Blogs from Weligama, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, Asia - page 2

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Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama September 11th 2017

I had researched whalewatching before we came to Sri Lanka and the general concensus was that this was not the best time of year to see whales in Mirissa. We looked at going to Tricomalee but it would have been a hell of a diversion just to do that one activity, so Mirissa it was. Further investigation highlighted Raja and The Whales as the original and best company to go with. They stick to the guidelines to protect the whales and are good at what they do....or so the majority of people say.... I have now joined that majority. We were picked up by tuk tuk at 5:55am and taken to their office where we were given seasick pills and a bottle of water to take them with. Claire used the facilities and was very ... read more
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Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama September 11th 2017

Blue whales, the largest mammal on Earth and a lifelong dream of mine to see them in the wild. The Indian Ocean is one of the best places to do this as its a breeding and feeding ground as opposed to a place they pass through as is the norm with so many other blue whale spotting locations. The morning started as most on our holiday: waking before sunrise, then being picked up by a tuk-tuk at 5.50am to take us a distance we could easily walk. Glyn had pre-booked us with 'Raja and the Whales' and upon arrival we were offered sea-sickness tablets. Now having been on many boat trips and never once suffering from sea-sickness in my life, I wasn't going to take one and was concerned it may not mix with other medication ... read more
Two whale spotting boats.
Daily dose of rain
View for the afternoon

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama September 9th 2017

A veritable lie in until 5:45 was followed by packing up as we were on the move again. We don't often spend three nights in one place so we were beginning to feel like we'd moved in. Lion Lodge comes recommended; it's expensive compared to some places but it's clean, the staff are great and you get the room you booked at the price you booked at. Thuminda picked us up at 7 and we set off on what google maps estimated to be a 7 1/2 hour journey to Mirissa. Our first stop was for a puncture. People had been pointing this out so Thuminda stopped and saw a rear tyre was going down. Somehow we were right opposite a tyre place! Actually that brings me to something I've been thinking about mentioning. They used ... read more
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Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama September 9th 2017

In the UK if you get a puncture in your car tyre, you have to pay a small fortune to replace it. In Sri Lanka, you repair it the same you would a bicycle tyre. I got to witness this today and Thuminda, our driver couldn't believe that we throw away a tyre for the sake of one small hole. Today we were heading to Mirissa on the south coast which is around an 8 hour drive from Sigiyira, although Thuminda said it could take longer if we need to take detours due to floods. Driving through countryside and towns I saw a lot of 'driving'. Copious amounts of beeping - to let others know you are tailgating and about to overtake despite oncoming traffic. Mopeds undertaking on the left, buses overtaking on the right regardless ... read more
Looking for puncture in car tyre
Filling puncture
Lion beer

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama November 21st 2016

Geo: 5.9738, 80.4218... read more

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama April 4th 2016

It took four bus transfers but I was finally back on the southern coast. The amount of sweat I was producing confirmed this. Since my arrival in Sri Lanka, I had been moving somewhere new practically every day. Despite the ease of travel in this country, I was getting tired. I needed a place to settle down for a few days and Mirissa would be this place. Situated between the bigger town of Matara and the beach town of Weligama, Mirissa was a quaint beach village that seemed to have an up and coming tourist industry. It definitely felt quiet compared to other places like Hikkaduwa. I hadn't written down the hostel address in my little notebook and all I had was the name so I walked around the place for a good while just asking ... read more
Beach Life
Blue Whale
Boat

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama February 19th 2015

We were definitely ready to leave Kataragama and headed down the street to the bus station, stopping for one last samosa at the vegan pastry shop. The buses and trains in Sri Lanka can be somewhat confusing. Nothing is every well-marked and in spite of asking several people, we ended up on the slow bus rather than the more direct route. By slow, I mean that the bus stopped frequently along the way. The driver would slam on the brakes at a nondescript bend in the road and an entire family would clamor out and disappear into the foliage. At other junctures people would flag the bus down, swinging on board while it was still partially in motion. In terms of kilometers per hour, however, the bus was anything but slow. It careened along, screeching around ... read more
The Old Mosque
Sweet little girls
Dusk at Galle Fort

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama January 16th 2015

Mirissa was a fast and frantic three hour bus journey. Actually the bus only went to Matara and from there we got a tuk tuk to our hotel, the url=http://www.booking.com/hotel/lk/edelweiss-resort.en-gb.html?aid=356984;label=gog235jc-hotel-XX-lk-edelweissNresort-unspec-es-com-L%3Aen-O%3Aunk-B%3Aunk-N%3AXX-S%3Abo;sid=93e3540c26c43e43079ac95eb8c01b3d;dcid=4;dist=0;type=total&Edelweiss Resort. We got off to a stuttering start but we think it's because the guy on the hotel desk didn't speak English too well. It turned out he couldn't find our reservation because he was looking under February! He asked if we wanted to upgrade to a seafront room but when we said no to paying an extra $10 a night he upgraded us anyway. It turned out to be a great hotel and we were reluctant to leave in the end. It was just so relaxing chilling out by the pool whilst watching and hearing the ocean's huge ... read more
A blue whale?
A blue whale?
Whale watchers

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama » Kapparathota January 12th 2014

Our last few days in Sri Lanka went by very quickly. Once we decided to move on we were anxious to get going but Kantha made us promise to stay for his birthday party, on the 8th of January. The party was a perfect excuse to wear the saree his wife Kanthi had gifted me the week before. The day after she gave it to me, I asked Vajira to help me find a fabric store and then a women's tailor to have the blouse and underskirt made. He did and also gave me suggestions for the style of blouse I should choose. Afterward we went to the men's tailor to have Matt's sarong sewed up. Dressing in a saree sounds very simple - all you have to do is tuck a long piece of fabric ... read more
Saree & Sarong
Kantha & Matt
Rounding the Island (4)

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Weligama » Kapparathota January 8th 2014

The first few weeks of our trip we were so focused on finding depth for freediving that we ignored the many swimming possibilities in Weligama Bay. After our tour of the rest of the country we are back in beach territory and have made it a priority to check out all the rocks and islets. Matt and I are quite comfortable in tidal current and cold water, but conditions are very different here. The Bay is shallow and there is a lot of surf that sometimes breaks way out, and strong surge. All of this creates different currents that I have no experience in, so it's been fun learning how to swim in a different environment. Matt has been very patient teaching me how to enter and exit through waves (the South is known as a ... read more
Wavy Point
Dry Surfing
Enjoying the View




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