Vaatamata sellele, et kogu ranna22rne on turistide jaoks ehitatud, oli Tangalle Hikkaduwaga v6rreldes v2ga vaikne ja rahulik - imev2he liiklust (kuna ainus ranna22rne t2nav l6ppeb tupikuga) ning minimaalselt inimesi. Tangalles n2gime me l6puks oma silmaga, et t6epoolest on tegemist hooajav2lise perioodiga - peaaegu k6ik hotellid ja restoranid olid tyhjad. Me v6tsime seega ka hooajav2listest hindadest viimast ning s6ime mitmel korral v2rsket ja maitsvat kala - m6nus vaheldus riisile ja karrile mida me muidu vahetpidamata suust sisse oleme ajanud.
Kuna p2evad mis me Tangalles veetsime olid enamjaolt ysna vihmased, oli meie siinviibimine v2ga rahulik ning me ei teinud palju muud peale rannas jalutamise ja lugemise. Teisel p2eval rentisime me kyll jalgrattad ning s6itsime veidi m88da rannikut (selliselt me avastasimegi et tegemist on tupikuga), kuid p2rastl6unane vihm j2ttis sellegi tegevuse p2ris lyhikeseks.
Mitte et ma kurdaks - tegemist oli ylimalt m6nusa ja rahuliku ajaga ning eriliselt meeldiv oli merele nii l2hedal 88bida. Meie kylalistemaja oli rannast ehk 20 meetri kaugusel ning igal 6htul uinusime me lainete kohina saatel. Muude helide hulgas saime me ka kuulda gekode naljakat krooksumist ja kohalike oravate kriiskamist. Kuna meie majutus oli esimesel korrusel, jagasime me oma tuba ka mitmete elukatega - nii nunnude (gekod ja jaanimardikad) kui ka v2hem nunnudega (hiigelsuured prussakad).
Tangalle oli meie viimane sihtpunkt Sri Lankal ning eile s6itsime me tagasi p6hjapoole, et veeta viimane 88 Negombos, lennujaama l2heduses asuvas linnas. T2na 6htul lendame me Malaisiasse paariks p2evaks enne kui kuuks ajaks Indoneesiasse l2heme. Muuseas - kui me oma edasistest plaanidest kylalistemaja omanikule r22kisime, vangutas ta pead ja ytles et me peame ettevaatlikud olema, kuna Malaisia ja Indoneesia on m6lemad ju moslemimaad. Terrorismi ajupesu ja eelarvamused j6uavad ikka igale poole!
Sri Lanka ei olnud tegelikult meie esialgsetes plaanides, ent kuna selgus, et Colombo l2bi Aasiasse lendamine oli soodne, otsustasime me yhtlasi ka siin pikemalt peatuda. Ja hea, et nii tegime, kuna Sri Lanka on vaatamata oma v2iksusele v2ga mitmekylgne ja huvitav, siin on nii palju n2ha ning siinne rahvas on uskumatult s6bralik. Mulle tuli yllatusena kui meeldiv siin on olnud. Samas ei saa ma varjata, et ootan ka vaheldust, seega j2rgmisena - Kuala Lumpur.
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After Hikkaduwa, we traveled (by bus this time) eastward along the Southern coast to Tangalle. Tangalle is also a touristic spot, but not as much as Hikkaduwa was. It has a real town, full of local people doing their own thing, and the tourists mainly keep to themselves on the beachside.
Despite everything on the beach having been built for tourists, it was extremely quiet and relaxed in comparison to Hikkaduwa - next to no traffic (due to the street on the coast being a dead end, so there was only the odd tuktuk transporting visitors), and very few people. In Tangalle we could finally see for ourselves that this is truly the off-season - nearly all the hotels and restaurants were half-empty. We took advantage of the low-season prices for eating, and managed to have tasty, fresh fish for dinner a couple of times - a welcome respite from the constant rice and curry meals.
Since the three days that we spent there were relatively rainy, this meant that we had a very quiet stay in Tangalle, doing not much apart from strolling along the beach and reading. We did rent bicycles on the second day and rode along the coast a bit (which is how we found out that the street was a dead end), but afternoon rain cut that activity short unfortunately.
Can't say that I'm complaining though, it was a very relaxing few days, and it was beautiful to stay so close to the beach. Our homestay was maybe 20 meters from the sea, and we fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves every night. We were also entertained by the myriad wildlife sounds however, including the very funny gecko noises, and the high-pitched screaming of the local squirrels. Since our accommodation was on the ground floor, we also shared the company of adorable (geckos and fireflies) and less adorable (big-ass cockroaches) wildlife in our room.
Tangalle was our last destination in Sri Lanka, and yesterday we traveled back north to spend our final night in Negombo, a town very near to the airport. Tonight we fly on to Malaysia for a couple of days before heading to Indonesia for a month. By the way - when we informed our host of our upcoming travel plans, she shook her head and told us to be careful, since, you know, Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim countries. So terrorist brainwashing and prejudice is truly international!
We hadn't originally planned to visit Sri Lanka as part of our trip, but since flying to Colombo turned out to be a really cheap way to get to Asia, we thought we might as well stay to see the country for a bit. And I'm really glad we did, for such a small country, it is amazingly diverse, there is lots to see and do, and the people are incredibly friendly. I have been positively surprised at how much I have enjoyed being here. I can't deny, however, that I am also looking forward to a change of scenery, so next up - Kuala Lumpur.
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| Kylalised meie vannitoas // Guests in the bathroom |
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| Tangallet avastamas // Discovering Tangalle |
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| Torm tulekul // Storm gathering |
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| Kui vihma sajab siis on 6ige aeg l6unaks // Rainy weather is perfect for having lunch |
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| Vaade meie kylalistemaja aknast // View from our guesthouse window |
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| Niisama laev aias // Just a boat in a garden |
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| Tutvusime kohalike arglike krabidega // Making friends with timid hermit crabs |
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| Merisiilikute koloonia // Colony of sea urchins |
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| Leia pildilt troopiline lind // Find the tropical bird |
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| 6htus88gieelsed kokteilid // Predinner drinks |
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| Viimane bussis6it Sri Lankal // Last bus ride in Sri Lanka |
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| K6ige roosam buss maailmas (yhtlasi t6mban t2helepanu ekraanile ja k6laritele mis t2ie v6imsusega kohalikku popp-muusikat m2ngisid) // The most pink bus in the world (also, notice the tv screen and subwoofers, playing local pop-music at full volume) |
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