The Hikkaduwa Get Away

Right on the heels of our Maldives mini-vaca we decided to go to Hikkaduwa which is a nice break from the city. If we had a car it wouldn't be that big a deal but being that we don't we have to get a ride, be it by train or driver. Well the train is the least expensive route but also the most miserable. We never really found out how much a car and driver costs but we asked our usual trishaw driver to take us in his trishaw.

The drive south took much longer than expected, he said it would take 2 1/2 hours but the traffic was awful getting out of the city. It eventually took us 3 1/2 hours. We took breaks along the way stopping at some fruit stands and buying this strange fruit, I'll have to take pictures of it.

We stayed at the same place we had before, The Time N' Tide Resort (sic), it's a guest house, just a better guest house. On the low end of the scale a guest house might only have bars for windows and no hot water for showers, maybe no door for the bathroom etc. This place has a air conditioning, mini refrigerator, rain shower head, hot water for showers, nice pillows, free wifi and balconies with great views.

I was hoping to ride the waves but it's not surfing season on the east coast and the waves were horrible, just vicious overhead waves one right after the other that were relentless and were so difficult to get past. I tried and tried and just wore myself out. I was the only knucklehead trying to ride the waves. I caught two rides, but it wasn't worth the effort.

We were having pizza at the pizzaria the guest house has on the second floor facing the street. The whole dining area is open. I mentioned to Chris that I see people lining up and it looks like they are getting ready for a parade. As it turns out there was a parade complete with three elephants. It was a mini version of the Perhera festival parade, with fire twilrlers and the monkey people and the stilt dancers etc.

Another thing that was going on was Hikkafest 2010 which was this huge party that seemed to be attended by only Sri Lankas's privileged youth. The ticket prices were quite expensive. The morning after we counted two past out drunk kids sleeping outside, one just two feet from the busy street. The music went on all night till day break.

We enjoyed our favorite cheap food while there, rotty, which is hard explain, except that it is dough that is filled with usually veggies or chicken or chicken and cheese or veggies and cheese or chicken and eggs (You get the idea, whatever you want), it's folded over and grilled on both sides and sliced up, served with a hot sauce, delicious. We had 3 dinner rottis, 2 deset rottis and drinks for about $6.

All in all a good weekend but can't wait for the waves to calm down!