Week 3 Sri Lanka

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Week 3 started with a Saturday shopping trip in downtown Anuradhapura. First stop the bank to stock up on Sri Lankan rupees then the supermarket for a few supplies, including mosquito spray for our room. The city has had water tanks (a but like reservoirs) scattered across the area for centuries so perfect breeding ground for mossies- and they are big. We then spent a fruitless 30 minutes looking for a camera battery without success. All of this shopping done with a tuktuk taking us door to door as its too darn hot to walk.

Our evening trip with Chumi our friendly tuktuk driver was to Minihitale the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It was nice to get out of the city but I didn't make it up to the stupas as it was still too hot for climbing the steps. Chris managed a big chunk of it. We had dinner in the hotel but it was pretty average. We are in Anuradhapura longer than planned as we ditched the idea of going to Jaffna. It’s very much a big working town with lots of Buddhist pilgrims and a smattering of tourists. The majority of the visitor infrastructure is aimed at the pilgrims.

Sunday was a chill day , including going to the laundry and then to a lovely place called Banana Cafe where we had iced coffee and kottu ice cream- its chopped and smoothed and chilled and made into rolls. Very pretty, see the pictures, and very tasty. We lazed and swam and in the evening went to a touristy restaurant for noodles and kottu, quite tasty but relatively expensive. We needed an early night as we were off at 7.30 am next day.

I had been talking to a guy on airbnb who offers guided tours of the sacred city by bicycle and he had put together a price to take us round the two remaining parts of the site in a vehicle. Sadly he didn't confirm so we messaged to say things had changed. We organised for Chumi to take us , not a guide but he knew the places we wanted to go, which he insisted on calling Madame’s list. Our first stop was to buy our site ticket, 30$ , which is ten times the price for Sri Lankans. We had decided against paying for more than one day by doing the other free parts and avoiding the checkpoints.

I could write a lot of details about each place we visited but thought for once I would go for the abridged version. The ancient city is divided into four key Monastery areas and our last trip was to Jetavanarama and Abhayagiri. Over a three hour period we got a sense of places that housed three to five thousand monks.

There were remains of living areas, including a kitchen, huge water tanks, smaller irrigation systems and stunning carvings. The kitchen had a stone trough that held enough rice to feed 5,000 monks . Elephant Pond is as big as five Olympic swimming pools and wasn't used for bathing elephants but the monks. A stupa dominates each area, one was built with between 90 and 93 million bricks. The scale was breath-taking. The museums filled in some of the gaps with artefacts from the archaeological digs, including very intricate jewellery and a display of the ornate and complex system for toilets.

We stopped for drinks and Chris and Chummi had fresh coconut, or Sri Lankan Red Bull as Chummi called it. A local couple next to me were drinking tea and when I asked what it was the lovely lady stallholder said it was herbal tea, please try it. It was very tasty but strong, I think with cinnamon and cloves, she said it cooled you in the heat. I offered to pay but it was free. A lovely unsolicited moment.

We were so glad we divided the site up into 3 manageable visits, the advantage of having more time than most people. We said farewell to Chumi as our self drive tuktuk would be arriving the next day.

We knew sightseeing here would be hard work, which is why a pool was our number one requirement. We chatted in the pool to a young couple from Manchester on a backpacking trip for 6 months . Both nurses, he had worked in Anuradhapura as a student nurse, he was on a career break and she had just left her job. They were travelling in a tuktuk too.

Our evening was a trip to Mango Mango which served Indian food, the further north you go in Sri Lanka the more Indian influences there are. We tucked into masala dosa,paneer curry, saag aloo and rice. The food was alright but they lost any recommendation when they sent a group of five people to our table before we had even finished and they hovered over us , unhappy that we refused to move.

Tuesday and our tuktuk was arriving. Chris had his lesson with the guy and filled up with fuel. We used it to pop out for lunch, to get bungee cords for the luggage as it has a roof rack. It felt very comfy in the back. After chilling by the pool for the last day Chris drove to a restaurant for dinner, it’s crazy enough in daylight. He did really well and we ate at Casserole, downstairs was a snack bar and buffet but upstairs was a bit more upmarket. We had freshly cooked chicken and cashew nuts ( grown here in Sri Lanka) and devilled chicken , both with rice. Probably one of the tastier meals we have eaten. For dessert I had Wattalappan, like a baked egg custard but made with coconut, jaggery and cardamom. Delicious, a recipe to try at home.

Wednesday morning we packed up and loaded the tuktuk ready for the last two bits of the trip. Our plan was to drive about halfway to our destination and find a place to stay. Getting out of Anuradhapura was busy with scooters, bikes, tuktuks, buses and lorries coming at us from all angles. Once on the A12 main road it was much easier . Our first pit stop was a bakery for fresh watermelon juice in a busy little town called Nochchiyagama. We got some interesting looks as two old folks emerged from the tuktuk but a lady helped us sort out drinks and a very dry cake. We got stopped at a police checkpoint but Chris had all his documents to hand, the next three just waived us on. We were making good time so a possible place to stay just became another drink spot.

The biggest place on our route was Puttalam and there was a coastal road heading north out of the city that looked promising for a guesthouse. Without data we were using a combination of a downloaded google map and maps.me. We got through town but at the final roundabout, where we turned left and then immediate left we ended up in the fish market! Luckily there was plenty of room to turn round. A bit of entertainment for the stallholders. The coastal road was a definite non starter, the beach and water were full of rubbish and no places to stay.

We continued up the main road and there were no places to stay until we reached our destination for the next day. We eventually went down a track to .Kay Jay Wild a very big “lodge" . It was hot and Chris was tired so when I was shown a huge clean room with massive en suite, aircon and balcony I said yes. It gets the prize for the cleanest place so far. We had a long snooze and then I sorted dinner for 7.30 and breakfast for 8am, all via google translate with Zuniga .

Once we recovered we went in search of beer, the locals were intrigued by two foreigners in a tuktuk and helped us find the beer shop- about 5km away. Showered and refreshed we drank our beer on the balcony watching the myriad of birds and a couple of monkeys in the distant trees.

We went down for food at 7.30 and one of the lads looked perplexed but about 7.40 a bike arrived with our food. Fried noodles and chicken and yogurt. Simple but tasty and our first food since the mid-morning cake.

Thursday morning we had a delicious freshly cooked Sri Lankan breakfast. Fresh roti, dahl, potato curry and chicken curry followed by fresh sliced bread and fluorescent strawberry jam. Despite the language issues we managed to get exactly what we needed, a bed for the night, dinner and breakfast( which in the end was free) . All for 15,000LKR, about 45€

We set off early and drove to the nearest fuel station , 10km, to fill up the tuktuk. We checked out a possible evening eating option but it looked grim. We then ventured down a 7km road to the sea, it was just like Putallam. Sri Lanka mainly has either fabulous beaches but developed and touristy or rubbish strewn fishing locations. Chris wanted a shave but there was a power cut till 6pm. I picked up some limes, to have with soda and stuffed vegetable roti for lunch.

We moved to Backwater lodge, luckily it had a generator and we checked into our eco retreat. Very attentive staff with good English. Our “room" is a shipping container, cosy but raised up so you feel very close to the trees. I sorted three trips while Chris snoozed. It is right on the river, lots of chill space, a pontoon for swimming and a kayak.

Dinner was tasty but a bit westernised , beetroot soup then curry plate ( with chicken) and chocolate mousse. Chatted to a couple Sue and Steve from Watford, fellow travellers. In the background all of the time were two older women, home counties, posh accents and oblivious to anyone else. They were smoking in the lounging area so we sat at a table. When they came to eat one of them continued to smoke at the table, thankfully we were far enough away not to be bothered, also there were no signs about smoking.

Friday and a very early start, 5.45 am ! We booked to go birdwatching with a local in an outrigger canoe. It was about 15 minutes in the tuktuk and we got ourselves into the canoe, 2 bucket seats and not much legroom and off we went into the lagoon. It was amazingly peaceful and we saw a huge array of birds, the last 20 minutes was surreal as we floated through the mangroves. All it needed was a David Attenbough voice over, mangroves are being destroyed around the planet.

Today is a Poya i.e. full moon, a sacred day in the Buddhist calendar so our plans for lunch were scuppered as nearly everywhere was closed. Beer shop closed but they guy over the road offered us some. Lunch was cheesy puffs, tomato and cucumber followed by banana with curd and honey and wine biscuits- no wine in ingredients and sweet not savoury.

I'll finish there, till next time.

Norma

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