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Published: January 5th 2014
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A couple of days of lazing on Mirissa beach and it's the first time I've experienced proper heat since I've been here. It's very nice but it could be anywhere.
I should have just chilled for my time here and read my book, but instead I made the huge mistake of going on a whale spotting tour you see advertised all over. Six hours on a little boat chasing after a whale, left and right, round and round, up and down - I was so sick! Eventually they gave me a mattress to lie down on and I slept through most of it. They did wake me up when the blue whale was spotted and I managed to force myself to the side of the boat to see its nose and a great spurt of water come out of its blowhole. Then I threw up and fell back asleep again. Yuk! When I booked I had asked how responsible these tours were, and I had been assured this particular one was better than the others because it kept well outside the 150 metre exclusion zone. This was a lie - we were clearly well within this zone, along with 20
other boats full of stupid mugs like me hoping to catch a glimpse of this beautiful animal. It can't be good for the whales to make this into such a chase with vast numbers of boats after the same thing. Anybody who reads this and is thinking of going to Sri Lanka - don't do the whale tour! Maybe they are an animal we are just not meant to see.
I spent the afternoon walking along the coast to Weligama to see Taprobane island. I was so glad to be on dry land again! Most of the walk was along the road - everybody walks on the roads here, there are no pavements and the traffic just goes around you. People love an excuse anyway to toot their horns! As soon as I could see the sea again I got on to the beach for the rest of the walk and found myself having a Robinson Crusoe moment on a deserted beach - no footprints apart from mine, some crabs and the inevitable stray dog.
Weligama seemed like a very laid back fishing village. I noticed a massive hotel being built - obviously this whole coastline will be
Weligama Beach
My Robinson Crusoe beach developed and my Robinson Crusoe beach will disappear. I bought a sandwich at a little surfing cafe, where four surf dudes were all fast asleep but the guy woke them all up - apparently they were all needed to make my one sandwich! My hunger caused a lot of resentment but it was a great sandwich.
Eventually found Taprobane Island. What a beautiful little spot and I would really love to be staying here on the island hotel just like Paul Bowles did. Nobody else around - just a local family having a swim. It was a lovely end to a day that started so badly!
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