Christmas in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka (3/4) By Dave F

(1/4), (2/4), (3/4), (4/4).

Photograph Gallery 1, Gallery 2.

One year ago a tsunami battered this coast and killed thousands and there's still a lot of evidence of it's destruction in this area which was the hardest hit in the country, but the tourists who were here at the time talk about it more than the locals who've already picked themselves up and moved on. Boxing Day I'm sitting in a bar that was hit by the wave last year and the atmosphere is so relaxed as I smoke my breakfast spliff and tuck into bacon and eggs. Only the odd film crew marked the anniversary until 7pm, then every temple in the country held a remembrance ceremony in honour of those lost.

Glass-bottom boats can be hired very cheaply though most of the coral reef that was here has been destroyed by the tsunami. There are still some good places to snorkel and equipment can be hired cheaply as can most things here. Unawatuna is a beautiful sheltered cove, just outside of Galle and only about 10k from Hikkaduwa and is probably the best place for this as the sea is so calm and clear here.

Kandy takes about 5 hours but is well worth the drive for the scenery alone. High up in the mountains, Kandy is the cultural capital of Sri Lanka and has some amazing statues and temples including the Buddha's Tooth Temple. Half an hour's drive from Kandy is the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage where you can bottle-feed the babies for a few rupees, then watch 80 elephants charge through the streets to bathe in the river which is a pretty surreal sight. Great if you like elephants???

Pot is tolerated here and you can skin up pretty much anywhere. The local weed is pretty poor quality and very cheap. Make sure you take your own skins because not a shop in the country sells king size papers and the best you can get is regular red Rizla. Every beach-bum and tuk-tuk driver can usually get you some jungle grass but be careful. The first time I tried to score I was ripped off for a whole £2.00. Not having learned my lesson, later that same night I met a tuk-tuk driver who promised he could sort me out. After being driven into the jungle for half an hour by a complete stranger and having no idea where I was, we stopped at a house where he introduced me to a monk who happily sold me two ounces for £12.00.

Luckily for me, this time was not a rip off and I became good friends with that tuk-tuk driver.

Continued ... next page (4/4)

Photograph Gallery 1, Gallery 2.

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