Tag: Sri Lanka

Day 21 – 25th February 2024- Sun, sea watching, pool and not a lot else.

Published on by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

After a wonderful nights sleep, listening to the large waves rolling in we had a slow start to the day and meandered down to breakfast just after 9.00am. We selected a table at the edge of the deck closest to the sea.

I must say that although breakfast was very pleasant it was slightly under par compared to Sea World Botique. We were offered either a plate of fruit or a fruit juice, we’ve been having both since we arrived in Sri Lanka. The plate of fruit was nice and today it included half a passion fruit along with a small banana, pineapple, papaya and a rather dry quarter of a tangerine type fruit. This was followed by toast and the usual jelly type jam and a small pancake wrapped around another banana with coconut honey and coloured sprinkles…..all wash down by an undrinkable cup of coffee.

Breakfast ended and my what’s app pinged………Sue and Steve Turner who used to teach PE in Bedford, have been working in an International School in Sri Lanka for the past 12 years. They were staying just down the road over the holiday weekend……they walked along the beach to us and we spent an hour or so catching up and having a drink…not having seen them for about 14 years it was nice to exchange news. After they left we had a swim, sunbathe, and watched the people strolling along the magnificent beach….its such a shame we couldn’t go in the water but the waves are pretty massive, it’s quite a steep drop and we were told that there are some strong undercurrents……hence the reason we hadn’t seen anyone swim on this fantastic stretch of golden sand.

Soon a siesta was needed back in the room…..it’s so tiring doing absolutely nothing !!!!!

We succumbed to a late lunch, I had seafood Tom yum soup and John had a cheese and tomato sandwich…which actually arrived as one cheese sandwich and one tomato sandwich!!!! We repeated the morning activities again – swim, sunbathing, people and seascape watching…

It didn’t seem long before we were returning to our room to shower and ready for supper…looking in the mirror I find that my usual Rudolf impersonation ( with a sunburnt nose) has progressed to one of a lobster impersonation ( sun kissed whole body !!!!), whilst John is just turning an enviable shade of bronze.

Once at supper, the chef showed us a fresh red snapper he had…but knowing how bony they are I declined. He also had barracuda which I’d never had so I went for it. John had battered calamari. Both were excellent, thoroughly enjoyed my barracuda a tasty fish not as firm as tuna or sword fish, but meatier than sea bass or white mullet. John also enjoyed his.

After such a busy old day!!!! …time for bed.

Our Actual Sri Lanka holiday itinerary/plan & cost

Published on by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

The price of our holiday went up slightly from our original plan due to us not being able to make the reservations we wanted at the hotels we originally wanted and the fact that obtaining train tickets at the original base rate price is near on impossible you have to buy from people who have already brought …in other word ticket touts… Also by the time we came to book the airfares had gone up or what they were advertised at was not what they were being sold at….So we decided to book with Rosie Price at DialaFlight as the price was the best by several hundred £’s and we also had the security of paying our money to a well known, reputable, professional company. – contactable at rosie.price@dialaflight.co.uk or UK tel no. 0161-841-8179

Dialaflight used Jetwing Travels as their on the ground facilitator in Sri Lanka….although there were a couple of hiccups with accommodation these were sorted out by our guide/driver, Suminda, and the company and it allowed us a relaxing holiday. Our driver/ guide and companion was … Suminda Dissanayake he can be contacted at Suminda711@gmail.com. or what’s app/ phone number is + 94772279050

Including direct flights with Sri Lanka Airways for the two of us the total price was £5849.00


24-Day Tailor – Made Tour of Sri Lanka
Full Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Colombo – Negombo
Your tour begins as you’re met on arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport and transferred to Negombo, a drive of around 35 minutes. Here you’ll stay at Ayubowan Guest House, on a bed-and-breakfast basis. After checking in, you’ll have the rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities.
Day 2: Negombo
You have a full day at leisure today at Ayubowan Guest House. You may like to simply relax in the lush gardens and take a dip in the outdoor pool, or join a Sri Lankan cooking class, enjoy a yoga session or take a guided nature walk. You’ll again stay here overnight.
Day 3: Negombo
Today you’ll take a tour of Colombo. You’ll drive through the city, taking in the busy commercial areas, as well as the tree-lined residential districts. You’ll visit the Fort, the former British administrative centre and military garrison, as well as the goldsmiths’ area of Sea Street, the bazaar, a Hindu temple and the Dutch Church of Wolfendhal, which dates back to 1749. If time permits, you may also see the replica of Avukana Buddha and Independence Square.
Afterwards you’ll return to Ayubowan Guest House, where you’ll have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 4: Wilpattu
You’ll check out after breakfast this morning for the transfer to Wilpattu, a journey of around 3.5 hours. Here you’ll check in at Cloud Nine Lanka Resort, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, then will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 5: Wilpattu
You’ll start early this morning, as you’re picked up at 5.30, with a packed breakfast, for a full-day safari in Wilpattu National Park. Wilpattu was declared a National Park in 1938, and spans 131,694 hectares. It is home to a huge array of wildlife, which flocks to the large number of villus (lakes), including spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer, wild boar, wild buffalo, sloth bear, mongooses, crocodiles and peacocks, but the true highlights are the leopards and wild elephants.
Afterwards you’ll return to Cloud Nine Lanka Resort for overnight.
Day 6: Anuradhapura
After breakfast this morning you will proceed to Anuradhapura, a journey of around 2.5 hours. En route you will visit the Sacred City of Anuradhapura. As you explore the ancient ruins of this UNESCO World Heritage-listed site, the first ancient kingdom and capital of Sri Lanka, be sure to take in the magnificent 13-metre-high statue of Lord Buddha carved out of solid granite, and the relic of the Bodhi Tree under which Buddha was believed to have attained enlightenment, grown from a branch transported from India.
Afterwards you’ll check into Hotel 4 U Saliya Garden, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, and will spend the rest of the day enjoying the hotel facilities.
Day 7: Sigiriya
You’ll check out after breakfast today for the transfer to Sigiriya. En route, you will be taken to climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress. One of Sri Lanka’s major attractions, this UNESCO World Heritage site was built by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD) to protect him from his rivals.
Afterwards you will be taken to visit Polonnaruwa. This medieval city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its huge man-made reservoirs, the most famous of which is the Parakrama Samudra, or the Sea of Parakrama, larger in size than Colombo harbour. Here you’ll visit the Royal Palace complex, including the King’s Palace and Audience Hall, the Quadrangle, and the spectacular Gal Vihare complex of four massive images of the Buddha, cut from a single slab of granite.
Finally you’ll check in at The Lavendish Wild , where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Day 8: Sigiriya – Wasgamuwa – Sigiriya
You’ll rise early this morning and set off at 5.30 with a packed breakfast for a full-day safari in Wasgamuwa National Park. The park spans over 36,900 hectares, and is bordered by the River Mahaweli Ganga and the River Amban Ganga to the east and west. The altitude varies from over 500m at the Sudu Kanda hill to just 76m along the Mahaweli Ganga. The combination of a number of small reservoirs and the Sudu Kanda mountain range affords fine trekking opportunities for keen hikers.
After your safari you’ll return to The Lavendish Wild to relax and enjoy the hotel’s facilities.
Day 9: Dambulla – Kandy
You’ll set off after breakfast this morning for your transfer Kandy, a total journey time of around three hours. En route you will visit Dambulla Cave Temple. Also known as the ‘Golden Temple’, this ancient complex, another UNESCO World Heritage site, was initially established in the third century BC, and is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The temples are home to numerous religious and cultural paintings and sculptures.
On arrival in Kandy you’ll check in at Elegant Hotel, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, and will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 10: Kandy
After a morning at leisure, this afternoon you will be taken to visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic, Sri Dalada Maligawa. This is an important shrine for Buddhists as it holds the tooth relic of Lord Buddha, and is the most sacred temple in the whole of Sri Lanka. Since this is a religious site, footwear should be removed before entering, although you can wear socks if you wish. Light-coloured clothing with sleeves, and trousers or skirts below the knee, are recommended.
Afterwards you will enjoy a cultural dance show, then you will be taken for a night food walk. You’ll start at the iconic Royal Bar, where you’ll try out the local arrack and bites to set the tone before heading out for egg rotis, fresh hoppers and the best kothu. Your charismatic host will regale you with stories about Kandy while you indulge in the many food options on the walk.
You’ll return to Elegant Hotel for overnight.
Day 11: Ella
After breakfast this morning you’ll take the scenic train ride to Ella, a journey of around seven hours, past forests, villages, waterfalls and tea estates. You’ll be met on arrival in Ella and taken to the Eminence Shire Ella, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis. En route you’ll visit Nine Arch Bridge, also known as the ‘Bridge in the Sky’. It was constructed by connecting two mountains during the construction of the Badulla-Colombo railway and is one of the best examples of colonial-era railway construction in the country.
Day 12: Yala
After breakfast this morning you’ll proceed to Yala, a journey of around 2.5 hours. On arrival you’ll check in at Tringa Villas Yala, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, then will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 13: Yala
You’ll set off at 5.30 this morning, after a cup of tea, with a packed breakfast from the hotel, for a full-day safari in Yala National Park. The park is known for its elephants, leopards, bears, crocodiles and wild boar, and is believed to be home to the world’s highest concentration of leopards per square kilometre.
Afterwards you’ll return to Tringa Villas Yala, for some time at leisure and overnight.
Day 14: Yala
Once again you’ll head out at 5.30 this morning for another thrilling full-day safari in Yala National Park. You’ll again stay overnight at Tringa Villas Yala.
Day 15: Yala – Udawalawe – Yala
You’ll again set out at 5.30 this morning, this time for a full-day safari in Udawalawe National Park.
Spanning over 30,821 hectares, the park is an ideal place to view elephants at close range. You will also have the opportunity to witness wildlife such as sambar deer, wild buffalo, mongoose, bandicoots, fox, water monitor lizards, crocodiles, sloth bears and the occasional leopard. There are also around 30 varieties of snake and an abundance of birdlife.
You’ll again return to Tringa Villas Yala for overnight.
Day 16: Mirissa
You’ll depart after breakfast this morning for the transfer to Mirissa, a journey of around two hours. Here you’ll check in at Sea World Boutique, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis, and will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 17: Mirissa
You have two full days at leisure at Sea World Boutique. You may like to simply relax on the beach, or enjoy activities such as yoga, whale-watching trips, watersports or spa treatments.
Day 18: Mirissa
You have two full days at leisure at Sea World Boutique. You may like to simply relax on the beach, or enjoy activities such as yoga, whale-watching trips, watersports or spa treatments.
Day 19: Mirissa
You’ll set off at 6am this morning with a packed breakfast, after a quick cup of tea, for a whale-watching excursion on a shared boat. The naturalist on board will be a fount of incredible facts about local marine life, and hopefully you will encounter the mighty giants of the sea: blue whales, sperm whales and killer whales.
You’ll then return to Sea World Boutique for some time at leisure and overnight.
Day 20: Hikkaduwa
You set off for Hikkaduwa after breakfast this morning, a journey of around 2.5 hours. En route you will be taken to Weligama to see the local stilt fishermen as they perch on a crossbar off a single pole planted into the seabed just a few metres offshore. Afterwards you’ll visit Galle, home to the fort called ‘Santa Cruz’, listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The fort was initially built by the Portuguese in 1619, then expanded and further developed by the Dutch and the British. Galle was once Sri Lanka’s main seaport, and still handles shipping and cruising yachts.
During your tour of Galle, you will have the opportunity to visit Galle Fort and the Old Dutch Church, and to walk along the ramparts.

Following this you will visit the Victor Hasselblad turtle research and conservation centre in Kosgoda.
At the hatchery, fishermen are paid for rescuing the vulnerable eggs, which they collect at night, along the sandy beach. Visitors can witness them hatching, or see tanks filled with newborn hatchlings. The baby turtles are returned to the sea at between two and four days old. Once placed on the beach, most baby sea turtles start moving towards the water, flapping their tiny flippers. On arrival in Hikkaduwa you’ll check in at Sapphire Seas Beachfront Hotel, where you’ll stay on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Day 21: Hikkaduwa
You have three full days at leisure at Sapphire Seas Beachfront Hotel. You may like to spend your time in the pool watching the sea or simply relaxing on the hotel deck or beach. This part of the coast looks idyllic however it has strong undercurrents and the recommendation is not to swim, snorkle or surf here. However a short distance toward Hikkaduwa there is a public beach where it is considered safe for these activities.
Day 22: Hikkaduwa
You have three full days at leisure at Sapphire Seas Beachfront Hotel. You may like to spend your time in the pool, watching the sea or simply relaxing on the beach.
Day 23: Hikkaduwa
You have three full days at leisure at Sapphire Seas Beachfront Hotel. You may like to spend your time in the pool, watching the sea and relaxing.
Day 24: Departure
Your tour comes to an end today as you’re transferred to the airport for your departure flight.

Day 20 – 24th February 2024 – Mirissa to Hikkaduwa via Galle and Turtle Sanctuary.

Published on by 2jsworldofadventure2 Comments

We were some what sad to leave the Sea World Botique in Mirissa…we loved our sea view room, the pool, terrace, sea and sand watching. The service was great and we’d found a really wonderful seafood restaurant just up the road. We would definitely stay there again…not just because they had the most comfortable pillows we’d had all trip…but leave we must.. and Suminda collected us at 8.30 am and we proceeded on our day of sightseeing, whilst transitioning to our next and final hotel.

Our first stop was at Wagamama just along the coast. The coast was literally packed with surf schools and in the water were hundreds of Caucasians trying to learn the art of surfing. It’s evidently very popular there due to the waves being medium size and the waters being shallow.

We went a little further along the coast and stopped for some photos of the infamous ‘Stilt Fishermen’. Unfortunately it’s all a bit touristy and false now…you pay them to sit on the stilts while they pretend to fish in this out dated rarely used today method.

Further along the coast we watched people pulling in the fishing nets, a much more realistic sight of more up to date fishing methods.

Our next stop was in Galle. We had asked Suminda to find us a book shop because we wanted to buy a book on Sri Lankan Birds to help us identify the birds in our photos. I’d try to write most the names down as we went along but my efforts failed miserably when we looked at our photos against my list of names. We had also decided to buy Suminda the same book as he had admitted to learning much more about the different birds on this trip and we thought it would help him identify the birds when he was with other customers. We went to the first bookshop but the book they had was ‘Common Sri Lankan Birds’ which had hardly any eagles in and the colour and pictures were not a very true likeness. So Suminda phoned around some other stores and found one which had two copies, in English, of the book we had in mind…they were both duly purchased along with a tube of superglue……John and his sandals are becoming a regular focal point of our recent holidays. Last year he packed one dark brown one and one camel coloured one for our African trip….this year he brought the dark brown ones with him, even though I asked if they were the good or not so good pair….they were the not so good pair and the side fastening has freed itself from the sole along with the inner sole flapping away from the sole…oh dear a super glue job is required to see us through the next 3 days….but be assured they are not coming home with us !!!!
Our next stop was Galle Cricket Ground. It is where the test matches are played. Suminda told the security that John had played in England, but instead of saying ‘in’ he said ‘for’ and we were allowed into the ground to take photos…John was extremely happy as he has bygone memories of David Gower commentating on a Test Match and proving that the old tale of a Sri Lankan cricketer hitting the ball into the sea, was exactly that ‘a tale’ as it was literally impossible.

From here we visited the Fortress. This is in fact what we would call a walled city within the city of Galle. The Portuguese had originally built it, the Dutch then took it over and finally the British added to it. From the walls are some magnificent views. For those of you who watched Xander Armstrongs series on Sri Lanka, you may remember a man diving off the walls into very shallow water near the base of a massive rock…..that was here….in fact the same man offered to jump for us for US $20 just like he had for Xander…we declined and he asked why..to which my reply was “ I don’t wish to pay you to risk your life for my entertainment”. He seemed ok with that.

We continued our journey past our next hotel and up the coast to the  turtle sanctuary  at Ahungalla. On the way we passed the place where the tsunami had hit a train full of people. All 1500 had been killed. There is a memorial to those who lost their lives. This memorial is a Buddha who has been built to the height of the wave. There is also a museum with one of the carriages involved in this tragedy. 

On arriving in Ahungalie there was a giant turtle with its mouth open. You enter the sanctuary by walking through its mouth.

The eggs are brought up from the beach and put in sand in the sanctuary, where they are left to hatch naturally. The sand has sticks all over it saying the type of turtle, the date they were laid and the number which are buried. It takes between 45 and 60 days for the eggs to hatch.

The baby turtles are then placed in a tank until their eyes open prior to being released back into the sea.  It was very interesting. There are also a lot of other tanks with turtles in. These are rescued by fishermen and brought to the sanctuary. Most have had fishing lines/ nets caught tightly around their necks..the blood makes them easy pray for sharks. These are treated by the sanctuaries vet and released back into the sea when they are completely healed. Other turtles have eaten plastic bags and the vet removes these  and again after a period of rehabilitation they are released back to the sea. There are also some life long resident turtles at the sanctuary. These have either had limbs amputated by boats propellors, or they’ve been so damaged by plastic that their shells have domed meaning that they can no longer dive or they are albino. The sanctuary has 2 albino turtles, they occur approx 1 in a million and our guide had only seen these two in the past 14 years. One was a youngster and the other fully grown. They can’t be released back into the sea because they have no protection from the sun. 

We then went through a Sharks mouth into an area with aquariums containing, Black finned Sharks, puffer fish, moray eels, starfish, rainbow fish etc. It was all very interesting and we found that their conservation of these endangered species was both ethical and professional. 

We returned back down the coast to our new hotel Sapphire Seas Hotel. We were met by the manager who informed us he had given us the best room in the hotel with a wrap around balcony and two walls of glass doors which looked at the sea from two different aspects…it was on the second floor…..’oh no’ I thought…but this friendly gentleman said I need not worry as they have a lift….great news… we were shown to our room, which was so large John said he’d probably double his daily step count !!!! It didn’t take us long to don our costumes and head for the Sun loungers and pool. We spent a couple of very pleasant hours watching some pretty big waves chase along the beach with the surf producing a ‘ follow my leader’ type of image. We also had a nice refreshing King Coconut  to drink. Before retiring to our room for a late afternoon siesta.

We ate in the restaurant that evening. The chef came and talked us through what we wanted….he said he would make the seafood Tom yum ( Thai soup) not so spicy. Well! thank goodness for that because his not so spicy made our eyes and noses run. We followed it by having sweet and sour king prawns …very nice indeed. The manager, a nice friendly man, came to chat with us before he finished his days work. It was a lovely meal. Unfortunately the lift was out of order, due to fluctuating electricity strength, so I had to walk up to the second d floor….I am getting better at stairs…let’s face it I’ve had enough practice this holiday.

Time for bed now…to the sound of the waves on the beach ….

Day 19 – 23rd February 2024 – “…Oh What a Perfect Day ..” – Mirissa

Published on by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Beethoven by the Bakers Tuk-Tuk did not wake us at 5.30 am…mores the pity ( some people are never happy!!!) it was instead the good old iPhone alarm ….we scurried into our clothes and descended at 5.50am…only to find no one about and everywhere locked up. On the door was a message with 3 numbers to phone if you wanted help…..well! we did …. we needed to get out..so I went behind the reception desk and used their phone to ring the first number…after some wait it was answered and I told the man on the end we needed to get out ‘quick’, quick’. John in the meanwhile had managed to unbolt the front door and we descended into the front drive only to find the gate chained and padlocked. Suminda was the other side waiting for us, as he began to dial the number he had, a man appeared and unpadlocked the gate….Having received our ‘get out of jail card’ we were transferred by Suminda to one of the whale watching offices, from where two tickets were duly purchased. At 6.30 am be embarked on the Whale Watching boat, we climbed to the top deck and took the only two available seats together.
All aboard by 6.45am and we were set a drift, passing out of the busy fishing harbour into the Indian Ocean.


I was immediately very pleased that I had decided to take half a Kwelles ( sea sickness tablet) before leaving the hotel….it was a risk because they often make me a bit doopy and unsteady on my feet…but as John said cheekily that he probably wouldn’t notice the difference, I risked it. Thank goodness I did..it was very rough with deep peeks and troughs and a few people began to feel unwell. I kept my bottom on the seat and my eyes peeled on the horizon and although we both turned down the breakfast which was offered we both managed without incident. We had been going about an hour when we saw a small pod of Spinner Dolphins. Another hour passed and this time we encountered a much bigger pod…they were really performing by jumping out of the water pirouetting and diving back in. They looked much smaller than the bottle nosed dolphins we are used to seeing in various parts of the world. Their small size made them even cuter.

We saw 3 or 4 Flying Fish which always fascinate us. In fact we have 4 canvas prints of flying fish, above our bathroom door at home, which John tool in the Caribbean a couple of years ago….When I get home I’ll put our favourite up as a limited edition print ( if I remember!!).
As we were returning we came across another large pod who raced along our sides and in our wake, leaping and pirouetting as if preforming to keep us entertained.

The waters were much calmer on our return and the crew brought some fruit around. This time we accepted, as it was 15 hours since we’d last eaten and we were both rather peckish. We docked at 12.20 to find Suminda patiently waiting for us.
Our itinerary said we were going to see the stilt fishermen today. However, it is a Full Moon day, which is a Sri Lankan holiday and Suminda wasn’t certain anyone would be fishing so we agreed to go tomorrow on our journey to our next hotel. We stopped at an ATM on the way back to our hotel. We were running a bit short of SLR ( Sri Lankan Rupees) and it seems easier to use the machine than to find somewhere to change US$’s.. unfortunately this machine charged SLR 800 ( approx £2) for the withdrawal……but hey ho!! We were financially sound again.
When we got back to Sea World Botique our breakfast table was still laid, as promised, and our full breakfast was provided the same as the previous day, although today we also had some rather scary looking fruit which tasted lovely, known as rambutan. It was very similar in taste to a Lychee.

Suminda asked reception if it was possible to have breakfast at 8.00am the following day as we had a lot we wanted to do and they readily agreed. As we were having breakfast one of the reception team, he could be the manager, came and asked us if we would change rooms to a sea view ‘ at no extra charge’. We readily agreed, he said he wanted us to give the hotel a good review. After breakfast we did our bags up…well nearly one case needs a repack as it won’t close!!!! And moved to a sea view on the first floor…heaven… only half the number of stairs. The room was absolutely delightful….a very large 4 poster bed, superb views of the sea, the sound of the wave crashing, large bathroom with jacuzzi shower, enough room for both suitcases to be open at the same time….if you decide to stay here make certain you book a sea view room not a standard room…it’s gorgeous

After changing rooms we pounced on a pair of Sun loungers and spent several hours watching the world go by and dipping in and out of the pool.

Deciding it was a shame waste such a lovely room we retired for a siesta.
Sea World Botique really is a very nice hotel. It’s not their fault our scheduled first night here hadn’t been booked, neither is it their fault that I didn’t book a sea view room. They have how’re tried very hard to make certain our need are met and they’ve been great at calling tuk-tuks, dealing with our laundry, providing very late breakfast as well as an early one etc…nothing seems to be too much trouble …would we stay here again …. Yes definitely we can highly recommend it if you are considering a holiday here. Whilst on the sun decal we chatted to an English couple who are staying  their entire two weeks holiday here. They are having day trips out to see sites, Safari etc but love their sea view room, the pool, the sun deck, the snorkelling, the food and the drink. If we ever came again we might well do the same ..after a few days in Wilpattu of course !!! 

After a refreshing snooze we readied ourselves and decided to return to Salt restaurant on the beach. We hailed a Tuk-Tuk and haggled the price from £2 to £1 as that’s what it was the other night…but we gave him a tip so he was happy. Off we went arriving a few minutes later at Salt…front shore side table for two was waiting for us. We didn’t bother with the menu, just the fish table. This time we selected a smaller mullet and 10 big jumbo prawns to go with it. It arrived on two separate plates so we halfed it and tucked in…needless to say it was delicious and we soon consumed the lot and finished the meal with a selection of ice cream each…all for the princely price of £39.

At 9.00pm on the dot our tuk-tuk driver returned to pick us up and he safely deposited us back at our hotel……tummies full and very relaxed we retired after what could only be described as ‘the perfect day’.

Day 18 – 22nd February – Lazy Thursday – Mirissa

Published on by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Reception had told us yesterday that breakfast started at 8.30 so it would have been rude to harass them earlier…so we hatched a plan to have a lie-in…….All holiday we’ve been listening out for the sound of Beethoven played out of a loud speaker on the front of a tuk-tuk selling bread…… Yes! honestly! …. We became aware of it while watching Xander Armstrong’s 3 part series on Sri Lanka…. We did hear it once and Suminda stopped the car for John to get a photo but we were coming back late from somewhere and didn’t really appreciate it……..well! The lack of appreciation occurred again today …….we are quite certain that in 1810 when Beethoven was composing “Fur Elise” that he would not of expected it to be blasting out of a bakers delivery tuk-tuk in Sri Lanka in 2024……but there we were rudely awakened by “Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor” directly below our bedroom window at 5.30 am !!!! So much for a lie in.
We eventually went down the 4 flights of stairs for breakfast at about 9.30am. Another lovely breakfast…fresh mixed fruit drink ( we heard the blender) a lovely plate of fruit, toast and jam and we opted out of an egg but had the sausage and bacon ..when it arrived we both said at the same time “ no rude comments” !!

After breakfast we returned to our room, sorted the dirty washing, donned our swim attire and once again descended the escaliers. With the washing deposited with reception ( returned later at a cost of £20) we took up residency on a pair of Sun loungers under a large green parasol and spent the day watching Sri Lankan sea activities…small boats fishing, tour boats toing and froing, young men rod fishing, one even caught a fish and a very old man taking more time smoking and loading bait on his line than fishing. He would totter out to rod fish for a few minutes and scurry back when the waves almost knocked him flying and repeated this several times before wandering off.

We interspersed our “watching the world go by” with several dips in the pool and a light sandwich for lunch. Eventually the early wake up call got the better of us and we decided to return to our air conditioned room for a siesta.


We stayed in the hotel for supper, choosing to have grilled King Prawns, rice and salad. Followed by banana fritters and ice cream for me and John had fruit salad and ice cream. An early night was required as we have a 6.00 am start tomorrow….. what a nice sun drenched day we had .