Negombo? Negomb-oh!

Hello again, Jarrod! I’m back home in Melbourne with (delicious shudder) broadband internet. Sweet, sweet broadband, oh, how I’ve missed thee. Right now I have three whole tabs open at once on my desktop… And they’re all working. You have no idea the giddy thrill this represents when you’ve spent weeks grappling with wifi so feeble you literally offer up a prayer that it’ll upload the ONE photo you’re trying to post on Facebook as proof of life for family at home.

Honestly, sometimes it felt like I was using wifi that that was being powered by a sputtering 1960’s generator… A sputtering 1960’s generator in turn powered by an elderly man peddling a bicycle in a basement. Anyway, home again, and it’s time to update you on my holiday to Sri Lanka and India.

As always, you were typically underwhelmed by my holiday destination, but I’m going to sell you on both Sri Lanka and India. By the time I’m done, you’ll be booking tickets. Let’s start with the kick off point for my 3 week journey round Sri Lanka, the little town of Negombo. Negombo is close to the Bandaranaike International Airport, so when your flight is landing at 11:55pm, it’s a no brainer to stay there as opposed to Colombo which is a roughly an hour from the airport.

I’ve booked accomodation at the delightful Ayuwoban Guesthouse in advance. I was warned by a travel agent before leaving Melbourne not to expect Sri Lanka to be a ‘budget’ destination, and that I could expect to pay roughly $100 a night for decent accomodation and $20 a pop for meals. I don’t know which Sri Lanka she went to.  Granted, Sri Lanka is not as insanely cheap as other places in SE Asia, but honestly, by looking through bookings.com and Agoda.com (*there are better, more inexpensive guesthouse/homestay options on these than on Airbnb in Sri Lanka) you can find guest houses and home stays that are incredibly comfortable, this one being a case in point for $60AUS a night. Own room, private bathroom, breakfast included, air conditioning, decent wifi and A POOL.

When you’ve departed Melbourne and it’s ten degrees and pouring rain, and you land in Sri Lanka and it’s 30 degrees, 75% humidity, you need a pool.

I exit my room in the morning, freshly showered, ready for breakfast on the shady verandah, and whoomp. I’m immediately coated with perspiration. I’m like one of the Justice League’s Wonder Twins only instead of taking the form of an ice prison, I’ve cried “Wonder Twin Powers, activate! Form of… A bucket of sweat. Yes, that’s right. A disgusting bucket of sweat.” A fan is mercifully switched on and the breakfasting begins. If it sounds like quite the event, it’s because it IS. Freshly squeezed juice, fresh tropical fruit, toast, tea, and I’m offered whatever else I would like – eggs/ bacon perhaps? I opt for an omelette and when it arrives, the lovely host has thrown in some sautéed potatoes for good measure.

I only have one day in Negombo and the sights I’m looking to tick off are quite spread out, so the guesthouse owner suggests booking a tuk tuk for a few hours to get to them all easily rather than walking. Given I am already rueing that I bought cotton clothing with instead of garments made entirely out of blotting papers, I’m happy to take him up on this recommendation. Cost is roughly AUD $20.

First stop with the driver is a beautiful little Hindu temple–

Next stop is the sweet little St Mary’s Church which reportedly has beautiful ceiling paintings but alas, there is a wedding on when I get there and apparently it’s not good luck in Sri Lanka to have a random tourist faint from heatstroke on the altar on your Big Day, so I’m not allowed in and have to satisfy myself with a shot of the exterior.

Next we journey towards the seafront where there are the remnants of an old Dutch Fort. The grounds of this place are now occupied by Negombo’s prison and seeing as I have no desire to star in the Sri Lankan version of Orange is the New Black, I pap a quick photo and duck back into the tuk tuk.

Then we head to the seaside proper, to explore probably the most fascinating thing I see in Negombo. The tuk tuk pulls up at the beach, and I’m confronted with what looks to be (and smells to be) acres and acres of fish drying in the sun.

A fisherman materialises seemingly out of nowhere beside me, although to be fair,  he may have in fact NOT appeared out of nowhere like a genie, but instead walked up quite normally. I suspect that with my senses of sight and smell in complete overdrive, good old hearing has gone “yeah, we might sit this one out” thus I didn’t hear him approach.

He walks me around pointing out the various fish varieties and talks me through the processes used by the fishermen.

After the fish is caught it’s soaked in salt for a full day in barrels–

Then spread out on fabric to dry in the sun for days.

There are some adjacent fish markets but tbh, once you’ve seen one fish market, meh. So I’m not going to devote column time to that.

Back into the the tuk tuk for a look at the nearby Negombo lagoon and the Dutch canals! Some tour operators will recommend a boat ride through the canals, I’d probably not bother though. There is one pretty stretch (pictured), but on the whole they don’t look all that interesting or picturesque, and Trip Advisor reviews aren’t exactly frothing about them either.

Next up I’m taken to an Ayurvedic Herbal Garden, which is a veritable shady little oasis. Not on the original itinerary, rather a suggestion from the driver…

I’m walked through by a gent who works there as an Ayurvedic doctor and he explains what the various plants do. This tiny little pineapple, for example, will assist with weight loss, he tells me (a little too pointedly for my liking)

My Exit Through The Gift Shop radar is pinging like crazy, and sure enough, I am sat down in front of a display with a price list to receive a spiel about their various lotions/potions and products and asked what I’d like to buy. It’s day one of my six week trip and I have zero desire to add anything to the 17.9kg I’m already toting and I politely decline and absent myself.

Last stop on the tour is the gorgeous Angurukaramulla Temple.

In the early evening I head down to the Negombo Beach to catch the sun’s last and least dangerous rays. The Negombo beach doesn’t seem to attract the best reviews on line, but at this hour it’s definitely pretty enough!

Fisherman have brought in catamarans and moored them on the sand–

A nearby family frolics in the water fully clothed, squealing delightedly (I hope!) each time a wave breaks and wets them all

And I get to enjoy my first sunset in Sri Lanka!

Last port of call for the day is Lord’s Restaurant, (within walking distance of the guesthouse) where I devour the Fish Curry against which all future fish curries will be compared and found wanting. Truly one of the best meals of my life.

So there you have it, Jarrod. Only day one and already Sri Lanka has impressed, but I guess that’s only my humble opinion. I’ll throw it over to you and the readers as always, Negombo, Sri Lanka: Jarrod, would you go there?