This week has been an emotional whirlwind, honestly. My arrival in Sri Lanka felt smooth, but in all honesty, I wasn’t super prepared to be solo traveling through this country, so here is my experience!
Solo traveling through Sri Lanka isn’t so bad. It’s actually pretty chill, and it’s a place that is seemingly pretty easy to navigate. There’s not much noise coming from the native people here except for the fact that there are a lot of stares. It can be jarring at moments, but it’s very interesting. As a Black American, I find that I am having an easier time because Sri Lankans consistently think I’m a part of their tribe due to my skin color.
Getting to Galle from Colombo: I would say take the train for 2.5 hours. The ticket for the first-class train with air conditioning was $6 at https://12go.asia/en. When you get your ticket online, make sure you pick it up at the window when you arrive at the train station. You don’t need to stand in what looks like a super long line.
I started my Worldpackers experience, which has been a whirlwind. I arrived at a really lovely place, but there is so much confusion and discombobulation here that it has become a pretty difficult experience to commit to, so I will be exiting the experience early. I’m not bummed about that; I just am learning to listen to the universe. Would I recommend staying at this place? Yes, as a guest, because it has great amenities. But I certainly would not recommend volunteering at Ocean Gaia Surf Yoga. I also wouldn’t recommend the place during the off-season because the location is a bit askew, and there are lovelier and livelier places you could stay. Though I’m sure during high season it is a lovely place because it has great amenities, they seemed to teeter off during the low season.
So, what now? Right now, I am in talks with Worldpackers to see how they can support me throughout this experience. Worldpackers has varying levels of insurance and protection policies that support people when they run into this type of issue. They offer hotel reimbursements, re-placement opportunities with new hosts, and pretty efficient communication with someone who can help support you through the whole ordeal. So, there should be some updates by next week on how this whole thing has been resolved.
Places to eat:
- Cactus – Ahangama (incredible smoothies)
- South Lake – Ahangama (mango chutney was 2D4)
- Dhana’s Curry Pot – Mirissa (1,000 Sri Lankan rupees for all you can eat)
- NOMAD Cafe – Weligama (great atmosphere and food)
Beaches to visit:
- Mirissa Beach
- Turtle Beach
- Unawatuna Beach
- Jungle Beach
Activities:
- Turtle Hatchery (Habaraduwa)
- Glass bottom boat tour
- Snorkeling
- Whale watching
- Surf lessons
- Coconut Tree Hill for sunset
I’ve met some really interesting people and done a lot of growing in just the 10 days that I’ve been here. I’ve felt a strong, energetic shift to grow and change in ways that I never thought I would, so I’ve been keeping a very specific ‘Sri Lanka’ journal to chronicle this whole experience.
I’m also traveling in a way that I have not traveled in for quite a long time. I’m essentially backpacking but not backpacking because I don’t believe it carrying things on my back, but something about Sri Lanka is making me feel like I want to move around much more than I typically would. Let’s get into week 2 and see what’s to come!
Signing off, Traveling Tee xx
One Cup of Tee 