Sri Lanka......Hikkaduwa

Sri Lanka---an Emerald in the Indian Ocean

Our passion for travelling took us to Sri Lanka to explore the country intricately woven into India's mythology, history and geography.

The flight..........
We boarded an 80 seater Bombardier on India's Independence Day, the 15^th August. Spice-jet executives had decorated their counter with the tri-colours of green, white and saffron and offered sweets that were of the same colours. All passengers were given a sticker of the Indian flag.

 Hurray! That’s how we landed in Colombo, an airplane-load of patriotic Indians in their holiday best. The flight took off from Chennai like a sea-gull only to land within 25 minutes at Colombo's Bandarnaike International Airport, the sole international airport in the island-country.




Bee, my travelling companion, has honed his skills in budget travelling. He takes a month or two to prepare his itinerary and the expenditure that entails. An excellent job he does of it, because every holiday has been comfortable and enjoyable, bringing us back with memories we will always cherish.

On landing in Colombo, we took the nearest tuk-tuk available who over- charged us with 1600 SL rupees, the actual fee, we were told later, being 1300SL. But these anomalies are a part of the tourist package, especially in a developing country.Besides , don't waste your time haggling over a few pennies....its spoils your holiday! There are taxis aplenty and buses too but we decided on a tuk-tuk. After an hour’s drive we reached the railway station .We went looking for 1st class tickets to Hikkaduwa following tourist instructions from the internet, only to be told that there were no 1st class compartments in that train ; therefore we settled for the next best option of buying two 2nd class tickets for 160SL a piece. So , do remember that all information given on tourist sites are not always up-dated !!

The train journey...........

 

Like all Sri Lankans, the guard at the gate was very polite and helpful and directed us to the

     right platform. Seeing the huge crowd I almost decided against boarding the coach. There were       no seatsavailable on the passenger train for a good half an hour, therefore I perched myself on my baggage by a window. Hawkers selling goodies wound their way through the passengers doing brisk business. There were coconut slices, tamarind, local savouries, and cold drinks et el. The          passengers were well-mannered, no jostling, pushing or pinching; in fact one gentleman offered his seat well ahead of his station.  

                     

View enroute to Hikkaduwa

                     
Every shortfall of the train journey was made up by the scenery outside. The train wound itself along the sea-coast of the Indian Ocean which was a sight to behold!!For 98 kms it was just "the sea, the sea, the beautiful sea.”The cool breeze made the journey comfortable. We reached Hikkaduwa station after two and a half hours during which I took a nap, made polite conversation with my co-passenger, and admired the world go by.

Our destination: Hikkaduwa ............

It is a small touristy town and the station is even smaller. Many passengers got down and so did we. A tuk-tuk took us to the hotel, paying through our nose 300SL, too tired to haggle with the over-worked but courteous driver...

To go to Hikkaduwa town –centre you can take a bus for 30SL or a tuk-tuk for 200SL from the resort.

We checked into the White Pearl Beach Resort............

The USP of White Pearl Beach resort was that it was bang on the sea located in Putuwatha, 4 kms off Hikkaduwa. An 8-bedroom Sri Lankan bungalow converted into a cushy resort. Anand, the owner-chef-caretaker splits his year between Italy and Sri Lanka. During the summer months he works in a resort in Italy, working on his network of potential tourists to his homeland; and in winter he is running his resort here. We were lucky to get him as he was an excellent cook and took personal care of his guests. He was assisted by Laxman, his man Friday. Between the two the resort ran smoothly and during the tourist season in winter other helpers chipped in.

The back veranda at the Resort facing the sea

As it was the off-season there were only two couples, a honeymooning Ukrainian twosome and us, which gave the place the privacy of a home with an in-house cook and bearer. The room on the first floor provided a private balcony and a magnificent view of the sea. The hotel provided hot-water, air-conditioning.  Free Wi-Fi was available at the lobby. Breakfast came with the package. Busesstop in front of the resort. Taxis and tuk-tuks were available. What more can you expect for $40 a day !!!

              

                                         The sea lured us into taking a dip every now and then.

The surroundings..............

The beach was not crowded and the sand was as white as pearls can be. The trawlers brought in the fish every evening to the harbour which was walking distance. We had the privilege of selecting our own fish which Anand worked upon to create a gastronomical delight. So it was Seer, tuna, lobster, bass, mackerel and barracuda for us to savour the whole week. 

The haul

A visit to Galle on the southernmost tip of the country is a must .We set out but the day being steamy hot  we cut short our trip and came back at 3pm to find that the resort was locked. Anand and Laxman had gone off shopping as we had told them that we would return late evening. We took a side road, walked down the beach and entered the back veranda, stripped and dived into the sea. The freedom was exhilarating. The monsoon waves were high; the beach was empty and later we relaxed on the extended arm–chairs by the beach.

At the Gaulle Fort

                                     
Souvenir shops, cafes, water sports outlets line the main road of Hikkaduwa. Evenings can be well spent browsing around and ending the day at the Tree-top restaurant for dinner and music.

                             

Our favourite joint ....THE TREE-TOP RESTAURANT


What else did we do in Hikkaduwa??????

We ate and ate and ate.......burrp, burrpp...Prices were very reasonable and food yummy!!!

Lobsters

Fish, french fries and salad

Banana Roll with honey

Papaya Juice

The end...............

Like all good things our vacation in Sri Lanka came to an end. We took the new, impressive expressway to the airport from Hikkaduwa. Boarding the Spice Jet flight to Madurai, we promised to come back to this idyllic place.

The trip was over but memories will last forever .As the plane took off I glanced down.  Through the window I saw the beautiful “green emerald” lying in the Indian Ocean,  its waters washing the coast in a serene and calm manner.

Thomas Merton wrote about Sri Lanka thus…. ………..”I don’t know when in my life I have ever had such a sense of beauty and spiritual validity running together in an aesthetic illumination.” 
Truly a “jewelled pendant” for us to appreciate.