Bentota

Our last destination for this trip was partly for some relaxation as well as seeing a few things.

We travelled here via the south coast, and our first stop, just south of Galle, was for a look at the stilt fishermen.

It’s a good gig, really. You put some big sticks in the sand and charge tourists a few thousand rupees for a few photographs of you pretending to fish. On a busy day this could be quite a few rupees per hour, for sitting still on a pole in the water.

Then we went to one of the numerous turtle hatcheries in the area. In equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting - much like the Elephant Transit Centre - we saw some magnificent creatures, all without an arm or a leg or with a hole in their shell, mainly through collisions with ships.

The hatchery part of the activity involves harvesting eggs and ensuring they are released in the evening so that there are far fewer predators waiting to eat them on their obstacle course stumble to the sea.

We have had a great trip, and have seen so many great sights, but felt like we short-changed Galle somewhat. We only had time for a quick whip through the fishing port and the historic fort, with the cricket ground in its shadow. So much more to see that we missed!

We were heading to our hotel for the night, driving along the very scenic coastal road from Galle to Bentota, when the sunset beckoned. Prashan, our guide, never short of good ideas, pulled into a rather tired looking hotel, found the bar and ordered some drinks and snacks to be taken next to the pool overlooking the beach. He then had a swim in the pool, and we enjoyed barbecued prawns and a beautiful sunset.

We also took a boat trip on the Madu River, braving the oppressive heat to look for wildlife in the numerous mangrove-encircled islands. Reminiscent of the safaris, there were probably more tourist boats than animals, but it wasn’t a bad way to spend the morning.

On the way to the boat ride, Prashan spied some men, high in the coconut palms, collecting toddy, which is the fermented sap of the palm tree. Fourteen per cent alcohol, not a great taste, and nine-thirty in the morning - probably not the way to enjoy a relaxing drink! Still, the skill of the men who harvest the stuff high up in the trees was incredible.

Our last event on the trip was a look around Colombo, which, to tell the truth, isn’t the prettiest or most exciting city we have seen. Still, Independence Square, where independence was declared in 1948 and with a statue of Don Stephen Senanayake, Sri Lanka’s first prime minister, was very nice, as were both the new and old parliament buildings.

Post script

We very much enjoyed our brief tour around the country. We will almost miss the crazy driving at heart stopping speeds, and the red (government) and blue (private) buses that dominate the roads, speeding along, overtaking everything in sight and with the conductor hanging out the door shouting out to potential passengers.

There is culture aplenty, and a mix of religions happily coexisting. There is also beautiful countryside and wildlife and some marvellous iconic sights - Siguriya for one.

It was also stinking hot, and there were a few heavy afternoon downpours.

With a good guide to show the way through the incredible range of foods, to help buy beer and wine at the liquor stores and to handle the crazy traffic - and maybe even to tell you a little of Sri Lanka’s life story - it is an incredible, wonderful place to visit - especially with Steve and Kim, our great, long-time travelling companions.Lue lisää