Hikkaduwa
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| Serendipity Lake |
I took a train from Colombo to Hikkaduwa which is a beach town in the South of Srilanka. The railway line goes along the coast and is the best way to travel to the western shore beaches. On reaching Hikkaduwa, I went up to a Lakehouse Villa Serendipity Lake. This is a beautiful property located in a 3 acre estate with sprawling gardens and an infinity pool. Home made lunch is available at the villa and Jay who is the caretaker is a great resource for local contacts and activities that can be done around the area.
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| On the Bike |
I hired a bike for a few days to be able to move around. The Hikkaduwa-Narigama beach was a short 10 minute bike ride away from the villa. Over the next few days, spent time at the beaches, eating local food, rowing around the lake, enjoying a Srilankan Ayurvedic Massage and taking a basic diving lesson at the Poseidon Diving Centre. Hikkaduwa is one of the good places to learn diving in Sri Lanka.
From Hikkaduwa, I took a bus and moved on to Galle further south, one of the best preserved Colonial forts in Asia and a world heritage site.
Galle
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| The Galle ramparts |
Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese as a fortified town, it is the best representation of European planning principles with South Asian architectural traditions. The streets are built in a grid format with clusters of buildings along side them. There are rows of houses facing the streets with verandas shaded by high overhanging roofs supported on slender columns. Bastions are located at strategic points. Inside the houses are internal courtyards like South Asian homes and creates the settlement’s unique character. Many of the houses have been converted to coffee shops and boutique restaurants and one can spend many hours walking inside the fort, taking in the sights of the sea. |
| Galle Lighthouse |
It is worth spending a few days in Galle and I walked around the Fort streets and along the ramparts every day morning and evenings. Before entering the fort, in the early morning one can watch the goings of the Fish Market and sip Kanji with the locals which is a rice gruel popular among many Asians.
The Galle Heritage Foundation protects, conserves and develops Galle Fort and I hope that the town sustains itself as a living city managing the tourist flow and demand for new restaurants and hotels without compromising its authenticity.
After Galle, it was time to move on further south to the surfing town of Ahangama and it was a short bus ride before I got down and walked towards the YoYo Surf Hostel, a popular place for young people who come from all across the world to learn surfing in the seas of Sri Lanka.
Ahangama and Wellgama
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| With My Surf Instructor |
Ahangama is located just a few Kms before Weligama and these are all surfing beaches and very good for beginners who want to learn Surfing. People from all over the world come over and stay for months to learn surfing before practicing in choppier waters. Prices are affordable and stay is cheap. There are many hostels that are dotted across the landscape. |
| Petti Petti Mirissa Restaurant |
Yo Yo hostel had a smiling and affable Manager, Kosala who greeted me as I arrived. He was part of an extended family who had leased the land and built the hostel. The action shits to this hostel especially after the South East Monsoons when surfing moves from the Eastern Coasts to the Western Coast. Due to Sri Lanka getting both South East and North East monsoons, the action shifts from one coast to the other depending on where the winds and rains were coming from.
Next few days was going along the coast in a hired bike, trying some surfing lessons and hanging by the beaches. Welligama beach has a clutch of affordable surfing schools. Further South is Mirissa beach from where one can go for whale spotting and turtle tours. Badora Spa is a good place for an authentic Srilankan Ayurvedic massage.
Behind Yo Yo Hostel, along the railway tracks, there is a fabulous restaurant run by a Sri Lankan family called Machan Curry Pot. I spent some of my evenings there having some authentic local cuisine and engaging with the family as they cooked the food in the kitchen.
Soon it was time to return back to Colombo and move on to Kandy, the cultural capital of Sri Lanka.
