Back in Negombo - our final day in Sri Lanka

Hello everyone for the final time in Sri Lanka,

Last night, Mum and I headed out for dinner at about 8pm. We enjoyed shared rice and curry and seafood fried rice and some more cocktails. We loved sitting on the beach to enjoy dinner our four nights in Mirissa. Then we went for a walk along the beach after dinner, and we came across a group of people standing around. We soon realised they were watching a turtle lay a clutch of eggs. So we stayed for 30 minutes and watched her dig a hole, lay eggs, fill the hole in and then camouflage the area by using her flippers to create ripples and patterns in the surrounding sand as well. Finally, we kept our distance and followed her back into the ocean. It was amazing! The only downside was the awful loud music a club nearby was playing. I hope it didn’t frighten her.

We slept well and then got up for a final beach walk. It was a beautiful sunny morning today, and the whole day ended up being like this. We saw a different dog digging in a hole that was clearly where some turtles had hatched overnight.

Then, we bid our accommodation (the Randiya Sea View) goodbye. We had a great four nights here and slept very well. Our driver Mohomad picked us up at 9am for our three hour drive to Negombo. We had booked him for just $130 Australian for the three hour journey. I hate to think what this length trip would cost at home!! The drive went quickly, and Mohomad was great. He stopped at a rest station for us to stretch our legs and use the facilities. The drive into Negombo couldn’t have been more different today. Sunday week ago we had torrential rain and the weather was really depressing. Today it was stunning and 30 degrees. I enjoyed seeing the greenery dotted with stupas and temples along the way from my window. We also listened to the end of Bulldogs vs Adelaide on my phone.

We had booked a hotel for tonight in Negombo even though we departed for the airport at 8.30pm and didn’t actually get to sleep in it. But we decided if we booked somewhere with a nice pool, we could enjoy an afternoon relaxing, have a shower, pack up etc and feel comfortable ahead of our flight. The Goldi Sands only cost us $90 Australian, and it was by far the nicest place we had stayed (it’s a shame we didn’t get to sleep here!). The two pools were lovely, and it was beachfront. Again though, Negombo had a totally different vibe to on our tour because the weather was fabulous today.

After a quick walk onto the beach, we quickly learned how annoying the skirt/shirt/souvenir sellers were out the front of the Goldi Sands. Avoiding them was like a game of Frogger! So we laid low in the pool for the next 3-4 hours, Mum reading, me listening to music. Every ten minutes or so I had to jump back into the pool because the weather was so hot I had completely dried. I spent a fair amount of time in the water too, and we also enjoyed some drinks. The crows around here were so cheeky, they knew the moment someone left food on a table that they could have a crack. One stole the pineapple from my (finished) drink while I was swimming!

We headed back to the room around 5pm and showered and packed our bags. Then, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the beach before we went back to Jude Restaurant, where we ate nearly two weeks ago. This time there was a rabbit hopping around the restaurant! Again we shared some noodles and a rice and curry assortment. Both delicious again. We also had some more mango lassis, and shared some curd and treacle for dessert. We had this a few times on our trip, it’s a traditional Sri Lankan dessert. Delicious. All the food on this trip has been fabulous! I will miss it.

Mohomad picked us up from the hotel about 8.30pm and we got to the airport. There was a lot of queuing, and the Australia government’s incompetency shone through again. They’ve changed the process to submit a declaration for entering Australia since we went to Singapore. Once you finish the whole process (which involves entering information they already have on file 100 times at this point – name, passport number, vaccine dates and details), they don’t email you a copy of the declaration, but rather email you suggesting you save the confirmation screen which you’ve already closed. So lots of people in front of us had to redo it. Why are governments so hopeless at creating usable forms etc? I just don’t understand. We were glad we had allowed a good amount of time.

Our flight leaves at 12.20am (4.50am Melbourne time) and arrives around 2pm Melbourne time tomorrow. We have had an amazing time in Sri Lanka. I am so glad to have finally made it here after having to cancel back in 2019, and I am also very glad I did not listen to the media about Sri Lanka with the current situation. As tourists, we have been welcomed with open arms and smiles. Our tour guides and all the operators and families we have dealt with have done whatever they possibly can to ensure we had a smooth and wonderful time. We have had power at every place we have stayed at. Our bus was always full of petrol and very comfortable. We rarely saw a protest, and when we did, they were everyday people just like us holding signs and peacefully protesting the fact that they basically can’t afford to live anymore due to a series of poor government decisions made here. It’s sad, because the reason the country is in this mess is partly due to the low amount of foreign currency being available to them. Which in turn has sky rocketed the cost of living, starting the protests, which end up in the media, so tourists don’t book and/or cancel, and the cycle repeats.

If you’re looking for a trip with limited Covid red tape in these crazy times that has a lot to offer, Sri Lanka is the place to come. We have not had to do any Covid tests, and all we had to do was pay $12 USD insurance in case we got Covid, and fill out a passenger form. The people here need support and tourist dollars more than ever at the moment, and the country has so much to offer in the way of attractions, food and natural beauty. We did the G Adventures ‘Sri Lanka Encompassed’ tour and it was fabulous and ran very smoothly with absolutely no issues.

It was difficult continuing to travel once we received the news about Nan, but we were following her request for us to not come home if something happened to her, which she has made very clear to us any time we have gone away. We have both had our ups and downs this week, fine one minute, in tears the next. Every time I saw a beautiful flower this week I did what I always do - took a photo to show Nan. My heart sank every time as I realised I wouldn't be able to. We have both commented that it feels like we will arrive at the aged care facility tomorrow, knock on the door, and Nan will still be in her chair ready to hear our stories from the trip. But she won’t be, and I’m a bit worried of how hard the reality of that is going to hit us tomorrow. But I keep trying to take comfort in the fact that she is no longer in pain, and she would have been so happy knowing Mum and I were off exploring the world together again. She has always loved seeing our photos and hearing about our trips. I went through and counted yesterday – Mum and I have now explored 37 countries together. That’s pretty amazing! Another time when Nan wasn’t doing very well, she said to me “make sure you look after Pa, your Mum, and have a great life with Rob”. I will do my best, Nan. I can’t wait to give Pa a big hug tomorrow. We are so grateful to everyone at home that has been visiting Pa this week and staying with him so he is not alone.

Thank you for coming along for the ride with me to Sri Lanka. I hope you have enjoyed my blog. My next overseas trip will be our honeymoon to the Maldives in January…. Unless I manage to squeeze a cheeky trip into the July holidays (airfares are so expensive, so we shall see!!).

Love to all
Claire
Xoxox

Final day in Mirissa

Hi all,

Last night we had another dinner together as a group, but a few people left quite early on for airport transfers. It was so strange saying goodbye. You live in each other’s pockets for two weeks, discussing anything from runny tummies to the job you do at home, and then all of a sudden it’s like “alright – bye! Have a good life!” and then you keep up with each other on Facebook. Mum and I are both so glad we were with a group on this trip when we received the news about Nan. They have all been really loving and supportive and looked out for us. We got a photo with our guide, Darsh, as the night ended.

This morning, Mum and I joined Rob and Carlos for some more snorkelling, and Hazel came too this time. We saw another turtle, and the ocean was slightly calmer this time so we were able to float and follow it for quite a long time. We particularly enjoyed seeing it come up for air. The third time it did this, it came so close to Mum and I that we had to back away as we were worried we would accidentally touch it. Just amazing – I absolutely love seeing animals in the wild.

Here we bid farewell to Rob and Hazel who had to get back for their taxi, but Mum, Carlos and I enjoyed a passionfruit juice before climbing the island on the beach here in Mirissa. The stairs and the bamboo to help you up the stairs looked pretty dodgy, but actually turned out to be quite good. Then we headed back and had a shower.

Mum had been hankering for a smoothie bowl the whole trip, so I did some Googling and found a place. Unfortunately the first place was permanently closed when we arrived, but the second one we tried was well and truly open, very busy, and we soon found out why. Mum had a chia pudding with mango smoothie, I had a mango smoothie bowl, and we each had a juice. They were delicious. A smoothie bowl costs approximately $15 at home. All four of these items totalled $15 for us – including a tip! I’m not looking forward to how expensive everything is at home.

Then we walked on to Secret Beach again. It tried hard to rain today, and was very grey. We were glad we had gone yesterday to see Secret Beach in the sun, but we were grateful for the clouds today as it meant we shared the beach with just five other people. We sat for a while having a swim, and talking about Nan and lots of memories. On the way back down we had a laugh at some sleeping dogs in precarious positions, and we enjoyed seeing a dog that looked just like my brother’s!

After a quick rest, we were then craving some banana and chocolate roti. Again I did some Googling, and we stumbled across the ‘No. 1 Dewmini Roti Shop’. Their menu included the history of the shop, which was first started in 2009 back when the Civil War had just ended. The first two plots of land they rented to set up the shop were taken off them as their respective landlords wanted the land back, and then finally a German couple suggested they set the shop up out of their house, and helped them to do this. Some other kind tourists helped them fund setting their backyard up as an outdoor eatery, as well as suggesting menu items. Today the restaurant had a very homely feel, and it was really nice walking to an ‘off the beaten track’ type place. Mum and I shared a banana and chocolate roti and a mango and chocolate roti, each with ice cream. Delicious!!

Then we walked back to the beach to watch the baby turtle hatchlings from today being released into the ocean. We had a great spot near the top today. They are so cute! The only thing that spoiled it was some moron flying their drone above us, which set the stray dogs off going insane. One ran through between the ropes and stepped on a baby turtle. Yet another reason to despise drones – they are the 2022 version of the selfie stick we reckon! We watched with our eyes apart from 2-3 quick photos I took. Finally, we enjoyed a drink sitting on some beanbags by the beach while the sun set. The clouds blocked the sunset itself but we enjoyed sitting there nonetheless.

Tomorrow is our last day in Sri Lanka. I’ll be putting up my final post before we leave.

Love to all
Claire
Xoxox