I wouldn’t have expected it to take us quite as long to get here as it did. We first paid for a 3-wheel to downtown Minuwangoda bus stand from the house. We could’waited for a Negombo bus to pass by the Kopiwatte Junction, but it’s often better to go the mile downtown as it’s possible to get a better seat before the bus leaves. There are no limits on the number of passengers that a bus, especially a private one, will take aboard. Of course, the owner is in it for the money, so they’ll pack people closer than sardines in a can. It also took much longer to get to Negombo than it should have. This is because another bus zoomed past us, so the driver deliberately crawled along at a snail’s pace to give time for other folks to get to the bus stops along the route. There was even a police checkpoint near the airport where everybody but the elderly and infirm had to disembark, go through a cursory bag check and get back on the bus. Needless to say, this procedure took a bit of time too. We got to the Negombo bus stop in around an hour.
We asked about any direct routes to Puttulam but found there weren’t any running. We would have to break our trip into two sections by going into Chilaw first. We did. We had a cool drink there as existing in this climate can make one frequently thirsty. I also bought some Strepsils at a pharmacy as I had had a sore throat since morning. I first thought, I had slept with my mouth open and the ceiling fan had dried me out. This seemed to be something more.
By the time we got into Puttulam it was a bit after noon. We ate lunch near the bus station trying to decide what to do. I imagined guest hotels and room dotting the spit of land some perhaps facing the lagoon and Puttulam while others might be on the ocean side. We decided it was too early to find a hotel in Puttulam and that we may as well head towards Kalpitiya. The trip ended up being about 50 km but about two hours. Like lots of roads not part of the main national network, it was rough, bumpy, and required speeds of less than 30 kph in places.
We sat in the rear of the bus near some Moslem boys heading back to their towns. One in particular had taken English classes and was anxious to make use of his studies. His two friends were shyer. We had a very nice chat and Kiyas had a Olympus camera to show me pictures of his family and friends. He got off about half way along this section of our trip. We saw lots of sea salt being dried in big ponds. We saw coconut plantations. A lot of the land was also dry. This is one of the driest places on the island generally receiving rain only in October.
At last, at about 3:15 we arrived at the end of the road. Kalpitiya is not a tourist destination at all. It is known for dry fish though. In fact the bus back we’ll catch tomorrow brings fishermen from Negombo directly to this place. They take a boat to an island to prepare and dry fish in the sun. There’s Dutch fort here. Unfortunately, it’s still an operating military unit for Sri Lanka. This means it really wasn’t possible to go inside or to take many pictures in the surrounding area.
We found a government Rest House still operating, just barely, in Kalpitiya. The $7 for the double room was even of questionable value for the condition of the room. Ma`ny folks might think it less than worthy for a convicted prisoner. Still, there was plenty of water for a shower and clean sheets.
We just ate Kottu Roti for dinner. I’m not sure what you’d turn up on an Internet search for that term, but it’s a South Indian mixture of cooked bread, spices, in our case chicken that is mixed and cooked on a grill. The tell tale sign that it’s being made is the sound of the rapid and mixing of ingredients with the knives on the cooking surface.
We just watched a bit of the final of Little Star, a Sri Lankan singing contest for kids. It’s only 8:30 but it’s hot here and I have no energy to do anything but go to bed.