When we got closer to Mirissa, I handed my phone to the bus driver’s assistant to show him where I was going, and then he told the bus driver when to stop so I could get off. When I stepped off and checked my phone, he had actually passed the stop that I should have gotten off at, so I had to walk 15 minutes to my accommodation (Sun Hopes). Compared to the last one, it seemed pretty bare but again, it had a bathroom and air conditioning, so that’s all I needed. However that day, I had left some of my stuff in the bathroom and when I opened my bag that evening, it was covered in tiny ants! So no more leaving stuff in the bathroom. I was starving so I went for a walk to find the main part of town. But it didn’t really seem like Mirissa had a Main Street. I walked along the road that was right next to the beach, but I couldn’t figure out how to get ON the beach. I had decided on a couple of places to eat, but both of them were closed. And it seemed to be like that everywhere – I wondered if restaurants just closed during the afternoons. I finally decided to just go to a place called Milky Wave, which was quite expensive for Sri Lankan standards (and also my own). I got a tuna tartare, and it was so amazing! Probably one of the best tartares I’ve had!
After my quick snack, I was determined to figure out how to get on the beach, and I finally got there after walking through a restaurant. I walked along the beach and realised that this was where most restaurants were, but they were constantly approaching you and trying to get you to sit at their place. I kept walking along the beach and stopped at the end to watch the sunset. There was a questionable staircase up to a viewing point, but I had read that you should wear proper shoes to climb it as it looked quite slippery. So I stayed at the bottom, which still had a nice view of the sunset. After that, I knew I needed to get dinner but I wasn’t sure where to go. I finally decided on a place called Zouk, where I ordered a whole fish. I got to go up to the front, where they had a selection of different types and sizes of fish, and I chose mine. I also got a mojito since it was happy hour. The meal was really good, and I was surprised that I was actually able to finish it all! That night, I found a tattoo artist on Instagram in Georgia, and booked an appointment with her for when I would get to Tbilisi. After dinner, I walked back to my room and relaxed before bed.
The next day, I got up and chose to go to a specific restaurant for breakfast but when I went there, it was closed (seems to be a common theme here). I went to the place across the street (Petti Petti), which again was an overpriced place, but they had a nice view of the beach and free access to their pool (which I didn’t use because a storm was brewing). I ordered the Sri Lankan breakfast, which was fish curry with string hoppers. The fish was a bit dry, but it was still really good! I then ordered a smoothie and enjoyed some time at the resort.
I wasn’t too sure what to do since the forecast was saying that it would rain. I was so excited to have a beach day since my last beach day was in the Philippines, but it didn’t seem like it would be happening that day! I walked along the beach towards Coconut Hill, which is one of the most Instagrammable spots. The tide was coming up, so I had to climb up and down rocks in order to get there, as the tide was really strong and would have probably pushed me up against the rocks if I chose to walk along the sand. I finally got to the hill just as it started to pour, so I got the whole thing to myself for a bit. It was really just a hill with a bunch of coconut trees but as usual, Instagram makes something more popular than it needs to be.
I decided to walk back to my hotel since there wasn’t much I could do in the rain. It was about a 15 minute walk, and then I just relaxed when I got there, hoping that the rain would eventually stop. It finally did just before sunset, so I went to the restaurant beside the one I was at the night before (W&D Beach), and had happy hour there. I got a tuna tartare just to hold me over until dinner, but it actually ended up being way bigger than I thought it would be, plus it was more of a seared tuna. It was pretty quiet that night, and I watched the restaurant next door use a plastic pop bottle with string attached for fishing. They actually caught a tiny fish! After dinner, I headed back to my hotel and went to bed.
The next morning, I figured I’d have a better chance of getting transportation to Colombo if I travelled backwards to the bigger city of Matara. Everyone who I talked to seemed to tell me that the bus and train to Colombo would leave at different times, so I had no idea when to go. I tried to book a Bolt, but no one would accept my ride. I walked to the main street and a tuktuk driver stopped to ask if I needed a ride. I said I was going to Matara and he asked how much I would pay. I told him the amount that was on the Bolt app and he said okay. He asked where I was going and said that I had already missed the bus to Negombo, but he said that there would be a train to Colombo. He drove me to the train station, which took about 30 minutes and then I bought my ticket to Colombo. I was quite happy to take a train instead of having to take a bus again, even though the trains take longer than the buses. I got to Colombo at about 12:30 and tried to decide if I should get food before or after going to Negombo since I still hadn’t eaten that day. Remembering how crazy it was at Colombo station, I just booked a Bolt to take me to Negombo. The time to arrive just kept taking longer and longer, so I have a feeling that he was avoiding toll roads (plus traffic was really busy). It was about an hour and a half when I finally arrived. This time, I was staying at a hostel (Sea Sands Hostel) and it was probably the worst out of all of my accommodation in Sri Lanka. But at least I was just there for a night. It was right on the beach, which was nice, but Negombo didn’t really have many places for swimming since the waves were so strong. My first goal was to find food. I went to a place nearby called Rodeo Pub & Restaurant. It felt like a restaurant back at home! I asked the server what fish I should get, and they told me to get seer fish. I didn’t know what it was, but I agreed. I ordered an iced coffee to start, and I told the bartender that it was the best iced coffee I’ve had in my life. And then I got my meal, and it was another one of the best meals I’ve had in Sri Lanka! The flavours were amazing! I saved the salad for last, which is what I usually do so that I get full on everything else first. But even the salad was delicious!
For the rest of the day, I just walked down the street and looked at the shops. I still had to find a Christmas ornament, but they were extremely difficult to find. I eventually just started asking shops if they had anything that hangs, but it seemed like they only had ornaments that you set on a table. I finished my walk on the beach since the sun was starting to set, but as I stood there watching the sun set, I was constantly approached by vendors asking if I wanted to buy something. And they wouldn’t leave! Finally one would leave, and another one would come. I left without watching the sunset because again, what would have been an enjoyable moment was ruined by constantly getting approached. I walked to a restaurant on the beach (Serendib Pub & Restaurant) and was going to sit at a table on the sand but I saw a vendor watching me, so I decided to sit inside. I chose to treat myself and buy a strawberry daiquiri, and then the vendor ended up following me to my table and trying to sell me stuff. After multiple no’s, he finally left and I was able to sit and enjoy the sound checks by the singer that would be performing later. The server asked if I wanted to have dinner, but I still wanted to check out one of the souvenir shops before it closed (they all close at 10), so I told him I’d come back. I settled on a small elephant as an ornament, and then convinced myself to buy a painting, which I’ve had to carry around for the past month. Then, I headed back to the restaurant and ordered buttered shrimp. When they came, I realised that they were BATTERED shrimp. Guess I’d be eating gluten! They were so good though, and I really enjoyed my meal. After dinner, I headed back to my hostel and met my two roommates – one guy from the Netherlands and one guy from England. I headed to bed since my flight was at 11:30 the next morning, so I’d have to leave the hostel by 8.
The next morning, I got up and ready, booked a Bolt to take me to the airport, and got checked in. Luckily, they had a little restaurant that served Sri Lankan breakfast, so I was able to get that with a coffee. I absolutely loved Sri Lanka – the nature and the views were spectacular, as well as the food! Despite constantly being approached, I was still able to enjoy myself for the majority of the time. Two weeks wasn’t nearly enough time, and I’d love to return at some point! My time in Sri Lanka was actually shortened by a day because my original flight had been cancelled to the Maldives. The flight is only 1h30, but the option that they gave me for that day was a 13 hour trip with a layover somewhere! There was no way that I’d be spending that long travelling, so I had to change my flight to a day earlier, which meant I’d have one less day in Sri Lanka, but one more day in the Maldives. But I’ll save my Maldives portion for the next post! Love always