ayubowan: Daily notes of food, sleep and travels (2)

Days 5 - 7:
We left Mas Villa and Kotmale stopping at the Tea Plantation (see the post Passion, Loos and Laughs) and drove down through the beauty of the Hill Country; waterfalls and misty hills in abundance.

The drive down to the south coast of Sri Lanka is long and difficult with lots of winding roads so it was 8 hours later that we arrived at our next destination feeling somewhat exhausted. On reaching the Tangalla area we turned off onto an unmade road wondering if we had made the correct choice, but as we walked into the Turtle Bay hotel we knew in an instant we had.

The view from the grounds of the hotel was breathtaking. A wild and rough sea crashed over rocks just feet away from the gardens, with our room and balcony overlooking this amazing, ever changing, wonder of the Indian Ocean. I was in heaven!

Turtle Bay is a small boutique hotel which is rustic rather than luxurious but somehow the rustic feel suits the surroundings. The sea is too rough to swim in but the beach is the best we found in Sri Lanka, wide sands that stretch as far as you can see, perfect for an early morning or evening walk when the sun is less burning.

If thinking of booking at Turtle Bay do decide on half board as there is nothing else in the vicinity. The concept at Turtle Bay is that you can eat whenever you wish, so a late breakfast will see you through the day. Dinner was always seafood with the chef showing the morning catch at breakfast and discussing how you would like it cooked at dinner.

On the first night it was lagoon prawns as big as lobsters. On the second night it was a huge red mullet cooked on a charcoal grill which was absolutely delicious.

The hotel itself may not have been the most luxurious we stayed at but the beauty of the location and the unbelievably sweet and attentive staff definitely made up for the slight lack of luxury.

On our last night the staff organised a wonderful surprise evening for Feisal's birthday. All afternoon they were running up and down from the beach, taking tables and chairs down the rocky path so that by the time we arrived ready for an evening meal we were escorted down over the rocks to the beach where we found our table just feet away from the surf. They had transformed the beach into a romantic paradise for us with flame torches to light the area and a BBQ where they cooked prawns, steaks and seafood noodles.

We sat watching the waves by the light of the flames and felt we must be some of the luckiest people on earth. As if that wasn't enough, after we had eaten, the staff and the few other guests (just 8 rooms in the hotel) gathered around waving sparklers and presented a cake to Feisal. The local musician's joined in with their drums and everyone clapped and sang, wishing Feisal the best of birthday's.

One of the staff pointed up into the sky and there, as if on queue we saw the nearly full moon directly overhead with an enormous open halo surrounding it. Never before have we seen the moon in the sky quite like this and on asking around nor had anyone else. We didn't know what it meant but took it as a lucky omen.

Day 8 - 9:
We left Turtle Bay feeling well rested and ready for more exploration of this beautiful island. This time it was a shortish trip along the south coast to Galle Fort.

We had booked into the Colonial style, chic Galle Fort Hotel. On arrival we were greeted by the British manager, Oliver James, who very generously upgraded us to their Grand Apartment number 1 which is so spacious and tastefully furnished, that we again felt truly blessed.

We spent our days in Galle Fort just hanging out; shopping in the trendy little shops, enjoying the quant cafes and sampling the gourmet food at the hotel Amangalla and the Galle Fort Hotel.

Our last day at Galle Fort was Feisal's actual birthday and a Poya Day in Sri Lanka. A Poya Day is the day of the full moon and a public holiday where businesses generally close (some shops/cafes open) and no alcohol can be sold.

We were advised to take a walk around the ramparts of the Fort at sunset and were so pleased we did. There was a wonderful carnival like atmosphere where many Sri Lankan family's had gathered to watch the setting sun.

And so ended our time in Galle Fort but we left with high exceptions of our next stop...