Day 12: Friday 15 September - Weligama - Koggala

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Day 12: Friday 15 September - Weligama - Koggala







Today we departed for Weligama leaving the national parks behind us.







The narrow streets are dotted with Dutch colonial villas, museums and antique shops. We then drive to Kudawella to see the Hummanaya Blow Hole, the second largest of its kind in the world.







It was a short walk through the back lanes to the foot of an uneven, rocky path up to the cliff face of the coast. It wasn’t long before we heard the whoosh of the water rushing through the blowhole. We got some fantastic shots of the water shooting up about 20 metres. It was spectacular.







We then drove further along the coast to see the biggest Buddha statue in Sri Lanka, at the Dikwela Wewurukannala Temple. The temple is dominated by an image of a seated Buddha that is over 48m high as well as a brilliant white stupor. There was also a museum which housed many different Buddhas.







From there we drove past the area where the 2004 tsunami destroyed houses, bridges and roads, many of which were still being rebuilt. It was a tragic period in the history of southern Sri Lanka.







Wiligama and Koggala where the next towns. On the beach of Wiligama we stopped and our guide organised for us to pay 500 SL Rupees for us to take photos of the famous stilt fishermen, who erect a single pole in the chest-deep water on the beach, just few meters off-shore, where they perch on a cross bar and using bamboo fishing rods cast their lines out beyond the surf break to catch small fish. This is an old tradition practiced by around 500 fishing families in the region. With one hand, they hold the stilt and with the other they use their fishing rod.







Weligama is a town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, the name literally means "sandy village" which refers to the area's sandy sweep bay. It is approximately 144 kilometres south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 9 metres above the sea level.



The main industries are tourism and fishing. Weligama is a popular tourist destination.



Weligama was significantly affected by the 2004 tsunami, with 15% of the area destroyed, with over 2,200 houses damaged or washed away, and 469 reported deaths.



Weligama is recognised for its beeralu Lace-making. First introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century lace-making has remained a traditional handicraft along the coastal area of Weligama, with a number of households producing crochet and tatting lace.







We then arrived at Koggala and settled into our Long Beach Hotel which was an extensive complex with 2 swimming pools, 3 restaurants in front of a beautiful white sandy beach with fantastic surf.







After down-loading my photos onto the computer and having a coffee in our very cool room, the 4 of us (Sue, Dave, Tom & I) walked down to the beach via the road, to catch the sunset. This was where many stilt fishermen were sitting on their poles fishing for sardines. It was a spectacular site and much better than the previous beach. We watched the sunset and was amazed at the brilliance of the scene that was unfolding before us. It was incredible. I hope you enjoy the photos.







We then went back to our hotel, had a very cold beer or 2 before going to the ala carte restaurant for dinner. The only down side to this part of the story was that we had to wait 50 minutes for our meal. There were 2 blokes from Sydney who were the only others in the restaurant. They had to wait 1 1/2 hours for their meals. We ended up sitting with them and as usual, swapped lots of travel stories. They were doing the same tour as us but 1 day shorter.







We then returned to our room, rang for an extra blanket as we couldn’t get our room warm enough because of the over-efficient air-conditioning (must have been something wrong with our remote) but all was very comfortable during the night. Our suite was 3 rooms plus balcony looking out to the sea. It was very comfortable.







We enjoyed this very busy beachside town.



Koggala is a small coastal town, situated at the edge of a lagoon on the south coast of Sri Lanka. Koggala is bounded on one side by a reef, and on the other by a large lake, Koggala Lake, into which the numerous tributaries of the Koggala Oya drain. It is approximately 139 kilometres south of Colombo.



The town has one of the longest beaches in Sri Lanka, and is located in close proximity to the popular tourist resort of Unawatuna. Koggala in comparison is relatively uncluttered as a tourist destination and mostly unexplored.



During the 2004 tsunami, Koggala was significantly affected by the waters measured 9.3 metres high.

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Photos

Near Hummanaya Blow Hole
Sue loved the icecream stands