HINDU TEMPLES, MILITARY TRAINING, POOL TIME AND COWS ON THE BEACH
HEADING TO TRINCO
We left Kandy and took a bus to Trincomalee (or Trinco, for short).
There are two main areas to Trinco. The touristy North of Nilaveli and the more local area of Uppuveli in the South.
We were staying in the South first, for two nights and upon arrival we went to check out the nearby beach.
TRINCO BEACH
The nearby beach was beautiful. Soft white sand and shallow water with gentle waves.
And one addition I’ve never seen before on a beach.
Cows. Have you ever seen cows on a beach?
We walked along the length of the beach. Not one tourist. Plenty of locals enjoying the warm waters though and they all seemed surprised and happy to see us.
EXPLORING MORE OF SOUTH TRINCO
The following day we headed further up from the beach and walked up through Fort Frederick – an old Portuguese fort which was built from the debris of Koneswaram temple, having been previously destroyed by the Portuguese.
The fort includes a military base which is still operational and we were able to see the Sri Lankan army troops training and marching. I didn’t take photos for fear of being shot at, but here’s a couple of pics from walking through the grounds.
Further up from the fort we reached what remains of Koneswaram temple; built on top of a cliff which looks out over the Indian Ocean, with tremendous views.
Holly didn’t have her shoulders and knees covered, so had to borrow this fetching outfit before we could look around.
Here’s a couple of shots from looking around the remains of the temple.
A RELAXING STAY T’UP NORTH
After a couple of days spent in South Trinco we headed North for a few more days and treated ourself to a stay in a fancy resort called ‘Trinco Blu’.
This place was lush. We had a great room with this view over the beach.
We spent our time here relaxing in the pool, sunbathing and eating and drinking copious amounts.
To try and make up for this, we did some beach running. Running along with my feet in the sea gave me an incredible sense of freedom.
I could have stayed here for longer. Everything we needed was right here and it was one of the first times it felt like I was on a holiday, rather than backpacking. It’s nice to treat yourself once in a while:
NEXT STOP ARUGAM BAY
Moving on again and we were heading to the surf town of Arugam bay.
Read on for one last post from Sri Lanka.
