Tuk-tuk tour
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I got up nice
and early to have breakfast and to try to arrange a trip to Matara
(pronounced MAH-tra), the next sizeable town eastwards along the coast. It
turned out to be an easy enough task, thanks to the
three-wheeler owners' association directly across the road,
who had an arrangement with the hotel and an agreement to
charge according to a negotiated rates card. So shortly
after enjoying my poached eggs and remembering to move my
feet periodically to scare off the squirrels, I set off from
my room towards the hotel's great front door. The room boy
was working next door at the time and hurried out to ask if I liked
elephants. "Er, it depends what you mean," I stumbled,
puzzled by the question. "Sir,
I know how to make elephants. If you like, I would be very
happy to make one for you." I agreed, without having any
clear idea what it was that I had just verbally signed up to. |
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ABOVE:
My transport of delight - a local tuk-tuk |
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 Moments
later I was enjoying the delights of a leisurely ride in a
tuk-tuk. It turned out to be a great tour. The first stop
was the impressive Buddhist temple at nearby Kathaluwa,
parts of which date from the 13th century. I was
particularly impressed with the artwork and colourful
statuary. While there was plenty of evidence of continuing
restoration work, there seemed to be a complete lack of
visitors, apart from myself. At around 10am, perhaps it was
still a little early.
We negotiated the narrow, winding lanes back to the main
Koggala - Matara road and turned left. Although the tuk-tuk
was never intended to be the fastest mode of transport, the
breeze generated was enough to have a cooling effect after my
sweltering visit to the temple.
 Some
30km of low-speed driving later, with plenty of opportunity
to observe local life along the way, we arrived in the town of Matara. |
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BELOW: Kathaluwa
Purwarama Temple, near Koggala Lake |
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The first stop in Matara was at the so-called Star
Fort, built by the Dutch during their period of rule in Sri Lanka.
It was completed in 1765.
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RIGHT:
The Star Fort at Matara, an important part of the island's
Dutch legacy |
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RIGHT:
Typifying the cartoon-style artwork at Weherehena, the Devil
arrives to remonstrate with the Lord Buddha and to try to
prevent two of his own followers from switching allegiance |
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Next, we drove the
relatively short distance to Weherehena, home to the famous
underground temple complex, featuring one of the largest
Buddha statues in Sri Lanka. I was given a tour of the
subterranean corridors, most of which were lined with
paintings in a curious cartoon style that was not really to
my taste. I eventually re-emerged into the daylight, next to
the giant Buddha statue itself. This was impressive because
of its sheer size, but again, not necessarily on account of
any artistic merit. Towards the end of my visit, the guide
asked me whether I liked the Buddhist religion, to which I
replied that I really knew very little about it. Sensing his
disappointment, I added that any Buddhists I had ever
encountered seemed peace-loving and inwardly happy, and for
that reason I respected his religion. That seemed to do the
trick: he bowed, clasped my hand and thanked me. I wondered
briefly whether I might have missed out on a possible career in
international diplomacy. It had been an interesting visit, but the older
temple at Kathaluwa had been more to my liking. |
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It was then time to head back
to The Fortress, with just a couple of photo stops for
coastal views, including wooden poles left by the famous
stilt fishermen. I was back at base by 1:30pm. The whole
thing, including a generous tip, set me back the equivalent
of GBP22.50 - not bad for 3.5hrs worth of transport and the
services of a driver / guide! I had lunch at Pepper,
but not before discovering that - as promised - I had an
elephant in my room, carefully constructed from towels and
beautifully presented.
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LEFT:
Evidence of the fishing industry, including the famous stilt
fishermen |
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RIGHT:
The room boy may have got a little bit carried away. Bless! |
I spent the afternoon lazing around in a similar
manner to the previous day: sitting out on my balcony reading and
listening to the ocean waves crashing onto the sands, then
occasionally retreating indoors to listen to some music and cool
off. There was a Manager's Cocktail Reception at 6:30, giving me the
opportunity to sample the hotel's signature cocktail featuring the
local spirit Arak. Following a similar pattern to the previous
evening, I had dinner at Pepper. On this occasion, however,
I had time to fit in a movie back in my room. As bedtime approached,
I was happy that it had been a most excellent day.
Moments
later I was enjoying the delights of a leisurely ride in a
tuk-tuk. It turned out to be a great tour. The first stop
was the impressive Buddhist temple at nearby Kathaluwa,
parts of which date from the 13th century. I was
particularly impressed with the artwork and colourful
statuary. While there was plenty of evidence of continuing
restoration work, there seemed to be a complete lack of
visitors, apart from myself. At around 10am, perhaps it was
still a little early.
Some
30km of low-speed driving later, with plenty of opportunity
to observe local life along the way, we arrived in the town of Matara.
