This trip was conceived because we had a want to see more of Asia. My girlfriend Andreea is on a 3-year contract in Dubai, so it presents an ideal opportunity as the flights from Dubai are cheap and quick to Asia. We had looked earlier in the year, but Sri Lanka was on the FCO “Red” list for Covid and the internal struggles they had experienced for most of 2022.
We went to the bookshop and bought a map and guide (Lonely Planet type thing), then started searching on t’interweb. Andreea “follows” a traveller (like many of us follow Itchy Boots’ travels) who had travelled Sri Lanka and that also gave us some ideas.
Using the information we gleaned, we booked the accommodation online, mostly by booking.com. The Tuk Tuk rental place we found was this one - https://tuktukrental.com/sri-lanka/negombo/ - they looked great on the website. The Tuk Tuk’s are not their own, but ones owned by locals which were cleaned, serviced, and prepared for rental.
So, that was it! Planned. On the 21st December 2022 we flew overnight to Sri Lanka. Landing at Negombo Airport. It was pretty tiring as neither of us slept well on the flight. On arrival, we were speedily through Customs, and haggled a local taxi guy (not well enough, we overpaid a bit!) to take us to the Tuk Tuk Rental, about 4.5 kilometers away.
I had previously filled in all the paperwork for my Sri Lankan driving license (a necessity), but still had to pass a test set by the Tuk Tuk guys to make sure I could drive/ride the thing. For us motorcyclists it was pretty easy, but I’m sure the scooter-like controls would baffle many people who had not ridden bikes. Of course it’s handlebars not a steering wheel!
This was me, taking the driving test…
By mid-morning we were on our way. The melee of local driving was a bit of a shock. We soon learned that size is everything. You give way – whether it’s your “right of way” or not, to bigger vehicles. Lorries and busses had priority! The first miles were pretty sweaty as I got used to the local driving habits and the controls of the Tuk Tuk. The Tuk Tuks have a maximum speed limit of 40 km/h. However they will easily cruise at 50 km/h with a bit left in reserve. 4 gears, around 200cc and about 8 bhp does not make for fast progress, but it would be terrifying to go fast – the brakes and steering are of course very basic…
While I remember to tell you, this was our route outline. Anticlockwise:
As we were heading South from Negombo, we had to pass through the major city of Sri Lanka – Columbo. It was a baptism of fire. A couple of hours later we were heading South on the coast road. The traffic thinned a bit, and the scenery was fabulous! After a long drive, we reached our first Accommodation - Thambili Cabanas in Hikkaduwa. Very nice large top floor apartment, about 75 USD per night including an excellent breakfast. This was the view from the balcony:
The beach was great fun. Huge waves. A few people trying to surf, but overall a lovely beach, with a few bars…
And our first Turtle encounter!
After 2 nights in Hikkaduwa, we continued South in the Tuk Tuk.
to be continued...
We went to the bookshop and bought a map and guide (Lonely Planet type thing), then started searching on t’interweb. Andreea “follows” a traveller (like many of us follow Itchy Boots’ travels) who had travelled Sri Lanka and that also gave us some ideas.
Using the information we gleaned, we booked the accommodation online, mostly by booking.com. The Tuk Tuk rental place we found was this one - https://tuktukrental.com/sri-lanka/negombo/ - they looked great on the website. The Tuk Tuk’s are not their own, but ones owned by locals which were cleaned, serviced, and prepared for rental.
So, that was it! Planned. On the 21st December 2022 we flew overnight to Sri Lanka. Landing at Negombo Airport. It was pretty tiring as neither of us slept well on the flight. On arrival, we were speedily through Customs, and haggled a local taxi guy (not well enough, we overpaid a bit!) to take us to the Tuk Tuk Rental, about 4.5 kilometers away.
I had previously filled in all the paperwork for my Sri Lankan driving license (a necessity), but still had to pass a test set by the Tuk Tuk guys to make sure I could drive/ride the thing. For us motorcyclists it was pretty easy, but I’m sure the scooter-like controls would baffle many people who had not ridden bikes. Of course it’s handlebars not a steering wheel!
This was me, taking the driving test…
By mid-morning we were on our way. The melee of local driving was a bit of a shock. We soon learned that size is everything. You give way – whether it’s your “right of way” or not, to bigger vehicles. Lorries and busses had priority! The first miles were pretty sweaty as I got used to the local driving habits and the controls of the Tuk Tuk. The Tuk Tuks have a maximum speed limit of 40 km/h. However they will easily cruise at 50 km/h with a bit left in reserve. 4 gears, around 200cc and about 8 bhp does not make for fast progress, but it would be terrifying to go fast – the brakes and steering are of course very basic…
While I remember to tell you, this was our route outline. Anticlockwise:
As we were heading South from Negombo, we had to pass through the major city of Sri Lanka – Columbo. It was a baptism of fire. A couple of hours later we were heading South on the coast road. The traffic thinned a bit, and the scenery was fabulous! After a long drive, we reached our first Accommodation - Thambili Cabanas in Hikkaduwa. Very nice large top floor apartment, about 75 USD per night including an excellent breakfast. This was the view from the balcony:
The beach was great fun. Huge waves. A few people trying to surf, but overall a lovely beach, with a few bars…
And our first Turtle encounter!
After 2 nights in Hikkaduwa, we continued South in the Tuk Tuk.
to be continued...