I did not know how close Unawatuna was to Galle when i booked my guesthouse in Unawatuna, it was in fact only 15-20 minutes in a Tuktuk, door to door.
Sam's guesthouse, where I stayed in Unawatuna was very good chose of accommodation. The family that runs it is very nice, they served great breakfast and also served good coffee. Not everyone that do that in this tea country. One downside of the guesthouse is the main road with a lot of traffic just outside the door, noisy during daytime. Still it didn't bother me, and it was quite at night and did not bother my during my sleeping hours. I knew about this traffic situation before I arrived, so it did not come as a surprise and I enjoyed my week at Sam's guesthouse.
It was kind of strange to be alone again, the Saturday in Galle and the days here in Unawatuna. Having the meals alone again, and also have to decide where to eat. I think that I only have decided where to eat and eaten alone 2 times earlier in Sri Lanka. Nice to find my own restaurant and decide when to eat, but a bit boring to eat alone again.
Unawatuna is small, but a bit long stretched, but it helps when one find the shortcuts between some of the restaurants along the beach, and it is also a lot of western tourists here, and it is sort of a usual around the world beach community. Nice beaches and lots of nice restaurants, cheap ones and more expensive ones. I have eaten some more curry's, which is good food, but I was also very happy when I managed to get some good Italian style pizza with red wine.
Since I have had some dinners alone here, and been sitting and looking out at the ocean, I have been thinking about the 2004 BIG Tsunami, and most of what I have been walking through and seen the last week or so, was gone after the tsunami, and then I see building that have been built up, and not all the people that lost their life and home during few minutes that time. It is just unbelievable.
Tsunami 2004 - 30 000 killed in SL and 70 % of the coastline was affected, which mean that the area I have been in the last 1.5 week was heavily affected.
Diving, not good, but not bad either. I have done 6 dives. But it is for sure not a place I would go for a siving holiday, still a nice activity to do when one are in the area. Not much corrals (was better before the tsunami I have been told), but there is some school of fish around, some lion fish, scorpion fish, turtles, napoleons, and they have also come across whale shark just outside here. They have some wrecks to dive on, and I dove on 2 of them, one pretty good, the other it was very bad visibility and it was on 30 m, so it became a very short dive. Still, this is not Komodo NP, which is amazing as said many times before, and a place that I most likely will go back to.
I met up with Heidi and Luis for a day for lunch and dinner. Heidi was on a visa run from India, and Luis was coming up from Singapore for a week. I have never learnt Luis name before, but it is in fact the 3rd year on the row I meet him as well. I would have liked if they had stayed longer the one day in Unawatuna, since it was nice to meet them again, but they was destined to go somewhere else.
The days I haven't been diving, I have been on the beach. In stead of the main beach, I have been taking a tuktuk to Jungle beach. Even if I mean a beach is a beach, Jungle beach had some nice trees that provided a nice shade and free sun beds. Stayed there all day, had some short swim in the ocean to cool down, and reading book after book. Just relaxing!
I took a private car/taxi to the airport. A 150 km and almost 3 hours long ride for 9000 rupee, cheep. Since it is the same as I pay for 20 minutes in a taxi from Stavanger airport and home. The journey home vent without any problems or delays. Colombo to Frankfurt with Sri lanka airlines and from Frankfurt to Stavanger with Lufthansa. A long but good travel back home.
Where to next? I do not know at the moment, but I will not be surprise if I find my way back to South east Asia again in a years time.
Sam's guesthouse, where I stayed in Unawatuna was very good chose of accommodation. The family that runs it is very nice, they served great breakfast and also served good coffee. Not everyone that do that in this tea country. One downside of the guesthouse is the main road with a lot of traffic just outside the door, noisy during daytime. Still it didn't bother me, and it was quite at night and did not bother my during my sleeping hours. I knew about this traffic situation before I arrived, so it did not come as a surprise and I enjoyed my week at Sam's guesthouse.
Relaxing afternoon at Sam's |
It was kind of strange to be alone again, the Saturday in Galle and the days here in Unawatuna. Having the meals alone again, and also have to decide where to eat. I think that I only have decided where to eat and eaten alone 2 times earlier in Sri Lanka. Nice to find my own restaurant and decide when to eat, but a bit boring to eat alone again.
Unawatuna is small, but a bit long stretched, but it helps when one find the shortcuts between some of the restaurants along the beach, and it is also a lot of western tourists here, and it is sort of a usual around the world beach community. Nice beaches and lots of nice restaurants, cheap ones and more expensive ones. I have eaten some more curry's, which is good food, but I was also very happy when I managed to get some good Italian style pizza with red wine.
Curry again. |
Since I have had some dinners alone here, and been sitting and looking out at the ocean, I have been thinking about the 2004 BIG Tsunami, and most of what I have been walking through and seen the last week or so, was gone after the tsunami, and then I see building that have been built up, and not all the people that lost their life and home during few minutes that time. It is just unbelievable.
Tsunami 2004 - 30 000 killed in SL and 70 % of the coastline was affected, which mean that the area I have been in the last 1.5 week was heavily affected.
No name wreck |
I met up with Heidi and Luis for a day for lunch and dinner. Heidi was on a visa run from India, and Luis was coming up from Singapore for a week. I have never learnt Luis name before, but it is in fact the 3rd year on the row I meet him as well. I would have liked if they had stayed longer the one day in Unawatuna, since it was nice to meet them again, but they was destined to go somewhere else.
Jungle beach |
I took a private car/taxi to the airport. A 150 km and almost 3 hours long ride for 9000 rupee, cheep. Since it is the same as I pay for 20 minutes in a taxi from Stavanger airport and home. The journey home vent without any problems or delays. Colombo to Frankfurt with Sri lanka airlines and from Frankfurt to Stavanger with Lufthansa. A long but good travel back home.
Where to next? I do not know at the moment, but I will not be surprise if I find my way back to South east Asia again in a years time.