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Monday, April 18th, 2022 – Marissa

Apr 24th, 2022 by rallyadmin

There was an offer for another “safari” into the nearby national park but those of us who did yesterday’s “safari” passed on this one. A few of the remaining lunatics did go and the verdict was that this one was pretty much the same as the previous one. They returned. We had already had breakfast. Loaded the tuktuks. Formed up the convoy and headed for Marissa.

The only thing notable about the drive to Marissa was how beautiful the lowland is. Rice paddies. Huge palm trees. A mongoose here and there. And the ever friendly locals, always smiling and waving. But by mid-morning the sun has risen high enough to start taking the charm off the nearly empty road. Good thing these tuktuks have roofs. Otherwise, it would be like Laos a few years ago. Sun stroke all around.

As we get closer to Marissa, we find another petrol station with incredibly long lines. We stop across the road again and the manager calls us over one tuktuk at a time and gives us as much fuel as we want or need. We’re starting to stockpile fuel for the return to Negombo. We have to return the tuktuks with full petrol tanks and we don’t want to caught out when we get to the city. Lines have been almost prohibitively long in the bigger cities and things are a lot more tense. Tourist line jumping might not be so readily accepted.

We find the hotel which is across a busy road from the beach front. It’s very spartan and clean and more or less modern. The air con works so all of the requirement boxes are checked. Unload the tuktuk and head across the road in search of food.

The first alleyway to the beach brings us to a small Italian cafe that has the obligatory wood-fired pizza and some interesting pasta dishes. The wood-fried oven is just heating up so we pass the next hour drinking cold, refreshing Lion beer. And relax after the day’s drive.

That’s pretty much the way we spend the entire afternoon until I remember that I need a cash point to get some rupees. Some one has said that there’s a cash machine up the road a ways and Dave P and I head up looking for it. We find one. No power. Find the second one. No power. Find the third on. It has power but the screen message says that the machine is “unavailable”. Find the fourth one. No power.

Just as we are about to give up, we see a sign for a bank and an ATM. Finally, a working ATM. It’s a bit of a fight to get it to work but after a myriad of random button pushing, it gives me my card back, a receipt and the rupees. Hike a km back to the hotel.

After dark, we all head up the beach to a collection of fish restaurants thsat are right on the water. Needless to say, fish are a staple on the coast. I get some jumbo prawns grilled with butter and garlic and served with fries and salad (actually, more a slaw than salad.). Yummy. I haven’t had prawns in years but it was worth the wait.

After the requisite number of beers, it’s back to the hotel and bed. Tomorrow is another rest day and it looks like it’s more beach, beer and lounging about.

Obi

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