Mirissa – Off Travelling Together

A couple of hours west by tuk-tuk, closer to Colombo and a few degrees more touristy.

We made a couple of stops on the way, firstly at Wewurukannala Temple, home to the largest Buddha statue on the island and built in the 1960s. Each full moon, there is a Poya day, celebrating an event in the Buddha’s life and today was Navam Full Moon Poya which celebrates the appointment of Buddha’s two chief disciples and the first Buddhist Council. Unless it is a major festival, this usually just means people generally have the day off, most shops are closed and many people visit their local temple to make offerings and so the temple was busy.

The main image house contained a collection of Buddhas and other statues, as well as one that looked a bit like a nativity!

There was another, a bit like a chamber of horrors showing what was waiting for you in hell with some rather jolly devils and some eye watering punishments!

Next was Dondra Lighthouse at the most southern point of Sri Lanka …

… next stop Antarctica … 15,000km away!

We are staying at The Secret Guesthouse, hidden up a lane just five minutes from the beach. Our lovely room overlooked the garden, complete with easy chairs on the verandah. There are some lovely extra touches here like a fan on the verandah, mosquito coils set burning every evening by our room, filtered water on demand and even a kettle for a morning cuppa.

We had rice and curry for dinner here our first night which was very good and breakfast has given the option of eggs and a pastry or hoppers and dhal together with fruit and toast.

They also have a spa across the road, and we had very relaxing Ayurvedic massages early one evening, moisturising our sun-kissed skin with aloe vera oil.

As for Mirissa, it was billed as one of the most appealing places to spend a few days and it certainly was, with a pretty bay backed with coconut palms and a sandy beach good for a dip in sea.

We liked the end by Parrot Rock, a little quieter and more laid back …

…where we could spend the day on a lounger watching the world go by …

… get a cold lunchtime drink …

… and later watch the sunset with a beer.

One morning we were feeling adventurous and climbed Parrot Rock for the view, taking care with the broken steps and rickety handrail!

There were other temptations on offer including water sports and whale watching but with just a couple of days we focused on doing not a lot!

We had dinner on the beach twice, by candlelight while wiggling our toes in the sand, with freshly grilled fish for me and veggie treats for Chris then wandered down to the sparkly end of the beach to admire the lights!