Three weeks in Sri Lanka (Part 3)

Read the second part here.

Betting on Batticaloa (28.10.—30.10.)

We wanted to see Sri Lanka’s west coast, but weren’t exactly sure which place to go to. After some deliberation, we realised that going to see both Trincomalee and Batticaloa would take too much time. So, we decided to go only to Batticaloa, but stay three nights there.

On the morning of the 28th, as negotiated only two days prior, a driver picked us up to go to Batticaloa. Initially, we were looking for a shared ride, but the private car came out to 21,000 rupees (approx. € 60), which we deemed a bargain for about four hours of driving.

In the end, the difference between shared and private wasn’t all that big, because the training for both bus and car drivers in Sri Lanka appears to put overtaking other vehicles front and centre. We arrived already at noon.

Our accommodation was nestled in the Batticaloa Lagoon, 56 km long and apparently featuring crocodiles, as the first sign on hotel premises advised. The room was small but the hotel nice.

We didn’t have many plans for the rest of the day. The Lonely Planet advised to visit the Dutch Fort, so that’s what we decided to do.

To get there, we first had to cross the Kallady Bridge which curiously sports a sign about a city friendship between Munich and Victoria (see picture below). Which Victoria, and why Munich, was only left to guess.

In the meantime, we were organising (via texting, of course), a bicycle tour for the next day. It was a little complicated (not a lot of options in that season) but we agreed on an itinerary after a while.

Arriving at the fort, we were “keeping our eyes peeled for the talkative … resident tour guide” (Lonely Planet). Alas, there were nobody to be seen. What was seen was a bunch of decrepit buildings currently used by the district administration. Truly a damp squib if I’ve ever seen one. We lingered for a few minutes and then returned downtown.

One side quest—getting my tablet computer fixed—I had been putting of since Ella. So we decided that now was as good time as any, and kept our eyes peeled for a repair shop. On the way, Vivi spontaneously bought a denim dress (with pockets!) and got her handbag fixed for free by the shopkeeper.

The computer repair was a bust, though, because after explaining that it wouldn’t start, it did in fact start. A trope as old as electronic devices.

We spent the evening back at the hotel, enjoying the food,¹ the swimming pool, and the sunset over the lagoon.

Cycling tour

The next day, our cycling tour started at 09:00 conveniently close to our hotel.² Whether they could be more accurately described as rickety or ramshackled is perhaps a pointless debate, but we did get strawhats and helmets.

Our guide navigated us first to a garden where we got an explanation of various fruits and leaves (and their health benefits). We learned that when Dengue breaks out, pomegranate is the hottest commodity and increases in price massively.

The next stop was at the market, which is close to the Dutch Fort. My wife and I were already a bit tired due to high temperature: there was no rain for a few days already, as the locals complained. (This was in stark contrast to our hiking adventures in the hill country.)

The dried fish didn’t actually smell too bad and looked very tasty. (This was in stark contrast to the wet fish on both counts.)

We could try a bunch of things, including something that looked like a blueberry but wasn’t. Naval Palam (the Tamil name) has a strong acidic flavour, which is totally different from what you’d expect if you think you are about to eat a blueberry. Can’t say I’m a fan of the stuff. But the other fruits were great, including the colourful bananas.

Moving on, we went back to the Dutch Fort. This time—thanks to our guide—we could actually see a bit more. We climbed the stairs to the top, walking around the building and seeing cannons and the like. Sadly, the upper floor is also in complete disrepair; making it look almost abandoned.

The final stop before lunch was the Jumma Masjid, where we were invited to observe the noon prayer. Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province has the highest share of Muslim population. It was a first for both of us to see a mosque from the inside during a religious service. The imam even came to us for a quick chat afterwards.

Back at the guide’s headquarters, the resident nonna had prepared six different curries, one better than the other. The most difficult part was trying to say no as she kept insisting that we need to eat more. As we were stuffing ourselves, the guide’s boss, a French lady, called. We were the only customers that month and therefore received a special mission: to catch enough fish in the afternoon to feed her ten cats.

In the afternoon, the heat was still intense. Fortunately, our guide gave us thermoseses with cold water. We cycled a few kilometers North to the tip of the lagoon, crossing the Munich—Victoria friendship bridge for the fifth time.

There, we visited the lighthouse (only from the outside) and pet some more dogs. Nearby, a fisherfamily prepared some boats for us: one for fishing and two for observing. Our concerns about the lagoon crocodiles were dismissed by explaining that they wouldn’t be active during daytime.

The lagoon water is very warm, around 28–29 degrees. We did manage to catch a day’s worth of cat food and not get eaten by a crocodile along the way.

On our way back to the hotel, we noticed an ongoing food festival on the bridge. We wanted to first change our clothes and then return there, which we did after sunset.

As the only two foreign tourists trying to figure out what to eat (and how to order), we were slightly overwhelmed. There was a big crowd gathered around one barbecue grill, trying to snatch some grillables. (Probably because some vendors had already closed shop.)

While I was trying to negotiate with a kid to buy a devilled chicken, Vivi was chatting with some locals. My wife is normally not the extroverted type, but because we were the only two foreign tourists, the pair (mother and daughter) approached her. They explained that they have relatives in Munich, so naturally we exchanged numbers. They were also planning to come to Munich for a relative’s wedding.³

A bunch of locals took photos of us eating; well, mostly me as I was digging into the roasted bird.⁴

Afterwards, we went to a nearby restaurant for some further snacks. The server explained to us that his cousin lives in Augsburg. I slowly dawned on me: maybe it is the Victoria Dam in hill country that the eponymous friendship road refers to?

More sightseeing

On the 30th, we had no fixed schedule, so we allowed ourselves to sleep in (as much as the heat permitted).

As we were idly browsing possible hotels for our onwards trip to the South, we realised that there isn’t actually much to see or do near our original destination of Hambantota. Nor are there any nice beaches. I had just booked the flight a few days earlier and could’ve booked to Koggala instead, which would’ve been the same price.

As I was being annoyed at myself, I decided to just call Cinnamon Air and see if we could rebook. We could, at no extra fee. (We would later learn why.) Relaxed again, we went to get some breakfast samosas and on a bus south along the lagoon.

We got off in Kattankudy, a Sri Lankan Moors stronghold, to first see the heritage museum. Some signs were only written in Tamil, but translation apps helped.

From the top of the museum, we could already see the Al-Aqsa mosque, our next stop. Someone (perhaps the imam) noticed us outside and invited us in. The tiles outside the mosque were scorchingly hot, which seemed to bother only the two of us. (You have to take off shoes and socks to enter.)

As the pictures show, both the outside and the inside of the building are impressive. Since the noon prayer was just over, our impromptu tour guide showed us around. Much to the interest of the other patrons, I should add, who took selfies with us.

We wrapped up our excursion by walked to Kattankudy’s beach, which was completely deserted. The water was warm, but we didn’t bring any swimwear (also, there were no shops open). We took a tuktuk back to our hotel and had a quick lunch at the same place as yesterday evening.

In the afternoon, we took advantage of our hotel’s two attractions.

The first is a model railway, lovingly built and maintained by the owner’s son. He’s been working on the model purely as a hobby for over a decade. It is fully computerised and well worth a visit (even when not staying at the hotel).

The second is the lagoon. We rented a kayak and paddled between the hotel and the Dutch Fort, spending time on the water until sunset. While we got lucky again by not being eaten by crocodiles, Vivi lost a paddle halfway during the ride. Still, good fun.

In the evening we finally saw some other guests at the hotel as well. We didn’t do much else besides having dinner, arranging a tuktuk, and going to sleep, because we had to get up at 05:00 the next morning.

Shooting for Sigiriya (31.10—01.11.)

After a short night’s sleep, we made our way to Batticaloa station to catch the train at 06:10. I had speculated that the station would have a canteen—like others before—to get breakfast samosas, but no luck. We had to ride on an empty stomach.

The plan was to take the train towards Sigiriya, have lunch, then get picked up for a safari in Kaudulla National Park. Therefore, I had booked train tickets to Gal Oya Junction, which is geographically closest to the national park (and also not far away from Sigiriya). The 06:10 service would arrive much too early, but we didn’t have much choice: the next service would have been too late in the afternoon.

Perhaps with the benefit of foresight, the safari guide texted me some days before about the logistics. I told him about the plan and he immediately suggested going a few stops further, to Habarana. The station is farther from the national park, but actually has restaurants nearby.

The only problem now was that we didn’t have a ticket to Habarana. I tried buying one in Batticaloa, but that wasn’t possible. The attendant there told me to jump out of the train in Gal Oya and buy an onward ticket there. That’d be unwise since the next train, as mentioned above, would arrive too late. We decided to risk it and got on the train regardless.

That day was by far the most adventurous train ride, even more so than the one in Ella. I got travel sickness because the carriage was shaking so much: at some point I was wondering whether we were about to derail. Needless to say, Vivi kept her cool.

We arrived alive and well, if a little delayed in Habarana. It turned out to be not a problem to stay on for two extra stations, since the train wasn’t crowded at all.

We walked to a restaurant near the train station. Luckily it was open, yet completely empty. The owner was friendly and let us stay there until the pickup time. We chilled and eventually had lunch.

In the meantime, I also had to make some calls for our upcoming flight. Cinnamon Air had requested some extra information about us, our luggage, and us and our luggage’s weight. That I could understand, since we were going to fly with a small plane. But they also wanted to know details about the driver (not the driver’s weight though). As I was scratching my head, I learned that Sigiriya Airport is actually a military base. And one doesn’t simply walk into a military base. (More about that in the next part.)

Start	Batticaloa
End	Habarana
Train number	6012
Departure (scheduled)	06:10
Arrival (scheduled)	09:41
Seat class	Second class reserved

Kaudulla safari

We got picked up by a driver/guide at 13:00. After only a few minutes of driving, we saw the first elephants already next to the road, as they were slowly moving towards the watering hole in Kaudulla (as we were). We parked at the side of the road—actually the busy highway to Trincomalee—and observed a bit. One of the elephants shooed a motorcyclist away, who almost fell and profusely apologised to the mammal.

It took us around half an hour to arrive at the national park’s entrance. The safari was fantastic: We saw monkeys, a few eagles, peacocks, and some other birds.

As we reached the watering hole (along with many other Bolero jeeps), we could observe at least 50 elephants hanging out by the lake, including baby elephants. They were feeding, bathing, and playing.

At dawn, we made our way back. The driver dropped us at our homestay around 18:00. Even though it would’ve only been a short walk to a restaurant, the hosts insisted on driving us there: wild elephants are roaming the streets, and it is not advised to meet them on your feet in the dark.

Rocks and rolls

The next day was chill; we had breakfast at the homestay. Since it was conveniently located close to the ancient site of Sigiriya, we walked there.

Already after a few minutes, we encountered a giant Buddha statue. I don’t know how tall it is and neither could I figure it out: Except for the odd mention on travel blogs,⁵ it is not (yet?) mentioned in any tourist guides. I couldn’t even find out its height. But it is enormous, and clearly visible from up the Sigiriya rocks.

We continued walking through a quaint forest path towards the entrance. (We came in from the west, which is much nicer than going via the car park in the south.) As we got closer, lots of guides proffered their services, but we went inside without one.

The site is huge and one can easily spend multiple hours there. The main attraction is, of course, the Sigiriya Rock (or Lion Rock), a 180 m high granite column. On top of that hill is an ancient palace. But there is plenty to discover around, including a museum. (See the map on the website for details.)

The Lion Rock isn’t a very hard climb, if it weren’t be for the hot and humid weather. There are also some spots to catch your breath and/or refill your water bottle. Since it was very crowded, we had to wait occassionally at the staircases. Also, do not expect much shade anywhere.

Climbing back down, visitors are guided directly to the southern exit gate. But since there is lots more to see, we took a shortcut through the ruins and checked out the rest of the site.

A short walk north of the site is another rock, called Pidurangala. It has about the same height as the Lion Rock and can also be climbed. If you are planning your visit, I would highly recommend doing both; it will be a good days’ worth of exploring.

Initially, we were planning to go directly from the site to Pidurangala (there is a gate at the north), but we wouldn’t have been allowed back in. So we first finished our tour inside and then left from the western gate. This had the added benefit that we could stop by the museum.⁶ As we were grabbing a snack, some monkeys came and caused a kerfuffle (pushing down coffee cups etc.). Staff had to came to shoo them away.

We left the site and walked north along the rampart. It was a lot less busy, but there were also a few boulders to climb. (If you wear any shoes that are slightly sturdier than sandals, it should be fine.)

I’d wager and say the views are even better from Pidurangala. The volcanic rock material, and the few cacti dotted on the plateau, is fascinating. On the walk back we randomly went along a smaller road. Suddenly three tuktuks worth of people came: There was a smaller rock from which one could enjoy a nice view of the bigger rock.

We returned to our homestay, showered, changed, and went to a fancy restaurant. For the first time, we were offered wood apple juice. So far we had stuck with pineapple or mango, which is why my wife gave it a go. Our verdict was nope.

Fortunately, I had noted a tuktuk driver’s phone number as we were walking around Sigiriya.⁷ I called them up (it was after dark; remember the elephants) to bring us back to our accommodation.

Tomorrow, we would go to the south of the island.

Read the fourth part here.