03 / Elephants, Monkeys, Coconut Palms & Algorithms

Current Locations: Udawalawe, Hiriketiya – Sri Lanka

Gimmee!

Hello friends!

Travel today, whether we like it or loathe it, is driven by the populous of algorithms. Be it a Google search for ‘Best surf breaks in Sri Lanka’, ‘Vinyasa Flow retreats in Mexico’, or Instagram serving up that rope swing in the coconut palms you queue (and pay) for to recreate ‘that shot’.

Go back to the early 90s and adventures were planned by guide books and published articles. We’d rely on the expertise of seasoned travel writers to curate the best two-week Italy itinerary and recommend the cheapest, most authentic pensione for nona-made gnocchi. The bookish tribe would be served the same recommends, but there was still a wonderful sense of uncertainty and discovery. No booking.com reviews and photo galleries… just rock up and be ok with roll-the-dice room availability.

I backpacked through Normandy, France in 1994 and took the wrong, last train that terminated in a small town I’d never heard of. It was late. I wandered the streets in hope of finding a bed, but the lights were out and doors firmly closed. I ended up sleeping in a bus shelter for the (rather long) night. Not exactly ideal, but I survived, and it gave me a good travel tale to share.

Today we can find the smallest off-grid hut on Google Maps to book 6 months in advance. We can chat with a driver in Peru on WhatsApp, found through Gemini. Have we removed the magic of properly being away? Knowing that plans won’t always go well, but a plan B can often mean a unique-to-you tale to tell?

Enough rant… back to travel tales!

Here’s a few moments from our last magical, hot n’ sweaty week in lush, tropical Sri Lanka.

Elephant Safari
Udawalawe National Park

It’s dawn. The first call of the day – a crowing peacock in the forest on the hunt for some morning loving – signals the 5.30am get up.

We’re going on Safari.

We clamber into a battered 1969 windowless Land Rover with a few million clicks on the tachometer. She rumbles into action. Soon we’re wind-in-hair en-route.

Warm hues glimmer on the horizon as silhouettes of deer, buffalo and submerged crocs (or are they Alligators, I always mix them up) drift by. Dextrous Green Bee Eaters dive in and out of the trees. A man-sized iguana crosses our path.

As we round the corner, there he is. Two tonnes of solo, male elephant… mowing and mulching away. His trunk is a tool of precision – it even has teeth. He gathers a bunch of grass and leaves, then *thwack thwack*, he bashes it against the ground to remove any soil before brekkie is delivered.

Elephant’s sense of smell and hearing are bionic. This is made clear when our driver decides to exit the 4WD. In an instant he’s charging towards us. All two tonnes of him. I’ve never seen someone leap back in the car so fast. He stops… slowly retreats, and returns to his peaceful eat, ensuring he meets his 160kg/day quota of greenery down the shoot.

Bali wannabe beach life
Hiriketiya

A local troop of Toque Macaque Monkeys leapt from the surrounding trees to the awning of our homestay, Cirque de Soleil’d up our kitchen window with a brief ‘what’s cooking?’ look in, landing on our rooftop for their daily 6am wrestling match.

Bang Bang. BANG. “They’re ripping the roof off” I remarked.

For our last week in Sri Lanka we’ve parked it at Hiriketiya Beach – a picturesque, crescent cove of coconut palm-lined golden sands with the perfect surf break. It’s also an L-plate surfer haven on an unpatrolled beach, so taking a plunge requires travel insurance.

For a country where only 35% of city and district centres have waste collection services, this coastal spot is kept remarkably clean. There’s a sense of local pride as surf instructors rake the beach every morning in preparation for their next wave of backpacking clientele.

It feels like Bali 15 years ago, with a fast-growing number of architect-designed yoga spaces, smoothie bowls, La Marzocco espresso pit stops, Ayurvedic gut pumps, and ‘I Want It That Way’ playlists pumping from beachfront bars.

Fortunately there’s still a good sense of local to be had just a few metres back from the shoreline. Family-run Lemongrass Cafe became our regular for 5 days, serving up bottom-less authentic, home-style curry and rice – pumpkin, green bean, beetroot, gourd, mango, potato and carrot curries, all washed down with a mango lassi and a Lion beer. Just yum.

Sri Lanka, what a treat. Thank you, we’ll be back soon.

Jungle beach, Galle

Our last stop – Galle Fort for sunset

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A Few Shared Moments

Best eats:

• Curry and rice featuring the complete garden – half-dozen endless plates for 3 nights at Lemongrass Cafe, Hiriketiya.

• Street vegetable roti snacks – First Roti Hut, Hiriketiya

Best ‘worth the effort’ moment:
I’m not a fan of zoos, so getting up for early close encounters with elephants in their natural habitat? Hello childlike wonder. Just magic.

Flat point:
A day of power outage in 33C 1,000% humidity heat. Yes, a first world problem, but the brain was melting.

Cultural observation:
It’s rare to see a Sri Lankan lose their karmic cool. Our experience has been they are incredibly calm, gentle people. I only ever saw one gentleman lose it at some kids swimming in the rip of the ocean after dark. Fair. Quite a contrast to their long and drawn out, violent history we’ve learned so much about from afar.

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And… onwards! 💚