Roarpedallers

29/6/26 – Nilaveli 

Following breakfast we tossed around a few ideas about what to do today. There were apparently some cool things to see up north but we also wanted to get into Trincomalee town to check out a Tamil temple there too. We were unable to use public busses to get to where we wanted to go and the pick me price was going to be pretty expensive too! As a result we decided to lash out and hire a tuk tuk for the day! Turned out to be a great decision.  

The family we hired it from were so lovely. A mother and father and 4 daughters with one of the daughters so proud that she was also a tuk tuk driver! We have seen no female tuk tuk drivers so it was wonderful to see an empowered woman in a very male dominated field. 

Driving a tuk tuk is pretty easy, all the gears are on the left handle along with the clutch as normal as if you were riding a motorbike. The entire grip and clutch lever rotates around as you select the gears. With my passport kept as collateral we hit the road north to Girihandu Seya – the world’s first Buddhist stupa. 

So, this stupa is over 2500 years old and was built during the time of lord buddhas life. The story goes that after meditation and reaching enlightenment, Buddha met with two merchant brothers who offered him his fist meal. They then asked him if he was able to give them something for them to worship. Buddha combed his hair and gave them some lengths of it. The merchants placed them in a golden case and set them down on the rock. When they returned to collect the hair, they were unable to move the golden case from the surface of the rock. It was here that they built the stupa in honour of lord Buddha, encasing the hair relics inside. 

The other cool thing was that we hit it on a major Buddhist public holiday. This holiday or Poya day, celebrates the arrival of lord Buddha to Sri Lanka in 3rd century BC. As we arrived at the temple in our tuk tuk we found a large number of people gathering to worship, celebrate and get together for the special day. Another beautiful thing about these holidays are that people set up free food stalls to give food to people, a practice that is rooted in the Buddhist tradition of charitable giving. On our way up we were given some corriander spiced tea. It was delicious! Funnily though we were given a piece of palm sugar too, thinking if was for the tea I dropped it straight in, much to the dismay and comic relief for a large group of people who all yelled out No No No! As I tried to fish it out…

After climbing the stairs we checked out the incredibly old stupa. A beautiful young boy came and showed Raelene how to worship Buddha, it was a lovely moment. Just being at the site was a wonderful moment of sharing of culture. With no other white people around we felt very welcomed and included, it was well worth the visit. 

Back down we were encouraged my multiple people to take advantage of the food stalls that had been set up. Even the monk told us to go and get some ‘free lunch’! The Dahl rice and curry was simple yet delicious. We all had to go full Sri Lankan and eat with our hands which I must say, we did ok at! Sitting amongst Sri Lankan families, sharing food, was very special. Girls were coming up to the boys and wanting photos together which was cute! Other families came and got group photos of us all. Finally it was time to say our goodbyes to another spontaneous yet rewarding experience in Sri Lanka. 

Back in the tuk tuk, Raelene took the helm and guided us back down the highway to Samudragiri Beach, where we could swim in the shadow or yet another super old shrine dating to around the 5th-6th century AD. 

Next stop was trincomalee and fort Frederick. It was so easy having the tuk tuk, we simply rolled through the forts walls and up the hill. Parking easily, we continued up the hill to find another temple. This one however was a Tamil/hindu temple which was vastly different to anything we had seen previously! 

Immediately the iconography and colour was obviously different. Furthermore as we crested the rise to the temple we were confronted with the huge four armed statue of lord shiva. Inside the temple were ornate carvings and statues of Hindu gods and idols. This temple was and still is an integral pilgrimage place for the hindu religion. Historically it was the temple of 1000 pillars, housing priceless idols, carvings and relics. Unfortunately in the 1600’s it was destroyed by the Portuguese, with the Hindu priests choosing to bury important artefacts or even throw them into the sea to save them from being destroyed by the Portuguese.  During British occupation, worldwide interest was renewed with the discovery of these buried and sunken ‘treasures’. The temple has been rebuilt, albeit much smaller than the original. 

It was a real pleasure to wander around the temple. They were just completing the Pooja ceremony which appeared to be rather moving and interesting. Outside there was the original statue of the Nandi the cow that had been buried by the temple guardians back in the 1600’s. Lord shiva apparently rides Nandi, and people were whispering their prayers into its ear in order for them to be transferred directly to lord shiva himself. 

We finished at the temple and drive back down to the base of the fort where we found deer park. An I treating beachside park that was full of spotted deer! The boys got to pat them which they really enjoyed. Patrick even got to touch the antlers of one of the bucks. I think the kids were a bit torn between giving them a pat and putting them in the freezer for their cuz Dave! 

Finally we rolled back to Nilaveli and headed straight to the beach for a swim, it was lovely. We stayed until dark and even managed to organise a snorkel trip to white rock for tomorrow. 

30/6/26 – Nilaveli

Everyone was very excited to be picked up by the ute to take us snorkelling for the morning. After choosing our mask, snorkel and fins it was time to help push the boat off the beach into the water to head out to the local reef. We decided not to pay the hugely expensive fees to snorkel at Pigeon Island and explore Angle Rock which was just in front of the Marine National Park and saved us about $200. The instructor was very impressed that the boys did not want to wear a life jacket to snorkel and we explained we did a lot of swimming in Australia.

The snorkelling was lovely, we didn’t see coral but the fish were cool and Oliver was lucky enough to see a few reef sharks, Arthur saw the first one but missed the second. Patrick did amazing swimming for 45mins before pulling the pin and returning to the boat. Arthur decided to join him also as he was getting a little cold. Oliver, Rhys and I were keen for some more snorkelling so went for another lap of the rock island. I find it so relaxing floating on the water looking down at the marine life, it is also great to have diving competitions with Oliver as he is getting pretty good at going deep. 2hrs went very quickly and before we knew it more boats were arriving, the wind was picking up and it was our cue to head back to the beach. Landing the boat on the beach was pretty fun, the driver does a good job timing the waves to help push us up as high as he can.

Back on the beach while Rhys and I enjoyed a cup of tea with the other snorkelers the boys jumped in the pool attached to the dive resort. Eventually we had to leave and they drove us back in the ute. We filled our bellies with some delicious fried rice and Kottu before resting in the room catching up on some more FIFA World Cup games.

Wanting to make the most of the coast we headed back down to the beach for the evening, a lovey local family asked us to join in with them as they played with a ball in the water. Rhys and I had to rescue a few plastic balls which floated out of arms reach and we soon realised a lot of the people in the water were unable to swim. We saved 2 balls but saw a lot more get away, it is sad to see both the plastic that will turn into marine waste and the fact so many people are not confident in the water. At one point a man attempted to swim out but a lifeguard (no idea where he came from….) came out onto the beach blowing his whistle telling him to come back in.

As the day came to an end so many cows appeared on the beach, it is so funny watching them walk around on the sand. Oliver got brave and touched one but the cow did not like it very much, it was quite funny.

Deciding to share our funds around we tried a new place for dinner and were bitterly disappointed, the food was tasteless and small however the location was beautiful so I guess you can’t have everything and we did walk away full(ish), even if Rhys was a little annoyed, there is nothing that annoys him more than tasteless curries.

1/7/26 – Jaffna

Pinch and a punch…

With grand ambitions we had breakfast and packed up in order to get into Trincomalee in order to get the looooonnng 0930 bus to Jaffna. We knew we were in for anywhere between a 5-7 hour journey so wanted to get there at a good time and get a seat! 

We arrived with plenty of time to spare but when we went to get on the bus we were turned away due to there being no more seats available! We were a bit bummed but knew there was another bus in about an hours time so we realised it wasn’t the be all and end all. Furthermore we were asked if we had a booking, we didn’t but also didn’t realise you could book seats on SLTB busses. With this in mind I hunted out the ticket office and managed to book us all onto the next bus that was due to leave at 1115. 

Happy we were guaranteed 5 seats, we wasted the time away back up at deer park, the boys loved patting the deer however Oliver managed to annoy one enough that it nipped him on the leg! Cheeky bugger. Raelene and I were also able to get a bit of blog work done which was good. 

Finally it was time to get back, do a final wee stop and get on the bus to Jaffna. Initially it seemed that our booking efforts had been in vain, with people in our seats and questionable looks from the conductor. We persisted though and thankfully the conductor realised we were meant to be in the seats assigned to us on our ticket. Thank goodness! We settled in for the journey. 

Incredibly the bus ride went smoothly and quickly. The boys did such a great job, Oliver listened to his audiobook, Arthur had a sleep then he and I listened to his playlist with an earphone each. Patrick managed a huge sleep and then happily sat and cuddled Peter. In only 4.5 hours we rolled into Jaffna at around 3:45.

In another fortunate turn of events we had managed to book a hostel near the bus stop. A 10 minute walk saw us all checked in and back out onto the streets of Jaffna for an explore. Immediately Jaffna felt different to the south. There was more rubbish around and generally the city looked to be more run down and poorer. The civil war saw a lot of fighting in and around Jaffna, unfortunately it feels as if Sri Lanka are still recovering and rebuilding following this dark time. 

We tried to head down to the waterfront and the fort however found that it was about to close for the evening. The non existent footpaths and busy traffic were tricky to navigate for a tired and hungry family so we made our way back via the Jaffna library and clock tower, ending up at the hotel Rolex for dinner. We had some of the best Kotthu we have had all trip! The staff were friendly but lacked some of the warmth that we have been used to from the singhalese people down south. 

We retired to our room in the knowledge we would not need to travel anywhere in particular tomorrow and could enjoy and easy relaxing morning.

2/7/26 – Jaffna

Everyone was a little unmotivated to go exploring today so we caught up on some soccer games, had breakfast then watched more soccer games. We had no idea what to do today. We bounced between the idea of going to Delft island for the night or stay in Jaffna and do Delft island as a day trip, I also had a little decision fatigue which wasn’t helping with making a final decision. Eventually we decided on staying in Jaffna which meant we now had to find a place to stay as our current hostel had no rooms available. We found a hotel just up the road which also had early check in which was perfect so at 11am we checked out and walked the 200m up the road to our new place and dumped our bags.

The lazy morning then meant the boys had little motivation to wander the streets however we finally won the battle and went for a great walk around the streets of Jaffna. There are so many jewellery stores selling gold necklaces all on display, we passed so many textile shops which I avoided as I knew I wouldn’t be able to control the urge to buy some. We then found Malaycafe for lunch and had the most authentic Sri Lankan meal, it was a set menu and waiters walked around with buckets of curry, rice and other condiments putting spoonfuls on banana leaves. The food was amazing and we were very impressed with the boys for all trying it even if it didn’t look appetising. When we had finished eating we put our banana leaves in the compost bin, washed our hands and paid.

After our lunch we walked back to Jaffna fort to have a look around. The fort is the second-largest colonial fort in Sri Lanka, the Portuguese starting building it, then Dutch then invaded and converted it into a star shaped pentagon fortress surrounded by a moat said to have been filled with crocodiles. The walls were built out of coral bricks which had the most amazing patterns. It was very cool to walk around. Once again the day was warming up so we went in search for some ice-cream. Rio’s ice-cream was our destination, mostly because of Oliver’s best friend Rio. Everyone enjoyed the refreshing ice-cream in air-conditioned comfort before it was time to explore a Hindu temple.

The Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil temple is amazing! the huge golden entrance tower is simply stunning and can be seen blocks away. As we wandered around the temple the boys were required to take off their shirts, we then witnessed a Pooja. A ceremony worshiping a Hindu daities. It was lovely to watch and the boys had so many questions about what was happening, I am so glad they are being introduced to other religions and cultures.

Across the road from the temple we found a tea house to rest our legs and enjoy the most delicious cup of Masala chai tea, Rhys tried the Jaffna coffee which was incredible and Arthur enjoyed a ginger tea.

Our great day exploring Jaffna ended with some soccer games with a water bottle as we waited for a restaurant to open which served the most delicious curries, being so close to Indian has influenced the curries in Northern Sri Lanka which has been grea to experience. The boys were very relieved when we got a tuk tuk home rather than walking, exploring cities certainly is a work out as walk so far checking out the sights.

3/7/26 – Delft

We had read about a small island off the coast of Jaffna called Delft. The lonely planet said that it was an interesting little place with colonial history inhabited by a small population of people and a large population of horses! 

Raelene was pretty keen to get across for a look but with needing to wake up at 6, miss our hotel breakfast, and get an hours tuk tuk ride to the ferry terminal, I was less so…But! The alarm went off, and off we went. 

The tuk tuk journey took us island hopping SW from Jaffna, through areas that had been affected by the civil war. Towns were small and houses appeared more impoverished as we moved further away from the city. The landscape was flat and barren, we even drove past a mine cleaning business which, because it was there and open, is still operationally clearing mines from the area. 

Arriving at the ferry terminal we saw the relatively small boat dock and passengers disgorged themselves from its depths. The ferry is run by the navy and is really not that big. Think more of a fishing boat than a ferry. The service is also free and apparently has a strict 100 passenger limit. 

As we waited to board it became apparent that preference was being given to the local residents from the island – and rightly so. With a large number of people already on the boat we were not confident that we would get on and nearly pulled the pin. As we were backing away however they called us forward and squeezed us in the boat, near the bridge and, as we would find out, thankfully next to the door. 

The ferry departed and for the next hour, plunged into choppy swell. There were two searing areas in the ferry. At the stern, above deck, with windows and fans, and below deck in the bow, with fans but no fresh air. It was a sauna down there and quite quickly the vomiting bags were distributed and filled by a number of travellers. We were lucky to be near the door and the fresh air which prevented the kids from sea sickness, thank goodness! 

Funnily enough we met an Australian named Nick who we found had a mutual friend in Robyn Stockton in Nhulunbuy. We got a snap and had a yarn which made the last bit go quickly…

Finally we reached the island and disembarked before having a delicious breakfast of sweet milk tea, roti, dal, curry and sambol at this tiny little establishment opposite the ferry terminal. It was great. We then got a tuk tuk to take us around the versions sights of Delft Island! 

First we went to a centuries old baobab tree. These trees were initially bought to the island by Arabian traders. this particular one you can walk inside of, it was massive! Apparently trees this size can store up to 120000L of water….as we drove through the barren flats (that apparently fill with water during the wet season) we went and checked out a small heard of wild horses that inhabit the island. These horses are now protected, but their breed stems from horses bought over by both Portuguese and Dutch colonialists during occupation. When the British took over, they bred them and exported them. 

Next we checked out a number of Dutch colonial ruins, a medicinal trough – like a horse dip – an old lighthouse, the old hospital and pigeon house and finally the old Dutch fort. Interesting we even saw an incredible banyan tree that is so large and spread out that it’s now impossible to tell what was the original trunk vs its roots. Before hitting the beach we checked out the islands most sacred site, the growing stone. This stone was measured to be only 1ft high in the 60s. Since that time it has grown vertically to not be over 4 ft tall! Villagers worship the stone and believe the top of it signifies a number of different heads….pretty crazy stuff! 

Finally we hit the ‘sandy beach’. While it did look quite sandy, the water was filled with rocks and only about thigh deep, making it tricky for the kids to have a swim and blow off a bit of steam. Finally it was time to head back to the ferry and unfortunately this time we were directed down into the bow of the ferry where people were packed in like sardines. The kids were pretty worried about feeling sick on the trip however as we got underway they thankfully left the top hatch open, allowing fresh air to flow through the  space, keeping the sickness at bay. We also had a great chat with a Sri Lankan/Canadian family which made the time go quickly! We arrived at the port with everyone’s stomach contents in the right spot….

Our final hurdle of the day was to get back to Jaffna. We were told that busses run pretty regularly so waved off the tuk tuk drivers who were trying to charge exorbitant prices to get back to town. Luckily the bus arrived and we managed to score a seat. Over the next 30 minutes however another 100 odd people also managed to squeeze onto the bus, it was packed! By far the busiest bus we have ever been on in Sri Lanka. 

4/7/26 – Jaffna to Kandy

After our huge day exploring Delft Island yesterday we had a slow start with breakfast at the hotel then watching Australia unfortunately loose to Egypt. We had the afternoon train booked so we left our bags at the hotel and went for another explore. Oliver and I went in search for a postoffice so he could send a letter and our postcards while Arthur, Rhys and Patrick wandered around the markets. Rhys and I both then had the same idea to head to a play park we had seen on the bus trip into Jaffna a few days go so we both jumped in tuk tuks and raced to the park – our version of the amazing race hehe. Rhys, Arthur and Patrick won. 

The play park was great and had random concrete statues, we then found a cafe for a quick bite to eat before making our way to the train station. Every time we all squeeze into a tuk tuk with our bags I am amazed. 

The Train trip South was great, the 5hrs went very quickly being filled in with colouring in, audio books, looking out the window, checking out the toilet and the boys being totally shocked they didn’t flush because they were just open holes going straight onto the tracks….yuck! The train went much slower than estimated and by the time we arrived in Kurunagala it was dark, instead of getting a bus which would have made our day very late we ordered a pick me car and while we waited the boys were entertained by the bright flashing lights of the buddha statue at the train station. 

As expected Patrick started to feel car sick sitting in the back with us so he climbed into the front and sat on Rhys lap as we wound our way through the hills to Kandy. By 9pm we finally made it to Kandy and found our house, the owners greeted us and showed us around their childhood home which they now rent out. After our tour we made our way back down to the streets to find some dinner, we ate >>>>>> for the first time and they were delicious.