27 – 29 June 2014 Mirissa

From Ella in the highlands, we travelled on down to the beach. We were lucky that a driver was heading that way so we got a relatively cheap ride. We first stopped at Tangalle, but the waves were extremely rough and at that time of year looked a bit of a ghost town, so we carried on to Mirissa. The driver had an aunty with a guesthouse called Celestial Inn and they gave us a great deal http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g1407334-d6453035-Reviews-Celestial_Inn-Mirissa_Southern_Province.html. Alex was starting to get a pretty nasty fever by then, so we spent the next few days in the guesthouse. The owners were very kind and brought soup and food up to our room. We managed to get down to the beach for a swim though!

29 June – 1 July 2014 Unawatuna

We caught a tuk-tuk on to Unawatuna (also on the beach). It was only about 30 min from Mirissa. We had been warned that Unawatuna was over developed (like Patong in Phuket or Koh Samui), but we were pleasantly surprised. Perhaps because it was the off-season it wasn’t hugely busy, but it just had a lovely chilled atmosphere, but plenty of restaurants, shops and a few bars.

We first stopped at Kahuna Club guesthouse, but that was hugely disappointing, termites in the bed, musty mouldy pillows and sheets. So we decided to look for somewhere else, and we were glad we did! We found the best accommodation for our stay in Sri Lanka at the Pink Elephant, same price as Kahuna Club, but all new furnishings and a balcony with a great view over the beach http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g644047-d4340355-Reviews-Pink_Elephant_Hotel_and_Restaurant-Unawatuna_Galle_Southern_Province.html. It is a shame that after the 2004 Tsunami, huge rocks have been brought into Unawatuna to prevent the houses from being washed away, which has affected the beauty of the beach (before the Tsunami it was frequently cited as one of the top ten beaches in the world). But it was still a great place to hang out. The owner of the Pink Elephant was an awesome guy, we shared a few drinks and stories with him. We also spent a morning at Galle, a walled fort city about 20 min via tuk-tuk from Unawatuna. Definitely worth a visit, but quite touristy.

1 – 2 July 2014

Bus back to Colombo, one night with Shehan (where we started) as we had a 6am flight to Dubai. The bus was very comfortable and fast. We shared one last kottu with Shehan and 3am we caught a taxi to the airport, farewell beautiful Sri Lanka!