Thalaramba, Sri Lanka

If you have never thought of visiting Sri Lanka, I’d like to share and hopefully inspire you to add it to your list of places to see.

After spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in the states we were searching for an affordable destination that offered warm weather, gorgeous beaches, and perfect waters to relax and soak up some sun for a month..... we found that along with so much more in Sri Lanka.

Not only was our getting here challenging because of "Jim's trip",  but also because of the 18 hour flight from SFO to Singapore. And then another four hours from Singapore to Colombo. Twenty-two hours was rough, even using all the travel tricks we could think of, it still sucked. Jim even went as far as to download an app that told him when to sleep, when to have lights on, when to eat and drink. Didn't work too well for Jimbo.

Our visa was only valid for 30 days and because we were supposed to land in Colombo at 23:30, the plan was to take our time getting through customs until after midnight. Otherwise we would be in the country for 31 days. It’s not the only country on this trip where we miscalculated our visa stay…..and we both have Masters Degrees. Who made up leap-year anyway!?

The flight arrived early and the last thing either of us wanted to do after "that" travel day was to linger around the airport killing time. Thankfully it wasn't an issue leaving the country, no one even questioned it.

It was easy getting through customs, immigration and to the hotel pick up point which was in front of the post office. But what was hard was waiting in the heat, exhausted, with tons of people, not knowing who to look for or what type of vehicle was picking us up.

We chose to stay two nights in Colombo at the Oreeka Hotel and it was the perfect spot. It was out of the city, a free airport shuttle with a late check in, rooms were clean and the staff was helpful and kind. The Oreeka is close to the airport and Negombo city, but located in the lush green countryside. There were exotic plants and wildlife. There is a swimming pool and sunbeds, along with a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, al la carte menu. The cost of the hotel for two nights was $50.90.


We had breakfasts and dinner with three al a cartes each (one al a carte would have easily fed two people), a dessert and drinks for two days for a total cost of $55.19. Like I said, the perfect hotel for getting in and out of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s main airport. 


Most of our time in Sri Lanka was in a village called Thalaramba in between Mirrisa and Matara. We had two options to get from Colombo to our place which is about 100 miles. A four hour bus ride with many transfers for under $10 or a two and a half  hour Uber ride with AC for $50.97. It was well worth the splurge, especially after seeing how packed the buses were and fast they drove.

We stayed at an Airbnb with Anil. He and his family lived behind us. We were on the main village road and only one road away from the beach. This place had the sharpest Airbnb knives, which both of us suffered from twice before we treated them with the respect they deserved.



Most of our grocery shopping was done in Wellgama about 10 minutes east toward Matara. This is how we made friends with one of the best tuk tuk drivers. He reminded me of our oldest son Robert, therefore, he became known to me as Sri Lankan Robert. He was kind and helpful, spoke no English and most importantly kept us safe on the Sri Lankan streets, where we seem to be the only ones concerned by the near fatal accidents. Sri Lankan Robert keeps in touch with Jim....such a kind soul with a beautiful family.

We went into Mirrisa a few times and found a good pizza spot, O Mirrisa, did some shopping, stopped at the pharmacy and visited Mirissa beach to climb parrot rock.




Overall we enjoyed spending our time in Thalaramba where we spent most of our days walking the 50 yards to our local beach, which was famous for snorkeling with the turtles and fish. It has three small makeshift dive shops, a few villa waterfront rentals and one hostel-like hotel. It was mostly secluded and the water was crystal clear. 



We spent many days just lounging on the beach, snorkeling, enjoying the sunset and meeting beautiful people. This is where we met Dmitry and Olesya, a beautiful couple from Kazakhstan, who were staying in one of the villas. We had the pleasure of enjoying lunch and evening visits, sharing about life and learning about some beautiful places that have now added to our lists of travel destinations. 




Three and a half weeks in....the village had a routine and so did we. However, ours was based on how hot the sun was and how bad the mosquitos were that day. As we walked the road to the beach or the highway, we would pass by or see the same people or kids every day. Some kids would be running around in the yard, some playing on the streets. People would be doing yard work, housework, working on rebuilding homes, fixing up tuk tuks or detangling fishing nets....always busy!

There was one restaurant regularly open, the Golden Gate where we had a few tasty meals. There were two juice bars, Olly Juice Bar and Nipu's Juice Bar. We stopped at Olly's one day, but shortly after we ordered the power went out so we never got to try their juice. Nipu's became our regular juice stop. 








There was also a small store where I would buy homemade candy by the dozen to pass out to the kids in the village. Sometimes they would practice English with me or they would just smile. Soon, they'd see me coming and head out to greet me. Such a cool place. A village where parents didn't have to worry about kids talking or taking candy from strangers. So friendly, we never ran into anyone in the village that didn't say hello with a genuine smile and welcoming heart.


I only allowed myself to be scammed once, by a couple of kids. One evening on my way to Nipu’s Juice Bar, I passed five 8-10 year old boys playing cricket. They used a palm leaf for a bat, a tennis ball and a makeshift backdrop made out of wood and palm leaves. I stopped to watch as the pitcher whizzed the ball by the batter. He swung and missed, both of course trying to show off. I watched a little longer and just as I was about to leave, they motioned for me to try. As the kid passed me the palm bat I thought why are they swinging with the flimsy palms? The base was narrow and the only solid part of the bat. I better swing hard to hit the ball. 

I motioned for the kid to throw softly, not like he was to his friend, who got hit hard a few times. He must have understood because he scooted closer and did a soft toss, which bounced a few feet in front of me causing me to dislocate my shoulder as I swung as hard as I could, missing the ball completely and sweeping dust into his face. I said sorry and motioned a little harder, he tossed it and again the ball bounced a few feet in front of me, I swung and the palms caught the ball sweeping it on the ground back to him. Okay to save face, I motioned him back to the original pitching spot and told him to throw the ball like a baseball, over the plate without it bouncing. He gave me a great pitch and I connected with the base of the palm and sent the ball flying somewhere in the neighbor's bushes. 

Proud of myself I thanked them and started on my way. The pitcher came running towards me mumbling something. After a few minutes of Google translate, he wanted to know what he would get for letting me play. Hmmm. I didn't have candy on me and I wasn't giving him money so I motioned I'd be back in a bit. 

I got two juices to go at Nipu's; a mango and watermelon. I'd feel better offering something other than money and worst case scenario Jim gets a juice. As I ran into the ring leader and his buddy who were still waiting I said....watermelon or mango?  Thinking he would scoff at the juice, he happily said watermelon. I gave him both straws and told him to share. I guess you gotta pay to play around here.....Later I learned that in cricket a maximum of two bounces are allowed during a bowl (pitch) or the pitcher is allowed to throw directly at the batsman (batter), but bouncing it is more difficult for the batter. 

We had many first here and participated in two cultural ceremonial events. The first was our host's brother's end of life celebration and the other was the Duruthu Poya. A celebration of the first visit of Buddha to Sri Lanka. We were fed a delicious dinner and then walked to the local temple.


We tried many first exotic fruits and local dishes. My favorites were the mangosteen and papadam. Sri Lankans eat with their right hand and like their food spicy. Our best meals were from our host family, who spoiled us on numerous occasions.


*Jim’s take on the food

Sri Lanka, the teardrop of India. 

Before flying halfway around the world, I would have thought it was a sentimental gesture of what looks like a teardrop coming from India. Get that out of your head. The tear is from how fucking hot their food is, even compared with Indian food this stuff takes throat pain to a new level. Even simple saltine crackers are peppered. Nothing isn't hot. Double negative I know but I'm making a point. I'm not talking Central-South American hot, that stays more in your mouth and is delicious when accompanied with a cold beverage. This hot is more like a stray dog carefully placing its ears back and looking sad until you eventually feed it. After that you're hooked. What's this spice, sure throw some in. Oh look this one's just called heartburn and that one over there is indigestion, sure throw ‘em in. This hot makes the magic link between your mouth and stomach while shutting off your brain and disregarding where it will end up. To top it off, drinks aren’t served with meals. 

I've never backed away from spicy food, craved it actually but I fear I may have met my match. Bring me the jalapeno, the Thai pepper, hell even the ghost pepper, at least I know what I'm getting into. Here, even freshly cracked eggs have a heat to them, what are they feeding the chickens? I fear my taste buds will never be the same.*

I am afraid Jim's stomach will never be the same. He was a glutton and kept going back for more, which led him to find this local, all natural cure to all digestive and tummy issues.

Jim's Juice.

Jim also taught his first cooking class. Han Si, a sweet 20 year old who runs Nipu's Juice bar from her family’s home which was our favorite juice bar in Sri Lanka. As we translated back and forth, we became Facebook friends. One night she messaged saying someone left them pasta and asked if we knew how to to prepare it; if so could we please tell her. Boy did she ask the right couple. That night Jim and I decided he could have a cooking class and show her how to prepare the pasta. 

We arranged a date and time with her. Since the basic ingredients for a red sauce would be impossible to find, we suggested a shrimp-butter-garlic pasta, all cheap and easy to find.

The pressure was on when she shared how she wanted to make this very special meal for her family. I could tell Jim was excited and a little nervous. The day before we went shopping so he could buy a pasta he already made that tasted good. The next stop was the local village fish market. We were told to get there early because they sell out fast. Since fresh shrimp was the main ingredient for the dish we arrived 15 minutes early. There were no shrimp but a ton of huge tiger prawns. Before we left the house I asked Jim if was sure of his conversion of kilos to pounds and how much he would need to feed seven people shrimp pasta. 

There was a local guy standing next to us and sort of took Jim under his wing, moving him to the front of the line and being our translator. While Jim waited, I left with our grocery bag to go next door to the veggie stand. Just as I was finishing up Jim walks over with two big black bags, one in each hand and puts them in the grocery bag. Geez that's heavy and I passed the bag back to him. I thought to myself, how much did he buy? 

As we walked past the fish market the heaping pile of prawns were gone and I felt like people were whispering and pointing at us. Once we got home and I opened the bags, I knew something was off.... Jim, how many kilos did you get?


It's important to double check your conversions, otherwise you end up with 9lbs of tiger prawns and piss off locals for wiping out the fish market in a matter of minutes. At least it only cost $24......and we made friends by sharing with our neighbors… and their neighbors. After this day we referred to each other as Madame Candy and Shrimp Man... which was soon changed to Prawn Star.


Dividing up the prawns.
The cooking class was wonderful! We had fun sharing the moment with Han Si, her cousin, sister in law and her nephew Sayash. On this night Jim shared his love of cooking, we shared a piece of our cultures and we all knew how to make a child giggle by singing "Baby, shark do do do do do do.” That was the start to a beautiful friendship, where we were invited and welcomed by Han Si and her family. 


The day before we left I asked Han Si if I could visit with her and ask her questions to learn more about her and her culture. We met at her juice shop, where everyone sat around and listened to me ask all kinds of silly and sometimes serious questions. Han Si assured me none of my questions were rude and she shared freely with me. 

She shared she was the youngest and has two older brothers. She shared about her parents, her life and her schooling. We talked about how scary COVID was and what our communities and families did and felt during that time. We talked about her dreams and aspirations. I asked about her boyfriend who she referred to as her soulmate and that they will be married. I never got to meet him, but I could tell from how Han Si described him, that he was a beautiful person. He is a professional volleyball player for Sri Lanka. 

She said her dream was to be his wife, have their own home and start a family. As we talked, Sayash ran around making everyone laugh and smile. I thought about the one thing all cultures have in common.....love and family. Much of what she shared was centered on the importance of family and love. Making family proud, praying for their health and wishing them joy, love and the simply basic provisions in life. She ended with how important it is to find at least one thing to be thankful for every day.


I got up to leave and said goodbye to everyone with one last hug from Han Si. She insisted I come back for her wedding and I promised to try. What a beautiful young wise soul!

Thalaramba was a good location for day trips such as safaris, whale watching, diving, tea plantation excursions, cinnamon factories, waterfalls, monkeys, elephants and all very cheap. You could take the bus, arrange a private tour or use Mirissa Cabs, much like an Uber. We chose to just stay put enjoying the locals and their beautiful beach.

If anyone who reads our blog ever goes to Sri Lanka, go to the village of Thalaramba, say hello from Madame Candy and the Prawn Star. And please stop by Nipu's Juice bar and give Han Si a big hug from me. You won't regret the experience of meeting her and her beautiful family, while enjoying a delicious juice.

We decided to leave a week early from the village in Thalaramba to start making our way back to Colombo. This would allow us to stop in Ella for a few nights and take the famous seven hour train ride to see Kandy.

Our Sri Lanka travels

Thalaramba we promise to return someday, but until then you will have a piece of our hearts.....and Jim will continue to carry a piece of you within him… for a while.

For those of you that know...it's dead! 🤞



Our BBQ

Host drying peppers on the roof.

$2.75


Grocery store 

Alcohol sold separately.

Roti dough.




Host dinner.






O'Mirrisa Pizza.





Don't get Jim started on the Ritz.


Our beach goes for miles.












Part of the beach is black sand.

Dogs everywhere and cared for.


Deveining and cleaning 9lbs, to give away.


Light switch for the inside and out. Never got a light on the first try.


Mirrisa 



Host meal.






Host's last breakfast.

Good bye Thamaramba 💚.



Comments

  1. Anonymous2/24/2024

    Thank you for always sharing! I love your adventures!♥️

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for reading, this was such an amazing place!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous3/07/2024

    I love the humor in your stories!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mercado de Tlacolula

Mazatlán, again..

Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico