Deniyaya to Galle – Leas visit To Sri Lanka Part 4

Galle and Ambalangoda

The bus ride from Deniyaya to Galle was a wild one. When we drove with Sanath, it was very enjoyable and calm. On the bus, it felt like going on a ride at an amusement park. Back and forth, taking the corners fast, we were totally shocked.
>We had to collect ourselves once we arrived in Galle, sitting in stillness for a few minutes before we continued to our accommodation in Unawatuna. It was a nice family-run place, we got the top floor and had a nice view overlooking palm trees and a peek of the water. There was a small beach very close by.

That night, we took a tuk-tuk to visit Unawatuna Beach. It was very busy! A lot of tourists are enjoying the beach, roasting themselves like rotisserie chickens.
I had my first swim in the ocean that night, too, which was refreshing.

Snorkeling excursion at Jungle Beach.

The next day, I had booked a solo snorkeling excursion at Jungle Beach.
>I met the guide at the beach near our accommodation, and he took me to Jungle Beach, where I jumped off the boat and snorkelled along the shoreline, seeing many beautiful reef fish. I took my GoPro with me, but I haven’t properly reviewed the footage 😅 or analyzed the fish species!

Something to do in my downtime at home.

That afternoon, after I regained my strength, we decided to go over to Jungle Beach to see what it was all about; it looked like there was much less commotion there than at Unawatuna Beach.
Grandma and I began our walk, which we didn’t realize would be so strenuous going up hill!
Luckily, our tuk-tuk driver from the night before came to our rescue. Grandma was very grateful. He told us that Jungle Beach was his village, and he was very excited to take us to his beloved beach. This place, he explained, was very significant because there is a local legend that Hanuman, from the Ramayana, dropped a chunk of the Himalayas here while searching for a healing herb, making it a sacred site. There was also a small temple and a peace pagoda there, which we visited.

We enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere at Jungle Beach. There is something very charming about it, and it’s a lovely walk through a small forested area to reach the beach.

The Seafood Dinner

That evening, we were interested in having a nice seafood dinner. I searched online, but little did we know that we would be in for a real treat.
We walked along the busy road to find the restaurant in question, and as we walked by a fresh fish stand, the gentleman asked if we were looking for a restaurant. He informed us that we would choose from the selection on display, everything you could imagine out of the Laccadive Sea. We were immediately drawn to the prawns, and he scooped out 2 kilos for us, which were taken to the kitchen and prepared.

He then brought us to a table right at the beachfront, where some fisherman were returning with their day’s catch of mackerel. We were very happy to have found this place.

We were enjoying the ambiance when all of a sudden, thunder and lightning crashed and flashed in the distance. But we decided to take the chance and continue our dining experience outdoors. Then suddenly- drop, drop, drop, we thought a few drops won’t hurt us. Eventually, the few drops escalated into a torrential downpour! We had to give in and finish our meal indoors.
Grandma was not very impressed to see the prawn looking at her, now that she could see it in the light😁

I must say, this evening was one of the most memorable of the whole trip. Despite the weather acting against us, we laughed all night long, in high spirits. We trudged through the massive puddles that had formed to get some rest.

The next day, we would head to Ambalangoda.

Our Jungle Beach Driver arrived right on time the next morning to bring us 1 hour up along the coast to Ambolangoda.
It was a very enjoyable ride, with lovely views.

Ambolangoda was much quieter than Unawatuna, which we were very grateful for.
We arrived at our next accommodation, Sena Homestay, which is run by the sweetest family. Sonali immediately welcomed us in with a friendly smile, and we said goodbye to Prabath (our trusted driver for the entire Unawatuna trip) and wished him a safe trip back to Jungle Beach.

The accommodation was only a few steps from the beachfront, so we immediately decided to take a short stroll along the beach.

We were greeted by a few kind gentlemen who ran a small restaurant on the beachfront. The one man, Kalu, who had very impressive dreadlocks, was very accommodating and explained a bit about the beachfront, where it was safe to swim, and told us we were welcome to rest on the lounge chairs along the shore. He was very kind and spoke excellent German as well!

I must say, Ambalangoda had the best waves. I really enjoyed splashing and body-surfing in the waves; I felt like a child again.

We were very pleased with the Peacock Beachfront Restaurant; they served delicious juice, which was quite refreshing in the scorching sun, and we also had a lovely dinner there- this time, without the rain shower.

The next morning, after enjoying the waves and splashing around in the water for a few more hours, Sonali found us a driver to bring us back to Walgama.
This concluded my 3rd week in Sri Lanka.

Back in the village

The next 2 weeks were relatively quiet in the village. The building of Grandma’s house had come along nicely up until this point.

We went to Pilimathalwa, the nearby town, a few times. We visited the spice shop, and what really stood out to me was the massive bundles of cinnamon! It was also interesting to see the various spices, etc laid out on the roadside. This is not something that can be observed in Canada.

We spent our days going for walks around the village, cooking together, and cuddling with the cat. Also chatting with Thusil when he came to visit. There certainly is such a thing as island time; it is very apparent here in Sri Lanka.

We also had the opportunity to visit Embekka Dewalaya, a Hindu temple located in a nearby Village. It was built during the reign of King Vikramabahu III, approximately 1357–1374 CE. (Lankathilake was built approximately a decade or so before, but within the same century, under the reign of different monarchs).

It is arguably one of Sri Lanka’s most culturally and artistically important temples. It is famed for having some of the finest wooden carvings in the world.
This temple contains dozens of intricately carved pillars. The designs we observed included dancers, wrestlers, mythical creatures, birds, and gorgeous floral patterns. Each carving is unique—no two pillars are identical.

The architecture is fascinating as well, showcasing functional design and advanced wooden construction techniques, without the use of nails or modern amenities.
It’s a wonderfully preserved example depicting medieval Sri Lankan temple architecture.