The ride to Tangalle was scenic and uneventful. Quiet roads and beautiful scenery. As we made our way west along the coast the weather got better by the mile. Grey skies behind and broken cloud with blue sky in front. By the time we arrived in Tangalle it was much better. Not the azure blue of Thailand but white fluffy cloud rather than the blanket grey of the mountains. It's a lot warmer too.
We checked into our beach Cabana and settled down to chill in the warm. It was getting on when we arrived. According to Google maps it should have been a one and a half hour journey. In Ruby we can double that and add a little more on. Still Ruby has been an amazing experience. A brilliant way to explore Sri Lanka and a perfect getaway vehicle to escape the rain.
Tangalle is on the tourist trail and has been since the hippy backpackers of the 60's seeking the perfect beach and hidden getaway. Although severely set back by the civil war, the economic crisis here and of course the dreaded covid before that it is definitely on the rise. It's still very "basic" by western standards but we love that and secretly hope that these places dont suffer the same future as places like Goa and don't end up as the new Costas. These places are real working towns that tolerate a small area being given over to travellers. As such it still feels authentic and that is something Crispy and I thrive on. There are "nice" hotels here but thankfully they are few and far between. As we move west I am sure we will encounter more and more of the organised and package tourists that ultimately destroy the very thing they set out to experience.
The sea here is the Indian Ocean and as such dosn't behave like the Mediterranean. It can be wild and fearsome. Driven by strong currents and various monsoons they can be rough and dangerous. As such given the recent weather I don't think swimming or snorkelling is on the cards but we are hoping for some pleasent beach days and snorkelling further west so Crispy can top up her tan before returning to Blighty.
Today although pleasent it wasn't really beach weather and the sea was wild. Huge rolling waves that catch the sun as they roll into the beach. We decided to take Ruby to see a local rock temple. Tomorrow will hopefully be a beach day.
On the way we passed a local farmer washing his tractor. To all the eco warriors out there this was NOT a tourist elephant. It's a working animal on the farm. No money changed hands nobody rides him and it was nice to see. Crispy did give him a couple of banana which he seemed to appreciate
Yesterday we ate at the resteraunt closest to our Cabana. The local dish is rice and curry. A huge portion of rice served with four or five different vegetable curries. It's the cheapest thing on the menu and is delicious.
We chose that and were amazed how good it was. I'm no vegetarian but it amazed us how tasty it was. Crispy has been after trying a cooking class whilst we are here to try her hand at Sri Lankan cooking. I casually asked the owner about the chances of teaching Dear Old Crispy how to make these amazing dishes. Without a pause he agreed and told us to go to the resteraunt at 10 am.
We turned up as arranged and Crispy was whisked away into the kitchen. 2 hours later she had prepared and served an equally good meal. She's a good cook at the best of times but today excelled herself. She cooked our lunch and we ate it with Gusto.
The chef was so impressed that he has invited us back tomorrow night where Crispy will cook a Sri Lankan meal, uninstructed, for him and his family. He will sit in the resteraunt and Crispy will man the kitchen. After we will have a party.. it's crazy but we are looking forward to it.. I've not negotiated her salary yet. We will see how it goes.
What an absolutely brilliant experience. I'm sure they will love the English chef and the Ukelele will be the icing on the cake. Thanks for another interesting blog x
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