.
    An old chap struck up a brief conversation while I was waiting to be served. He said he came from Hungary, but I was sure he sounded Australian. `maybe I've been away too long already?
    Today's score card:
    Steps walked - gazillions
    Water drank - a couple of litres at least
    Cheery hellos - 15
    No thank yous - 8 to 10    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    12th Nov. Galle-Ahangama-Weligama

    November 12 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    My cunning plan for today was to take in a little beach-side town on the way from Galle to Weligama that looked, er, interesting. Well, it was a short visit. Besides a few beach cafes and spots where determined surfers could get in the water, there wasn't much to shout about in Ahangama. Maybe that's actually the attraction - it's low-key, special, secret vibe.
    Onward to Weligama on another splendid bus.
    Weligama is bigger, more established as both a centre of Sri Lankan life and as a surfing destination. It's not pretty but it's got something about it.
    I took a chance on finding somewhere okay to stay, and found a great place down a side street where several other travellers, backpackers, digital nomads are staying (two Poles, one living in Iceland, an American, a Mexican etc.)
    Following my usual plan, after moving into my room I nip off out for a wander around to get/lose my bearings. It worked again!
    There are certainly bits that warrant a photo: the odd Buddhist stupa, a Hindu shrine or two, that kind've thing. They even have churches hereabouts.
    I'm getting used to the food, and eating fruit as if it's the cheapest thing around, which apart from bottled water it is (1 1/2 litre bottle = 30pence). Getting blaze about crossing the road is something I must watch out for. The tuk tuk drivers have nerves of steel and determination to match. The pedestrians need courage and a sixth sense. If there's a gap to squeeze between of slightly more than a foot, they'll probably get at least a motor bike through it.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    13 Nov. Waligama-Mirissa-Waligama

    November 13 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    I always planned today would be a beach day. This area on the south coast of Sri Lanka is reputed to have great beaches and good surfing conditions. They're right.
    I got up in good time, so as to use the day well, and had breakfast at a small street cafe a short walk from my digs: two bread-type thingies and a cup of black tea. The pastries may not have been from Denmark but they were pretty good for the tiny money.
    Why do the men taking fares on the buses thin k they can get away with dreaming up a price for a journey? Twice today, the guys have blithely said "500 rupees". Even a dim-witted tourist like me knows (or can ask) what the going rate is for a given distance. 100 each way, Waligama-Mirissa-Waligama. It's not bloody Concorde mate. It;'s hardly a bus.- borderline walking distance in the heat. The journey's only around 6 km.
    At Mirissa I found a little veg market and started grabbing some shots. On my way out I got accosted by a lovely old lady (prob. around my age) who obviously wanted to try out her English on me. Knock me over with another feather, but she insisted I go with her to her house for tea and watch her do her 'hand-weaving' or crocheting lacy things for dressmaking (I think)..
    I keep getting adopted by old ladies. It's brill! Pitiful as well I suppose.
    I managed to find The Secret Beach that some people have been recommending. It must be the worst kept secret in the whole country but, thankfully, all of the little coves and beaches that seem to make up the secret were not overcrowded. The sand was golden and fine, the sun was hot and the water was clear and warm. Awful really :)
    But nothing's perfect. I trod on a rough patch of sand/rock and gave the underside of my right foot a good old scrape. Hopefully, the salty water will clean out the cut.
    It was darned hot today. I went for a second swim in the main public beach in Mirissa (local spelling by the way). The temperature kept rising into the afternoon, so I scarpered back to my digs in Weligama.
    This gave me time to eat the strange green vegetables that the kind lady this morning - strangely garlicky in taste. I've taken a photo so the doctors in the local A&E can work out a treatment plan if needs be.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    The buses are always 'blinded up' with religious trinkets. eg a row of small buddhist shrines.2Another bus - a bonsai tree and a tiny Japanese garden, two ladies in plastic, and a Buddha.

    14 Nov. Travelling Weligama to Ella

    November 14 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Today's been a travel day. Well, I have to get around as much of Sri Lanka as I can. I might not be around this way for a while.
    Up with the larks (or the last of the mosquitos) and out for pastries and tea. The man 'running' my digs is actually a very nice chap, but he couldn't be roused long after I wanted to settle up and check out. When I couldn't leave it any longer, I left some money with one of the young gals working there and went for the bus. It went like this:
    2 1/4 hrs - Weligama to Matara (not very interesting town) to Tangalle (possibly interesting) to Hambantota (a big grimy city to be ignored, unless it's on your way to somewhere else, like me). The land gets progressively marshy towards the S.East coast, with rice paddy fields galore.
    A quick bite of lunch and change of buses for the rickety old thing that's meant to get everyone safely to Ella up in the hills.
    A journey of 3 hrs that went reasonably smoothly with a short break at a dingy roadside cafe. Into the hills the scenery gets greener, mistier and prettier. Nearer Ella, we passed a couple of places on my list to explore, and one's just a shortish walk from Ella.
    The town is heaving with tourists, backpackers and assorted caucasians. Trendy bars and nik-nak shops abound. Most things except water seem to be pricey up here, but I think I quite like the town and the place I'm staying in. I'm here for 3 nights so let's see what tomorrow brings.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    15 Nov, Ella

    November 15, Laccadive Sea ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    Breakfast in the digs was actually pretty good: 1000 LRP got me an omelette, some kind of banana pancakes, toast + butter + jam/jelly, melon, pineapple and a pot of coffee. So off I went with a spring in my step to walk down the hill to check out the view of Mount Ella. It's okay in a small mountain, large hill kind've way. But the humidity is still bad and the visibility isn't great for distances.
    Walking back into Ella and taking a different road out passed a pretty fine hindu shrine. By this time I was into walking a bit further, so I threw caution to the wind and headed through the jungle for the 'Nine Arches Bridge'. This was a bit more like it: crowds of people hanging around on old railway tracks by a bridge.
    Ribble Viaduct it certainly isn't, but it seems to be the biggest/best they've got. Walking back via the tunnel and tracks to Ella Railway Station in the drizzle was a bit odd.
    Checking trains at the station helped me decide I'll go to Nuwara Eliya tomorrow. It's sort of on the way to Kandy anyway, but I can squeeze in a half-day visit and not need to spend a night there.
    A bit more mooching around Ella was pleasant enough, but the rain got worse and I nipped back to my digs.
    Time for a few observations:
    The Sri Lankan people are generally lovely; cheerful and welcoming. This appears to be even after the death and destruction following the 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami.
    They seem to be quite proud of what they have and are known for: tea, some old Colonial remnants, good surfing beaches.
    As you might be able to see from this, they haven't a great deal, but muddle along quite well anyway.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    16 Nov. Nuwara Eliya

    November 16 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    I just couldn't sleep. Maybe it's because my body clock is still on the blink, or maybe I'm giddy about a trip on a choo choo train to Nuwara Eliya. It was an early start so no breakfast in the digs. The train from Ella station arrived 'stylishly late', and the journey got off in the mist and damp air.
    About three hours and a short stop later (yes, 3) the train rose and fell through the hills and we got to the station stop nearest Nuwara Eliya. It needed a walk and a bus ride to get to the town itself. They don't mention this in the glossy travel mags, but a bit of sun burned off most of the gloom.
    Nuwara Eliya carries a lot of 'touristy baggage'. It gets tagged 'Little London', which is way off the reality. There are some odd looking buildings to be sure - more Alpine village than Asia.
    A wander around the town didn't take long, and I think I saw most of what was easy to spot: the famous old Post Office for instance. (Yes, I did the tourist cliche thing of sending a postcard home.)
    But the drizzle didn't hold off for long so I decided to avoid the train and got the handy bus - quicker and cheaper.
    Back in Ella I had the best meal of the trip so far: a really nice chicken curry and garlic rice. (Chicken on the bone but good nonetheless.)
    Today's observations:
    I've noticed (and you will have too) that most Sri Lankans have quite deep-set, dark eyes. This makes it tricky to shoot portraits - that's my excuse at least.
    The tuk tuk drivers have nerves of steel; the bus drivers have no nerves because they have no conception of death; the pedestrians need to be lucky.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    17-18 Nov. 2025

    Nov 17–18 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Travelled from Ella to Kandy on the train. Blimey! 6 hrs of sheer joy and amazement. 2nd class merged into 3rd, and any time a seat came available it was snapped up by anyone nearby: window seats being the first to go. What could have been glorious landscapes, and idilic views of the hills and tea plant terraces, were often clouded in mist/fog/gloom
    Pouring with rain.
    Kandy looks busy and very wet.
    Not much to add yet as the Internet in my Kandy digs is on the blink. The lack of photos might tell the story 😒
    (I may come back to this…)
    And I did - a day later!
    The internet situation in the place where I'm staying has only got patchy wi-fi access. I had to move my laptop downstairs nearer the router to allow me to connect and safe the long-in details. How complacent we become...
    With hearty breakfast in my tummy, it was off to the bus 'station'. Actually, it's just several streets rammed with buses going everywhere, anywhere, who-knows-where.
    Today, 18th, I decided to try and make it to Sigirya where the famous (Unesco recognised no less) rock is. It's usually given the English name 'Lion Rock', but it looks nothing like a lion.
    There being zilch trains going this far out into the countryside, three buses and 5 hours travelling got me close - Sigirya town. It's more or less a few restaurants, bars and gift shops surviving on the back of the famous rock.
    Me being me, I wasn't about to pay the $70 to climb it. I don't think I had time anyway. I needed to make the.return journey.
    All things considered, it is actually very impressive, in a rocky outcrop sticking out of jungle kind've way. With the ridiculously long roads leading up to the entrances, and the moats around the periphery, think a mini-Angkor Wat and you wouldn't be far off.
    But I had to catch several buses. The longest stretch had me sitting on a seat next to a young monk. And do you know, all the way.... he never said a peep. Just fondling hid very swish mobile phone (much newer than mine). Curiously though, he's taken colour coordination to another level. Even his umbrella was orange.
    Eventually, back in Kandy, I'm warming to this city a bit more too. There are some interesting riverside areas and a large lake to explore in more detail tomorrow. That's before I sample the obvious cultural offerings.
    I'm starting a new series: 'Faces of Sri Lanka'.
    Meal tonight: dal curry, veg, sweet pickled something, rice, black tea. A little later I even found an ice cream parlour.
    Today's flavour: blueberry.
    Amazingly, it wasn't half bad, and at 80 LRP a pop, I'll have to work my way through the menu.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    1

    19 Nov. Kandy

    November 19 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Today was a day for me to stop being so precious and aloof, and doing some of the touristy things on offer in Kandy.
    Early on I checked on the bus for tomorrow to Anuradhapura, and booked accommodation (which promptly got rearranged due to 'being already booked by local people'??)
    As for Kandy; I've warmed to the place. Yeah, it's a grimy, not so affluent Asian city, but it's far from unusual in that. I've taken to wearing a paper Covid mask to take the edge off the traffic fumes. I'm determined to make it to 60.... 'Aaaaarggghh! cough, splutter, too late....'
    The big draw in Kandy seems to be the Sri Dalada Maligawa 'World Buddhist Museum', so I headed for that first. It's a right faff getting into the complex. First you need to avoid the charlatans trying to charge for renting/selling you a bit of fabric to wrap around your legs and/other shoulders. I went the official route and paid a deposit to borrow one. (It's understandable: My shoulders drive women wild. My legs just make them mildly annoyed.) Then it's negotiating another kiosk to hand in your shoes for a token. Then the admissions kiosk (local or 'foreigners' - there's always a two-tier pricing)
    Once inside, there are queues and queues of the faithful and a few caucasians; up stairs, into rooms, around pathways past apparently significant bits of Buddhist paraphernalia. The main exhibit, apparently, is a tooth. Who knows who or where it really came from, but it doesn't stop 'em queuing to get a glimpse of it. I couldn't see a thing.
    Grumpy Philistine? Me? Well, yes, partly. I like the architecture, and the calming reassurance it has for a lot of people, but the bling is a bit too over the top for me: Not as coarse as Trump Tower of course, but there's gold and orange everywhere.
    Just down the street is a faded beauty: The Queen's Hotel where her late Maj. stayed a while back. In fact, a great many of the most interesting buildings are gathered around the lake. It's a pretty damned fine lake too. I nearly got all the way around, but it beat me.
    Lots of photo opportunities though, in the city centre markets and streets, people promenading around the lake. I've been persevering with my 'Faces of Sri Lanka' photog theme (really do need a better title).
    This morning's ice cream flavour: mango - not bad at all.
    Number of steps today: gazillions
    This afternoon's ice cream flavour: butterscotch and some kind of nut – pretty good again.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    20 Nov 2025

    November 20 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Back on the road again.
    I reckon three days in Kandy was enough. Four might be too many.
    Some observations:
    Yeah, it grew on me a little. I can see why travellers gravitate here: The lake, a few interesting Buddhist complexes. But the weather! It's alternate sunshine and horrendous downpours. The I did my 'extensive online research' we should've been just about done with the monsoon season. Ha! The climate change excuse must've kicked in..
    Anyway, today was more or less taken up with travelling to Anuradhapura. I continually have trouble spelling that name correctly - and I'm not wholly convinced I've got it mastered yet.
    Yes, me too. I'd never heard of it before. Thinks of it this way: Sri Lanka is roughly about the size of Wales (The international measurement of area.) Whereas Kandy is about 1 third up from the bottom of the island, A... is just about 1 third from the top.
    The bus journey was almost exactly 4 1/2 hours. Not bad considering, but then I'm getting blaze about awful bus journeys.
    We I finally arrived in A... it was raining of course. A series of garbled WahtsApp messages and calls with the manager of my digs for the next three nights managed to sort out a tuk tuk to come and pick me up from the bus station. To my alarm, the place was quite a way from the city centre. Looks like I'll be relying on tuk tuks a bit more to get around. However, the place is actually very nice - probably the best 'homestay' I've stayed in so far in Sri Lanka. It seems that I have a whole 2 bed apartment to myself.
    Well, it's dark now, and I haven't had any ice cream. Let's see tomorrow if A... lives up to the hype.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    THE tree - or one grown from a sapling from the Buddha tree?2The 'Homestay' place where I'm staying in Anuradhapura

    21 Nov. Day 2, Anuradhapura

    November 21 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    If it would only stop raining, maybe I'd have a bigger smile on my face. Left my umbrella in my room, didn't I.
    The walk / bus ride to town doesn't seem as arduous after the first time. It's still a bit of a trek, but there are lots of opportunities on the way to shoot interesting people and things.
    I put aside today for visiting the main cultural/historical.Buddhist sacred city region in Anuradhapura. Maps help a lot - online or otherwise. The sacred city area especially stretches out over a relatively large expanse of land.
    When the sun rises in late morning, it's hard going but interesting. Some of the ancient sites are easily accessible, many of the entrances are policed by chaps in brown, army-looking uniforms and staff requiring shoes to be taken off and handed in.
    I think (hope) the shot of the golden fenced-in tree is of THE tree. It might be that, or one grown from a sapling from the tree Buddha was supposed to have sat under.
    Yes, after a ramble around various buildings, I had a bit of trouble finding the right place in the complex where I'd left my shoes.
    Reunited with them, I nipped into the big refractory with lots of white-clad Sri Lankans. Once again, the food was okay and astonishingly cheap: Asian catering for the hungry, pious masses.
    I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time on these trips being mildly, or riskily, lost. It's kind've fun, but it eats up a lot of time.
    Later on, I just went on a bit of a walkabout. Sri Lankan faces galore, I'm still slightly (pleasantly) shocked that almost all the locals I've met and chatted to are fine about standing still for a photo. What jolly nice people the Sri Lankans are.
    With a bit of luck, I think I might have managed to reserve a place on a trip out to another significant site tomorrow, promising a stunning sunset no less.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    22nd Nov. Anuradhapura to Jaffna

    November 22 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Yep. There's been a change of plan. I was going to stay in Anuradhapura for four days and maybe do the 'sunset over crumbling ruins' trip. Well, whilst I thought this latest place I stayed in was a good 'un, in fact it was a bit of a let-down. The manager had double booked me and moved me to his other property. This turned out to be a bit far out of the city centre. Then the lock on my bedroom door jammed and the muppet took well over an hour to come and fix it (even I couldn't burgle it with the bent spoon I tried). Nice enough place and staff - just incompetent.
    So I paid my bill and left this morning.
    On a bit of an impulse, I took the bus to Jaffna. It's way up at the northern tip of the island. You could almost spit to India.
    (Speaking of spitting - tenuous link coming)
    The bus drivers and 'conductors' - the chaps taking the money for fares and shouting something incomprehensible when the bus gets near a stop - are constantly spitting out of the window or the door, or somewhere else as bad. I reckon I've cottoned on to why it is: The conductor will sometimes make a flying stop at a roadside shop and pick up a damned great bunch of what I thought were tea leaves straight from the bush. Well, whatever it is, they chew it and spit the brown gunk out every so often. I'll get the spelling wrong, but maybe it's that stuff called 'khat', pronounced 'chat'.
    Whorevaah.
    Please accept my apologies for the pathetically small selection of photos today. I've been travelling a long while on a rickety old bus, and the weather's been its usual self: tail-end of the monsoon; two downpours per day.
    Anyway, I got to Jaffna and it looks okay. The place I'm staying in should've been a breeze to find, but I walked past it at least once and the tuk tuk driver I fell on the mercy of, was a complete numpty and couldn't find it either.
    Seems like a nice place though, run by a nice guy with an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Golden Retriever who's obviously spoiled rotten and knows it.
    Chicken fried rice from the takeaway for din-dins.
    Shower.
    Bed.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    2

    23 Nov. Jaffna

    November 23 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Today was a brilliant day :)
    Breakfast was a slight letdown, but it got me up and out, and heading for the town centre buses.
    I'd been intending to head for the ferry that goes to an island off the west coast called Nainativu, so I tried my best not to get lost.
    It didn't quite work. I ended up going via the old Jaffna Fort. This might sound like a bonus, but it's really a bunch of walls and rocks near the coast. Still, I've seen it now.
    The bus I'd been recommended to take by Tony the manager was the 776 from the central bust station. Blimey, they don't make it obvious, but I'm getting to recognise the system - for what it is.
    Quick observation:
    All the buses are rickety or on their last legs, and stuffed to gunnels with locals getting around the town, cheaply and relatively unscathed. A seat would be a bonus though.
    The journey was great - on an increasingly rocky road linking spits of land with small islands. (Think the Florida Keys without the awful American tourists.)
    The colour of the water got clearer, greener as we got closer to the last island linked by road. Then it was everyone off and a disorganised scramble for the boats docking to take us all across to Nainativu.
    The boats!?
    Hardly a ferry at all; cramped and only tiny openings to get a look out.
    It ran through my mind that I might be able to claim asylum on the island. Now I have an inkling what it might be like to bob around in an overcrowded boat with dozens of sweaty strangers, unsure if we'll get there.
    (I'm such a drama queen, I know.)
    It was actually pretty good. fun.
    Nainativu island is quite small. In fact, apart from a few side tracks off the main coast road, there didn't seem to be any reason to venture far from the coast. Near both the boat's drop-off jetty, and return jetty there were some very impressive Buddhist shrines, stupas and so on.
    Shoes off again!
    Very photogenic goings on. The Sri Lanka Buddhists certainly like a ceremony.
    All in all, a real highlight of the trip so far.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    My bus conductor, and a headless dog.

    24 Nov. Jaffna to Kandy

    November 24 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    I think I'm getting 'trench foot'. My second best trainers are letting in water. And there's a lot of it about.
    Up around Jaffna, there's marsh land and flood plains for miles and miles. Now this might be picturesque at another time of year, but the rain! The damned rain, downpours, showers, drizzle, precipitation, heavy mist.
    I planned this trip for the end of the monsoon season. Just goes to show, you shouldn't trust everything you read on t'internet.
    I have to apologise again for the poor showing of photos. Today was a long travel day and left my camera in my rucksack. I couldn't even read for fear of getting travel sick. ('A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini, seeing as you asked. So far, it's v. depressing. I'm waiting for at least one splendid sun to come out.)
    I was planning on going straight from Jaffna to Colombo, where the weather should be better. However, it's a heck of a bus ride and the train would have been even longer. I could have stayed in Jaffna for a couple more days, but the prospect of pretty much continual rain made my mind up. So I diverted to Kandy. At leat I know what I'm getting into there.
    A few brief observations:
    A bit disconcertingly was that I've been staying in room 101.
    Almost all the dogs here appear to be descended from one dominant dingo-like, fawn mutt.
    It's no surprise they can grow just about anything here; continual steady rainfall and a good amount of sun between showers.
    Today's was apparently a Hindu bus crew. They've usually been Buddhists.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    25 Nov. Back in Kandy

    November 25 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    First things first. Take my second best trainers down to the 'Master Minute' shoe repairer. He's on my street, he's quick, and he's cheap: 500 LRP + c.£1.20.
    'They'll be done in an hour.'
    Take two my friend, while I get some breakfast to settle my tummy.
    Yes' it's raining again, so the brolly I brought with me from Blighty is getting some more action.
    Kandy isn't really looking its best. The moisture in the air makes distance shots very undefined, lacking clarity, a bit rubbish. So grabbed shots of interesting looking people and the odd place are the order of the day.
    There are umbrellas everywhere; on pavements, crossing roads, in/out of shop doorways. Yet there appears to be a kind of 'brolly etiquette' whereby everyone raises or lowers their weapon to just about avoid jabbing each other in the eye.
    Some tourists are braving the drizzle/rain. If this is their only day to visit, then they have to make the best of it I suppose.
    Got into some random but quite pleasant chats with some locals; all men.
    I'm fairly sure it still wouldn't quite do for a Sri Lankan lady to start a conversation with an English gent, or me.
    Lunch was more local veggie food (they serve it cold, which I'm not a fan of. It. was uneventful, which is probably best, followed by ice cream at the local ice cream parlour. I've grown to like this little place. It's obviously where the teenagers hang out to flirt and get a sugar rush.
    Today's flavour: Cookies and Cream.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    1

    26 Nov. Kandy to Negombo

    November 27 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    I'm getting round to the point in the trip when I really must keep tabs on a few practicalities. I need to pay close attention to how I get from place to place, booking accommodation ahead, and how much cash in the form of Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) I have left. The LKR is a non-convertible (i.e. 'closed') currency. If I get lumbered with it back home, I can't get it exchanged anywhere.
    So it's ta ra Kandy again and off to the bedlam that is the streets where the 'normal' (not express) buses leave from. As I've come to expect, it's bucketing down with rain. My feet and rucksack are wet, but my brolly's holding up.
    It's a shame the bus ride is so twisty and stop-start. I'd have liked to read on re journey, but I'd run the risk of travel sickness.. It's a bit boring, but uneventful - apart from when the driver pulled on the brakes suddenly, and I skidded off my seat.
    Into Colombo, the urban sprawl took over. Even through the rain, I can still taste the pollution. As I'd read before leaving home, it's an uninteresting city. So I continued on to Negombo: It's on the coast and I know how to get there without too much drama. It'll do of a night before I head to the airport.
    The sharp-eyed among you will notice the visual quality (and more?) of the photos today isn't up to snuff. I left the okay camera in my bag and just shot a few things with my phone.
    Shocking how the standards have dropped, I know.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    Our broken plane

    27 Nov. Negombo to Bandaranaika Airport

    November 28 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    There used to be a time (even before my time) when flying was something special, exotic, stylishly upmarket. Blimey, those days are long gone.
    What a farce !
    I got from Negombo to the airport fairly painlessly, in plenty of time, and we were set for take-off at around 16:55. That's when it all went a bit pear-shaped. The Gulf Airways pilot came on the intercom to apologise for the delay in taking off, but that there was a leak of water that needed investigation (I hope it was only water). The time dragged on, but we were eventually taken off the flight to wait like muppets for an extra 4-5 hours; hanging around for information, updates or advice. Even more eventually, all the passengers - those destined for Male in The Maldives and those onward for Bahrain - were led off to get on buses to take us to a hotel for the night.
    But aah, that's when things picked up. Goodness only knows where this hotel is, but it's called Cinnamon Life, and it's very swish: very large, very corporate but very nice: the best food and the comfiest bed so far on this trip.
    We didn't arrive until way after 10pm, and I've just noticed a message from Gulf Airways giving options about an alternative flight. Fat lot of good that is to me. When it came through, I was on the bus to the hotel.
    Let's see what tomorrow brings. A flight to Male I'm hoping.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    28 - 29 Nov. Negombo to Male, Maldives

    Nov 28–29 on the Maldives ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Oh where do I start??
    A faulty plane, a delay that got delayed even longer, no communication skills from the Gulf Air staff, and it went on and on.
    Yes, the hotel say was pleasant, very welcome, but every time I got an update on my phone about a revised flight offer that I must either take or pay for a change, the hotel staff simply passed a message on that flights had been cancelled and we must stay in the hotel until further notice.
    So, 28th November I spent mainly eating hotel food, or sat in my room, or fretting that I wouldn't get to The Maldives, and I'd lost a deposit on accommodation in Male.
    Well, we eventually got bused back to the airport for another long wait.
    Cutting to the chase (sorry). We got off the ground at about 12:30am.
    Therefore, I neither had the strength or opportunity to post anything meaningful for the 28th.
    Today's the 29th.
    I've been in Male, checking on my booked accommodation (lost it), so I took one of the ferries to Maafushi via Gulhi (the spellings often change). It's been a bit of a drama - (I go through all this hassle so you don't have to ;))
    The weather's slightly better than Sri Lanka, but the hurricane over the Indian Ocean; Malaysia, Indonesia, has dumped an enormous amount of rain on this region. Hey ho...
    Maafushi is small (wide East to West, thin North to South), quietish, but kind've nice. I went for a snorkel and swim at one of the beach areas called 'Bikini Beach'. I didn't venture further around the corner to the 'no bikini beach' - whatever that is in a Moslem country.
    Not sure whether to stay a little longer in Maafushi, or explore some of the other islands.
    Yeah, still got that wanderlust/curiosity/noseyness.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    1

    30 Nov. Maafushi to Ghuraidu

    November 30 on the Maldives ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Now isn't this much better?
    I'd always had the cunning plan of backpacking around Sri Lanka for three weeks, followed by some well-earned R&R in The Maldives. The suntan only shows on the uncovered bits, but it's nice to get a bit of sun wherever I can get it.
    Maafushi is the second in a line of three main islands just south of the main island that Male City sits on. Male isn't big at all. I walked more or less from the north shore to the south yesterday. Just like most capital cities though, it's not really geared up to be an exciting travel destination. That's why most people skedaddle off to the smaller islands.
    Being a bit short of days left before I have to head back to Colombo for my return flight, I decided not to venture far into the outer atolls. Two reasons: it takes hours by boat - even speedboat - and the accommodation costs can be horrific. Maafushi then Ghuraido were my choices.
    In some ways, the Maldivians are a relaxed bunch when it comes to organisation/scheduling. There are huge issues around when/if the ferry will run, at what time, and whether the weather has had any effect on anything. On the other hand, the locals in Maafushi are definitely keen to get the tourists/travellers to part with as much money as possible while they're on the island. Ghuraido has quite a different feel, and I think I like it for that.
    Being unsure of the cheap public ferry was ever going to turn up, I plumped for an $8 speedboat ride from Maafushi to Ghuraido. That's about six times the cost of the public ferry. Ah, well, at least I got there.
    Blimey, it's quiet, and tiny. It has streets with normal shops, and schoolchildren wandering around. The beaches are almost empty, and the water... oh the water. It is actually that turquoise-green colour, fading to slate grey-blue further out to sea. The sunshine today was blissful: just a tiny shower but gorgeous.
    There were plenty of 'gin palaces' moored off-shore, so the island's got a slightly yet-to-be-developed, scruffy air about it with only a few restaurants or cafes.
    The place I'm staying in has been the most expensive place on this trip, by about 4 times. It's also the best by a margin.
    Aaah, The Maldives. I can look out across the lagoon to the 'over-water straw huts on stilts', reserved for the well-heeled honeymooners. They're enjoying the same sunshine and showers as I am, and this evening's sunset, which was pretty good too.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    1 Dec 2025, Ghuraido to Male

    December 1 on the Maldives ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    It's a glorious morning. The sun is shining and it's warm. There was a threat of a shower about 11am but it passed us by.
    Breakfast was okay if a little stingy on the portions, but the staff at 'Adroit Expeditions' have been really helpful. A good experience all 'round.
    Last morning on the small islands out in the atolls. I'm leaving (escaping) Ghuraido and heading back to the capitol, Male.
    It was a bit of a scramble to definitely get a place on a boat (any boat) going back to Male. The public (cheap) ferry kicked us all off due to the wrong kind of waves, a second (expensive) speedboat was full, so I had to book on the 11am-ish speedboat, and try to forget the higher cost.
    It didn't take long, we got there okay.
    A quick observation:
    I can't help but think that the men who run these local boats; ferries, speedboats etc., are the Maldives equivalents of the dodgy characters who used to (perhaps still do) work on the fairgrounds, putting another spin on the Whirlitsers, the sort who no conscientious father would let near his daughter.
    But we arrived in Male.
    A few photos later and a detour to find the bus station (possibly for tomorrow), I'm good and early to check in at the place for tonight. It's warm work though - seems the hurricane has passed.
    It really feels like the last few days until I'm home (just 3 sleeps to go). I'm getting close to running out of steam. There's not much left to see in Male, so tomorrow I'll try exploring Hulhumale island to the north of the airport. The manager at my Ghuraido digs said it's nice and green.
    We shall see.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler

    2nd - 3rd Dec. Male and Hulhumale

    Dec 2–3 on the Maldives ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Today was my last day for messing around on The Maldives. The news has been bad about the hurricane sweeping across the whole of Sri Lanka, so it's probably my good fortune to be a few miles away from the worst of it.
    As it's getting near to when I need to head back home, I'm checking my cash, working out how much I need to tide me over and not be left with useless currency in my wallet.
    So I decided to take the advice from the manager at my Ghuraido place and take a bus up to Hulhumale to the north of the airport. Yes, the buildings are a lot more spaced out, it has a more modern feeling than Male island, laid out on a grid, but oh so characterless.
    Therefore, the shots below are from that visit, some more around Male, and the last few once I've arrived in the spot I'll be spending my last night in Sri Lanka.
    The shot of the felled trees shows some of the damage from recent days. We're a bit out in the sticks here, but it's within a short-ish tuk tuk ride to the airport... and escape.    Read more

  • Gavin WilsonSri Lanka & MaldivesTraveler
    View from my balcony
    The Sri Lankans are a smiley peopleA fairly typical houseHouse actually made of mud wallsThe roadside 'cafe' where I got some lunch

    3-4 Dec. Sri Lanka to home

    December 5 in England ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    Well, it's time to leave.
    The manager at my digs here in the jungle in the Kimbulapitiya area of Negombo called a tuk tuk for me, and I got to the airport in good time.
    It's that de ja vu feeling all over again.
    Thankfully, the flights were relatively painless, but for now I feel like I've had enough of airports, queuing, passport control, officious jobs-worths in uniforms, and fellow passengers.
    So, in this post I'll try to round things up with some thoughts on the last couple of days of this trip.
    The photos were all shot around where I was staying for my final night in Sri Lanka: some of the people and places within a short walk from the place I was staying. The first shot is the view from my balcony. Yes, it really was out in the sticks.
    Some final thoughts:
    The people in Sri Lanka have generally been the most friendly and helpful people I've ever met. This has been a clear distinction between between The Maldives and Sri Lanka. Sure, The Maldives is blissfully pretty when the weather's fine, but the people there are often mainly interested in milking the tourists. This has resulted in a buoyant economy throughout the islands, but a latent sense of cynical commercialism that isn't quite my cup of tea.
    Over the last few weeks, Sri Lanka has been buffeted badly by the hurricane coming in from Malaysia and Indonesia. I've managed to miss the worst of it whilst getting drenched a few times. The manager at the place for my final night told me that 800 families had lost their homes. I don't know how many died. The worst injury I got was a small burn when I ironed/dried out a few bits of clothing in a place I was staying.
    Sri Lanka is interesting - from the viewpoint of it's ex-colonial ties to the British Empire, and from its religious and cultural mix.
    The Malidives are islands I wouldn't mind going back to - given a lot more time and money. Does somewhere stand out above all the others? Not really. It's the variety I liked.
    On the return to the UK, Manchester was just as wet as Sri Lanka, but darned cold to boot. Just when I thought the journey home was going to be trouble-free, the train from the airport to York was delayed by another train going through a red light 'at danger', as the conductor explained. So, they had to give me a taxi from York to Northallerton, then I paid the extra £10 to get home.
    Blimey it's cold but, yeah, it's good to be back.    Read more

    Trip end
    December 4, 2025
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