Nightclubs and Buddhas

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After hills and culture, it was time to head to the famous Sri Lankan beaches. And following the excesses of the jungle safari it was time for some belt buckling. Well that's how it started anyway. From Udawalawe I took a bus to Tangalla for the grand price of 62 cents. Perhaps not quite as comfortable or direct as the private transfers, but it did the trick.

Tangalla is described as a sleepy town with perfect beaches, and I had arranged accommodation in a rustic beachside cabana. I had visions of a peaceful couple of days, lounging by the beach, reading a book under the palm trees. It sounded idyllic, and on initial glance, it was delivering on all counts. Although I began to smell a rat when I placed my valuables in the safe at the office.

My cabana was number 3, and they couldn’t find the keys to my safe. There was much discussion, then they assigned me number 16, explaining that the previous occupants in number 3 had moved to number 16 but still had the key. “Why did they move?” I asked. There was a shifty look, then he said, “The room had been booked.” This sort of made sense, and there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the room, other than it being built on a slant, however I expected that all the rustic cabanas would be a little wonky. I went down to the beach to explore, and it really is a gorgeous beach. I was very happy, with visions of being lulled to sleep by the ocean waves.

After a rather unappetising dinner (the guesthouse’s attempt at western-style dining no doubt on a par with what I would expect my Sri Lankan cooking would be), come bed time, all the room swapping activity became clear. The quiet beachside shack selling fruit juice and snacks had transformed itself into a booming bar and was hosting a full on beach party. So rather than listening to the pounding of the beach, I was deafened by the pounding of the beat. It was like trying to sleep in a cupboard in a nightclub. It went on until about 2.00am, but then they put the music on again first thing in the morning when they were cleaning up. And worse news I was to discover, is that every night is party night! I'm never at my best when tired and hungry, so bleary eyed the next morning I traipsed to the front office to ask for a room transfer, thinking they must be used to this by now. But unfortunately there were no rooms available. So much for my quiet beachside retreat. I couldn’t imagine sleeping there for the next two nights, so decided to leave. However it was Christmas Eve, and it seemed that there was no room at any inn. Finally I found a room at a resort in the nearby town of Dickwella. Farewell to my austerity measures.

Before I left though, I went for a wander down to the beach in Tangalla. I had been chatting to the guy who owns the beach shack restaurant yesterday and he spotted me again today. He was very friendly, suggesting all kinds of things for me to do. I finally confessed that I was leaving early and heading to Dickwella. "Is this my fault, because of the music?" he asked. Er...yes...talk about awkward. He was interesting to talk to though, telling me about the 40 people from the village who had recently disappeared while en route to Australia by boat, and also about the devastating Tsunami in 2004. Tangalla had been very badly impacted, with more than 2000 people losing their lives.

I also visited some local rock temples, Mulkirigala. The restaurant guy decided to come with me, and hired a crazy tuk tuk driver. So far on the Sri Lankan roads I haven't felt at risk, despite the dangerous driving. But this guy was something else - clearly a frustrated race car driver with the mistaken view that he was invincible. He overtook a bus that was overtaking a car. He overtook a car, overtaking a tuk tuk, while in full view heading in our direction was a truck overtaking a motorcycle. He regularly overtook on a blind corner and on one occasion we met a car coming straight at us. Everyone slammed on their brakes. I thought I was going to end up in a Sri Lankan hospital for Christmas, and can only say it must be a Christmas miracle I didn't.

Mulkirigala is stunning. There are a number of different caves, with ornate, colourful wall paintings and huge reclining Buddhas. It was quite a climb up the steps, but the temples, not to mention the view from the top, made it all worthwhile. I made an extra donation just in case Buddha has any influence on the driving here in Sri Lanka.

Then it was on to Dickwella for Christmas. My new place is much larger "resort" style, albeit a little on the older side, sitting on a little peninsula with beach on either side. On one side we overlook the working beach of Dickwella, and on the other side a gorgeous secluded beach. There's also a very nice pool.

The great irony of having moved hotels because of the beach hut-come-nightclub, is that because it was Christmas Eve, there was a big party planned for the resort, and I had upgraded to a hotel with a better sound system. But actually it wasn't too bad. It was all in aid of the Christmas celebration, and first up was a Christmas banquet that was really delicious, with almost everything you could possibly imagine. The restaurant was relocated to the pool area, and the hotel had been festooned with lights. Santa made an appearance for the children, and for kids of all ages there was a massive fireworks display. This was then followed by dancing which went until late in the night.

Near to Dickwella is Wewurukannala Vihara, which is home to more Buddhist temples, both old and new. The complex includes a temple which tells the story of Buddha’s birth and his life. Then there’s a kind of hall of horrors, which has life size carvings of demons and sinners and the castigations meted out to them, including being sawn in half! There’s also a long corridor painted with various sins being committed and their punishments. Surprisingly gory stuff for the Buddhists! The main event here is the large seated Buddha, the largest in Sri Lanka.

So that’s how I spent Christmas day in Sri Lanka, visiting a Buddhist temple and learning the story of the birth of Buddha. An interesting spin on an old tale.

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Photos

Mulkirigala
Looks like he's getting a massage

Comments

[Jackie]

The old saying "Buy Cheap - buy twice" seems to be true of your economy hotel. Glad you are now in improved quarters. Beautiful frescos etc. Sri Lanka is certainly a lovely holiday destination.

[RJT]

The little cabanas were actually fine, it was the noise I had the issue with and the hotel had no control over this. My "improved" quarters were way overpriced, but now I'm in a gorgeous little villa in Unawatuna. I sent you a text with the link.