It’s been a hiatus, I would say. Started with Japan blogs but stopped at day 4. My book readings have been a bit on the slower side owing to office work and other commitments. Anyway, I am back with a new blog – hope readers will find it interesting and engaging. This time it’s a travel blog and about Sri Lanka. Friends, Beaches, Chatters, and Sri Lanka.
Well, the talks, plans, and deciding the dates – all started around Jan ’26. To continue our yearly reunion trip. Dates need to suit everyone; we are 8 in total. USA, Middle East, Singapore, Bangalore, and Odisha – we are all scattered, need to make plans for flights, transit hops, hotels, resorts – we zeroed in on May ’26 as our friend from America is on his yearly vacation, and the date should be towards the last week of May. Yes, it’s hotter, drier – so what, that’s not important; that’s a soft trade-off for the times we will spend together. The dates are struck out and locked – leaves are booked on the calendar – we are going. Now, LOL, LOL – what’s the place? Again – not important at all. Can be anywhere as long as we don’t spend too much time on the flight, train, or bus.
This all started in 2022. Covid was shedding its ferocity a bit. I was in India. I don’t remember how, but we just spoke on a conference call and decided to go somewhere together to release the anxieties and stresses of all the travel restrictions and Covid confinements. That call is vivid in my memories, and it did wonders. A yearly reunion trip to somewhere.
Pondicherry (2022). Sikkim (2023) . Kerala (2025).
???? (2026)
The big question? Naah – unimportant. But still, some place we need to decide. Not sure who, but someone said: Why not someplace outside of India and, at the same time, not have to spend too much time on transportation?!! – Here comes Sri Lanka. So, 27th May, Sri Lanka. Wednesday it is.
Now, the flights, transit hops, resorts, hotels, local transport – planning needs to be initiated. Alas, comes the West Asia war – friends from the Middle East and USA are not sure of the flights, the dates, the routes, and the exorbitant flight fares. We are “not at all” sure of the plan now – if needed, we have to postpone, no choice. Nope! – we will lighten our pockets, but will not let go of the dates and place.
Yes, one of our friends from the Middle East had to cancel owing to the uncertainties, and another one from Bangalore owing to other commitments. Show must go on – the promise has to be kept, the memories need to be created – somewhere amidst chatters and smiles.
So again it is – 27th May, Sri Lanka. Wednesday. Now the plan again. Skyscanners, Agodas, ChatGPTs – sprang into action… LOL.
Flights:
Odisha : Bhubaneswar > Bangalore > Colombo (2 Hrs+ with a overnight stay in Bangalore + <1.5 hrs)
Bangalore: Bangalore > Colombo (< 1.5 Hrs)
USA: California > Bangalore > Colombo (can’t count the hours.. LOL)
Singapore: Singapore > Colombo (3.5 Hours)
Itinerary in Sri Lanka :
27th-28th May: Bentota. Resort: Thalla Bentota.
28th-30th May: Galle. Resort: Tarataruga
30th-31st May: Colombo. Hotel: Nippon.
Transportation in Sri Lanka:
After much thought over trains, buses, Ubers, and private day-hires, we decided on a van (10-seater) for a full 5-day hire, emptying our pockets by <38000 INR. I would say we could have got it a bit cheaper, but as we are on a split-expenses mode, didn’t choose much of a hassle and hired the van straight from the airport. We could have planned on trains and local buses – but in that case, we would have spent more time on the road than at the destination. If you are planning, I suggest you do a bit more research and explore all options.
Visa:
For Indian nationals, an ETA (Electronic Authorization) needs to be applied before travelling via Sri Lankan Government Site. The process is fully online and super quick (filling up to approval for me took < 15 minutes). The form asks travel dates, passport and hotel details. The approval is for 30 days from the day of arrival and extendible upon request. Zero charges applied.
Now, as all set. Colombo > Bentota > Galle > Colombo. Here we come.
27th May
Landed at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at around 11:15 AM Sri Lankan Standard Time (SLST). Please note that SLST and IST share the same offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+5:30), making them identical in terms of the hours and minutes displayed on clocks. I was travelling on SriLankan Airlines. My experience was good; it’s a decent airline with on-time operations. I was served refreshing drinks, a nice meal with milk rice and sea fish, and, to wash it down, a fruit juice. Seats were comfortable. To top it up, I was fortunate to be assigned an emergency window seat offering bigger leg space.
My flight was a 9:45 AM SGT flight to Colombo, a journey of around 3 hr 45 mins, landing at 11:15 AM SLST. Had a plain dosa at Changi Airport (Singapore) for breakfast; my flight was from Terminal 3. As usual, the airport experience was surreal and smooth, with an automated face-scan immigration process. Security screening was quick. Check-in to arrival gate overall took <30 mins. I was carrying a cabin-sized trolley and a Nike drawstring bag. Checked in the trolley.
So, landed at 11:15 AM SLST in Colombo. Immigration and baggage collection were quick. Can’t wait to meet them all. By the way, all my friends were scheduled to reach at 10:30 AM SLST. So I was the last one. I walked out of the airport and met my friends at the waiting area. What a moment! After almost a year, we were together again and at a new place. Can’t wait to hop on the van and hit the roads.
As I said, we had decided to hire a van. It was comfortable, air conditioning was on full blast, and the driver’s name was Herath. Garrulous – this is the right word. Life, office, family, bitches & beaches, almost everything – exploded like a jammed water pipe. Wow – a release from monotony, an escape from the mundane – I can say, to start with.
We were on our way to Bentota. It’s a 2-hour journey, and Bentota is known as a resort town. On the way, we had lunch at a roadside food court – a Sri Lankan non-veg thali. I will never forget how spicy-hot the stir-fried mushroom-coconut dish was. And we were lucky to see Varun Chakravarthy holidaying there.
4 PM. Amidst all the chatters & laughs, we arrived at our resort to a rapturous welcome (exaggerated) – welcomed with an orange/watermelon juice, a drummer, a fish pond, and some smiling staff. WOOAH – the resort is literally on the sea, just maybe 20 metres away from the beach. The property is super huge, gigantic. We quickly settled into our rooms, 2 rooms with an occupancy of three in each. We were 6 in total. Choosing rooms didn’t matter – anyway, we would be in the same room for most of the time… LOL.
Almost immediately, it started raining. After having a quick snack, we jumped into the swimming pool, a temperature-controlled one. Incessant rain made it a bit livelier – we jumped, swam like teens in their 20s; no, like kids in their 10s! All drenched and wet, we headed to the beach to lounge there. We soaked ourselves in happiness and sand. Snapped some pics. The rain stopped, and the sun emerged from the clouds – we were mesmerized by the setting sun. The weather was cooler.
After spending almost 2 hours between the pool and the sea, we headed to our rooms. The staff were nice enough to offer us beach towels. On the beach, one of our friends played volleyball with local Sri Lankans.
7 PM, we headed to the nearby small town for a bit of a stroll, some dinner, and a few drinks. Ordered some dinner takeaways from a local shop (+ requesting them to make it non-spicy, riding on the experience at the highway food court), picked up some essentials from the local grocery shop, and bought a few drinks from a nearby store.
The chatters continued till late in the night, and we slept – not sure who was in which room!
28th May
A leisurely late-morning wake-up from the slumber! Quick showers everywhere. In shorts, comfy pants & beach half-sleeves, headed to the breakfast room. No, that’s not the right word – it was a breakfast arena and a world in itself! 100s of dishes, bakeries, fresh-made items, local delicacies, and foreign cuisines. And to wash it down, another 100s of drinks, from juices, shakes, and coffees to lemonades. “Not-So-Foody” me zeroed in on some pancakes, a fish curry, some veggies, and a juice. Later, an Americano to get charged up for the day.
Next destination is Galle. On the way, we visited a turtle sanctuary/rehabilitation center – ticket price was around 8 USD. We saw some baby sharks, and we didn’t sing “shark-doo-doo” though, because there was no respite from the chatterbox we were carrying… LOL.
Next on the way was Madu River Safari. The Madu River Boat Safari is a serene journey through lush mangroves, small islands, and rich wildlife. We enjoyed the boat ride; tickets for 6 were around 25,000 LKR. Went to Cinnamon Island, savored cinnamon tea, and bought some refreshing inhalers. Visited Buddha temples on the island, and even noticed a school built by Sri Lankans abroad for underprivileged kids, along with a statue of Sanghamitta (Ashoka’s daughter), who travelled to the island to spread Buddhism.
3 PM. Headed to Galle. Famished without lunch, could not find (read – “could not decide on”) a restaurant on the way (it’s not like there were no restaurants – there were too many preferences from the 6 of us… LOL). Famished & badgered, reached the Galle Fort area at around 5 PM. We alighted and headed to the nearby food street. All over the world, no one sells lunch at 5 PM. A kind elderly couple with three chairs and a small table offered us lunch (or whatever that is called at 5 PM) – coconut rotti, fish curry, a few plates of rice, and a sumptuous daal (in Sri Lanka, it’s called “Rice & Curry” meals). We were rescued by those kind souls. The eatery’s name was “Hide-Out” – a hidden treasure hunt for six famished flesh-and-blood souls, literally.
We took a stroll around the area – noticed half of the shops were selling gems & jewellery, the other half food, drinks & souvenirs.
Reached our resort, not as good as Bentota’s resort (can’t be, as Galle is one of the biggest cities in Sri Lanka, plus the per-night price was half of Bentota’s. So who told you destiny is not fair? – it is – always – the question is sooner or later. Philosophical me on a beach in Galle and without the drinks, of course!)
Quick showers, again. We were on Unawatuna Beach. Strolled and ambled. Some refreshing drinks, a live band, some seafood, and later some hard-core Indian food after begging them not to close the shop until we had our dinner. It was rainy and quiet in Unawatuna. The music was soothing; we were happy and smiling.
We headed to our room. We were going to Yala Safari tomorrow, and we would start early as we had promised Herath, our driver.
And this is not what we did all through the day. We talked to each other. About everything, literally.
29th May
Yala, Galle, and some more blabbers on the itinerary today. Promises are kept, and most of the time they are broken. And we were on the wrong side of it.
We woke up at 8 AM and were at the breakfast room by 9:30 AM (this time it was not an arena). And in the van by 10 AM. We broke the promise to Herath, the driver. Herath was not angry, not even a bit – he was happy that we were all smiles. Without an apology. Just a nudge sufficed.
We headed to Yala National Park – Yala Safari.
This is, in fact, the first time we saw rural Sri Lanka. I would say it’s clean, not-so-crowded, away from the bustle of the big cities (though I found Galle laid-back). Locals are welcoming, streets are wider, greenery everywhere – a picturesque landscape you would imagine on an island nation. Sri Lanka turned that imagination into reality – 100%.
On the way, we had some coffee and sodas. Bought some water bottles – prices are much cheaper than in Galle or Bentota town. Saw some barbed wires (connected to electricity when needed – not all the time) to fend off wild animals.
We reached Yala and were deciding on the safari vehicle. 75,000 > 73,000 > 68,000 > 70,000 LKR – the bargaining spree started and didn’t seem to end. It ended with insistence from all of us, and we were the ones who were bargaining! Ironic… LOL.
It’s 70,000 LKR – alas! We had no cash with us, sparing barely some 10K. How to pay now? Luckily, the cards worked, and we were on a Mahindra Safari Jeep.
We entered Yala National Park.
A piece of advice – while in Sri Lanka, carry some cash (especially for small shops, towns, and markets). Thank me later! Cards work in malls, fine-dining restaurants, hotels, resorts, etc. – not an issue. Even UPI works in some places.
Yala presented us with some baby elephants, deer, peacocks, and flamingos. Oh, not to forget the crocodiles. We were in the safari at around 2 PM, so other wild animals were having their afternoon nap.
The thrilling moment was when a baby elephant approached our safari jeep! We skipped a heartbeat or two for sure… LOL.
5 PM – famished and a repeat of Galle – a late lunch. This time, our safari jeep driver, in his 50s I suppose, recommended a nice local restaurant. “Rice and Curry” for me – rice, daal, lake fish, and veggies – sumptuous.
No cash here; cards accepted – not an issue.
Back to Galle. The chatterbox served us throughout the journey. We were back in Galle by 8 PM. We alighted at the Galle Fort area. Walked and roamed around for an hour. Took some pics and had some ice creams.
Headed to our rooms and skipped our dinners.
30th May
Colombo – it is today. Days are running fast.
We woke up early. Herath was happy. Dosa, fish curry, some fruits, and a coffee. I was full.
We headed to Colombo at around 9 AM. Uneventful journey. On the way, we all had coffee and some refreshments at the highway food court – I suppose it’s the same place we visited on our first day in Sri Lanka.
Had lunch in an Indian restaurant upon reaching Colombo at around 2:30 PM – daal khichdi for me. Hotel at around 3 PM. Our hotel was a standard one, not like the ones we had in Galle and Bentota. The location was awesome – Union Place, which is on the ramparts of downtown Colombo.
Herath’s home was just 30 minutes away from the hotel – on his request, we relieved him early for the day to meet him later tomorrow.
4 PM. Decided to go for a bit of street shopping. 30th May was a public holiday in Sri Lanka – Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day. We were told most of the shops might be closed. Roads looked festive. From processions on the roads to decorations on display and free food stalls everywhere – Colombo looked beautiful.
However, we chose to go for some street shopping with whatever options we had – we chose Pettah Market. We pondered over walking to the market – were too tired to walk almost 3 km, so decided to hire an auto rickshaw (tuk-tuk). Please note that Bajaj auto rickshaws are rampant in Sri Lanka – you see those plying on the roads everywhere.
The rickshaw charged us around 300 LKR for 3 km, and even the driver offered us the return journey if we wanted. We informed him that we would need some time – he was free to take other passengers.
Pettah Market was not so crowded. Given the festival, half of the shops were closed. However, we managed to buy some gifts and souvenirs – a leather duffle bag, a few fridge magnets, and a purse for my wife. I believe I got a good bargain – in total, 7,500 LKR.
Bargains are never satisfying, though – the satisfaction holds true until someone pokes you with, “You could have got it cheaper”… LOL!
Post shopping, we headed to the nearby train station – Fort Railway Station, Colombo. It was neat, and ticket prices were unbelievably cheap – a Class 2 ticket cost just 500 LKR to Galle! Wish we could have spent more time on the train.
If you have ample time to spend in Sri Lanka, I bet you should have a look at the train option. Could not proceed to the platforms as you need to have a valid ticket to enter.
Buses were crowded – the old Lanka Ashok Leylands. Sometimes, during the trip, I felt this country has surely progressed in terms of modern amenities, etc., while holding on to the uniqueness of its vibes – this is rare, and this is where you connect to a city.
I connected with Colombo – and overall, the south of Sri Lanka – distinct vibes and ambience.
Of course, downtown Colombo is a must-visit. Another auto rickshaw, and we were there – nice beaches and crowds everywhere. It was crowded because of the festival. Ice creams and street food were on offer. Some makeshift children’s play areas were selling tickets.
We sat down to have a breather and to thank Sri Lanka with all our hearts. I looked at the long coastline and found myself lost in reverie – beautiful days, nice people, and hospitable Sri Lankans.
Anyway, we headed to the hotel at around 8 PM to have some refreshing drinks and ordered dinner from the restaurant below.
And we slept.
31st May
Okay, all good things come to an end, and we were there. Woke up really early at around 6 AM – needed to be at the airport by 9:30 AM. Quick showers again and then breakfast at the hotel.
In this trip, for all the resorts and hotels we booked, we chose the breakfast option – we didn’t need to waste time searching for food in the morning. This really helped us.
One last time, some tips to the staff, some goodbyes, and with our driver-cum-friend Herath, we headed to the airport. Reached there at around 9:30 AM. We had separate flights at 11:30 AM, 12:15 PM, and 12:30 PM. I was to come back to Singapore.
Hugged each other and thanked Herath. A hesitant goodbye from all of us to Sri Lanka. I promised Herath that I would come back for sure – that’s Sri Lanka’s tourism tagline: “Sri Lanka – You’ll Come Back for More.”
Entry Security > Check-in > Immigration = we are inside the airport.
A last-minute airport shopping spree for me included a Sri Lanka T-shirt and identical T-shirts for the kids. Lots of shops inside the airport – food, teas, garments, coffee, electronics, liquors, and everything!
Yeah, that’s it, with another round of goodbyes to my friends. We will meet soon, next year, and at some other place. Unimportant is the place; important is to meet and talk. Talk endlessly – because during those 5 days, we talked and talked, defied logic, monotony took a back seat, happiness was evident, and we slept like babies with no baggage to carry.
We smiled in our dreams. We laughed out loud. We defied logic.
Thank you, Sri Lanka!
Okay, that’s the end to my blog – Please do refer the website to your friends. I will be encouraged.
Be happy, always!
