Robin & Karen Living the Dream: Sri Lanka, Starting in Negombo

February 12 we started our journey to Sri Lanka, a flight with Air Asia from Siem Reap to Colombo with a brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Total cost of $727, including extra carry on luggage - we spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get our big bags to weigh under 7 kg, leaving up to 7 kg for the small backpacks. Later I realized that the big bags could weigh 10 kg, total of all carryons only 14 kg. After all that anguish no one looked at or weighed our bags, go figure!

Siem Reap airport

Our plane actually drove under that arch in Kuala Lumpur!

We had done our Sri Lankan visas online prior, cost of $50 US each, they were checked by the airline in Siem Reap upon check in.

We arrived at 22:00 at night, got a 30 day SIM card for Robin, $13, got 200,000 rupees from a Bank of Ceylon ATM (no fees) & called for a ride using the app PickMe - cost $11 for a 40 minute ride to our hotel in Negombo - Oasis Beach Negombo. A bit disoriented as this is a right hand drive country, will take some getting used to!

Our “home” for 3 nights

Out exploring the next morning, beach, small shops, realized that beer & liquor only sold in what they call Wine Stores. Had our first “rice & curry” meal - rice surrounded by several bowls of curry & condiments - we requested “not spicy” but our lips & tongues were burning so we had to order the local beer, Lion.

Rice & curry

Wine store price list, you order at a wicket , no entry to store

Lots of these cute little cars

Bigger grocery store

Masks

Hand painting the stripes on the curb

We did a day tour of Negombo in a private car that included several sites, a boat trip thru the Dutch canals & out into the lagoon and some street food suggestions.

At the fish market

Buddhist temple

Fishermen

Local crows, hundreds of them!

Outrigger boats common here

We stopped for some fruit on a sand bar in the lagoon

Our boat & drivers

Inside the St Mary’s Catholic Church, many Catholics here

St Mary’s Church

Fish drying

Old Dutch fort ruins, built in 1672

Fishing boats in the lagoon

Monkeys in the mangroves

And in our boat!

The traffic here is different - not so many motorbikes but oodles of Tuk Tuks, big buses, busy with very little horn honking & the confusing “driving on the opposite side”.

We were trying to figure out our transport options to head north - somehow I haven’t done much advance planning for Sri Lanka, just “winging it” as we go. I did my run to a nearby train station but realized that after the last typhoon there are many damaged rail lines, so off we went to the bus station to check that out. What a sight! Dozens of buses, each under a sign with the destination, guys yelling out trying to fill the buses, people everywhere & not a ticket office in sight. We finally found a small office with a somewhat helpful fellow telling us that we could catch a bus at a bus stop in the city, pay on the bus & get off at a highway junction near Wilpattu.

That sorted out we wandered thru a chaotic, loud, colorful local market, got befriended by a local who led us to a spot to eat where we sampled some tasty Indian savoury “donuts” - they bring a tray full, you eat what you want & the rest goes back, then to a spot for some Lion lager & people watching. Most beer is sold in 500 ml cans or 625 ml bottles!

Local market

Sri Lankan’s eat with their fingers, right hand only

Tasty tray of snacks

Fish for sale

625 ml Lion Strong beer

City clock tower

For our Valentine’s Day supper we had shrimp dinners on the beach, watching families & kids playing games & cricket.

Fresh grilled shrimp

Kottu, chopped up roti fried with meat & veggies

After some online research later & we took a tuk tuk in the morning to a bus stop & hoped the right number bus would show up. Several old, rickety “chicken buses” full of people passed by, some with the right number but all full & then to our surprise a big newer A/C bus with storage underneath came to a quick stop with the attendant yelling at us - yes, right bus, get on! And we were off, cost $10.36 total, 3 hour trip, comfortable! As we were the biggest thing on the roads the driver seemed to think that he could & should pass everyone, despite oncoming traffic! But somehow this didn’t bother us despite a great view from the front seat, we must have spent enough time in crazy Asian traffic! We got dropped off along the hiway at the junction to Wilpattu National Park, took a tuk tuk from there the last 5 km, the last bit on a dusty dirt road & we arrived at our next destination of Wilpattu Greenheart Resort. And the location near our first safari - Still Living the Dream!