Nilaveli - Snorkeling, Diving, Relaxing

From Polonnaruwa, we embarked on another train journey to digest the last bus ride. Our destination was Nilaveli, located northeast of Polonnaruwa. After a stopover in Galoya, where we passed the time playing a relaxed game of Tichu, we arrived in Trincomalee around noon. After some tough negotiations with tuk-tuk drivers, they finally dropped us off at our chic accommodation (complete with AC!). During our first stroll to the beach to search for restaurants and a diving school, we realized that the location of our hostel, which looked pretty good on Maps, was actually quite suboptimal, and we had to walk about a kilometer to reach the beach. Since the diving school at our level was fully booked for the next few days, they sent us to the next one, which was conveniently only five minutes away. ;) So we walked along the beach, which had a bluish tint (hence the name Nilaveli, meaning blue beach), and saw the disaster approaching. After 20 minutes and soaking wet down to our underwear, we arrived at the other diving school and booked a snorkeling tour to Pigeon Island for the next morning. Since it continued to rain heavily, we had no choice but to walk back home soaking wet. Usually, it's dry season in the northeast and rainy season in the southwest, but the opposite was true for us.

The next morning, we set off with our own local guide and equipment for the snorkeling tour to Pigeon Island. This island is a kind of national park, and around it, you can observe corals and fish. We spent a long time in the water twice, and our highlights were a few sharks and two large turtles! The pulse also briefly increased when we encountered the sharks, as on one side of the island it was not really deep (sometimes only about 1 meter). Additionally, there were quite a few small jellyfish near and just below the water surface, which felt slightly uncomfortable when touched. Especially when they swam into our faces. In addition to the shark, turtle, and jellyfish, we were able to observe many different species of fish, a squid, trumpetfish, and a giant shrimp hiding in a hole in a rock. After the excursion, we planned to take the bus back to Trincomalee to withdraw money (unfortunately, there is no ATM in Nilaveli). The owner of the diving school offered us a ride in his jeep later, which we gladly accepted. In Trincomalee, we wandered around a bit before getting driven to the bus station. There, we also found a restaurant and a few shops with fruits and clothes. In addition, we discovered some deer and fawns on a piece of greenery by the busiest street in Trincomalee. With two pants in our luggage and a few snacks (lots of fruits, 20 rotis...) for the evening, we headed back to the hotel. While Lukas and Sabi relaxed at the beach, Nina and Philipp had their last two dives scheduled for the next day. The first dive was particularly impressive with a large school of fish and colorful Christmas tree corals. The second dive took us through rocks, past smaller statues that once fell into the sea from a rock temple, and we saw plenty of colorful fish again, a squid, and even a stingray. On the way back from the second dive, we had to pass by the location of the first dive again, as our boatman had forgotten the anchor there :D

In the evening, we had originally planned to eat at another restaurant. But since Lukas, who had quickly gone back to the accommodation, was picked up by a cyclist who coincidentally also owned a restaurant (all cheap), we headed there ;) The food was delicious and cheap, so we did everything right. On the day of departure, we planned to watch the sunrise at the beach. We set the alarm, arrived at the beach on time, but unfortunately, the sky was cloudy, so the sunrise, which was supposed to be around six o'clock, was not that impressive. However, we rewarded ourselves with a Sri Lankan breakfast.