Getting to Colombo International Airport from Hikkaduwa...and our journey to Kochi!

....Where to start....

Prior to leaving Hikkaduwa I did try to do some research on how was best to get to the airport. This came up with no clear and obvious easier way of doing things, some said the train, some said the express bus and some said the local bus.

Our flight was at 14.50 but knowing Sri Lankan public transport we left early...leaving our room at 6.30 to get the 7.10 train. It was not expensive but was very busy. With us needing to stand up for the entire journey which took around 2 hrs15 mins. Colombo train station was fairly easy to navigate and the buses for the Airport park over the main road, - walk over the footbridge and you will see them all. The bus is number 187 and has airport written on it. Make sure it says airport at the front as there is a bus number 187 that doesn't go to the airport. There was plenty of these buses, coming every 10 mins we were told. (We only waited 2 minutes). It was a busy intercity bus which seemed to stop every 200 yards so it took nearly 2 hours to get to the 'airport stop' where the bus stopped at a stand in a little town near the airport without us knowing where the airport entrance was in relation to this. We tried to walk from here to the airport but Google maps wasn't working and everyone we asked looked confused or pointed in different directions, so we hopped in a tuk tuk that charged us 100 LKR. It was probably only about 500m to the entrance once on the main road, but not knowing which direction to go in the first place this was our only option with a flight to catch!

We made it and had some (although not as much as anticipated) time to kill in the airport.  We decided to treat ourselves to a much needed coffee at the airport, following our rather long journey!.....Our jaws almost dropped on the floor once we were told the prices!! It was $16 US for a soya latte and Frappuccino... we were shocked at the cost as not only was it extortionate for Sri lankan people wanting to use the airport but also for us westerners!! 

There was Wifi at the airport but it kicks you offline every few minutes and you need to log back in. Which you need to enter your passport number and Date of Birth. (You will know your passport number off by heart after 20 mins trying to use this WiFi).

Our flight was slightly delayed by about 20mins, We were flying with Sri Lankan airways who we thought were great. Despite it being a very short flight we actually still got an in-flight meal of veg biriyanni with a spiced rice pudding for desert! Their service is great.

It was a nice 1 hour flight into Kochi Airport...Taking us to the next country in our big adventure...India 

Our last Sri Lankan stop...Hikkaduwa

Transport..

Galle to Hikkaduwa should have been quite an easy trip we met our friends and decided to get the train this only cost 20 LKR. We waited on the platform! And could see that this was a busy line for travellers and we were unable to get a seat. Chatting on the platform we couldn't hear the announcements as they were unclear.

We had been told the team should only be around 20 mins, but the train stopped at regular intervals so we didn't really pay much attention knowing that we would see the station when it arrived......we were wrong. We were on the carriage in the middle of the train and if you are getting off at Hikkaduwa you needed to be on the front two carriages. (You see now why I mentioned the unclear announcements)

The train stopped for a while and we looked it the window and couldn't see why? There it moved off we looked on google maps. We'd missed the stop, it took another 20 mins to get to the next station where we went to the bus stand and hopped on a bus that went straight to Hikkaduwa. This took about 35 mintues and cost around 20 LKR.

Accomodation

We arrived in Hikkaduwa and were spotted by plenty of people trying to sell us rooms and give us tuk tuk rides to their friends homestay etc. Our friends we were with wanted a hotel on the beach as it was the last place they were staying before flying home to Slovenia. So some of us went for a walk along the beach to scout out the hotels (while some stayed with the bags) , there were some nice ones and some not so nice ones varying prices etc....I have to say that despite the town being empty of tourists and it very obviously being low season, people were not willing to budge on their high price tags and seemed to prefer their rooms go empty than budge on the price at all!!

Anyway, we eventually managed to get a room at a hotel called Buddes Beach bar & guesthouse, on the beach had sunbeds and umbrellas and was very relaxing. They were happy to do a discount due to it being low season and us needing 2 rooms. Again it was basic but fine for what we wanted.

Hikkaduwa was our last stop in Sri Lanka, so we did a lot of relaxing and enjoying the waves, had a few beers at happy hour etc. We had a meal at a restaurant called the curry bowl and it was a fair price for a vegetarian rice and curry. It was quite nice, but as with most rice and curry there is some that are delicious and some that are bland.

On our final night, we needed to visit the train station to find out some info for our train to Colombo to get the bus to the airport. We got a tuk tuk from the hotel (at Hikkaduwa beach) to the train station in Hikkaduwa town, where we found the information from the man at the station (it was around 8pm). We then went into a local Kottu shop for dinner and had Chicken /Veg  Kottu, the plate was large and delicious and probably the tastiest Kottu we had in Sri Lanka, but very spicy in comparison to most. We loved it, but our Slovenian friend who doesn't like it too spicy struggled!

Then we went home via a few tourist shops, trying to walk off our dinner. Said a quick goodbye to our new Slovenian friends and got our bags packed for our early departure the next morning to get to Colombo airport in time for our lunchtime flight.

Over and out.

A night in a dutch fort city...Galle

Getting to a Dutch fort

Getting to Galle from Unawatuna was  a quick hop on the bus, around 20 minutes, and cost around 18 LKR, it was perhaps the easiest bus journey we had taken in Sri Lanka as there was no main towns between Unawatuna and Galle. Galle is a major city so you will not miss the bus station, its huge and very busy. From the bus station is only about a 250 metre walk to the entrance of the fort. Be advised if you walk into the Fort with your large Backpacks there will be a few people offer to take you to a cheap guesthouse. 

For Galle Fort I would do your research on places to stay and ignore the people offering accommodation. The Fort area is hip and trendy, and is busy all year round so perhaps consider booking before you get there.

Accommodation 

We stayed in a guesthouse on the busy Pedlar St, called Shoba, Travellers Tree It cost us 2200 LKR (no breakfast) in the off season and this was with some bartering. A lot of rooms were asking for 3500. The room was basic, no 'working'  hot water but the bed was comfy and the room came off an internal hallway which meant ..... NO MOSQUITO'S!! All in all the room was OK, and a budget stay in the fort, we read and were told we could get cheaper places outside the walls but decided to make a night of it.

Food & Drink

Opposite our guesthouse was the Pedlars inn coffee shop, which serves good Italian coffee and a very tasty brownie. We  had been looking forward to this coffee, relaxing, reading the kindles (using their WiFi). however, shortly after receiving our beverages,  in the distance we heard drumming and lots of it...... After a short time a Buddhist festival parade was marching past us with Kandyan Drummers and Dancers everywhere and a procession of women dressed in white carrying flowers. This parade also had a helicopter which flew slowly down the street releasing flowers on the parade. This was entertaining to watch as it wasn't as poetic as the parade planners had thought. The downdraft of the helicopter sent the flowers hurtling onto the women in the parade who were running for cover (its ok.... Nobody was hurt and the ladies were laughing)

Whilst we were having our entertaining (not relaxing coffee) we read on Tripadvisor of a place called Lucky Fort. They serve a traditional rice and curry for 2. It had 10 dishes and rice which was plenty for 2 people and was only 950 LKR which is quite high for a 2 person meal in Sri Lanka but good for the fort where most restaurants are looking for 750 LKR and upwards for a main meal. Lucky fort was located about 30 metres off of Pedlar St, off a small side road near Pedlars inn.

After the meal we were stuffed and went for a walk around the Fort walls, stopping to look at the lighthouse and carried on round to the East side of the Fort walls which overlook the sea. 

There are a lot of bars and restaurants overlooking this area in the newly renovated government building on hospital street.It's pricey but has a good atmosphere and Abi had her first glass of wine for over 2 weeks!? A beer and a glass of wine set us back 1200 LKR. But with great views overlooking the harbour and being able to hear the lapping of the sea on the Fort walls, the price tag came as no surprise.

Galle Fort was lovely and a great little reminder of an old fashioned European city. It is an Old Dutch Fort after all. It has plenty of Italian coffee shops for you to relax and unwind in and a stroll around the Fort walls at sunset is a pleasant way to spend the evening. 

The glorious white sands and blue sea of Unawatuna

The bus
Thankfully we have done all of our 'long' bus journeys now and so today's bus took only around 45 mins :-) a real relief!
We stopped on the main road and were immediately approached by a tuk tuk driver offering a room in his guest house for a cheap price! (Fairly standard here).

Accommodation
We decided to go up market for our 3 nights here having had the potential bed bug scare in the last place. I was desperate for a pool I could dip into so that immediately limited our options. We ended up in Black Beauty Guesthouse. A beautiful place just over the road from the beach with beautifully kept gardens and a peaceful atmosphere. The staff just couldn't do enough to help us. It's owned by a German lady, her Sri Lankan husband and their family. Despite it being the largest place we stayed in it still maintained a real family feel to it.

The beach
Everything we had been told about unawatuna was true, the sands are white and the sea a crystal clear turquoise colour.
Bars and restaurants line the beach all serving an array of foods and drinks particularly fresh fish.
At the end of the beach there is a temple with a large Buddha that you can see from anywhere in the beach.

We spent most of our time here just relaxing and chilling out. It was more like a holiday than travelling - much needed before the infamously crazy India!!

A morning visit to koggala
We went here specifically to see the stilt fisherman in action. You have to either go very early in the morning or early evening to catch them. We were lucky that the time we went, despite it being later there were still 2 men fishing...a point to note is that they will charge you a small fee for taking some photos..
We also saw the lake in koggala surrounded by lots of wildlife and particularly lots of different birds and lizards...It was really lovely :-)

**Photos to follow**