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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rochel1977" data-source="post: 18672834" data-attributes="member: 371">බයිසිකලෙන් ලංකාව වටේ මේ ට්‍රිප් රිපෝට් එක හම්බුනේ අන්තර්ජාලේ කැරකෙනකොට. මේ අවුරුද්දේ ජනවාරි වල ලංකාවට ආපු බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය ජාතික රොබ් එයින්ස්ලි තමයි මේ සංචාරය කරලා තියෙන්නේ එයාගේ බයිසිකලෙන්. ලංකාව වටේ යන අතරේ ලංකාවේ ලස්සන තැන් තොරතුරු ඒවා ගැන ලස්සනට විස්තර ලියලා තියන එයාගේ බ්ලොග් පිටුවෙන් තමයි මේ උපුටාගන්නේ. එහෙනම් බලන්නකෝ එයාගේ බයිසිකලේ සංචාරේ. ----------------------- Rob's Sri Lanka trip 2015 Cycling the island's End to End: Dondra Head to Point Pedro Day 0: Flying to Colombo I spent a sleepless 36 hours getting from York to Colombo, the idea being to cycle the Sri Lankan End to End <img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X4gD5r5deag/VLXbPyXpl6I/AAAAAAAAFrU/1sAKK0kq6Ds/s1600/planemaps.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Etihad's seatback entertainment didn't entice me, and I spent most of the 12 plane hours staring at the live map. But I was disappointed when I clicked on 'Cycle Maps'. It didn't show me any bike maps at all. It just cycled through the four styles of map. Day 1: Clothesless in Colombo I arrived safely in Colombo at four this morning. My luggage didn't. Etihad managed to lose it somewhere en route last night. Most of my bike did turn up, though that's more of a hindrance than help: the pedals and tools to reassemble it (and mend the minor damage such as trashed mudguards and bottle cage) are in that fugitive baggage. As well as all my other clothes. <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-exjxYc0WUC4/VLdZg5bJ8XI/AAAAAAAAFrk/djxCKvRk7a0/s1600/crowds.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> So, with my bike left at the airport, I bussed into Colombo and checked into the hostel for a frustrating day of waiting. At least I used the morning efficiently, walking to the (luckily nearby) Ministry of Defence to get my permit to visit the north of the country. It involved picking my way through the crowds jammed along the seafront for the open-air mass by Pope Francis (pic, nicked off the web). <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FKUCi8JkyVo/VLdZqwrzVtI/AAAAAAAAFrs/Z2Ak54d3rDk/s1600/coconut.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> With the rest of the day I did a few tourist essentials – visiting a Buddhist temple with a relic (the actual Buddha's actual hair), scoffing a fiery devilled chicken and rice (under £1) from a local cafe, getting ripped off by a tuk-tuk driver etc. And a delicious coconut juice (25p), sucked through a straw from a fresh nut macheted open on the spot by the friendly stallholder (pic). All very nice. But until they deliver my bike, luggage and clothes, I'm knackered, smelly, and stationary. Day 2: Colombo <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9YbgcaM0LG8/VLfKHJqnpnI/AAAAAAAAFr8/_d85BdYWpY4/s1600/2aCargills.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> A day of walking around the centre of Colombo, waiting for my bike and luggage to be returned to me. I was quite taken with the old building, now almost empty, that used to house Cargill's department store (pic). The colonnades still help shoppers dodge the monsoon rains or the noonday sun, but not English travellers who've been stuck in the same clothes for four days because their other clothes are still in the Baggage Incident Room in Bandaranaike Airport. However, the central area, Fort, is being rapidly modernised, as this curious sculpture shows. It is of someone who has been on hold to Etihad Airways since 1993. <img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--BTd8Z4Eytg/VLfKcgrHOvI/AAAAAAAAFsM/O0ewwsSPelU/s1600/2cBeach.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> I strolled along the beachfront (pic). This was rammed with a million people yesterday attending Pope Francis's mass Mass. Apparently at one point he had to take an unscheduled break because the heat got to him. Or perhaps he was simply fed up of tuk-tuk drivers pestering him with 'Hello sir, want taxi? Go to nice place. Temple? Shopping? Massage?' <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zLtgX4H_9XQ/VLfLFNbqMKI/AAAAAAAAFsU/aIGmHF3w7Qs/s1600/2dCricketBallet.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> In most other countries, young men would be playing football or volleball. Not in Sri Lanka: the popular activity in the water was cricket practice, and the aquatic diving catches (or unsuccessful attempts) could be quite balletic (pic). <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cupncGUnKFo/VLfLztOGLtI/AAAAAAAAFsc/_AOb03mfBTY/s1600/2fCricket.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> There was drier cricket being played on many places elsewhere (pic). This is the nearest your typical Sri Lankan batsman gets to a forward defensive. No wonder Geoffrey Boycott never settled here. <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ikenNSYOC0A/VLfL8Ug0h0I/AAAAAAAAFsk/YNMygfNSioA/s1600/2gTemple.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> I sauntered around South Beira lake, which was full of sweet young couples, popped into the waterside temple (pic), and enjoyed a cream soda. It was a very pleasant sight... <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aZezYjfrLGo/VLfMFCONVDI/AAAAAAAAFss/6xFNB3mpeag/s1600/2hBike.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> ...but not as pleasant as the one that greeted me back at the hostel: my bike and bags returned at last. Finally, a shower and change of clothes. My roommates will be pleased. Day 3: Galle <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5UAY9INsH0E/VLlBgxqzKvI/AAAAAAAAFs8/rcdfgr9Rs-Q/s1600/3dParcelOffice.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> I'm desperate to get cycling, but with admirable restraint, I got the train this morning down to Galle, a tourist must-see. In Sri Lanka, you book your bike as a parcel, and it costs three times as much for the bike as for a single fare. But with the single fare costing under a pound for a three-hour journey, that isn't too much of a problem. The Parcel Office (pic) was reassuringly old-fashioned, with not a computer in sight: all was biros, carbon paper, pasteboard tickets and handwritten ledgers. I rather liked it. <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8SgZuDK--o/VLlB7iLTIGI/AAAAAAAAFtE/oKkZuXf4ZO0/s1600/3cTrain.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The train itself (pic) was a gorgeous ride, south from Colombo along the coast with constant views of palm-fringed beaches on one side and somebody's rucksack on the other. (It was pretty crowded.) <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ukP0_TXwvk/VLlCR6vYjDI/AAAAAAAAFtM/l3tdkM-rbgE/s1600/3aGalleGate.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Galle is a gem, a Portuguese-Dutch-English-Sri Lankan hybrid of colonial and local, on a tiny walled old city facing the ocean. This is the entrance to the historic centre, through those walls. It felt great to be doing it with my bike. There are quite a few locals on basic Indian- or Chinese-made bikes, too (pic). Clanky, ludicrously heavy, and cheap, my bike was clearly a source of fascination to them. <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aTcBBllKCPY/VLlCinUMyBI/AAAAAAAAFtU/kFpFDZ8hCv0/s1600/3bFortWalls.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> I walked around the walls and enjoyed the fabulous views (pic) before splashing out on a fish curry in a touristy local bar. Well, I think it's important to interact with local wildlife. Day 4: Galle to Dondra Head to Tangalla <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tusOz6InoNg/VLpRtO8RcFI/AAAAAAAAFtk/K7-B8X-37Bw/s1600/4aBreakfast.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> At last I got cycling today, starting from Galle at 6am with only the sound of birdsong, and of my rattling mudguard that was trashed by Etihad's baggage handlers. I followed the A2 south, stopping off for a typical Sri Lankan breakfast en route (pic): rice; fish curry; dhal; and something evidently consisting of coconut, chillis, and nitric acid. It was brilliant. And all for 250 rupees (£1.25). <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jPk4YK2aRMQ/VLpR6V0nCjI/AAAAAAAAFts/_R_m08ygYNo/s1600/4bMe.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Thirty-odd miles of lovely, flat, waterside cycling later I was at Dondra Head, Sri Lanka's southernmost point, marked by a lighthouse. This is where the End to End starts in earnest. Here's a picture of me, partly by popular request, partly to prove I actually went there, and didn't just snaffle an image off Flickr. <img src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/05/4b/e2/5b/dondra-head-lighthouse.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> You can climb to the top of the lighthouse for spectacular views of the Head itself, and the island's vibrant green interior (pic). All the kids outside were trying to cadge a cigarette off me. Perhaps this is what they always do to tourists in this touristy spot. Or perhaps my wheezing and puffing, after all those stairs, made them think I was a smoker. <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx1iKVgSTZI/VLpSRbEq8rI/AAAAAAAAFt8/LDw6jTUYdDo/s1600/4dBikeshop.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> I passed a local bike shop not long after (pic). All the kids inside were trying to cadge a cigarette off me. Perhaps this is what they always do to tourists in this non-touristy spot. Or perhaps my wheezing and puffing, after cycling into a brisk headwind, made them think I was a smoker. <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vVvF9KL4mOE/VLpSZB0VduI/AAAAAAAAFuE/DwRYlvvcVoY/s1600/4gDomViv.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Cycle-tourists are very few, but I saw two touring couples today. Dominique and Vivianne from Canada (pic) are cycle-camping round the island, with rather less luggage than I could manage. <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gz9MR9ST-_o/VLpSiOEy_VI/AAAAAAAAFuM/7zMgiZ1xf6A/s1600/4fThreeonBike.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> There are plenty of local cyclists on the roads, though, usually chugging along on clunky, rusted old single-speed jobs. Sometimes they are ferrying cargo (jumbo boxes of fish or fruit are a favourite), other times various family members (pic). <img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-43EaL5R0iLs/VLpTyronEfI/AAAAAAAAFus/4yXakkg_JRA/s1600/4eHero.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> One of the most common bike brands you see is the basic and robust (ie built like a tank, and handles like one, but infinitely repairable) Indian-made Hero. I couldn't resist snapping this bloke who was very proud of his newish model. <img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bUWNJAfRbM4/VLpSqTAH6-I/AAAAAAAAFuU/WPgZt7jqV24/s1600/4eLycraman.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Lycra is rare, but there was the odd road cyclist out. This chap (pic), like the entire population of Sri Lanka, was friendly and curious and wanted to know where I was going and whether I was married and whether I thought Kumar Sangakkara or Sanath Jayasuriya was the greatest batsman. <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sA7E9gEOVJU/VLpSzTkEAtI/AAAAAAAAFuc/Q-xpvEZsDCg/s1600/4hJSvillage.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> As it happened, later on I saw a sign pointing to 'Sanath Jayasuriyagama' ('gama' means 'village'). It's one of two villages set up by cricketers (the other being Mavan Atapattu) that provided homes for 100 families whose houses were destroyed in the 2004 tsunami. Having a bike meant I could detour to visit the village (pic), whose streets are all named after cricketers. <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hO-qCWCb-po/VLpS7_5gD8I/AAAAAAAAFuk/9ie1hwW5jIQ/s1600/4jVillage.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Sri Lankans are a friendly, smiley people, and keep waving to me and saying hello as I pass them on the road. This lovely family in Sanath Jayasuriyagama (who must have lost their house in the tsunami) were no exception. The children were gigglingly delighted to ask me questions about my trip, and they asked me in for coffee. There was no question in their mind who was Sri Lanka's greatest batsman. In the evening, outside my beachfront hostel in Tangalla, there was an informal cricket match going on with a tennis ball and a chair for the wicket between some Australian backpackers and Sri Lankan locals. I was corralled into batting for the Australians. I wasn't as good as Sanath Jayasuriya, but I did show the Sri Lankans something they very rarely see: a forward defensive.</blockquote>

Verification: Winadiyakata thappara keeyak tibeda?

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