Day 11: Today is our last day cycling and our first with rain – they’re only showers and it’s still hot so it actually feels nice to be on the bike getting cooled down by the rain. As we cycle from the hotel, away from Tissa and through part of Bundala National Park we cycle in packs in case we encounter wild elephants – alas we don’t but maybe that’s a good thing!
We have a number of stops along the way for some snacks one of which is homemade curd with honey which is delicious.
After departing with our bikes, changing out of our wet clothes (well some of us!) and having some lunch of, you guessed it, rice and curry, we board the bus for our drive to Mirissa. We find out that tomorrow night is a full moon which means a holiday and no booze will be served in bars or restaurants…..ahhhhhhh …. we hit a bottle shop (separate part of the supermarket) and load up on wine, beer, arrack (local liquor) and gin as if it’s about to be Good Friday (for the last time)!
Laden down with booze we arrive to our hotel which is newly built and on the beach. The rooms have four poster beds and sea views and it’s a bit of luxury (except for a lack of hot water in the showers!!). There’s a rooftop pool that overlooks the sea and is a favorite spot for the group to “chill down” and have those few drinks we purchased!
This evening I try an Ayurvedic massage and I love it. Badora spa is an outdoor spa with rooms separated by bamboo. Most of the therapists are male and are clearly very experienced. My sore shoulders and screaming calves are rubbed with vigor and I feel like a new woman after. He spends a lot of time on my feet honing in on certain pressure points and even puts his fingers through all my toes – all at the one time – that felt weird!
Day 12: We have a free morning so hit Mirissa beach, some for a swim, me for a paddle and a jump over the waves!!
It’s a lovely beach and a popular tourist spot. The fishing boats are crazy small.
We try a coconut water from a roadside vendor which is a great thirst quencher and have a swim in the pool before getting ready for an afternoon in Galle.
On our way out of Mirissa we stop to watch the parade that’s been moving through the streets since early that morning in honor of the full moon holiday. It’s very colorful with lots of boys and men dressed as girls!!
Galle is home to a Dutch fort which is a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s a huge fort and we walk around the walls and see the historic gates, the old Dutch hospital and the lighthouse.
There are lots of shops and bars in the small paved streets so we have time for a bit of shopping and try to find somewhere to get a drink. Because of the full moon holiday nowhere is serving alcohol 😩 but when we get to the restaurant for dinner they serve us wine and beer – looks like they are allowed to make an exception for a group of tourists. The food is excellent and we have a local musician play some songs for us. You gotta love an Asian style sing song!
Day 3: We leave Mirissa and board the bus for a three hour journey to Colombo. It’s been hot on this trip but the heat in Colombo is stifling and after a cloudy couple of days the sun is blazing in the city. We walk around the Petta bazaar which is hectic and busy and see Independence square.
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bo is a busy city with lots going on but it's clean and friendly – nowhere near as dirty and grimy as India or Kathmandu. It's tiring walking around in the sun so I'm very happy when we check in to the really nice hotel (Fairway Colombo) and take advantage of a cool air conditioned room and a nice long shower. We have our final dinner tonight and it's one of the best meals so far. It's in the old Dutch hospital in an outside courtyard and it's quite fancy. I have a final arrack cocktail with my girls……
We have another birthday celebration for one of the ladys on the tour and then it's time to say my goodbyes and get to bed early so I can wake up at 4am! This trip has been amazing and everyone on the tour was lovely. I met two couples from Wales who I will definitely be visiting some time soon and am hoping to catch up with most of the Aussie gang in March. Everyone was great and got on really well and I was genuinely sad to say goodbye. A group photo which I'm sure no one will mind me posting on here:
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xt morning as I attempt to leave Colombo for Borneo I manage to somehow get to my gate, that's passed security and immigration, without checking my large suitcase – seems insane right…. but there I was being asked to lift up my huge bag onto this security check going into the actual gate waiting area and being told there's a scissors in it … I was still looking for baggage drop and I was through to the gate…. really not sure how that happened – obviously I was still half asleep (4am wake up call) but no-one thought to question the huge carry-on I was lugging around. I couldn't go back because I'd gone through immigration so I had to sit at the gate desk until they figured out how to tag my bag and get it onto the plane. It was like a comedy of errors. The two girls sorting things out were absolutely lovely but it took forever for them to understand that I was transiting through Kuala Lumpar to Kota Kinabalu. They brought me into another area to weigh the bag and couldn't plug in the scales so they decided to forget the weight and just tag it but only to KL so I'd have to pick up and recheck in. Eventually when they get the bag tagged they tell me all is fine and it will get put in the cargo. An hour later it's still there and they announce my name and tell me I have to take it on the bus with me and drop at the steps to the plane…. at least I knew it got on! After all that when I arrived in KL my onward flight was cancelled and I was put on another later that evening.. probably a blessing in disguise as it took, what would have been all my transit time, to get through immigration and get to the baggage carousel. As I type this I'm just about to land in Kota Kinabalu.. it's 9pm and I'm knackered – am looking forward to my bed!
Bye bye Sri Lanka – Hello Malaysia!
odohertyelaine 
Hi Elaine, really enjoying your blog. Keep it up and happy traveling. Bx
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