Goodbye to intrepid

I am sitting by the pool at my 5 star hotel in Galle, after said godbye to the great folks I have been travelling with for the last 2 weeks. They went off to Colombo early this morning- Saturday April 5th, and I stayed back in Galle for one more day. I had to sign a form since I left the trip a day before we finnished.
A bit sad to say godbye, as I think we have gotten more close and got to know each other a bit better the last week, as one should expect. They have been a nice company and fun to travel with, and also out tourleader from Intrepid have done a good job and given us lots of information on Sri Lanka this 2 weeks.

We had a long drive down to Mirissa from Haputale, in a van without AC, and it was very hot. It took us 7 hours, and part of the way was the driver going very slow, much slower than what the road and traffic would allow. Had lunch in the car as we where driving, roti - which was good, stopped for some photos of a waterfall and at a orphanage for young elephants. We reached our hotel in Mirissa at around 15.00, first impression was good, but that stopped when we entered our small cabins, they where dark and moisty, not any AC and not any fridge as promised. It was load music till around 3 at night. I think I was the only one sleeping good this 2 nights, some of us was so unsatisfied with the cabin that they upgraded to better rooms. I had a working fan and a fine mosqito net, the bed was good, and I had my to best night of sleeping in this bad cabin. :) My stomack started to work again, it have been very slow working this last week or so, painful. The cabins was bad, that is nothing to debate. The rest of the resort was fine, good buffet at the resturant and a very nice beach with nice ocean water to swim in, or if you prefered a pool, they had that too. Shitty room, but good days with some good red wine for the dinners - maybe the red wine fixed the stomack:)

We started for Galle at 11 in the morning, after most of us had nice break at the beach and did some swimming after breakfast. 15 minuttes before we where heading out, I decided to upgrade my stay in Galle, I wanted a pool, and I did not feel for changing hotel after one night, and in that way ruin the day. It was not cheap to get a hotel in Galle, one night at Deco on 44 costed me just as much as one week of sleeping in Unawatuna next week. Us$ 120 a night + taxes! But I took it anyway. Galle is only one hour away from Mirissa, and we only stopped to take photos of the fishermen on one legged stillts out in the water. A local women begged me for money since I was taking photos of the men, her family she said, maybe they where and maybe not. Anyway, I went soft and gave away 400 rupee (18 NOK), way to much for some photos. I sort of guess they make more money out of tourists taking photos of them then what they make of the fishing. They was fishing for small sardines said the women.

In Galle I went with the group to their hotel, had a coffee and agreed to meet up again with them for a guided walk around Galle fort, which is where we stay, inside the walls of the old fort. My hotel was only 5 minuttes away from their hotel. And the hotel is good, very nice room, a small but nice pool 3 meter outside my door, private almost, since I have been the only one using it while I have been here. I also had dinner and some drinks with the intrepid group, nice evening.
I like the fort in Galle, nice European style houses, since it have been buildt by the Dutch, very quite and almost only turistshops of different types here, and some nice small resturants, relaxed.
Tomorrow, Sunday April 6th am I going back down the road for 7-8 km to Unawatuna, and will most likely stay there till the day I go home. Will try to get some days with some diving, Heidi that I know from Malaysia and Singapore will come down for some days, and I look forward to meet up with her again. It's a year since last time.

Some of my travel companie, at the Galle fort.

Conwoy of motorcycles and cars as a warm up of the next day cricket match in Galle.

Posted with Blogsy