Liz here
Weve started spoiling ourselves early on this trip
. Coco Tangalle, our last hotel in Sri Lanka, where we stayed for 3 nights was a luxurious haven. At first we were disappointed not to have a sea view or balcony, but we soon got the hang of the pool, balcony and dining spaces outside and at times much needed air con inside. The staff were very friendly and the food fantastic. We had fabulous plates of fruit for breakfast and eggs and a free bottle of wine with delicious prawn, king fish and chicken suppers, all cooked by an inventive chef with lots of spices. One night we ate for a change at what was little more than a hut on the beach 10 mins walk away, with a reputation for its excellent sea food. So what with it being too hot to walk far theres no chance of losing weight !
Ive been swimming before breakfast and evening in the wonderfully warm pool, with coconut palms bowed by the wind overhead. One early evening a storm blew in and i was swimming with thunder and lightening in pouring rain, still warm. And i had another adventure when I walked along the beach from the hotel, by a rocky, rough coast and nearly trod on a huge, black monitor lizard, about a metre long
. Fortunately he didnt go for me as I skipped out of the way. The groups of stray dogs were also threatening.
Having given our driver a day off, we got a tuc tuc to a wonderful Paradise beach, where we haggled, as usual, over the price of loungers under palm umbrellas. Nobody lies in the sun in this heat. I had a great frolic in the surf. The Government Rest house in Tangalle was a bit of a disappointment, not much changed since it was use by the British who left in 1948, not even cleaned !
On our last full day here Christopher drove us, slowly, to Galle to see the Fort and have lunch. There wasnt time for much else after a 2 hr journey each way, where he was nervous of overtaking anything, even tuc tucs ! We did stop to take photos of colourful beach life on the way ; fishermen sorting their nets, fish for sale beautifully displayed, narrow fishing boats with outriders and fishrrmen fishing from stilts, mainly nowadays for tourist photos. Most of the tourists in Galle were Chinese, some girls dressed up glamourously for the occasion.
The old colonial buildings, like the Court House and Post Office seemed unchanged since before Independence, and some locals were lugging huge files of documents around as if seeking justice, but the old hospital has been renovated to become a shopping arcade.
We left early for the airport to catch the plane to Chennai on Thursday. On the way Christopher explained how to make a Sri Lankan curry in great detail. It is amazing how many herbs and spices he uses. Obviously the secret of their tasty food. He had also looked up our street in London on google street view and wanted to know which was our house. Hes certainly made our trip here very easy. Always sad to say goodbye at the airport.
Luxury by the sea
Monday, February 08, 2016
Tangalla, Sri Lanka
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