Traveling through Sri Lanka with the Tuk-Tuk

In June 2015 the time had come. I went on my first long-distance trip. Sri Lanka. Excitement was at its peak. What awaits me there? Pure curiosity. My friend and I landed in Colombo with Etihad. Our hotel was the resort 'The Long Beach' in Koggala. Koggala is located quite far south in Sri Lanka. A beautiful hotel. Highly recommended. Right on the beach. Hardly any people there. We had visits on our balcony from cute chipmunks every day. They were even partially tame :D

On the first day, we got completely ripped off. We were approached on the beach by a Sri Lankan asking if we were interested in 'Whale Watching' in Mirissa. We thought, of course, 'Sure, cool, let's do it.' haha... Afterwards, it turned out that we paid almost 'three times' as much as it usually costs. And that the guy here rips off almost every tourist. Well, that was foolishness and we definitely learned from it :D. The Whale Watching was naturally really crappy! The weather was very stormy and rainy, and still, we went out on a boat. The waves were very high. I was really scared. In the end, we 'only' saw a fin of a whale and I felt sick :D. Only my friend enjoyed it to some extent, he loves such an adventure. 

Dilan and his tuk-tuk :)

In Sri Lanka, I came into contact with Buddhism for the first time. We visited our first Buddha temple together. I was totally impressed. I had never dealt with religions and beliefs before. But I was fascinated by this. When visiting temples, always make sure that shoulders and knees are covered. We were given a 'Buddha bracelet' in the temple. It was actually 'only' a white string that a Buddhist tied around our wrists while reciting something in his language. The bracelet was supposed to bring good luck and protect us from evil spirits. I wore this bracelet for 1 1/2 years until it eventually dissolved more and more. Unfortunately. 

Another highlight in Sri Lanka is the safari tour in Udawalawe Park. The park is also located quite far south. We drove through the huge national park with a jeep and a guide together with another German couple. It was the first time I saw elephants in the wild. And so many at once. The park was really beautiful and a must-visit when in Sri Lanka. The park is really huge. 

Of course, you should also see the rainforest. Dilan took us to a guide. He walked with us through the rainforest all day and showed us the craziest creatures. We even had to cross a river, which was really funny. The guide took our camera and took pictures of us. He found it very amusing because we kept slipping on the slippery stones under the water. :D

Also nice: a boat tour on Lake Koggala. Saltwater entered the lake during the 2004 tsunami. Many species died as a result. 

The lake is very large. We underwent a fish peeling treatment there. Healthy for the feet :D. It was unbearable for me because the fish were huge and it tickled a lot. And we were invited by a local to drink homemade cinnamon tea by the shore. Of course, we gladly accepted. We could also buy cinnamon sticks from him. I always found it fascinating how nice, kind, and hospitable these people are here. Simply beautiful. We felt completely comfortable.

In the picture below, you can see the 'The Stick Fishermen of Sri Lanka'! Simply amazing! That's how the locals traditionally fish in Sri Lanka. They sit all day on self-made and handcrafted wooden structures. 

Now I'll show you two more beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka. One beach is called Hikkaduwa Beach. Hikkaduwa is a small town and is also located in the south. Dilan drove us here in his tuk-tuk, as always. We drove there for about an hour from Koggala. Dilan recommended the beach to us. So off we went. There are a few resorts on the beach, but it was not overcrowded. You can go snorkeling here. But you can also skip it. The water was unfortunately very cloudy, and you could hardly see anything. A special highlight (in my opinion) were the huge turtles that swam very close to the shore. I had never seen such large turtles before. Simply a fantastic experience! We spent the whole day on the beach and thought that Dilan would pick us up in the evening (that's what we agreed on). But when we walked along the beach during the day, we saw Dilan in his tuk-tuk. Sleeping :D. In the evening, we asked him about it. Dilan had been waiting there all day, relaxing and chatting with other tuk-tuk drivers. We found it somehow funny. I can really recommend Dilan to you! Great guy. Very reliable. And he speaks English very well.

We also went to markets with Dilan. He showed us good market stalls. And he even helped us with bargaining :D. When you are in Sri Lanka, you must buy spices for home. They are great and we still cook with them today. Very delicious. hihi...

Now let me show you the second beach. The 'Jungle Beach'. Dilan named the beach like that, I can't even say if it's the real name. Because when you enter 'Jungle Beach' on Google, a completely different beach comes up :D. I quickly lost my bearings because we drove on small secluded 'paths'. At our beach, there was a small beach bar where you could eat and drink. It was really nicely done. I even found this beach even more beautiful. This was a secret tip from Dilan. The beach is very hidden. We drove through a small 'forest' and then walked a bit on foot. After that, we reached a small beach bay. The water was wonderfully calm and there were hardly any people there. Behind the beach was pure jungle.