Yet another tedious bus journey from Udawalawe to Embilipitya, and finally onto Tangalle. Tangalle is a popular beach side town and a regionally important fishing port. As Chris and I walked away from the central town towards the beach there appeared to be a lot of accommodation to choose from. Firstly we stopped off at a brand new guesthouse with a couple of decent reviews on TripAdvisor. The room at 'Ocean Voyage' was everything we needed, so we did not hesitate to accept the room for a couple of nights. Additionally it was about 50 metres from the beach. So we were straight into our swimmers and off to explore.
The beach wasn't the most beautiful but it was a comforting feeling to have the sand back between our toes. We meandered along the beach until we reached the harbour. A curious fisherman approached us and was interested to know where we were from. Finding out we were from Europe, he continued to tell us about his tragic experience during the 2004 Tsunami. Despite surviving the catastrophic disaster, by clinging onto a coconut tree, he did not consider himself lucky. His life had been turned upside down forever as he sadly lost his family, home, and fishing boat. Regardless of his incredibly touching story, he was not out to gain our sympathy, it was quite the opposite. He was keen to make clear his gratuity to Europe for replacing his fishing boat, allowing him to continue to work and earn a living. Without a doubt both Chris and I were especially moved by his story. It was also refreshing to hear that money raised for such events does actually reach those in need. He was the first person to have spoken to us about the Tsunami and his story will have a lasting memory. We walked away feeling lucky to have met him and for his enlightenment.
Our walk took us to a beach on the other side of the harbour where the locals were enjoying the day off (a festival day). I couldn't believe my eyes, seeing swarms of locals splashing around in the water. But it was delightful to see their appreciation of the beach as well. Needless to say the crowds were unappealing so we went in search of a less busy option.
A couple of kilometres along the coast we found a quiet beach, with just a few locals and tourists. The downside was that the coastal road ran right along side the beach. This attracted coach loads of Chinese tourists who stopped off for a photo opportunity. On the positive side, this meant that there was a small hotel serving a reasonably priced buffet lunch. Rather than having to pay for overpriced western food served on the beachfront.
Fed and hydrated we found a spot on the sand to lay down and relax in the sun. With the festival day on and no school, there was a group of local teenage boys lingering around the beach, seemingly bored and up to mischief. After hassling another western couple on the beachfront they proceeded over to us. I shut my eyes but this did not stop them taking a seat next to Chris and trying their luck. After a long friendly conversation they finally got to the point and asked for money, or if we could buy them beer. They meant no harm but as always the begging leaves a sour taste in our mouths. Eventually they got bored and moved on.
As the early evening approached we packed up our belongings and walked back towards the town. We couldn't help but notice numerous derelict buildings along the coastline. We could only assume they had been destroyed in the 2004 Tsunami.
Blind sighted by the 'seafood pizza' sign outside of our guesthouse, we decided to eat dinner with them. Being cautious we ordered one small pizza and a fish dish. We couldn't quite believe our eyes when the pizza was placed on the table. It was no bigger than my hand and contained barely a scattering of seafood. We were definitely right to be cautious and found the situation quite funny. Consequently we were not full, so went in search of something small. Thankfully we found a hotel serving hoppers, but it was probably the most grotty and unclean hotel we had been to. Stupidly I agreed to sit down rather than takeaway and quickly regretted it. It was a relief to be out of there and we munched on some chocolate biscuits back in the room, to satisfy ourselves from a disastrous evening of food!

We hired a moped for the day, and after a filling rice and curry for breakfast we set off along the coastal road. Our plan had been to follow the coastal road to reach Kudawella and check out the beaches along the way. However, our plan was soon altered due to a barricade of village protestors blocking the road. With no way through I was forced to navigate us through the narrow, non tarmacked, horribly dusty roads. After a few wrong turns we eventually appeared back on the main road and found our way to a blow hole in Kudawella.
A new experience for both us, the blow hole is quite the attraction in the area. One man's job is to stand by the blow hole all day and inform visitors when to get their cameras ready! But a good job he was there, as otherwise I don't think we would have stayed so long. We must have watched for about 45 minutes, as every so often a large amount of water was pushed through the blow hole. At some points reaching 10 metres high! It was pretty cool.
We continued west along the coastal road to a small town called Dikwella. Disappointingly the beach didn't look particularly inviting so we decided to venture back.
We ended up buying chicken and rice to takeaway and tucked into it with our hands on 'Goyambokka' beach. This beach had been recommended to us by our guesthouse and it soon became clear why - this was where all the tourists were! Locals seem to think that tourists all want to be together. It was a nice beach, just a few too many people for our liking. But considering the time we decided to chill there for the remainder of the day.
We didn't venture far for our dinner and ended up eating at 'Leshana', across the road from our guesthouse. It was a small restaurant, run by a friendly local family. The mum gave us a good price for a whole grilled fish, including rice and vegetables. Knowing it would probably take a little while to prepare, Chris and I decided to play some cards. The owner's young son was very curious and keen to practice his English with us. After chatting away we invited him to play 'Poo head' with us (we had to make the name 'child friendly'!). Although he had never played before, we managed to communicate the game to him in basic English, and (with a helping hand from the two of us) he even managed to win both times! Our dinner was wonderful and a million times better than the previous evening.

Backpacks packed, we walked to the town centre, grabbed some takeaway egg and vegetable rottis, a cold milo, and then jumped on a bus heading west...