Sri Lanka 4 - Haputale to Kataragama to Galle to Colombo

View from the train

20 July Haputale
Today is the day of the big train ride - six hours up into tea country. We go early to the station in case of ticket issues, but all is in order, so it's quite a wait for a train that usually arrives late. It's almost 3 hours before we are finally chugging out of the station, but it is as good a place as any to relax and be amused by passers-by. The train ride is in first class, with non-opening windows, but the ride is good, and I think I manage to grab a few decent shots of the landscape through the glass. It's certainly comfortable compared to the bus! As we head further into the hills, the views are really stupendous, and descending at Haputale is like ascending into heaven. We get to check in to Leisure Mount View by 6pm and just in time for sunset drink on our amazing balcony. We have ordered dinner - just a chicken curry, which comes with accompaniments, and I find quite fine, although Chris is unimpressed. Too many snacks on the train? After dinner I fall into bed, exhausted. Why is travelling, just sitting all day, so tiring?

View from our room

21 July Haputale
It's beautifully cool up here. After a pretty nice buffet breakfast I organise a tour to Dambatenne Tea Factory, about 30 minutes away, then Adisham Monastery, 10 minutes in the other direction. It's not a demanding schedule, luckily because I'm still not feeling great, that bug still bugging me. Chris has decided to stay home and listen to football again, so I am the 'only tourist in the village' at the tea factory, and the old-timer (he may be a couple of years older than me!) seems to take a fancy - takes my hand and asks if I want his number - hilarious! But it's an interesting place and story, and his English is pretty good. I buy some tea and tell him my husband is waiting back at the hotel.

My Dambatenne boyfriend

Then to Adisham Monastery, which was once an English tea planter's house, where few of the rooms are preserved as if still early 19th C. It's absolutely packed with family groups on the sunny Sunday, many of them Muslim. I battle my way in to see a dusty old-English-style living room and library (no photos), then out to the rather pretty garden and inevitable gift shop. Is that all? Not sure what the fuss is about ...

Heading home, I fall into bed and stay there for the afternoon. Had hoped to go for a sunset walk for dinner, but no energy so we stay at the hotel and have kotthu (again!). Spend a bit of time parleying with the host about car hire - we had hoped to get an Uber to Kataragama, as public transport is limited, but he says it's hard here, too remote - so we book a taxi for 25,000 LKR ($125)!

22 July Kataragama
Up early after an unsettled night and upset tum. But actually feeling better and manage a good buffet breakfast (it's nice and fresh, but pretty western oriented). The hotel manager who is angling for a good review gives us free breakfasts and that is a nice way to end the stay. The staff here are kind and considerate, and it really is a gorgeous and comfortable stay.

Kataragama - bathing at the ghat

The drive to Kataragama is actually quite delightful. The taxi driver is a nice fellow and excellent driver and the roads are remarkably good. Kataragama is a major pilgrimage destination, and it's a fascinating site as there are major Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist temples, interspersed with minor shrines. Originally, I planned to be in K. for the Esala Poya, a major religious festival, but our dates got rearranged and it ended yesterday, so when we arrive it is to scenes of disarray and rubbish as everything is dismantled. Seeing the apparent scale of the event we think maybe it was better to miss it, it would have been SO crowded! 

Music at the temple

Everyone is checking out of the hotel as we check in, swimming against the tide. Livinya Holiday Resort is a large-ish, once flash resort hotel with a pool, but now a little shabby. I don't think they have many western tourists. We book dinner there as there seems nowhere good to eat nearby, and head over to the  Sacred City a few minutes walk away. 

Buddha blingarama

There's still plenty of activity, bathing in the ghats on the river, and musicians and dancers in the temple forecourt. Drummers, dancers and a steady stream of pilgrims offer puja at the main Hindu Temple There is copious bling and flashing lights, not only at the usual bling-loving Hindu shrines, but also psychedelic Buddhist displays - it feels like a fairground.It's all a bit random and chaotic, and can only imagine what it was like during the festival. A woman offers me fruit from her puja platter, I take it and we head back home.

A more tasteful shrine ...

It's a decent room, but the attached balcony out the back is not attractive, so we sit in the much more pleasant shared terrace at the front for a drink. Heading down to dinner ('special fried rice with seafood'), we find a huge plate of rice that would feed six, studded with chewy lumps of deep fried seafood -  disappointing, and quite expensive ☹

On the bus ...

23 July Galle
It's a brief stay in Kataragama, and today we take the bus to Galle. Breakfast at the hotel is also very uninspiring, but I do manage to pack some toast, cheese and ham for our bus ride. A short walk to the bus station where we are hoping to get at least a 'semi-luxury'. But the only bus at the Galle bus stop is a red clunker, still there when finally another arrives. It's still 3rd class, but a little cleaner. We climb aboard, find seats, and after 30 minutes when the bus is packed to the rafters are finally on our way to the tune of deafening Indo-pop. It's a relatively speedy ride around the picturesque coast road, passing through South coast beach towns and ocean-front roads, arriving in Galle in less than 4 hours. At 2pm, we check in to Galle Heritage Villa, in the old Fort area, which is a gorgeous old immaculately renovated Dutch villa, with spacious living areas and just four bedrooms. No food services are provided, but there's tea making in the room, and a full equipped kitchen downstairs. After siesta and shopping we walk along the waterfront, just one minute walk away. It's breezy and pleasant, so after going back to the house to pick up a beer, we head back to find a sunset spot. Damn, seems that sunset is a real thing here and the crowds have gathered! But we find a spot, pour a beer, and watch the sunset, as we have done million times at home with no crowds!

Our lovely villa in Galle

Now to find dinner. There is no shortage of upmarket international restaurants here, and the prices are accordingly high. Finally we settle on Mango House, in a lovely garden a bit off the main drag, and have a very lovely crab curry, in the lighter style that Chris prefers, and the price is not bad (6000LKR - $30 inc beer). We are both happy! Then back to our lovely balcony for a night cap.

24 July Galle
Out early for city walk, as the weather is again very warm and humid. We’re following the Lonely Planet recommended walk around the ramparts with a few detours. The complicated colonial history in Sri Lanka with Portuguese, Dutch and then English shenanigans is writ large in this place, so there is quite a bit to explore, but at 7.30 it's already warm so we don't dawdle. By 9am we are at Aqua Forno, an Italian cafe/bakery for iced coffee and ciabatta caprese - second breakfast. It's pleasant, service slow as ever, and pricy - $25 - the food here is western and so are the prices!

Chris heads home for early siesta today, while I check out 'Barefoot', a fabric and gift shop that is much loved. It's pretty good, if pricy - I buy a sarong, soap, tea and spices. 

The famous Galle sunset ...

At 4.30 we walk north to check out a restaurant, go to ATM, buy booze, and get a train ticket for Colombo. There are no banks and wine shops inside the Fort, so it's to the station area for everything, and back into the dirty, noisy real world! We finally find a bank, buy some arrack, and find out that we cannot reserve seats on the Colombo train. However, Imal's looks good and we will walk back up here for dinner. Home to pick up drinks (does it seem that we are drinking and sleeping our way around Sri Lanka? Yep!), then back to Flag Rock for sunset. It's even more crowded than yesterday, but we find a good seat, and the breeze is lovely. It's a picturesque and pleasant place to be, but so unreal and tourist-focused. In a few years, we think, it will be like Hoi An old town, a theme park. Back up to Imal's Family Restaurant for dinner, and we have a simple seafood curry with coconut roti, then curd and treacle. It's delicious and inexpensive and we love it, and leave a good tip.

25 July Colombo
It's Thursday and we are on our way again. Bizarrely, all the trains after early morning are unreserved, so we must take our chances, and arrive at the station much too early. But our train arrives on time, we are well positioned on the platform, and jump on quickly in time to grab 2nd class seats on the right side of the train for the coastal journey. The tracks seem almost in the ocean at times, they are so close, and it is poignant because this coast was destroyed by the 2004 tsunami, including a packed passenger train just like this one - another unimaginable disaster for S.L. It's an easy 2 hour train ride, than tuk to the guest house in Cinnamon Gardens, 'De Saram House by Geoffrey Bawa'. Our last stop! And it is so good to be here. 

Our lovely pavilion

The house was designed by pre-eminent architect Geoffrey Bawa for a famous family of musicians, and now available as boutique accommodation (the family still use it a couple of months each year). Here is house-master Anthony, who rules with an iron fist in a velvet glove: 'You are early!' he says (1.30 for 2pm check-in).'Yes, the train arrived, so we came, and are happy to wait for 30 minutes.' 'You don't want to go and have lunch?' 'No, happy to wait.' ...... 'Oh, ok, you can come to your room'.

We love the room - it is the smallest (and cheapest) but is elevated above the two courtyards, with many windows to catch the breeze, and a lovely sitting pavilion just below. And the house itself is quite spectacular in an understated way, with slightly shabby elegance. This afternoon we siesta as ever, with a brief foray to the supermarket across the road for juice and snacks which we have for lunch. And I find curd! In a clay pot! Having seen this by so many rural roadsides, I can't resist, and buy coconut treacle to go with it.

Anthony tells us of a restaurant where we will get egg hoppers, which I have been looking for since we arrived in Sri Lanka but haven't managed to try. Upali's is a large Sri Lankan Family restaurant in this ritzy neighbourhood that is dotted with Japanese, Italian, Chinese and other international offerings. Online reviews rave about the crab curry, but it takes 30 minutes to prepare, so we order egg hoppers to start. But the curry arrives first! It is enormous! and we are well into it before the hoppers arrive. <sigh> We will take the hoppers home to eat tomorrow. The curry which would feed six is heavily spiced, Jaffna-style, and while nice does lack subtlety. But we keep ourselves entertained for an hour cracking our way through three large crabs.

And home. Some drinks in the pavilion, then up to our room where we open all the windows ... but Anthony: 'Madam! Close the windows! Or you will be eaten by mosquitos!' But we haven't seen even one mozzie ...

Spectacular Gangaramaya Temple

26 July Colombo
Next to last day! We would like to visit the Geoffrey Bawa House, so I call to find out about access, only to find that 10am tour is booked out, nothing until 2pm. We don't want to be out then so ... change of plan. We walk to Gangaramaya Temple and the nearby meditation pavilion designed by G.B. On the way we check out De Soysa Circus - a hugely busy traffic roundabout surrounded by historic buildings. The traffic wins! The temple, presided over by 'one of the most powerful Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka', is a glorious treasure chest, and is really very lovely. The political cloutt of Buddhists here does inspire a rethink of what we in the west understand Buddhism to be ... this temple is reminiscent (on a much smaller scale) of the Vatican. There are boys playing pipe and drums, and golden Buddhas everywhere, trails of white-garbed school children offer flowers, it feels like an ancient palace. Then just around the corner, the Seema Malakaya meditation pavilion, designed by Geoffrey Bawa and funded by the temple. Rows of golden Buddhas contrast against the high-rise city background, and it's calm and lovely, although the day is now so hot it's hard to relax. Chris is wanting siesta, so we head back for egg hopper lunch.

Seema Malakaya - Buddhist shrine and meditation pavilion

Later, we don't fancy any of the local international restaurants, so we plan to have a drink at the rooftop bar at the Jetwing a few doors away, then come back to our lovely pavilion for snacks, so I grab some egg rolls and pastries from the supermarket. At the rooftop, we sit by the infinity pool. The menu does not have any Sri Lankan food, but they do have Lion lager, so we watch swimmers while the sun sets. Back home, Anthony finds it hilarious that we are having beer and snacks for dinner - they are used to guests eating out for every meal I guess. The curd in the fridge probably raises his eyebrows too!

Rooftop drinks

27 July Colombo
Today we have the challenge of entertaining ourselves through the hot afternoon before heading to the airport at 7pm (our flight is after midnight). We siesta in the morning, eat curd and bananas for morning tea, then at midday leave our bags and walk to the Victoria Park - lovely with lots of shade - then to Paradise Park shop, where I get to browse homewares in air-conditioned comfort while Chris waits ... It's a bit disappointing, more mass-produced and less crafty than I expected. The placemats I like are too expensive ($60 for a set of 6), so I content myself with some smaller items. Then walk down through the park to the Commons Café for lunch - a final seafood kotthu, which is pretty good and filling. So why did we spoil it by buying an expensive and overly sweet brownie? Buying more time in the aircon, and divesting my excess LKR! 

Some amazing statuary at the National Museum

Now - a museum visit. It is really a fabulous collection in a fabulous building, though the displays and labelling could do with a refresh. Unfortunately there's no aircon, so it's quite hot and stuffy, especially upstairs. We rush through the last rooms, it is not the cool refuge I imagined. 

So ... back to the park and chill out under a glorious tree ... then walk home in the cooler late afternoon to retrieve our bags an hour early. Anthony looks askance ... 'I couldn't walk any more!' says Chris.

Glorious tree in Victoria Park

So to the airport. Uber arrives in 7 minutes, and it only takes 40 minutes, so we have 2 hours to wait until check-in. At least it is air conditioned. Find out we can't spend our LKR on duty-free, so scrounge around the available shops and buy some condiments, spices, tea and an overpriced dress to use up the leftover cash. Wish I had spent more at Barefoot! The overnight flight home is just as efficient and comfortable as previously, and we arrive in good time, driving home very weary as the sun is setting. A fitting end.