Pristine beaches, rolling surf, warm golden sunsets, oodles of elephants, timeless ruins, vintage forts, wound down evenings, serene backwaters, genial people, and passion fruit. That’s Sri Lanka for you.

I visited Sri Lanka between 10-16^th August 2017 with my friends. We restricted ourselves to 3 cities – Negombo (2 nights), Galle (3 nights) and Columbo (1 night). I understand that this wasn’t enough, and a lot was supposed to be covered. But hey! We weren’t looking for all-day hectic tours, check boxing as many tourist sites as we could. We were, rather, interested in chilled-out mornings, lazy afternoon naps, fresh eventful evenings, and a renewal of spirit in the company of close friends away from the humdrum of life. We were looking for tranquility of retreat.

Negombo

Negombo is a modest beach town located just 10 km from Bandaranaike Airport. We stayed at Park Lane Apartments which was just 5-minutes’ walk from the beach. There isn’t much to see in Negombo; just sit back, sun bath and relax with a couple of beers.

The highlight of Negombo was Lords. It was a creative eating experience. It has a large complex with a fine dine restaurant, a bar and a complimentary fish spa. So essentially, you can have a couple of rounds of beer or sip margarita while getting your fish pedicure done and then head on to have dinner. They serve authentic Sri Lankan curries replete with coconut and curry leaves.

Galle

Galle is an exotic port city located in the southernmost part of Sri Lanka. It is a jewel, a timeless song of sea, a vintage wine served in a modern tulip glass. On one hand its rambling lanes takes you back to colonial past, while on the other its impeccably renovated hotels, stylish cafes, quirky boutiques and exquisite woodcraft shops restores you to present. It’s certainly not to be missed.

We stayed at Villa Raffaello in Galle. It’s a beautiful 3-bedroom property nestled in a sylvan surrounding, almost 3 km from Galle fort. Galle fort is a historical fort, originally built by Portuguese in 1588, but extensively fortified by Dutch in 17^th century. High walls of this fort played a crucial role in preventing complete decimation of Galle city in 2004 tsunami. Taking a stroll down the streets of this fort transports you to the bygone era of colonial occupation.

The highlight of Galle was scuba diving at Unawatuna beach. This was my first time and I absolutely loved the experience. There were a few hiccups initially. My hands and legs were cold. My mind was getting plagued by “what-ifs“. But I recalled my past successful experience of parasailing in Goa and beefed myself up. Scuba diving is difficult for 2 main reasons –

1. You have to inhale via mouth which our brain is not wired to do. Particularly, for people like me who don’t know how to swim it’s even more difficult.
2. You can’t cry out for help. The very first reflex, when faced with danger, that we have been trained since childhood is to shout our lungs out. But you can’t do that inside water, for obvious reasons. Maintaining your calm is crucial.

After a short training session in shallow water, we were taken in the middle of the sea. We were split into 3 groups with a trainer for each group. I was diving with Subodh. When I was asked to put on my BCD (buoyancy control device), my hands and feet went cold with fear. After putting on my BCD and fins, I sat on the edge of the boat and tumbled backwards into the sea. I floated up, all thanks to the inflated bladder of BCD. After a few minutes of floating, my trainer started removing gas from the bladder and we gradually started going deep. The fear gave way to awe, anxiety gave way to calm. It was an amazing experience to see vibrant colored fishes swimming past you. It was their world and I was one of them, at least for the moment. Simply magical!

We took a one-hour boat tour of Koggala lake the next day. It has a few islands one of which has a famous Buddhist temple, and another is famous for cinnamon plantation. A local, on cinnamon island, showed us how cinnamon bark is peeled off the stem. It was to enchant tourists and nudge them to buy some cinnamon products from them. After that, we went to Mirissa beach. The crescent beach was pockmarked with brightly-lit beach shacks, decorated beautifully with candles and rice lights. The shacks welcomed visitors with fresh sea catches on display. It was like Goa, minus the crowd; having beer and delicious sea food with tides roaring in front of you and waves chaffing your feet.

And how can I forget the screening of Game of Thrones, Season 7, Episode 5, and the efforts that went into it. Anything for you Dany!

Columbo

To be honest, I found Columbo a run-of-the-mill capital city with lots of people and buildings. Nothing very fancy about it. We went to Gangaramaya temple which is a popular Buddhist temple in Columbo. It houses a giant colorful statue of Buddha. It’s architecture is an eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Indian and Chinese styles. Casino lovers can go to Bally’s; it’s probably the best casino in town. On our way from Galle to Columbo, we stopped at Bentota beach for a while before moving further. It’s a secluded beach with very few faces to see. So, the tourists seeking much more privacy can pick this.

 

Sri Lanka is an alluring place full of greenery and numerous beaches that feather-touches the wilder part of soul. There are plenty of things to do, or you can choose not to do any of it and just lie back. Either way, you will enjoy it.