Leaving the tea plantation we drove back through Ella, down Ella Gap and out to the coast. The drive down from the hill country is stunning and it was interesting to see the huge roads that are currently being constructed. They lead to a new Chinese-funded port. According to our driver, over the next few (many I imagine!) years, the existing village which consists of about ten houses beside the new road will make way for a city of about the same size as Colombo.
Our chalet on Marakolliya Beach, 3kms east of Tangalle, was one of about nine chalets right on the sand hidden in amongst coconut palms and about 150 metres back from the sea.
It is very quiet, apart from the sound of the sea, and is a beautiful stretch of coast. The sand is trillions of little pieces of shell, so comfortable to walk on and excellent for exfoliating feet! The sea is warm, but rough and not good for swimming. Fortunately there is a reef in front of the chalets forming a natural pool that makes swimming possible, although the strong pull of the water means you still have to be careful, especially at high tide. We all loved it, particularly Eleanor and Leo.
We soon fell into a routine; breakfast, swim, lunch, nap/quiet time, swim, relax, dinner, bed. We bought buckets at the local market, so although it isn't the best sand for sand castles there was something to cart sand, water and shells around.
On our second day we met a lovely English family, Nicki, Kallis and Luca. Luca is a couple of months older than Eleanor and the three children had a fantastic time together. He shares Eleanor's amusement at making up funny names, so they had each other in hysterics. Their accommodation was a few hundred metres down the beach and has a lovely pool with a children's pool attached, so a couple of afternoons when the sea was rough we went there instead.
In the week we stayed at Marakolliya Beach we only ventured further than Tangalle twice. We went to the third day of the Black Caps' cricket test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Just as well we chose that day as NZ lost at about 3pm that afternoon, so it didn't extend to a fourth or fifth day. When we arrived NZ were about 60 for three and they were all out about two hours later, leaving Sri Lanka a grand total of about 85 runs to chase in their second innings.
Despite being on the losing side, it was lots of fun. It cost about £1/$1.90 to get into a covered stand and the atmosphere was great. We were a little concerned about how Eleanor and Leo would find it, but they were good and, as has been the case all over Sri Lanka, no one minded them racing around a little. We sat just to the side of a friendly South African cameraman and found young kittens under the box he was standing on, so that provided an excellent distraction along with a few other children to chat with.
We took a break from the cricket to walk part of the way around the walls of the old Portuguese fort. It was lovely, but incredibly hot even with the sea breeze, so we soon headed back to the game. We sat in the little restaurant overlooking the pitch and ordered lunch joking that the match might be over before we finished eating. It was!
Our other excursion was a half-day safari to Yala National Park in search of elephants, leopards and crocodiles. It was a very early start for us, 5am! Apparently the animals are often out and about early, but retire to the jungle during the heat of the day.
We travelled on top of a windowless jeep, which was fun for Eleanor and Leo (even if they did fall asleep part way round!). We saw a baby crocodile, adult crocodile, lots of peacocks doing their mating dances, monitor lizards and loads of beautiful birds, but just one elephant and no leopards. The early start theory didn't work for us, but I guess wild animals can't be expected to show themselves just because we want to see them!
We stopped within the park near the beach where there had been a dining room that is now just a concrete pad. When the tsunami hit in 2004, 59 people were there for breakfast. It was a sunny and beautiful spot when we visited, but a sobering sight. Apparently the animals moved themselves inland and just one buffalo was killed by the wave.
The majority of our time in Tangalle was spent at the beach, so we ate most meals at the hotel restaurant, but we did manage to have a couple of evening meals in restaurants, including a lovely night out with Nicki, Kallis and Luca. Still no hot curry though, so we will make a real effort to find one in Mirissa, our last stop in Sri Lanka.
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