Namal, our Ella guesthouse owner arranged a tuk-tuk to take us down to the station. To my surprise, there was already about 100 people there and most were tourists. Fortunately for us, everyone was booking secondclass or the viewing carriage. When the train arrived we jumped quickly onto the third class carriage and secured a standing position next to the...
From the cool tropical highlands of Sri Lanka to the vast prairies of mid-west America, the snow-covered mountains of British Columbia, the dust-filled skies of the Australian outback and finally finishing in the bustling metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, for Catch Our Travel Bug 2018 has been a big year! Sharyn and Tim would love to thank all the people along...
After breakfast, with the Dutch girls in tow, we all loaded into a new Toyota van and were on our way out of Tissamaharama. It’s about a 90km trip via Wellawaya where the A2 terminates. About 5 or 6 kms before Wellawaya you can see the mountains rising up through the breaks in the overhanging palm trees that shade a...
We managed to get seats on the bus again on our journey from Tangalle to Tissamaharama (Tissa), the gateway to Yala National Park. It definitely pays to get on at the starting point of the route. Once again the A2 follows the beaches along the southern coast. The busy seaside towns of Ambalantota and Hambantota fell steadily behind us and...
On our way out of Mirissa, we hailed down a bus heading for Matara and changed over at the main bus station there. Starting at the bus station usually means you can get a seat in the crowded (but dirt cheap), Sri Lankan, public buses. About 2 hours later, having stuck to the coast road (A2) all the way, the...
We arranged a tuk-tuk to the bus station in Galle and jumped on the next bus in line for Mirissa. As it was the starting point, we managed to both get seats – bonus! The bus follows the A2 around the coastline (at break-neck speed) and is quite a picturesque trip. It takes about 2 hours to Mirissa and it...
As much as we loved Hikkaduwa, we had to move on if we were to get to the rest of the Island during our stay. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Galle Fort was just down the coast so we headed down for a few days. Roshan (from the guesthouse) drove us the 30kms or so down to Galle (pronounced “Gawl”) in...
After enjoying the charms of the colonial capital Colombo for almost six days, it was time to head for the South West Coast of Sri Lanka. First stop, Hikkaduwa. Unused to the trains, we managed to book 3rd Class tickets to Hikkaduwa (85 LKR each (USD 1.10) and squeezed on to an already over-crowded carriage with all our luggage. Fortunately,...
Overwater bungalows surrounded by incredibly clear blue water. Tropical islands fringed by pure white beaches. Magnificent sunsets and incredible underwater encounters. All wrapped up in an ASTRONOMICAL price tag that would make even those with money to burn think twice. That’s always been our perception of the Maldives islands and resorts, and so we never really thought about what it...
As the plane descends into Negombo, the location of the international airport servicing the country, 35kms north of Colombo, you get an excellent view of Sri Lanka’s green, carpeted hill country. Our transition to arrivals was swift as there weren’t a lot of planes at the time. We bought a sim card for $10 US dollars and got the change from...
