Day 10
Our flight to Chennai from Colombo was scheduled for 6pm and the drive from Galle to Colombo airport takes about 2.5 hours. We had a relaxed breakfast before packing up and embarking on our drive to the airport. On the way we stopped at a few places.
- Tsunami Honganji Vihara
- Moonstone Mine
- Lunch – Sri Lankan Kottu Roti
Tsunami Honganji Vihara – This temple was built in 2006 by the Japanese as a somber reminder of the tsunami that devastated the coastal belt of the island in 2004. This temple looks more like one of the East Asian temples, as opposed to the ancient local temples. The highlight of the temple is the tall statue of the Lord Buddha that dominates the skyline of the area. Standing at 30 metres (height of tsunami), it is one of the largest statues on the island.
Apart from the large Buddha statue, the place of worship is dedicated to the families and individuals who were heavily affected by the tsunami in 2004. Many devotees who visit the temple, perform rituals for family members or friends who passed away from the tragic incident.
Moonstones Mine – We saw a real mine and how gemstones (Sapphires) are mined.
Lunch, Sri Lankan Kottu Roti – We heard a lot about this dish and finally had a chance to try it in one of the restaurants near the airport. Kottu, is made up of wheat flour (roti), which is cut into small pieces or ribbons. Then on a heated iron griddle, vegetables and onions are fried. Eggs, cooked meat, or fish are added to fried vegetables and heated for a few minutes. Finally, the pieces of cut roti are added along with cheese.
We ordered the vegetarian Kottu. My honest opinion – I was a bit disappointed, the dish really didn’t live up to the hype. It was mushy and quite un-appetizing.
Overall, our 10-day trip to Sri Lanka was amazing. Weather was fantastic throughout our stay, not a single day of rain. Food was great and the hotels we stayed in were well maintained and clean. Our tour guide, Dushan was friendly and patient. He was multilingual and quite knowledgeable about Sri Lankan culture and history.
There are some minor tweaks that could be made to the itinerary:
- Skip the village tour on Day 2
- Cut down your stay in Ella to 1 night
- Include a day trip to Anuradhapura from Sigiriya or even an overnight stay there