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Published: November 21st 2013
We made it! First ride and 60Km out of the gate…. We started at 5:30am, using our headlamps and headed out for Bentota… Luckily for us, we were going against traffic… it was crazy, especially the busses,,, they don't stop for anything! Oh… and the cows… can't forget about the cows… Like India, cows have free reign and are EVERYWHERE! Randomly roaming the highway… I am thankful however, that we weren't riding INTO Colombo - that would have made me drink. The thing is, you just have to go in a straight line and everything will just go around you.. except for busses, these things are just insane. It really wasn't that bad, especially after about 25km or so south of Colombo - we still had to keep out heads up, but it was nothing that we couldn't handle. We made it into Bentota before 9am! How is that for a smooth sailing ride! Luckily, out guesthouse again had no one the night before and they had our room ready when we arrived! The greeted us with cold face towels and coconuts, then served us breakfast after we were all showered up… how is that for hospitality!
Bentota is a
small town right on the coast - there is lots of touristy things to do - lots of resorts and the like.. also lots of water sports. The guesthouse is on the river delta, and we had a private riverfront view… We hung out there for a bit before heading our to the main beach. The manager drove us to the beach in his Tuk Tuk and got us set up with a "cabana"… the day at the beach was just what the doctor ordered! I did some reading and Barry caught a few zzzz's - he even made a new friend! While he was napping, the dog belonging to the beach restaurant owner decided he wanted to have a snuggle with Barry and jumped right on top of him and lay down on his chest haha! If Barry hadn't have been so startled it would have been even cuter 😊
After the beach, we headed back to the guesthouse, had a few beers on our patio watching the sunset on the river… The staff at the guest house served us a
phenomenal Sri Lankan dinner…
We were our of the gates again at 5:30 am 😞 I
hate these early mornings. Barry was not feeling 100% the day before and had some fatigue on the ride… He had been coming down with a cold before we left and now his cough is also getting a bit worse. Unfortunately, today was no different. What should have been another easy ride, took quite a bit longer than it should have because Barry wasn't in top form. We did stop frequently along the way - the road hugged the coast and there were lots of great photo opportunities. We also stopped at a Sea Turtle sanctuary - It is a bit of a sad story - Not too many people, when they think of the Tsunami that hit Indonesia and Thailand on Boxing Day 2004, know that Sri Lanka was also quite devastated… The south and east coastlines were hit hard, 35,000 people lost their lives and another 500,000 were displaced. The owner of the turtle sanctuary lost his mother, 2 sisters, wife and 3 small children in the Tsunami where the sanctuary exists today. His father had started the sanctuary and he took it over when he died. The owner happened to be in Colombo on the day of
the Tsunami and returned to find them all deceased. Ten years later, you can still see evidence of the incredible destruction… damaged and deserted homes, buildings, boats, and memorials to those who didn't survive. So very sad 😞 The turtle sanctuary was pretty cool though, Barry and I both got to hold a pretty big sea turtle - he was pretty heavy!
Doing these trips - traveling the way we do - we get to see first hand how people live. I am reminded every time how fortunate and blessed I am, to have been born in a country of privilege. There are unfortunately many young girls and women (and boys also), particularly in rural areas that will never be able to get a higher education, either because their families can't afford it, or cultural traditions still prevail… Yet on the other hand, I wonder to myself if maybe we have it all wrong. Despite the poverty and hardships that these people endure, they are some of the most sincere, kind and generous people that I have ever met. And the one thing I will say, is that they are happy… They have very little, yet they are happy…
something to ponder….
We still made it to Galle by about 10:30 - we weren't lucky this time and our room was not ready. We instead went to get some breakfast and hung out at the restaurant for a few hours until the room was ready. I can't tell you how horrible it is, after cycling for 5 hours with sunscreen, bug repellent, dust, dirt and diesel fumes, not to be able to shower right away. Not pleasant to say the least… But all was good, at least we were able to get out of the sun, wash at least our hands and faces and have a bite to eat.
Galle is an interesting place… There is a Dutch fort area which is now a UNESCO site, and that is where we are staying.. right in the fort! The Dutch built the fort in 1663 after taking Galle from the Portugese. It was used as a main port until the Brits turned the commercial interest to Colombo in 1776. The fort area, interestingly enough was mostly spared by the Tsunami, due to the high walls… the "new" city of Galle unfortunately, took quite a beating.
We took
a long walk around the Fort wall just before sunset - gorgeous! Assuming Barry is feeling well tomorrow, we are spending the day exploring Galle - we may even look into some cooking classes!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Illnesses
We've suffered a few illnesses on the road and it is not fun. Sounds like a day of rest is in order to get him back on his feet. Good luck cycling--- I would not start out in the dark and would not want to ride near those buses. Best of luck to you. Looks like you are seeing some wonderful things.