Lounging and a lagoon

15/3/22

Eventually collected my bag, fist-pumped Lee, who was pleased to see I’d made it through and left the airport towards the local bus station. From there, I got the bus to Negumbo for 50 rupees (around 20 pence) and then got a tuktuk to my hostel. I was knackered. I took of my warm Israel clothes and put on shorts and a tee and had a nap in the A/C dorm, with the intention of getting back up in an hour or so.

A few hours later, I eventually made it out of bed and to the sister hotel’s pool for a bit. I returned back to the hostel, accidentally fell asleep again and missed sunset. When I woke up, it was already dark. I had been in a beach town for a day without even seeing the beach! I headed out for dinner overlooking the sea – I had a fish curry with Sri Lankan bread and coconut sambal, which I’m not a big fan of yet, but there’s still time! Of course, the curry was nice and the waiter was friendly – he gave me tips on what to do in Negumbo and escorted me on a night time beach stroll. After that, I headed back to bed!!

16/3/22

I woke up 12 hours later, feeling relatively well rested. I had left over flight food, a muffin, for breakfast before I got a tuktuk to the lagoon. From here I found a cheap boat ride and went around the lagoon solo, stopping for watermelon sat on stools in the shallows of the lagoon, monkey feeds and nice views. We also drove by some waterside fish markets and some tsunami-damaged boats from 2004.

After the boat tour, headed in search of the market. I bought a roti, and was pointed in the right direction from there! There were lots of veggies, fruit and dried fish, as well as the usual market tat! Saw a temple amidst the market looking pretty!

On the way back, I stopped for aanicure which was pretty nice with slots if Spa lotions and potions and included hand and arm massage, which I was happy about until the electric went at the crucial moment so the lady had to paint my nails in the dark, since she’d spent so long massaging in the light!! 😂😂

Had crab curry for dinner, which took me back to Kep, Cambodia, with Gi and many a random street dog, although it’d been so long that I really struggled to break into the crab!! If I ever had the knack, I definitely don’t now – bits of crab claw everywhere!! After dinner overlooking the beach, I went to a bar with live music for a gin and tonic before bed.

17/3/22

Had another cobbled together breakfast before packing up and heading to the poolside to chill with a book before I caught the train to Hikkaduwa.

I got a tuktuk to the train station and then waited for my train. Sadly, Sri Lankan trains are not like Indian ones – in fact it seems theya may be the opposite – it seems they ate always late! I read and finished my book, The Family Upstairs – a pretty good read – on my first train before I had to change in Columbo. The scenery was nice, which was lucky because the train was loud and rickety so listening to music was not an option!! A nice man gave me his coastal window seat for me to enjoy the view, which I was very grateful for!!