Another Sri Lankan Ride

[FB666Y]

My route wasnt as ambitious as belgarathc's, howver we managed about 1000km.
The ride started in Negombo, and we rode to Kandy - an easy ride.
The roads are in pretty good condition - if anything they suffer from being somewhat narrow.
That coupled with the buses and trucks can slow you down to a crawl when approaching or leaving towns.
I understand India and China has been throwing a lot of money into the country's infrastructure.

 

[FB666Y]

We spent a couple of days in Kandy before movinig off to Ella through Nurwaya Elia.
Plenty of tea plantations, and after Nurwaya Elia the road fell into disrepair, but there were road crews, and I think its only a matter of time before that stretch is up to scratch.
We stayed on a hill overlooking Ella's Gap and spent a couple of days riding around - plenty of trails that lea into tea plantations and the XR pretty much ate everything the road threw at it.

 

[FB666Y]

More pictures from Ella:

 

[FB666Y]

From Ella we made our way to Galle, the longest section of our trip - two up on an XR over 300odd kilometres can be taxing. After snaking through Ella's Gap (the roads were fantastic - made for sportbikes), the road flatten out till we hit the coast. Just outside of Galle we got stuck in an President Rajapakse election rally. That meant losing an hour as we got snarled in a nasty jam.

 

[FB666Y]

Galle was picture postcard perfect - the 300 years old high fort walls kept it from the tsunami, and there a certain charm about the place that makes you want to stay longer. We tried the beaches in Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna, but the surf was ridiculously strong. The waves would crash on the beach and sent you helter skelter if you didnt have a porper footing.

 

[Marco]

FB666Y

Fantastic pictures and it's look so pictures place, wow..

Thanx for charing with us, how is the price tags for hotel, ful and daily cost for your kind of travel?

 

[FB666Y]

Marco wrote: FB666Y

Fantastic pictures and it's look so pictures place, wow..

Thanx for charing with us, how is the price tags for hotel, ful and daily cost for your kind of travel?

Marco, the costs are pretty reasonable. Outside of Colombo you get better value staying in homestays. Homestays average out out between 1000 Sri Lankan rupees to 5000 rupees (that'll be between 10US to 43US) depending on the amenities.

Most places we stayed at was about 3000rupees with hot water, and air-conditioning when on the coast.

Food is mostly vegetarian outside of Colombo, and meat is dear compared to the portions you'd get. To be honest I was somewhat let down by the food - Im used to South Indian banana leaf meals, and Sri Lankan food is similar with slight variations - not to say the food isnt delicious, I just thought it'd be different. Same same but different, as the saying goes.

Street food is the way to go to keep it cheap. Guesthouses/homestays charge about 1000rupees per meal, usually with the authentic home made tag thrown in.

 

[burnjr]

nice picture bro thanks for sharing with us..hv nice day and safety ride

 

[FB666Y]

The final section meant a 150km ride into Colombo on the main highway. Crowded and polluted, you will find remnants of tsunami-destroyed houses off the beaches. Most of the damage has been cleared, but every now and then you'd come across the shell of a house, its roof torn, and its beams broken.

Colombo was a bit tense - elections was a day or two away and most of the shops were closed. Galle Face - an open grassy area facing the sea was a beehive of activity come dusk, and the street food was quite exquisite.

That should be it.

There's a huge military presence. You see it everywhere, on street corners, junctions, gas stations and so on. Even in rural areas, you stumbled across gun-nests and soldiers with AK-47s. Whether its on account of the civil war or the impending elections I dont know. It can be unnerving but on the plus side it should mean less crime - hopefully anyway.

The island can be a sportbike paradise - roads are good and plenty of knee-down bends in the hill-country.

Getting around is not an issue. The roads signs are straightforward and unambigous most of the time. The Sri Lankan do speak a smattering of English so its fairly easy to ask directions.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country - its a pity that the north is still somewhat restricted. There's a lot of tourism potential and the Sri Lankans themselves are a model of friendliness and courteousy.

 

[zain]

Hi FB666Y,
If you don't mind, what is the cost of bike rental per day? Do they take the same deposit; USD100? What is the approximate cost per day inclusive petrol,food and accomadation? Tq

 

[FB666Y]

All bike info can be had here:
http://www.negombo-motorcycle-tours.com ... e_hire.htm

We got the XR for 15 per day. The shop did require a deposit - I cant remember how much it was. But sent the shop an email and inquire and book because they might not have the bike available for the dates you require.

Cost perday is a bit subjective. It all depends on how much luxury you're used to. You should be able to get by very comfortable under 100 US per day. But since youre from Malaysia I assume you will need halal food? Most towns do have small Muslim communities so you will be able to hunt down a halal restaurant - however you might have issues in the small villages - but there are a lot of vegetaian restaurants around if you can live with that.

 

[jackdaw]

Some great pics. Makes me look forwward even more to our trip to Sri Lanka at the end of Feb 11. Renting a Honda Dominator for $30 a day. We rode 2 up on an XR250 in Laos and it was too cramped.
Best place to visit?
Cheers