San Diego - The exploration series of adventure, road trips, canyons, secret caves and food

San Diego, I first visited in 2007 as a short 3 day trip while I was in LA for a business trip (my previous blog post on that trip HERE).  Reading it, it made me even more sure that I fell in love with this city the very first time I visited 7 years ago!  La Jolla was the place I really really loved the very first time I visited and made me go "This city is awesome!" and that feeling still exists now that I re-visited San Diego.  The feeling of deja vu lingers everytime I visit some places I've been to 7 years ago, and then coming back to look at the photos I took in 2007, I realized I've been to more of the places I re-visited than I thought so, but the feeling now is not one of "Oh I've already done that" but more of "Wow, I love this still".  More of that later.  This post is about my exploration of San Diego in 2014/2015, a new found admiration and love for the city, a heightened sense of adventure, a great partner in crime for exploration and a deeper discovery of the city.  Afterall 15 days is 12 more than the 3 days I spent 7 years ago.  And this time, I also got to go on the Mexico road trip!

 

La Jolla stretch and Windansea Beach

La Jolla

 

You have not been to San Diego if you never ever visited La Jolla.  I mean it. Like for real. I'm not one to say that it's the best beach, but definitely it's the most known beach in San Diego.  Talk about San Diego and you talk about La Jolla.  La Jolla Cove as well.  The place where a lot of rich people live. But for sure, that area is beautiful.  It was on my top list when I visited in 2007 (remembered I rushed down to catch the sunset by the cove), and this time round, still had to visit.  And I've got more time to explore this time round, an entire day of walking along the beach, the tidepools and exploring with my partner in crime.  Weather was not a bitch either and I really really enjoyed the place.  It is also a good surfing spot, and I wished I had the opportunity to surf (and also be a better surfer)

 

 

La Jolla Cove

Seals lazing around

The Cove. I actually took the exact same photo back in 2007!!

 

Spent a couple hours also at Windansea Beach, just south of La Jolla Cove.  Loved it there as well, it has a lot of rock formations and jutting rocks on which you could sit and enjoy the ocean view, read a book and wait for the sunset.  That would be what I would do if I lived near such a place - drive out there in the afternoon, surf a little, and then prop myself on a rock and read and waste the day away.  Live the life.

Windansea Beach

I left my mark on the beach

 

Cabrillo National Monument and Tidepools

Tidepools

Small cave

Adventure boy getting excited

I visited the Cabrillo National monument in 2007, but never went to the Tidepools (no time for that) and damn that I didn't because the Tidepools were AWESOME and amazing! Why would Americans want to visit Australia when they have the Great Ocean Road right here in San Diego!  All the while looking at the coastal area, canyons and cliffs, I kept thinking about my time in Great Ocean Road - exactly the same!  We read about a great tip from the Internet and went in search of the secret cave at the tidepools - only accessible during low tide.  It was great that my partner in crime is as into adventure and doing crazy exploring (or even more so into) than me, makes it easier to jump off the cliff and walk into untreaded territories while others stay on paved path.  We went into caves, got washed by the tide and walked through slippery rocks along the coast where tides and waves rushed in every now and then.  Just when we thought we were not gonna find the secret cave (tide was not low enough), we found it, or rather my partner found it first.  I was busy taking pictures.  You heard it here and I'm exposing this secret cave to more people.  You would need to really walk along the coastal area (get down from the top!) and walk to the far far end, further than you think you can do.  Pass the flat plain of water, until you see an area of just rocks. And when you thought this is it, the entrance to the secret cave is staring right in your face.  It really is awesome! Nobody really got that far but if you do, it is worth it.  Enter the cave and you discover  a secluded beach (not so much a beach as it is laced with rocks) but you get the idea.  There are small openings to the ocean and I suppose you could actually kayak in from outside at low tide (just like what I experienced in Koh Mut in Thailand).  You really do discover new things every day! I absolutely loved it! And totally would go back again.  At low tide.

The secret cave

The secret cave

 

Potato Chip Rock

I'm sitting on top of the world looking down on creation...

 

So called because there is just a chip jutting out over the edge of the mountain, almost like you could break it but it's not that fragile.  The start of the hike is about an hour out of San Diego (Mt Woodson Trail) close to Ramona.  The hike up was via a service road, for vehicles up to either fix the antennas or service).  Wasn't a difficult hike and the view was amazing, with loads of gigantic boulders and rock formations and overlooking the mountain ranges in far view.  The morning wasn't the greatest of morning as it started to rain halfway through and we had to seek shelter under a rock, but after that it was a quick hike up to find the potato chip!  Was freezing cold though but once you get up there, everything was worth it.  Getting up to the chip is not for the faint hearted but standing up there, you really feel like you're on top of the world and looking down at the view - no words could describe it.  Literally because of the cold as well.  I wanted to stay as long as possible, but the cold was a little unbearable and there was a line of people waiting.  Definitely have to do this man! Go crazy when standing at the edge of the chip. It really is amazing!  Hike up and down took only about 2H or slightly longer.

 

Cowles Mountain

 

The highest point in San Diego at 486m.  This is easily accessible by public transport (the nearest bustop is serviced by 115, but do check the schedule as it doesn't run as often on weekends) I started my hike at the trail entrance by Navajo and Golfcrest road.  The hike up is only 2.4KM, and is well paved and marked and visited by PLENTY of hikers and runners.  It is an easy hike/walk that took me 30mins to get to the top.  From there, you get a really great bird's eye view of San Diego and the Lake.  Because it was such a short hike, I took another walk to the opposite peak - Pyles Peak.  That's about a 40min walk from Cowles, and not at all difficult.  The only difficulty is when I got to somewhere near Pyles Peak (or so I thought), there was no post to indicate direction and plenty of crossroads to choose from.  I picked the short cut - an uphill hike up to the top instead of the roundabout hike.  Which I kinda assumed would take me up to Pyles Peak.  I did eventually arrive at the top, which yes I assumed to be Pyles Peak cos there was no other peak.  No signpost as well. But well that should be it cos the trail ended there.  So I made it.  All in all it took slightly more than 2H to get all the way to Pyles Peak and back to Cowles Mountain and down to catch the bus back.  It's an easy hike within the city limits that I would recommend if you want to do some hiking and a workout.

 

Anza-Borrego Springs Desert State Park

What can I say about this place - I love love love it and couldn't bear to leave it! So much to explore!  I had actually googled about this place before we actually decided to go and was already amazed and intrigued by this park and the opportunity to camp there but I also knew we didn't have the time to do so much.  But on the last full day we had, we decided to go hiking and my partner in crime googled and found "SLOT CANYON" located in Borrego Springs.  Hell yeah! One look at the picture and hearing CANYON I immediately said YES! We are all SLOT CANYON Bitches.  Who would say no to exploring slot canyons? Tidepools or slot canyon? Slot canyon! Hike down to water-less waterfall or slot canyon? Slot canyon! So it was unanimous.

Snow capped (bits) mountain along the way

How amazing is this view

 

The drive there was long, like 3H long.  I was not the driver so I can't complain, but it really was a long long drive.  I'm sorry to the driver, my partner in crime, really am.  Who had to concentrate on the drive while I marvelled at the fantastic drive through the mountain ranges, valleys and canyons that went on and on and on.  The snow spotted mountains from the week before.  I couldn't close my eyes when met with such beauty and nature.  Makes me feel like I'm only a small insignificant being on earth, surrounded by such marvelous nature.  Growing up in the city, living in the city my entire live, I'm a nature freak, I love nature and can never get tired of seeing such picturesque portrait in front of me. EVER.  Cities are great, I don't contradict that.  But nature makes me happy, relaxed and free.  I want to climb that mountain, camp that desert, slide through those canyons.  And I know that I was being selfish to my partner who was driving in silence as I just immersed myself in the beauty.  I should have been a better passenger, but I was distracted by the sights. 

 

The drive was worth it, not only because of the sights along the way but for the slot canyon we came for.  The place is HUGE! You don't need a four wheel drive to get to the start of Buttes Pass, we did it in his old BMW and it was fine.  But I read that for exploring the entire Borrego Spring desert park, a 4-wheeler is recommended to reach some other viewpoints.

Overview of the canyon

Slotting starts!

 

Back to the slot canyons.  Once you park, just jump right into the action! Weaving through the slot canyons was fun!  Of course, it may not be as majestic as the one in Utah, but it was still a lot of fun.  We got there after 3pm, so there weren't a lot of people visiting (and in winter sun sets close to 5pm so most people were done for the day).  Which made exploring even more fun!  The slots started wider, then it got narrower and narrower and the fun begins!  The monkey was climbing up and down up and down the rocks, there are the things I would do when I'm alone on a trip exploring.  At one point, we got up to the top of a rock balanced at the top of an opening!

Exploring

Too in awe of the surroundings

The partner in crime is a happy boy

 

After the first section ended, we went further around to explore, where no others ventured. Found small caves, uphills and rocks and waterfall edges.  Got high up and waited for the most amazing sunset ever!  The yellow and the pink blanketed the sky.  And that was when we finally decided to head back to our car for the long drive back.  After the exhilaration, the drive back was suddenly solemn and cold.  And on the way back to San Diego, do stop by Julian for the best apple pie (Julian is famous for its apple pie).  And it was really great!  Driving back through the winding mountain roads may not be the favourite for many, but the speed demon that is the driver really wanted to race and it was fun for a bit before I got a little queasy (snacked too quickly on Cheese-it).  The night was littered with stars shining bright and an awesome moon.

Amazing sunset

Love the pink

 

Wished we had more time to explore the place, camp overnight to play around more, climb and hike the other awesome trails.  This is definitely the best place I've explored in California during my trip.  Absolutely loved it.

 

And others

So many adventures to explore but also so many good food to taste!  December is the whale migration season, so we went whale watching and were rewarded by 6 or 8 whales performing in front of us!  For only a price of $21, the 3H whale watching trip was great!

View from Mt Soledad

 

Went to Mt Soledad for the view of San Diego in the evening.  The view is actually quite awesome!

Balboa

I love weird dark art

 

As usual, Balboa park is also a must visit.  There are tons of museums there.  I went to the Natural History Museum (where the shows are included in the ticket price of $17).  And I sat through all 3 of them one after another.  I liked the museum as well.  The other I really liked was the SDAI Museum of the Living Artist.  They have works of current artists in San Diego and also other creative stuff (even by kids).  The art pieces they have are kind of modern art or even sculptures, creativity looms and I love those shit.  Different creative and interesting.  And the best thing - the lady gave me a student discount even though I told her I'm not a student, just because she thought I looked like a student and it was New year's eve. 

 

And also do take a walk along the Embarcadero - it really is a nice walk along the marina and for a beautiful sunset.

Iconic kiss. Too bad I didn't have anyone to do this with...

 

 

Oh did I say Food?  My fish tacos tour started on my first day in San Diego - where I had still the best fish tacos ever! Not even Mexico beat that fish tacos.  Oscars Mexican Seafood - remember this name.  The original is at North Pacific Beach, but they have other locations as well.  And mamma mia! My search of the best fish tacos started and ended there.  Still have not found one that beats this location!  We tried the tacos at South Beach Bar & Grill, they have a lot more fancy tacos (like the lobster tacos which was pretty good), but still I love Oscars!  Their taco shells and toppings just killed it.  And the amount of fish they put in their tacos - at about $5+ each, you get like huge chunks of fish!  What else - but CRABS!! We had crabs for like $7.99/lb and we cooked almost 2lbs of that shit and stuffed ourselves full on the first night!  Man, those crabs were sweet and delicious and cheap!  Crabs and fish tacos - I love them all!  And did I mention the wine, cheese and black truffle oil? And that thing called Bitching Sauce (only in San Diego)?  I'm already missing all these.. Oh San Diego, why do you have so many good stuff!

 

The best fish tacos from Oscars! Mahi Mahi with cabbages, avocado and salsa. I can still taste this now..

Crab legs! And so cheap! And we stuffed 2lbs of them into our stomachs

Huevos Rancheros - Mexican breakfast of eggs, rice and beans and cheese!!!!!

American breakfast at a diner's - HUGE! Eggs with vege and potatoes and toast and fruits.

 

Just as I've started the post with how much I loved San Diego when I first visited, I end this post with how much I still love the city after this visit.  Sure, maybe not for everyone, but who doesn't love a place where you have the ocean and mountains within reach?  And I heard you can even get to ski/snowboard close enough!  Oh and I got to sail! For the very first time, and it was so fun!  I love sailing, though in that racing context it was too intense for me, but I definitely love the feel to be out in the ocean, sailing through and being free with the wind. 

 

The only thing I regret was not getting to play more with the ocean.  To dive there would have been great and different.  To be able to surf would also be awesome.  Bummer.  I guess you can't do everything you wanted in a limited time period.  But I sure did a whole lot of stuff, courtesy of my partner in crime, who also was a great cook throughout, feeding me with calorie-laden but delicious food.  I never went hungry, yet I didn't gain weight with the amount of food I ate throughout the trip!  Apparently, I couldn't say the same for my dearest cook who complained about getting fat.  I do apologize, it was my fault.  I think I ate so much better there when I'm back home, but it was a good change, though not really sustainable for long.

Hiking up Mt Takao Japan

Aching for a short hike not far from Tokyo city? Mt Takao is the answer! Located in Hachioji, just less than 1 hour train ride from Tokyo, you get nature and a pretty good hike!
This website Takao-san tells it all, information you need to get to Mt Takao and start your hike!

Cheapest way from Tokyo is to take the Keio Line all the way to the end Takaosanguchi.  My travel from Shinjuku was about 45min 390Yen.

From the station, it is an easy walk to the start of the hike where the cable car station is.  There are 7 hiking trails within the mountain.  My choice was up with Inariyama route - this passes through the trees and forest - would have been a fantastic choice during the autumn leaves, when you will see trees with loads of red leaves lining the way up.  It was an easy hike up, and directions are easy to follow, all in all only 1 hour needed to get right to the top.

 At the top the view is pretty awesome!  From there, either take any of the other routes back down or if you have time and/or more adventurous, continue on to the other peaks or all the way to the very end Mt Jimba which would take about 5h.  I decided to carry on for another hour however turned back since I wasn't going to make the 5H hike to Mt Jimba.

Top of the mountain

I opted for Route 4 down which passes through a suspension bridge and connects to Route 1 all the way down (route 1 is all paved).  Of course for the less sporty, you can choose cable car up from base to half way.  The way to the top still needs to be hiked.

It's an easy hike for a weekend (there are loads of people and even small kids), and you wouldn't get lost!

Suzhou Taihu One-Day tour Up Piao Miao Peak

Suzhou, popularly known as the garden city, city of lakes etc etc (and of course they always say city full of pretty ladies - I would not comment on that).  So what to do over the weekend there? Ideas of visiting the Gardens, the Tiger Hill etc popped up, but in the end we decided to head for the 2nd highest peak in Suzhou - Piao Miao Peak at the Xishan National Park area, which is an island in the middle of TaiHu.  Although it is the 2nd highest peak, Piao Miao is only at 337m above sea level.  The manager and I wanted to do some adventure and sadly this was the most adventurous climb we could find...

 

The day started real bad - gloomy cloudy with light rain and drizzle, which made the going tough.  Took the subway all the way to the end of the tunnel, alighted at Mudu station and waited for taxi to take us all the way there.  The thing I dislike about travelling in China sometimes - public transport/coaches/buses are hard to get to reach these places of interests.  They are far out from the nearest public transport station (in this case about 30-40km away) and buses don't usually go there, or if they do, be prepared to take 3H to get there.  Taxis are hard to get, and you have to rely on private cars to drive you there where they usually quote exorbitant prices, in this case RMB130 for a one-way ride of about 45mins.  It is not much for sure, but I just get the feeling that that in itself is too high a price for the journey and definitely would not do it on my own. 

 

It being a rainy day, of course it was hard to get transport, and after 45mins we reached the foot of the so-called mountain and the driver had to wait for us as it would seem difficult for us to grab a return ride that day seeing how deserted it was. 

No 1 peak in TaiHu

The tea plantations

View from close to the top

 

Then the entrance fee - RMB60.  Yes another exorbitant amount for that small little mountain.  I hiked so many mountains in Korea for FREE and they were a lot higher and more scenic!  And they had to make us take a tourist bus within the compound for RMB20 each because as they said - the hike up is a very long walk - as if it is a crime to even think about walking up!  I have no idea where they get the idea from, but it is VERY common in China for places of attraction to have tourist buses to ferry you from point A to point B and EVERYONE takes them!  I would have much preferred to walk (same goes for the manager) but 1) we have a driver waiting 2) they seemed reluctant to tell us how to walk.  So we got the tickets and hopped on the bus which took us almost all the way up.  Small chat with the driver revealed the fact that the walk up the driveway was about 3KM and he too seemed reluctant to let anyone walk up (evidenced by the fact that NO ONE was walking) - apparently the buses go in a loop and will drop you off at one point and carry on.  Whatever.  So we got up to almost the peak and had to walk up about 500m of steps to the very top where due to the bad weather, everything was shrouded in mist. 

 

At that point, we discovered the hiking trail and decided to walk down instead of taking the bus.  It was a nice walk down, albeit slippery and I was in my running shoes - no traction whatsoever.  But we made it, all of 3KM downhill to the base, where we had to catch the bus again to bring us back to our starting point where our driver waited.

 

Not saying that it was totally a waste of time and money, the place was nice but would have been better if the weather cooperated a little and we would have been able to really see a lot more.  Also, then we wouldn't have had to pay the driver to wait which would have given us time to really walk up the mountain and leisurely walk down instead of taking that stupid bus.  Sure I complain about having to pay the entrance fee, but that is sooo common in China, and I do pay them to visit places of attraction and I'm not saying I regret visiting the place, I just don't get why they are charging so much and for every single place!  I would still have gone to Piao Miao (but maybe not on my own) but I guess I'm trying to think why the you have to pay entrance fee for every place including gardens and parks!  If it's UNESCO i get it, but this is apparently very obviously NOT UNESCO.  Like those parks in Shanghai, even those obscure ones charge you RMB5 per entry, it's not much but it's a park! 

 

That being said, I'm still glad I went, at least I could say I've been to Piao Miao, not many tourists go there I suppose, most heading to Tiger Hill or the gardens within the city premise. 

Further Adventures of LIttle Missy in Sri Lanka - Down South

Although not as famous as its counterpart, the much bigger South Africa, Sri Lanka has also quite a number of national parks and wildlife safaris for tourists!  Scattered in various parts of the country, each national park is particularly known for seeing certain types of animals.  My mission was LEOPARDS and one of the most popular national park is Yala National Park southwest of Sri Lanka.  Of course, there being only 20-25 leopards in the entire national park, the chance of seeing one is 1 in a million à possibly impossible maybe.  But you never know if you don’t try! 

The journey from Colombo to Yala (or Tissa which is the base for most people) is a long one, however made easier and more comfortable with the new expressway which opened early 2014!  Yes, you can still choose the traditional way of going direct from Colombo to Tissa with the semi-luxury bus (Note, it is NOT luxury at all – no air con, and just a normal public bus that stops along the way).  But with the new expressway, it connects Colombo to Matara non-stop and within 1-1.5H you are at Matara (which is south of Sri Lanka costs LKR500).  From there take a public bus (those semi-luxury costs 150LKR) to Tissa which is 3H away! Total travel time maximum 5H compared to the traditional 8H! And the best part, for the first 1.5H you get the comfort of AC cushioned bus! Although the bus station (Kudewala) is not as central as Peeta bus station, it is not hard to get to.  You could get a bus down in 40min or grab a tuk tuk down.  I was told construction is underway to connect Matara all the way to Tissa with the expressway, that would mean getting down to Tissa in 3H!!!!



Matara Bus Station



The off island temple

At the stop in Matara, there’s a small temple island that’s connected to mainland with a hanging bridge.  When I was there, the waves were really strong and wind was blowing so hard that even walking along the bridge, I felt like I was gonna be blown away anytime! And I’m like 50kg with a 3kg pack on my bag.  I probably wouldn’t recommend anyone below 45kg to attempt that walk unless you have supervision J That temple is nothing to shut about and the fact that donation is enforced made me uncomfortable.  Donation should be voluntary, but upon entering, the guy will hold out his hand to make you donate.  I said later and when I got up top to the Buddha statue, another guy was standing there and pointing to the box to get me to donate.  Then there is another “tollgate” at the top where another guy again blatantly asked me to donate and when I said I already did, he gave me a face…  When I went down to exit, that same guy asked me to donate again and when I told him I did at the top already, he gave me a face too! What’s up with these spiritually people!!! Pissed me off a little. 

Anyway, onto my bus ride to Tissa, was quite uneventful but I was damn lucky.  Met a local guy (seriously forgot his name) who sold his safari and guesthouse to me at a good price!  He was trying to sell me La Safari Hotel for 1500LKR per night (which is a really good price) but when we arrived there, that room was already sold out.  So he took me looking and searching for other GH at the same price! Talk about service!  Finally found one at Mihisara for that price which included WIFI and hot shower which was adequate enough.  The safari I got for 5000 LKR (exclude breakfast).  My tip – to exclude breakfast from any safari tour cos with breakfast the price was like 5800-6000! And what breakfast you get?? Sandwich with cheese and egg + water. Like that will cost me 1000LKR!!!

Anyway the local guy brought me out to dinner at a local place where we had curry + rice.  Was really good and it is buffet style and very local, but when paying up, the local guy told me the owner wanted to charge me foreigner price (350LKR) instead of local price (150LKR) Talk about discrimination!

Most people base themselves in Tissa for Yala trip, it is a cheaper town and not far from Yala.  Of course you could join Yala Safari tours where you stay overnight in Yala itself, but that cost a bomb!  Tissa town is nothing to shut about, really small and nothing much happening there.

 

Next morning, the safari starts real early with a 5am pickup and arriving at Yala at 6am.  FYI, it is 3000LKR for entry into the safari which is always included in the safari tour package.  Entering Yala, you are surrounded with sand and drying/dying trees.  Everything was bone dry!!! It was afterall the dry season.  In the jeep with 7 of us, we raced through the roads in search of bears and leopards.  Well we saw a beer (there are only 10-15 bears), but leopards were hiding from us.  The usual suspects like deers, buffalos, birds, crocodiles!  And elephants too!  The highlight of the trip was witnessing crocodiles hunting a poor little deer right in front of our eyes! AWESOME!  The safari ended at 11am and by the time I got back was dead tired.  But another day is ahead of me.  This day, I arranged with the local guy to bring me around Kataragama and the temples.  He got his cousin DIM to take me around for free! Well I paid for his fuel for the motorbike but basically I paid nothing and got a free guide!

 



The dusty road ahead



The best location in the whole Yala Park!

Stop over at the beach halfway

We rode to Kataragama and visited the famous temples there – Dewalaya and Kiri, Hindu and Buddhist.  Tips to others: Wear socks!  Entering into the temple vicinity requires you to take off your shoes! Which means walking around on hot scorching sand/marble in your bare foot.  Which was the equivalent of walking on hot stones!  Man, my sole hurt so much!!!!  When I went, the celebration just ended the week before.  When the celebration was held, there would be parades and dancing every night at the temples and people would come from all over Sri Lanka and crowd the temples.  Sounds amazing.

Kiri Verda (Buddhist temple)

Entrance to Dewalaya

Lotus for the buddha

 

Visiting the temples you can get a feel of how religious the Sri Lankans are and how much they respect their religion.  There were tons of people there, praying and buying fruits as a form of offering to the gods. And everyone was wearing white! I’m guessing it’s a sign of purity in the eyes of the god.  Also, now I understand why everyone was telling me to visit in the mornings or evenings (although I couldn’t quite understand why not afternoon) because the ground/floor will be super hot from the sun in the afternoon!

After Kataragama temples, we went to Wadasiti Kanda, which is 2km away from the temples.  You could take a tuk tuk there or walk (it’ll be a long walk though).  I was told that it’s just a walk up the mountains to the temple, but lo and behold it was a climb! And I told myself I’m not gonna take another hike again after Adam’s peak! It was 4km uphill all the way and steps all the way up!  When I said about how devoted they are, it was also apparent by the fact that they all, young, old, able-bodied or crooked knees, would willingly take that hike up to pay their respects!  I saw old ladies possibly 50-60 years old, climbing without aid up, although with a bit of trouble, but still went up!  I’m not saying it’s easy climb or hard, but 4km all up the stairs, not something that is to be taken lightly.  And you see little kids do the same! And most of them did the climb barefooted! Just walking on the rough steps and stones like it was nothing!  And also beware of those terrible monkeys waiting to attack!  One monkey attacked a little girl and scratched her head!

The steps on wadasiti

So it was 1 h later we reached the top.  The temple is nothing to marvel about and yes, you have to take off your shoes and walk barefoot in the vicinity.  But the view up there is pretty amazing! You can see the entire Yala National Park from up top!  It was super hot in the late afternoon and yes almost impossible to walk barefoot so I guess that was why I was told to go in the morning not afternoon…

After the climb we had a little snack of prata with sambal!  Their prata is made of coconut + breadcrumbs, very interesting combination! And you can really taste the shredded coconut in it! And the sambal reminds me of how we used to eat prata with sambal as well!  Nice!  And of cos in Sri Lanka EGB (Elephant Ginger Beer) is a must try!  The ads are everywhere – No ECG No Food! So of course I had to try and I must say it really tasted like beer with real ginger in it!  The ginger taste is very strong, which I like, and the combination is very refreshing!

That night, I basically concussed till the next morning.

Sithulpawa temple – Had no idea that temple existed and had no plans when I initially wanted to go Yala, but a talk with my counterpart in Colombo office revealed this beautiful temple set in a beautiful environment!  And I just had to visit!  With DIM, we travelled the 34km from Tissa (took almost 1H).  The road started off smooth and easy as we passed through Yala National Park (looking and trying to spot leopards Haha), then it was dirt road all the way for half the journey.  The dirt road is not bumpy but just dusty with bumps cutting the smooth road every 3minutes.  Along the way, we stopped at a temple with a nice view for some photo taking.

The lake at Sithulpawa temple - there are crocodiles in it

 

At Sithulpawa temple, there are 2 temples.  The temples are built on top of 2 separate hills and ladies, you are required to cover up your torso (at least the legs).  Short sleeves are ok, but no sleeveless.  I was wearing bermudas to my knees but was deemed indecent, so had to wrap myself up with a white cloth (FOC, Dim had to deposit his ID as collateral).  But seriously, I don’t think that white cloth helped.  The wind was so strong it was blowing it apart anyways.

It’s a hill, so it was a short walk up the first temple, and yes barefoot please!  The view up there is really amazing!  You have a huge lake down at the bottom and all the jungles around.  The opposite temple is a little higher up and the trek up is alittle longer but nice!  And from up there, the wind is really really strong that you have to be careful not to lose your footing!

I jump

The area is not so big, you’ll be done in about 1H, and then it’s time to go.  Passing through Yala National Park again, we saw groups of deers running around and hiding from us. 

Then it was time to travel back and leave the country.  The bus from Tissa to Matara comes very frequently (every 5-10 minutes) so no worries about the schedule.  Upon arriving back in Colombo at Kaduwela bus station, I was told initially to take a bus to somewhere close to my hotel in Colombo so I don’t have to spend much on taxi/tuk tuk.  Who knew that bus was not running to that destination anymore when I arrived at 6pm.  After some confirmation, a couple of local bus driver took me onto their bus to drop me off somewhere else to catch another bus that was supposed to take me to where I was heading.  Who knew that bus was NOT going there and I was caught in a situation where the conductor spoke NO English.  Luckily, a local guy spoke pretty good English and after finding out where I wanted to go, told me where to get off and got off with me to catch the other bus to the city center for me.  That was very nice of him to help me in that way!  He caught me the bus to near Hilton Colombo (I think it was bus 190 or something) which was just a 5min walk to my hotel!  That was pretty cool! 

It was a long and tiring day, also having to wait for the red-eye flight at the airport with nothing much to do and no WIFI.

Overall impression of Sri Lanka – Nope, it is not the cheapest place for tourism.  Local buses are cheap, and street food is pretty inexpensive.  But tourism in terms of visiting attractions and guesthouses are not the cheapest (You pay much less in Thailand for accommodation of backpackers’ standards).  A trip to safari alone costs at least 5000 LKR (almost SGD50) and my trip to Adam’s Peak cost me a bomb! Food can be pretty inexpensive for snacks, but a proper curry and rice meal I paid SGD3.50 for (yes it is buffet style but how much can you really eat) which is not exactly very cheap.  Of course, the locals eat for SGD1.50, now that is cheap!  But the people are in general really nice and helpful (except for those scammers in Colombo who always try to get you to visit the Gem exhibition which seems to be forever ongoing and forever “last 3 days” and forever elephants parade at Gangarama Temple).  Otherwise, I met really nice and helpful people along the way (some people said that was because I was a female travelling alone).  The place is clean and not cluttered, nothing like what India is about.  Sure, infrastructure could do with some improvements to cut down the travelling time between places and that is on the way.  If you don’t take local buses, private cars are expensive and yes it also reduces travelling time but really expensive.  I was told you have to obtain some kind of permit in order to self-drive and how long that takes is a mystery.  Worth a visit!  Will I be back? I don’t know, there are so many other places and countries to visit!