Sri Lanka part 2: Safari and seaside

Udawalawe national park

From the hills, I taxied 2.5 hours south to Uduwalawe. Sri Lanka has the highest concentration of elephants in Asia and they're thriving, to the point they often pop up on the roadside (not actually great as arises from people feeding them for internet clickbait). 

First ele by road going south - thought it was a model

The sunrise safari started off a bit intense (4x4s surrounding herds) but vehicles soon dispersed with space and peace to observe the gentle giants in their natural habitat (actually not always gentle when they decimated a small tree before our eyes in just 20 mins).  

 

Looks can be deceiving - this cutie was a naughty one - he'd just graduated from the transit home for orphaned elephants so, used to humans feeding him milk, would stick his trunk inside trucks and bags. Obviously he was to be discouraged or would never fend for himself.

No leopard sighting but recent evidence!

Glamping to the sounds of eles and peacocks

Tangalle via Mulgirigala rock temple

Now it was a beeline for the INDIAN OCEAN. But first a quick pitstop via one of Sri Lanka's many cave temples - this a much quieter alternative to the honeypot site of Dambulla, with stunningly preserved colourful frescoes and a vibrant monastery of young monks in training (I didn't want to photograph them). 

As we drove down into the lowlands (in the rain - it's basically been raining for the last month - my pics are taken at choreographed moments!), it was all rice paddies, water buffalo, coconut fields and terracotta-roofed farmhouses. Timeless scenes of slow Sri Lanka.

I felt very at home in Tangalle. It's touristy yes, but not hipster like Ella and it felt as much a normal functioning town as a destination (this is all changing fast judging by the number of land plots for sale).Speaking of tourists, I keep meaning to mention that a relatively new phenomenon in Sri Lanka is the 'suddo' (white person) tuktuk driver. Rent-a-tuktuk is surely an efficient way to backpack the country but again (cynic voice of the sust-tourism graduate) rentals are taking business from tuktuk drivers (the company is something like easyjet and spans whole of SE Asia). Owning a tuktuk here is a sign that you've made it - many have sweated for years - literally - on building sites in UAE and Dubai to save for their nest egg on 3 wheels.

Tangalle 

Fish market

My 2 wheels for a few days(with bin basket)

Billboard-tastic - like most of the world (except W. Europe)!

Sea looks tempting but rip tides made it pretty tricky. Another solo swimming hazard is also worrying about my stuff on the beach- I've even seen some women wearing swim nappy type things to keep valuables in 

Loved this arty little cafe when I met lots of great people

Rubbish pic of monitor lizard

Matara via Hiriketiya

Barely had I unpacked my bag and I was back in a tuktuk trundling westward along the coast road. I stopped in Hiriketiya - Sri Lanka's Bondi Beach - an hour was enough for me. Not gonna lie but I wasn't vibing the Arrack-Attacks (cocktails made from local 'arrack' rum), the poke bowls were rife with fanum tax and the chia smoothie yoga looked sus and gave me the ick (no wonder gen-alpha think I'm ohio). Got to Matara - a very functional town but I was attracted by the homestay right on the beach. The sound of the sea here is deafening (because of the constant surf) so it was quite something to sleep to. Loved picking papaya straight from the garden for breakfast and spotting bee eaters and mongeese from the terrace.

Not vibing the surfing vibes

Matara's version of 'promenading' for wooing couples

Even in the rain there's something so Robinson Crusoe about an Indian Ocean beach

View from my homestay

Side view from homestay (not long til this will be replaced with high-rise hotels) Spot the bee eater