First of all, wishes for a very happy and prosperous new year to all. Hope everybody had a pretty good time.
Well, I took advantage of the long holiday to take a little road trip with a friend of mine. On the 12th we headed down to Unawatuna. Business seems to be booming these days, with lots of tourists around. Went to the Happy Banana for some drinks and the place was packed. Unfortunately the place seemed understaffed and was taking it's toll on the waiters.
Next day headed down to Dikwella. The roads were deserted and an absolute pleasure to drive, even though cops were out and about. I haven't been down this far in a long time and there are some definite improvements. Galle and Matara are well developed. To me these cities, especially Matara, seem more organized and even cleaner than Colombo. Went all the way upto the "Hummanaya" (blowhole), turned back and headed to Unawatuna again in the evening. Had a dip in the sea and a nice dinner over some drinks. Relaxing it was :)
Next day we had the bright idea of going to Nuwaraeliya. Well, a not so great idea. We knew it would be crowded coz it's the season, but this crowd was insane. It was like half the country had turned up there. All roads coming into town were blocked and the traffic was crawling. It was raining that night, but that didn't seem to bother anyone. The cops were having a major issue with traffic due to the number of vehicles coming in and the lack of parking spaces.
To top it all off, we didn't even have a room. After scouring the town, we finally managed to find a place couple of km's down the Badulla road, but double the normal price. We may not like the crowds, but it's like heaven for the local business. All hotels and guest houses were fully booked, and they would have raked in quite a nice revenue this season. That's the bright side of it I guess. Anyway, this will be the first and last time I go to Nuwaraeliya during the season. I always loved going there during the off-season and will continue to do so.
Next day headed back home through Kandy. Overall a long weekend well spent. :)
Cheers!
Well, I took advantage of the long holiday to take a little road trip with a friend of mine. On the 12th we headed down to Unawatuna. Business seems to be booming these days, with lots of tourists around. Went to the Happy Banana for some drinks and the place was packed. Unfortunately the place seemed understaffed and was taking it's toll on the waiters.
Next day headed down to Dikwella. The roads were deserted and an absolute pleasure to drive, even though cops were out and about. I haven't been down this far in a long time and there are some definite improvements. Galle and Matara are well developed. To me these cities, especially Matara, seem more organized and even cleaner than Colombo. Went all the way upto the "Hummanaya" (blowhole), turned back and headed to Unawatuna again in the evening. Had a dip in the sea and a nice dinner over some drinks. Relaxing it was :)
Next day we had the bright idea of going to Nuwaraeliya. Well, a not so great idea. We knew it would be crowded coz it's the season, but this crowd was insane. It was like half the country had turned up there. All roads coming into town were blocked and the traffic was crawling. It was raining that night, but that didn't seem to bother anyone. The cops were having a major issue with traffic due to the number of vehicles coming in and the lack of parking spaces.
To top it all off, we didn't even have a room. After scouring the town, we finally managed to find a place couple of km's down the Badulla road, but double the normal price. We may not like the crowds, but it's like heaven for the local business. All hotels and guest houses were fully booked, and they would have raked in quite a nice revenue this season. That's the bright side of it I guess. Anyway, this will be the first and last time I go to Nuwaraeliya during the season. I always loved going there during the off-season and will continue to do so.
Next day headed back home through Kandy. Overall a long weekend well spent. :)
Cheers!
Old clock tower at the Galle Fort
Livin' on the edge
Galle lighthouse
Galle lighthouse
Beach near Mirissa
A deserted Matara beach
Island off Matara
Matara Church
Deserted roads
Devundara lighthouse, under renovations
An ideal place for a dip
Mr. Crab
Mr. Crab out foraging
Coastline from near Dickwella
Humanaya
Lonely
Couple of kitties found playing around at the guest house we stayed in
Mr. Lizard out looking for breakfast
2 comments:
looks like you've had a good time!
lovely pics btw..:)
Yep, a really good time. thx :)
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