Travels in Sri Lanka
Hiriketiya Bay
Hiriketiya is on Sri Lanka’s beautiful south coast is the perfect family beach break. Surrounded by palm trees and a jungle that reaches right to the white sand, the horseshoe bay’s soft waves break close to shore for kids to learn to surf on, with a bigger surf out the back for professionals. Only minutes away from the larger towns of Tangalle and Matara, Hiri also has a few small cafes with good coffee and local and western food. Hour long surf board rentals costs as as little as $1 to $2, and the small amount of accommodation ranges from guesthouses to boutique hotels.
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Best time to hit the beach 0900-1400
Chicken Kothu
Let me start with this proclamation- Kothu is THE BEST Sri Lankan street food!
You can’t ever visit Sri Lanka and leave without eating Kottu roti (also spelled Koththu or Kotthu). It’ll be hard to avoid it anyway. If you take a stroll down a busy street in the heart of Colombo (or any other urban/suburban part of the country) in the late evening, you’ll be greeted with the sound of street vendors making kottu roti from a fair distance away, followed immediately by the aroma of a tantalizingly delicious meal that will flood your mouth with saliva. To be fair though, the mere mention of kottu roti will have that effect on many Sri Lankans, who have come to embrace this uniquely Sri Lankan dish regardless of race, religion, age or socioeconomic status.
Sri Lankan Snacks
Let me start with another proclamation- Murukku is the BEST SNACK in Sri Lanka!
Murukku is a savoury, crunchy snack originating from the indian subcontinent, popular in southern india, and Sri Lanka. Surprisingly it goes well with wine, beer or a tea. During our stay in Sri Lanka we always made sure we were stocked with Murukku.
Mode of Transport in Sri Lanka
The preferred method for tourist roundtrips and transfers in Lanka is a private car-with-driver or taxi, and for short distances three wheelers (tuk-tuks). Many tourists prefer to use non-private transport methods for all or parts of their trip – in other words, public transport, also in order to experience more of the local culture. This helps to find your way through the complex maze of options in Sri Lanka, and help tourists in deciding how they want to travel. My experience on the public buses was undeniably exciting! Fortunately for me, I blend in well with the locals apart for my choice of clothing, but nevertheless the ride was almost free.
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Transport
To be completely honest and transparent with you, public transport is very cheap in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately you may encounter dishonest people (as you would anywhere in the world) but if you stand your ground on a price they will surely give in. Sri Lanka is still very much under a huge wave of mixed emotions after the war barely 10 years ago. Tuktuk's going any farther than 7-10km should only cost 350-400RPS.
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Food
Sri Lanka is still going through baby steps when it comes to food for tourists. Of course, there are those kinds of tourists who don't mind eating rice & curry 24/7, but everyone craves a burger, sandwich , or salad every now and then, which is almost impossible to buy. There are fast food chains like Burger King and KFC, but do you really think it would taste the same? Yes you're right, it doesn't. AT ALL. So be prepared to hunt for a decent restaurant and pay a lot or stick to rice & curry for the rest of your stay.
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People
I was a bit skeptical on adding this to my blog, but what is a blog without a bit of honesty? I truly believe that the locals in Sri Lanka are not used to seeing tourists hovering around their towns and villages, let alone having to communicate and converse with them. They have not grasped the hospitality and the potential aspect of having tourists in their country. The Sri Lankan military estimates that up to 22,000 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in the last years of the conflict. Now, to the most negative part. I have come to a conclusion on why Sri Lankan men approach or cat-call me or other girls, as I mentioned before they are NOT used to having foreigners around, let alone women lounging around in bikinis. Fortunately, if you stand your ground and raise your voice at them, they will retaliate as any human being would. All negativity aside, there are beautiful untouched white sand and blue water beaches, that you could have all to yourself, and honestly nowadays that is an absolute treasure. My advice is, go. Experience everything, taste the FOOD. Explore beaches and different towns. Learn to SURF. Most important of all, GO.