Game drives and life on the big yellow truck

We slept soundly occasionally waking to the faint high pitched laugh of a hienena and other night creatures but thankfully nothing life threatening. After packing down our tent and a quick breakfast of toast, Sean and I left the group and jumped back in our safari van with Michael to seek some animals in the dusk. The sun rose as we searched the plains for lions, leopards and cheetahs, lighting up the entire sky with a vibrant mix of oranges and burning reds, making silloutes of the sprawling trees. We came to a holt, parking behind another car of tourists staring into the grass, when we finally sighted about 6 lady lions soaking up the morning sun. Not much more than a few heads and some ears were visible so after about 15 minutes we decided to head further down the track to spot some more wild and breathtaking game. 

Not much further down the bumpy dirt track we spotted a leopard resting on a branch in a tree. Unphaised by us he just moved from branch to branch finding comfort until he climbed down the tree and we lost sight of him amongst the long grass. It was easy to spend hours gazing and admiring the beauty of these incredible animals and taking in the surreal serrenity of the Serengeti, but before too long we were due back at the gate to meet the bus again. 

Not before one final spot of the 'hippo pool', which was just that! A small lake absolutely striving with the backs of hippos as they made loud groans and splashed about. Michael was very cautious as a girl had previously died in that exact location for getting too close. Despite the nature we see of hippos; that being big, fat lazy water animals, they actually kill more people than any other animal and have a very vicious nature if you get too close. 

With Michael insisting we hope back in the car we did just that, and as we drove off we were thankful when we saw three big ones lurking in a bush extremely close to where we were standing. On a time limit we drove swiftly back to the main entrance of the Serengeti to reunite with the group for good. Farewelling our friend Michael we jumped onboard the large yellow adventure truck and we were assigned seats. 

We then journey back though the plains and up to the top of the crater, driving for around for 4 hours sighting giraffes, zebras and gazelles, we reached our campsite in good time to set up our tents before dark. A meal of rice, chicken and roasted tomatoes later we slipped into our sleeping bags for an early 9pm bed time.

Our alarm sounded at 5, and routinely we unpacked our tent and woke up to a coffee, once the burning fire had boiled the kettle. Two 4 by 4 cars came to collect us as we split into two groups for a morning game drive just after the sun had shed some light. The dark green Land Rover we jumped into were to be filled with the half of the group that we naturally gravitated to who had a brilliant energy. In the front seat we had Trev, & his girlfriend of ten years behind me, named Vaida. Two friendly Canadians from Yukon County. In the backseat were the two English sisters, Holly & Katie. Katie had done the same tour when she was nineteen & had loved it so much she had to go again! Holly's recent tour hook up & free spirited Melbourne lad, Robbo sat behind Sean, & finally, Nick, a nice guy detective from Nelson Bay who had an undeniable bromance with his fellow Aussie overlander. 

We set off down the side of the crater, which in truth, was actually a 'cyclade,' however the name crater had an simpler ring to it. The wind outside was freezing, & the low lying clouds formed what looked like an incredible waterfall flowing down the side of the mountain. It wasn't long before we spotted a lonely lioness, walking up an embankment in search of food. Heading further down the declining road, it begun to flatten out & the abundance of zebras, wildebeest & gazelle was evident. However, our main prize for this game hunt was the rare, & once critically endangered Black Rhino, which were tragically hunted for the alleged aphrodisiac quality of their horns. With collectors paying poachers over 800,000 USD to get their hands on on. Fortunately, protection has now been enforced, & though still rare & not always spotted, we were optimistic at our chances. After driving past herds of restless elephants, packs of stalking lionesses, & grazing buffaloes, Trev suddenly spotted a lone rhino, enjoying the company of other game. We gazed at him through our binoculars, & he was quite a handsome young specimen. Sean & I mentally ticked off the final member of the 'Big Five,' an aptly named collection of animals that once gave big game hunters the greatest difficulty, by killing them. The five were; Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo & the most recently spotted Rhino. Satisfied, we now headed towards the giant lake in the middle of Ngorongoro - which was awash with a pink tinge thanks to the countless Flamingoes living there & feasting on brown & green algae, which amazingly gives them that delightful pigment. 

We wrapped up the flamingo gazing & headed back towards the exit of the crater. All of a sudden, we spied a collection of other 4 by 4's stopped in one spot. Something big was going on up ahead. As we pulled up closer, we discovered the justified source of all the commotion - a large male lion lying in the middle of the road, cozying up to one of the other lucky trucks. However, it was soon to be us, the fortunate ones. As we edged closer to the action, one of the other two kings slowly trotted over, politely, & generously, spraying the other one who was clearly in a food coma, right in his big ol' lion face with urine. He then continued walking, only to stop right in front of our now questionably safe vehicle. We all rushed to the front & the big fella took each of our breaths away while we snapped as many photos as humanly possible. He then retreated towards the shade casted by one of the other trucks. Still working to catch our breaths, we headed off again. 

Exiting the crater, & getting a group snap at the lookout point, we drove back down the way we came the day before to meet Vee & the bus in a small town & to grab a local lunch. We all rocked up at the 'Mushroom Cafe,' & the food on offer was a choice between beef & rice, chicken & rice, omelette & chips or any of the pastries that lined the cabinet. We settled on two beef & rice with two samosas. The meal wasn't bad, & dirt cheap. The pumpkiny-oniony sauce that accompanied the meal was a highlight. Fed & ready to get back on the road for the few hour journey to Arusha, we chatted to our fellow overlanders about the game plan for that evening. It was a couple of birthdays; firstly Alison, another Canadian gal who was here with her boyfriend, Chad. It was also Jess, a kiwi girl's birthday the next day, and we were to be Farewelling vita, Trev and Nic so a big night was on the cards.

We arrived in Arusha after a smooth bus ride, & pulled into the Masai camp around 5:30. After setting up our tent & a long overdue shower (we hadn't had one since the night in Sharjah!) We dressed & headed straight to the bar for a cold Serengeti lager & a game of pool. Dinner was served at 7:30, & was a full on banquet of pasta salad, coleslaw, sausages, chicken & to my delight - big juicy avocados in a tomato salad. 

Guzzling our booze down we were picked up by 3 cabs at 9:30 sharp. Our driver's name was Happy, her Ma and pa were driving the other two cars! A short ride through Arusha we were all dropped at a pretty tame reggae bar with a live band and a different area for karaoke! After a few hours of jiving to the live music we all headed into the centre of the city to a club. It was a small venue and we all danced and drank the night away! Sean was excited to be able to be buying flasks of spirits straight from the bar! A few too many drinks later we decided to jump in the first cab with Alison and Chad and made it home before two, whilst the rest didn't get in until after 3. 

We were woken at 7 by Vee as we all didn't seem to be moving very quickly that morning! Struggling to find our feet, the group (minus those we had farewelled) clambered on the bus to sit and feel sorry for ourselves for an entire day's drive past sunflower fields and rows upon rows of agave plants. We stopped briefly to pick up some groceries, (for lunches on the road) money, and didn't arrive to our stop-over (not a place of interest just a place to sleep the night) at the white parrot camp site until about 5pm. 

Sean and I were assigned into groups and whilst my group cleaned the truck Sean's cooked us a big serve of spag bowl! Still feeling the effects from the night before we all had an early night only to be woken about midnight. We heard Katie and Holly talking to the police as it had turned out whilst they were sleeping a man had been watching them from beyond the fence, then crawled through a hole and cut open the gauze on their tent. Katie had woken to a hand thumbing around and screamed, he ran off, but not before he stole her IPhone 6. 

Luckily there is a safe on the truck so valuables like money and passports are kept there but phones are needed for alarms! It definitely could have been worse as he was clearly a desperate man with a knife, so we were glad the girls weren't injured. The next morning we didn't get on the road until about half 9 as the girls had to go to the police station and make an official report. The roads change along the way from bumpy dirt roads to semi developed roads. Making a meal out of tinned tuna and wholemeal biscuits on the way, we have just hit traffic coming into Dar es Salaam on a busy street lined with funky furniture for sale, at half 3. It's a bustling coastal city in which we are to spend the night before heading off to Zanzibar island for the next 4 nights! Already in love and blown away by the wildlife in Tanzania, I'm excited to splash the days away at the incredible beaches it has. 

The surreal Serengeti and joining Absolute Africa

The plane arrived on time into Nairobi at 1pm after a five hour flight and we were eager and edgy to get off and bounce right on into Africa! Immigration and customers were a breeze, we payed our $50USD each and had our large visa sicker sealed into our passports, with nothing to declare we walked straight on out the gate... Not before I stuffed our $6000USD into my sports bra for safe keeping, after hearing horror stories of kidnapping and theft. 

We walked across the pedestrian crossing rejecting the many 'taxi men' offers and found a shady spot under the tree, in front of the shuttle buses and the exact location we had arranged for our guide to collect us. Half an hour went by and we were approached by and abrupt and arrogant man 'Sean and Tiffany I am searching'.. Ok yes, he knows our names but couldn't tell us how, or who he was, or what company we had booked from, all he said was 'you need to get in the taxi, you go to Arusha'. 

Truth was that we didn't even know where we were heading to that day, and the fact that he was unable to tell us anything else made me uneasy. He asked us why we didn't trust him in a public area.. But he had the intention to take us somewhere in a taxi that could be very private! We didn't know to trust him and he was unable to convince us otherwise until he called someone and they were finally able to at least give me the name of our tour guide who I had organised to pick us up. 

We hesitantly got in the van along side a man that had also flown on our flight; luckily he was able to explain to us that the shuttle was still picking us up but couldn't come into the airport as it takes too long to go through screening. We were dropped off at a petrol station only 10 minutes from the airport and finally relief rolled over our anxious faces when 'Natashja' walked towards us and helped us with our things into the shuttle. 

Back on the road she introduced herself properly and talked us through what was to happen for the rest of the day! It was nice to be told what to do and not have to be responsible for planning it yourself for once! About 3 hours into the trip we all got off the bus and had to pass through the immigration  into Tanzania! Sean and I were both happy leaving Kenya so quickly as it wasn't covered in our insurance due to its rating reducing to 'reconsider your need to travel'. 

Getting a Tanzanian visa was quick and only approved after showing that you have had the yellow fever shot. As we migrated by food over the boarder, bejewelled ladies aggressively tried to sell us all sorts until we climbed back onto the bus. We drove into Arusha just on dark, we passed busy streets and the occasion 'disco pub' lit up with Christmas lights. Arriving into a gated Masai camp we were relieved to find our tent had already been put up and was waiting solo in the grass for us. We dumped our bags and met Natashja in the bar/restaurant. It was a hug space with funky wall paintings and furniture, complete with a pool table and dim lighting. We were served rice with chicken stew and we ordered some cold local beers. All went down a treat as Natashja got us even more excited about the next 51 days through Africa! Exhausted and satisfied we headed out into the night to find our tent, swiftly jumping in and locking the Mosquitos out. The noises of the night creatures sent us into a deep and well deserved sleep. 

Early the next morning, the alarm rang out to the tune of 6am. Springing out of our brand spanking new sleeping bags, we chucked on some clothes & headed to the camp restaurant for brekky. This consisted of a Spanish omelette, toast & pretty good local coffee. Afterwards, we collected our things & packed down our tent. We headed down to the carpark to be greeted by a smiling Tanzanian man who was to be our driver for the next day & a half. He introduced himself as Michael & he helped load up his Land Cruiser 4 x 4 - a true adventure mobile. 

Excited to get on the road & into the vast African wilderness, our destination was the Serengiti - or 'Endless Plains,' in Swahili. Which we later learned was a befitting title. We passed through two small towns on our way, picking up lunchboxes, fruit & water. After a few hours more driving, stopping at lookout points & blue monkey voyeurism, (some of it unintentionally perverse, as two of the subjects decided to get it on in front of us,) we arrived at the gate of the Serengeti. Passing through, it wasn't long before I shrieked with excitement as a gang of zebras came into view. The beauty of the black & white striped mammals captivated me & had already made my day. Continuing on, we spied a group of Oryx in the distance, there were Gazelles running everywhere, divided into two subspecies - the smaller, striped Thompson's, & larger Grant's. Wildebeest were flocking everywhere you looked. Suddenly, to the right of the vehicle, within the tall trees, appeared a instantly recognisable figure. 'GIRAFFE!' I yelled out as Michael slammed on the brakes. Not only was there this magnificent lady, to the left there were a few more snacking away on shrubbery. Some more photos later, we continued on & reached the official gate where Michael had to fetch passes for us. 

Resuming our adventure after a half hour of walking around, Michael jumped up in the back & put our safari roof up, so as to gain an even better view of the marvels contained in the reserve. We headed off again, down a hill with the wind on our faces. The 'Endless Plains' manifested themselves & the sheer limitlessness of the landscape was awe-inspiring. The giant African elephant appeared in the distance, & if that wasn't exciting enough, a few kilometres later there were another massive herd crossing the road! With a few triumphant snaps, we continued on, spying bat eared foxes, & Sean's personal favourite - the Kuri Bustard. A regal, grey coloured bird that is one of the heaviest flight birds in the world. She ruffled her feathers at us & performed a wee dance with her wings. 

As the sun begun threatening to set on us, & after hours of driving & animal spotting, now including the Black Backed Jackal, a certain type of Jackal, which we learnt mate for life, & that the widows console each other after the death of their partners, Michael realised he was going to the old Ngiri camp, & not the new relocated one. To make matters worse, one of our tyres had a slow puncture & had started to deflate a few kilometres back. This required immediate action & Michael changed the tyre as quick as possible, not before discovering that the opposite tyre had been punctured too! Luckily, it wasn't as bad & he assured us we could make it to the campsite before it deflated to the point of serious concern. He was more concerned about the dangerous animals that lurked after dark. The sun indeed slowly set which was a bittersweet sight to behold. The sweet being the sheer magnificence of the lights over the Savannah sky, the bitter being the fact that we would have to pitch our tent, which we still hadn't done, in the dark. 

Driving back the way we came started to become treacherous as ravenous Hyenas were gathered in the middle of the road, a notorious human-shredding hippo ran across our path, & Sean spotted a crocodile on the side of the road that slinked back into the lake. After a few wrong turns & asking camp staff for directions, we finally made it to the poorly signposted Ngiri Camp. Getting out of the vehicle, we met our tour leader, V. A young, energetic gal from Zimbabwe. She welcomed & informed us that our tent had already been erected for us which brought on a simultaneous massive sigh of relief. We got our bags & sleeping arrangements sorted, & sat down in front of the giant yellow bus that would be home for the next several weeks, to meet our fellow 13 overlanders. We learnt that they had been travelling together for a few weeks already, & had developed their own little cliques & inside jokes, so initially we felt out of place in the group. After a local gin & lemonade, purchased from the notorious pop up bar named 'Zebra Refreshment,' & briefly telling a few members of the group our stories, we decided it was time for bed, this time amongst the wild animals of the Serengeti. As we laid down to sleep, we wholeheartedly agreed that it felt like we were really living the African camping experience now, & what a marvellous adventure it would be. 

Too much rice & spice, farewell Sri Lanka

The drive down was long, however, Madu kindly took us through Anuradapura, the Ancient City we had previously missed, & showed us a couple of sites. Starving, & with Franco desperate to sample local food, we pulled into a tiny roadside restaurant in the middle of nowhere & took a seat around one of two tables. Before any time at all, a huge variety of local fare was laid before us & we got stuck in. The food was delicious, authentic & a bargain. Franco was over the moon! We hopped back in the van & before we knew it after a tiny bit of shut-eye, we reached Colombo.

The next three days in Colombo involved not much more than cycling around every day to exchange rupees for the USD we needed in Africa. Feeling more relaxed & kind of enjoying the city the second time around, we headed off for one more night in the Airport suburb of Katunayake. Later working out this was a waste of time as you can just get a transfer straight from Colombo. Too much rice and spice had me vomiting and cramping for days so come mid night on the 16th May I was ready to jump in one last tuk tuk and head for the airport.

We boarded the plane just shy of 4am and indeed did we feel ready to fly! It was only a short 4 hour flight to Sharjah which we were originally meant to transit just for one hour, however I received an email earlier that week extending in to a 24 hour transit. So at the time we accordingly changed all of our Nairobi plans with our tour; 'absolute Africa' and arranged to have them go out of their way to pick us up directly from the airport on the first day of our 52day Safari. 

We arrived to the transit desk only to be told our flight was to leave in an hour?!?! There was not enough time nor Internet to change our plans for Africa again, so they decided to let us stay as previously stated in the email. Then they changed their minds again and told us we had to leave on that flight even though our luggage had tomorrow's flight tags. Obviously overwhelmed, 4 hours sleep and a funny tummy I did all I could do... I cried. A lot. And without any further delays we were back to being booked on the next days flight, with a transit airport hotel and 6 meal vouchers! We definitely paid in emotional stress but I was glad to find some sort of compensation. 

Spending our first two meal vouchers (which were only valid at one cafe), brekkie was a canteen style tray with juice, water and a sloppy plate of scrambled eggs and sausage. Bloated and belly-full we checked into our transit hotel which was literally inside the duty free shopping area.. It was bizarre that just a flight of stairs could take you down to a peaceful dark room with no windows, resembling a gentleman's club and smelling of a hospital we climbed into bed and fell asleep.  

Waking just after 2pm we set out to see the sites of the small airport, which consisted of changing some more monies over to USD, and smelling and spraying just about every perfume in duty-free and Victoria's secret. Cashing in on our next (lunch) meal vouchers we we played up another sloppy meal of salty slow cooked beef and dry chicken covered in tomato paste, I was just cheering that it wasn't rice! 

After hours of cards and chess in our dark little cove, Sean decided to take me out for dinner.. It cost him our last two (dinner) meal vouchers for the exact meal we had for lunch! We sneakily took some duty free beers home and pondered over why hadn't we just purchased a big bottle of spirits earlier!? Lack of fresh air, and a bit boozy we hit the hay just before mid night! 

Rather conveniently our gate was about a 10 minute stroll from our hotel room, however the flight has already changed from 7:30am to 9am hence me writing this now. Here's hoping that we do depart in half an hour to meet our bags and the bus in Nairobi at 1pm ready for our AFRICAAAAA SAFARI!!!! Let's Fingers crossed! Let's get primitive! 

SUNMING UP SRI LANKA 

Highlights; 

-Number #1 Dewmini Rotti Shop (Merissa)

-Exploring hidden beaches by cheap scooter rental 

-Ocean Reach (Merissa accom, only $20 a night for a clean nice room) 

-Talalla beach (South of Merissa) stunning

-snorkelling with reef sharks and beautiful fish in the east (from Nelaveli or uppuveli) 

-the blue lagoon north of Nelaveli, Banyan Beach

-fresh king coconuts from the side of the road for $0.50

-helgas folly (the weird wacky and brilliant hotel in Kandy)

-Ella; tea plantations, little Adams Peak, secret waterfalls and a chill vibe 

-lion & anchor beer; only $3.00 for a big one 

-the beautiful friends we have made along the way; Franco, James, Gemma, Nan, Teeny and Thom 

- Thin & crispy pizzas at Dream Café in Ella

-the vast beautiful and lush landscapes the island has to offer, from rain forests to paradise beaches. 

- Homegrown rice & curry (before we got sick of eating the stuff)

- Siva cafe in Nilaveli & their cheap meals

- Hanging out at BED hostel made Colombo bearable, Wednesday night pub trivia was great and bike rental

- HANSA coffee! Thank god for their real coffee.

- Qatar famous pancakes by the lovely lady @ Jungle View 

- Pidurangula; amazing, panoramic views, with absolutely no crowds 

- The turtles around the shores of Hikkaduwa

Lowlights

-the street dogs, the poor frail and extremely timid pups just wait for the locals to kick them or throw something at them, it broke my heart

-hikkatrain hostel in Hikkaduwa. Small, cramped & one dirty bathroom

-local buses.. As cheap as they are I'm not sure if it pays off when you are surrounded by men touching and sweating on you

-the tuk tuk drivers... Most were rude and out to rip us off (thankgod for google maps)

-I would say that one in every five people we met tried to rip us off or lie to us

-the litter; a pristine beach or riding through the beautiful forest on a train.. It's lined with plastic and garbage, what's worse is when you see them throw it there. 

-the food.. yes we ate some amazing curries and rottis, but when your belly rejects so much rice and spice you turn to the only other option; horrible western food.. 3 weeks and I have had the worst cramps for a good week of it

-coffee was pretty awful and grainy everywhere but HANSA

-we booked an airport hotel the night before we flew out instead of continuing at bed Colombo; big waste of money as anywhere in Colombo can just transfer you anyways, and instead we were stuck at a hotel well away from anything with bad food 'green view hotel' and we paid about $40 for it! 

- Dinesh Kumara: the worst driver of them all. 

East; scooters, sunshine, snorkelling and sharks

We rode our bikes back to Manel guesthouse to hitch a ride up to Nilaveli with Lian's brother, after we had earlier unsuccessfully walked around the bus station hunting for a bus to Trincomalee, only to be told there wasn't one. (Which we later discovered that we were actually sabotaged by Lian's brother just to get our business!) We swiftly loaded up the van with our bags, & set off. The rain chased us for most of the three & a half hour trip!

Just before the sun has set, we eventually arrived at 'The Residence Nilaveli,' where we were greeted by the young, sassy & extremely likeable host, Liza. She ran the accommodation with her fiancé, who helped out on set for Nat Geo documentaries. The house itself was cosy, & had a real homely feel. The double rooms were well overpriced so the four of us settled on a 6 bed mixed dorm room. After ordering dinner with Liza earlier, we all gathered around the table for a lovely dinner of seafood curry & an array of accompaniments. After dinner, we shifted outside & shared stories over beers until midnight when it was time to hit the sack.

The next morning, Thom & Teeny had decided to check out as they had discovered a new hotel which offered a double room for cheaper than the two beds in the dorm combined. We decided to stay another night as we liked the communal feel of the Residence, & we were invited by the hosts to hit a nearby beachside hotel, & play with few other guests, which involved swimming, body surfing & throwing a ball around. The lush, murky blue water juxtaposed against the scattered litter that lined the golden sands.

After an active, fun day, we had agreed to meet Thom & Teeny that evening at their new digs to scope it out & head out for dinner & drinks. We agreed on a restaurant that was reviewed fondly on TripAdvisor, 'Siva.' The food itself was so cheap & full of taste, however, the beer they had was only 'Barron's Strong,' an 8.6% ABV monster, which tasted like VB mixed with three vodka shots! After our meal, & in search of 'any other beer,' we went back to the hotel we were at earlier, & after a few Lion's, we jumped into their ocean front pool & swam the evening away.

We arose slowly the next morning, treating ourselves to a well deserved lie-in. Our plan for the sun soaked day was to hire scooters & explore the South & North of Nilaveli. Running a little late, we hitched a Tuk Tuk to Thom & Teeny's hotel, 'Shahira,' & were greeted by the two scooters waiting for us out the front. After checking out the rooms, & deciding it was a much more economical option, (with the added bonus of being a private room, with a double bed & our own bathroom,) we booked in for the rest of our stay in Nila. Back to the scooters, we jumped on & sped off South; Trinco bound on a tampon search.. Extremely unsuccessful (they were awfully embarrassed when we even asked the several chemists and super markets)! Giving up we set off in search of the other beach North of Trinco, Uppaveli. After a little guidance from Thom's map, we pulled off the main road, down a dirt track & eventually pulled up at Uppaveli beach. 

The beach itself was much calmer than Nila, & a safer little cove to swim in. After splashing around for awhile, & taking in the full brunt of the burning Eastern sun, we decided to jump back on the scooters & keep exploring, this time setting our compass to North.  

Not even 15 minutes past nelaveli, following the coast we crossed a large bridge, turning our heads towards the sea our eyes feasted on a beautiful blue lagoon that connected to the ocean. Taking the next right we followed the dirt road down untill the end, parking up and ready to explore. Just over the bank we reached a bunch of local kids splashing about in this beautiful secret kept from tourists. We headed a little further up the mouth of the fast flowing lagoon and rode its rapid's like a ride. The water was fresh, the sun was shining and we were all smiling! We only decided to move on when some older local boys harassed us with their stares as they stalked us in the water. 

Still north bound we were eager to seek out more pristine places yet to be destroyed by tourism. Unlucky we stopped at a very polluted beach for one last splash of the day. Whilst Teeny, Sean and I swam Thom was approached by two intimidating men; not because of their size but the size of their guns. We made a move even though they were just some friendly guards from the navel base intrigued by foreigners. 

It wasn't until we were back on the bike bound for home I felt my hot skin hissing at me.. Already the colour was red and sassy to touch, even with several applications of sunscreen! The four us equally all attacked by the UV, decided for a pretty lazy evening of cards, beers and really bad service at a restaurant just down from our guest house.

The next morning, after a decent night's sleep at our new hotel, we decided to trek down the rising sun-soaked beach towards the Coral Bay Hotel for breakfast, with our real intentions being to secure a shaded beach hut & swim in their gorgeous blue pool. Breakfast was basic, we shared one continental brekky & a fruit plate, & 'upgraded' to a pot of Nescafé. Upon finishing our meal, we leapt at the free beach hut to seek some shade. Handily enough, the pool was a hop, skip & a jump away, & we exerted no hesitation to dive on in, after being told two night's ago that restaurant customers had free reign of the pool. After splashing for awhile, we headed over to pay for breakfast. We were stopped in our tracks by the manager. 'You can't use the pool for free, you pay 2000 rupees.' Alarmed, we stated our defence of being told we could a couple night's previously. 'No, they don't know. Next time it is 2000 rupees to swim!' He then hobbled away, disgruntled. Paying the bill, we noticed that they missed the fruit plate & upgrade to Nescafé. Justice was served, & we walked away full, refreshed & a wee bit victorious.

As Franco, (Dani's not quite boyfriend/tinder date/maybe my future bro in law, who knows?!) was due to arrive around 1:30pm, we headed back to Shahira to wait for him. After hanging out for awhile, 4pm came along & suddenly a van pulled in. Out of the mammoth vehicle, one man jumped out & gave us a huge wave. 'Couldn't fit you into a car, eh?!' I laughed as we hugged & hello'd. Ordering him to get his swimmers on, we set off to our secret lagoon paradise before the sun set on us. We dived in & caught up before bundling back into the van to head to Trinco to gather beers that Franco, & his friendly driver, Madu, had been holding out for hours for. Chucking the beers into Madu's 'ayesky,' (esky) we headed back to Nilaveli. Hanging about chatting over a few cold ones, we were ready to embark in search of dinner. Unfortunately Seva was closed to we opted for a near by opened restaurant for an average meal, cards and more beers. 

The next morning we had organised for a man; Mohammad to collect the 5 of us and take us via boat to Pigeon Island (one of the main attractions for the east). You could see it from the shore line so it took no more than 15 minutes to reach the tiny nature reserve. Joining the many other tourists we put on our fins and spent the next 4 hours nose deep in water, snorkelling. 

Diving in the water was fresh, the sun was shining and the coloured fish were plentiful. Striped, spotted and techno coloured ranging from thumb size to arm length they swam undisturbed by floating tourists. The most impressive fish of the day for me was the reef shark; measuring just over a metre, they were a little intimidating when they lurked out of the shadows of the sea but never did they hang around long. 

Unlucky in finding any turtles we called it a day when I felt my skin frying from the heat. We jumped back on the boat and headed back to land to pick up our things and hitch a ride with Madu and Franco in the spacious van back to Colombo.