Welcome back! We're starting the week in Arugam Bay and moving onto Tangalle Beach on the south coast.
Tuesday, May 23 is moving day. Off to Serein Beach Resort in Tangalle. With Perrera's help, I determined the local buses I may need to take to reach Tangalle - the first bus leaves the station at 6:30 am. Armed with this important information and my breakfast in a box, I headed to the Pottuvil bus station in a tuk tuk. When I arrived at the bus station I was advised that the bus I wanted left at 6 am, the next bus departing was 7 am. I was also advised that I might have to take multiple buses to get to Tangalle - a truly unappealing option. Well, to my good fortune, the person providing all this information was a tuk tuk driver who offered to drive me to a bus stop to catch a bus going directly to Tangalle. The bus stop was 34 km away, the time of our conversation was about 6:20 am and the bus would be leaving the stop at 7 am. It was one of those moments where I was weighing the veracity of all this information. I felt the potential net beneficiary of this course of action was the tuk tuk driver with the fare he was charging. I took his offer and we were off. As it so happens, my tuk tuk driver had the bus conductor's phone number so he could ensure I would get on the bus. The four plus hour bus ride was uneventful - except for a little drama at the Tangalle bus station. Our bus circled the station making a momentary stop and then was back on the road to its next destination. Silly me, I was used to the conductor making sure I got off. Not this time. I scurried to the front with my backpack, got the driver/c conductor's attention and off I got!
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| Front of my bus - loud music playing and lights flashing! |
Sunrise - Arugam Bay
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| Final sunrise from hotel lobby - Tuesday |
Sunrise - Tangalle Beach
Wildlife
Video shows an example of a sea shell that I've learned that you leave on the beach!
Serein Beach Hotel
I discovered I was the only guest at the hotel. I also discovered there was a magnificent beach that seemed to go for miles. Unfortunately, the water was unsafe to swim in because of the undercurrent and cross currents. The hotel has a small pool that was just fine for my purposes. I continued my laid back lifestyle - up at 5:30 am to witness the sunrise and then into the pool to swim for about 20 minutes. I switched to swimming from walking the beach to give my sore ankle a break. The only downsides to my new home was its relative remoteness, the fact it was off season there was a lack of options to do anything without a 15 minute walk and the daily rate which was disproportionate to the services and amenities. To the hotel's credit I was afforded the best hospitality and served the most amazing Sri Lankan breakfasts along with the best homemade curd and treacle. The hotel staff made curd twice when they discovered my sweet tooth! The curd was presented in a traditional clay pot. I was getting the full experience!
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| Curd with treacle |
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Let's add in fresh papaya for
colour and enhanced flavour |
Cinnabar eating experience
I discovered the Cinnabar resort with an open restaurant down the road where I had two great dinners right on the beach. I organized my last night's dinner at the Serein hotel I was staying at.
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Grilled calamari
with rice/salad/banana chips |
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| Cinnabar Restaurant on the beach |
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Whole fish (pawar) with
salad/rice and banana chips |
Golden Pearl
On Wednesday morning, I was busy looking for a new hotel for my last four nights in Tangalle. The universe's benevolence came my way once again. I stopped at the Golden Pearl to take a look at their rooms. The manager offered me a free upgrade to a Luxury room that is incredibly large, has floor to ceiling windows and a balcony facing the ocean. Sweet deal so I signed up. While I was at the hotel I also witnessed a Buddhist wedding ceremony. Breathtaking. Wish my photos had captured the ceremony's magnificence.
I moved into my new home on Friday afternoon. My room has been a wonderful place to catch up on my blog. Go out to the beach to watch the sunrise. Funny story. On Saturday, the cloud cover on the horizon seemed to block the sunrise so I headed to the pool. The guy raking the sand next door came to the pool to alert me that the sunrise was appearing in its full glory. Heartfelt thanks to that man for taking the time to give me the heads up. You'll find wonderful people everywhere and at all times of day. My first breakfast was a Sri Lankan omelette and toast. After asking, I was offered a Sri Lankan breakfast for the balance of my stay!
Strawberry Moon
The universe decided to end the week with a special full moon event - the Strawberry Moon.
Banking Update
I am still having my David's moment - refusing to follow what I believe to be an inane policy. May be next week I'll get off my high horse and get on with getting what I need. I can always wait to my return to address any outstanding issues - like should I keep my ScotiaBank business account!
Lesson learned - You can avoid all the drama I experienced with my wallet by being more cautious than I was. I am very blessed that the universe conspired in my favour to permit me to continue my journey uninterrupted. Please be careful and attentive whenever and where ever you travel.
Next Week
My Sri Lankan time is coming to an end next week. I travel to Galle on Tuesday for a one night stay. I have deliberately circled back to Galle so I could support Mahi's taxi business by having him drive to Colombo. I want to connect with Lakshi, my Sri Lankan guardian angel, before I move on. Flight to Bangkok leaves at 1:10 am on Friday, June 9.
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