We got up at a decent time and after checking out stopped at the local shrine attached to the lake near our hotel, also enjoying a last look at this ‘tank’. During the ride here, we were honored to learn more about Asela and his family. His positive attitude and kindness clearly have given him a lot of positive karma. In general, he was one of the best drivers I have ever had. We also learned that in Sri Lanka, the youngest son gets the parents’ house and as a result he has helped his older brothers buy their houses.
We passed a papaya plantation, where Red Ladies are grown-a variety with no seeds.
We arrived at our next hotel, Uga Jungle Beach in Trincomalee, to discover this is heaven on earth. Probably the most luxurious hotel both Kevin and I have ever stayed at. The per night rates were surprisingly low ($125) but the food and everything else was listed in US$ and met US standards: $60 for a massage while in other Sri Lankan good hotels they tend to be $10! For sure I recommend this place but opt for the All-Inclusive package if you can! We were greeted with a flower petal, encouraged to make a wish and place the petal in the water. Then there was a cool towel and a choice of two local fruit juices: Mango with mint or Tamarind with bee honey. The first was delicious, the latter interesting.
Kevin and I met up in the bar, tried some local liquor made from coconut (called Old Arrack) then headed out for the Lagoon boat ride. At this point my camera totally stopped working. I assumed it was the battery so Asela arranged for his son to buy the correct battery in Colombo and will deliver it tomorrow (this was the only way to get the battery before leaving Sri Lanka!)
You will see I have some decent photos of the lagoon ride between by phone and before the camera became too temperamental; however, there were some great wildlife photos that could not be taken. The fading light didn’t help.
We started on the lagoon proper and then drove through mangrove inlets.
The ride is usually done in the morning but since we didn’t have time tomorrow, we got an evening ride. As a result, we were able to see locals checking their fishing nets and birds getting ready for the evening, coming out after a downpour. We saw the crab catching nets, mangroves galore, and thanks to Kevin’s sharp eyes and persistence (I thought this was a shirt on the tree) an incredible bird. The views of people and their nets were the most interesting views for me, showing real life.
The crab nets turned out to be all these styrofoam squares popping all over the lagoon. Inside the net there is a fish, the crab sits and eats the fish and should the fisherman be lucky, is there eating when the net is collected.
The local boats were a fascinating combination between a kayak, catamaran and canoe!
Even with the low light I was able to get some wonderful shots of the fishermen looking for dinner, as well as the video of how the nets are cast.
Interesting as well is how shallow the lagoon is at parts – we saw a shape in the water, assuming it was some animal but were surprised to see these were men walking across the lagoon!
Here are the wildlife photos I was able to take:
The lagoon was a peaceful place, but the highlight was this sunset, probably the most beautiful one I have ever seen in my life. It seemed to be symbolic as I was watching this amazing sunset as my adventurous life sets, and while I am enjoying this view beyond belief, I am not as settled in my deepest thoughts. It is hard to know this travel-filled life will end sooner than later.
No, I did not take photos of the sunset the whole time. It lasted a very long time and was fully enjoyed.
The next part of the tour was a sea food dinner at the guide’s home, well his uncle’s house. To say the word dinner does not give it justice. It was a gigantic feast of crabs, whole fish, prawns, cuttlefish – flavored to perfection and complemented by two kinds of rice, cucumbers and papaya for dessert. Dinner drink was supplied by Zeeshan who had the driver buy us vodka!
The evening ended with the call to prayer sweetly sung as we returned to our car for the ride back to the hotel.
The next day began with a light breakfast as I was still full from last night’s dinner. The hostess was shocked at how little we ate, considering the meal is included in the room price but there just wasn’t room! The juice of the day was called Soursop, a local fruit that tasted a bit like a combination of pineapple and guava. We ate in the restaurant, that is built around the trees. This luxury hotel is very ecologically conscious!
Then we were off to Pigeon Island for snorkeling, a 30 minute ride on a flat, tree-lined beach road and quite unique as we were driving and dodging cows, dogs, puppies, peacocks, and even a rooster – because they sure as heck didn’t move for us!
We arrived at Nivali Beach, pristine without a hotel in sight, and as this is off-season, no people! I was careful when taking photos with my phone, as I didn’t want to leave a phone in the Indian Ocean, like I did in the Pacific when I was on the Galapagos!
Pigeon Island is a national park 2 km from the beach. It was declared a conservation site in 1963 and was only opened for guided tours in 2003. There are 100 types of coral and 178 species of fish around the island.
There are not enough words in the English language to describe how amazing this snorkeling was. First, it is the Indian Ocean so the water is bath-tub warm. Second we were with a young guide who was so thoughtful at one point he noticed a starfish upside in the water and turned it the right way. It was good he was with us because without him Kevin and I would have run out of the water when we saw the Portuguese Man o’ War and the 4 sharks (believe they are Black Sharks or White Tipped Reef Sharks) circling us as we were trying to avoid the Man o’ War! However, he kept us safe and as a result we saw quite a lot of fish. These are the moments I remember:
- A sea turtle eating, with its beak grasping pieces of coral. We saw him when we swam back as well, swimming merrily along.
- The guide tried to get the Puffer Fish to expand in defense, but he swam away.
- I saw two fish doing a mating dance, swimming around each other in circles. Amazing.
- There were many schools of Indian Anchovy, but my favorite moment was when they surrounded us. We were the center of their swimming circle.
- Seeing one of the sharks with a remora (I think) attached to it was special (don’t worry he was far enough away).
- Seeing an octopus hiding in the rocks.
- Seeing something bright red hiding in the rocks, never saw it leave the safety of the coral.
- Holding a sea cucumber (I guess it is OK because the guide gave it to us to touch) along with a stunning, perfect seashell still alive.
- The beautiful Moorish Idolfish swimming around, brightly visible with their white, black and yellow stripes.
- When the Portuguese The Man o’ War were far enough away not to worry me, they were quite beautiful to watch, their shape evolving- floating-forming like an amoeba, like a Nebulae cloud in space.
- I quickly got used to the many little jelly fish whose stings were like little pricks.
We then switched to the other side of the island and while there were no turtles or sharks (!) the coral was much healthier and there were more ‘moments’ to remember:
- A purple coral garden with leaves that looked like lettuce surrounding a flat disk.
- Watching the fish eat, hearing that crunching sound is always a snorkeling joy.
- Coral that closed when the guide touched it with a small twig, and he couldn’t get the stick out the grasp was so strong!
- A clown fish, Nemo strikes again.
- And so many other fish I don’t know the names of!
After the swims were finished, Kevin needed to sit in the shade to process all he had just seen. I took some photos, of course.
Returning to Nivali Beach was as pleasant as expected, with some fun moments while we waited for the driver to arrive: a photo with our snorkeling guide (we took him and he took us!) and cows who decided they needed a walk on the beach.
We returned to the resort and had lunch at the beach restaurant, after which we sat under our umbrellas reading and not really believing we were here. I saw a fish jumping as it swam, surfacing and leaping three times! At one point a dog joined us and dug a little space for himself under Kevin’s chair to escape the unrelenting heat. If you look carefully you will see black on the beach. This is not pollution or oil spill remnants. Rather, the black sand is accumulated heavy minerals washed down from the country’s interior. We swam a little and then headed in to cool off and get ready for dinner.
The ‘before dinner’ drinks were delicious, served with peanuts and casava chips. Dinner was prawns, so fresh and large they tasted like Maine lobster! It was my turn to pay for dinner and I splurged on a bottle of delicious rose wine that paired with the dinner perfectly.
We slept well!
