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
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