Kalpitiya is a town situated in the north-western of Sri Lanka, the end of a peninsula that divides the Indian Ocean from the Puttalam Lagoon.
It’s a relatively normal place in Sri Lanka: small town very populous, nature is everywhere, animals and palm trees everywhere, snakes, lizards, varanos and mosquitoes in the swamp … and even some crocodiles!
I telling about Kalpitiya in chronological order, as we lived, but I recommend you to read this post until the end. Don’t eliminate this destination at the third line!
Only at the end you will understand why, despite the hardships, I’d like to go back immediately go back in this place that I was found wonderful … As soon as we were able to remove our dark “glasses as a tourist”!
We arrive in Kalpitiya in the evening, two days after our landing in Sri Lanka. The hot is humid, with its 38 ° C, it is really impossible for us that, in this season, we left home temperatures a few degrees. We sweat constantly and drink a lot of water without being able to get used to hot.
The area is not very popular for foreign tourists and the guides are some reluctant to accompany in these places scattered us accustomed to every comfort.
But what better way to strengthen our idea of going? Of course we insisted and , with their professionalism, after having explained us in detail what kind of area we wanted to go – and trying to change our destination – he agreed.
It was one of the most beautiful experiences lived in Sri Lanka during our personal blog tour, even if , the guide who accompanied us, was constantly under pressure and worried for us.
Not being a place frequented by foreign tourists, does not have ANY structure and arrangement for our standards. Mind you I’m not talking about 5-star hotel, who knows me and follows me, knows that we don’t have a lot of problem. I’m talking about minimal structures.
Roadtosrilanka, and specifically and , her husband, have spent the day going crazy to find the best accommodation for us at an affordable price. The paradox of the situation is that, as unfortunately is in many parts of the world, at non-existent services, correspond exorbitant prices when the foreign tourist arrive at the door.
The area is predominantly Muslim and is very popular for local tourism that comes here to relax and enjoy your holiday. We foreign will never understand how we can relax between mosquitoes and swamps …
The our best accommodation for the night is a “cabana” on an island all to ourselves with a nice wood bridge. Obviously, being intended for use by the local, the air conditioning is not provided, but the best thing is that between the walls and the roof of branches there is an open space.
I know that we are complex and difficult, but there may also be malaria and I have always a 11 year old daughter to think (at least a little!), although she is more crazy about us and opening the door says: “Wonderful the mosquito net over the bed of cement.”
While my husband, as every night when we arrived, working about the pyrethrum spray to clean the room at will, I go with Valeria to explore our island.
Consists only of one meter before the canal and the bathroom area. Great! The bathroom has a toilet and sink and some branches of reeds that provide privacy from the others “cabane” on neighboring islets.
In practice, sitting on the toilet, you are open at the worldwide on the marsh.
The canal is frequented by any living being. The shower, obviously open, consists of a water pipe (cold, but that is the only thing not to be a problem!) with a set of sticks included that, breaking the jet, form the head shower wellness relax!
The fan positioned above our bed makes more noise that air, but the owner of the structure assures us that it’s only for the decline momentary of electric current and that soon everything will resume operation. We use a lot of mosquito spray in our body, between the smothered laughter, but not too much, of the local people and we go to sleep in three in the bed because the bed of Valeria don’t has a mosquito net.
I must admit that my husband and I were a bit puzzled at the thought to projecting this accommodation for the remainder’s holiday. The only happy is Valeria. She continues to repeat that we are “tourists of the city that we don’t adapt” with the most despicable tone that can express.
We fall asleep fairly quickly, given the fatigue, to wake up at midnight exact, when the electricity was interrupted in the whole area (and my iphone’s recharge was died due to power surges!). I try to console my iphone and take it with me to go to the bathroom. It has a little charge and function’s torch is the most useful thing at this time. A dog and a lizard escape from the bathroom to my arrival between the unusual noises and so close to the jungle. I move my iphone with constant rotation to try to understand what’s around me and what’s coming.
When I back to my bed in the dark, the surprises are not over yet. The electricity is probably disconnected for a very specific reason. From the nearby mosque calling with loud speakers which absorb any ampere wandering in the area. It seems to have him here in bed with us! And the best thing is that it has no intention of stopping!
We can sleep in all light and noise conditions, but with this level of noise is literally impossible! So, at that moment, in the dark of the night, in this paradoxical situation, all three begin to laugh out loud as we don’t happened from a long time, asking us how many we’re crazy to be finished here!
And perhaps that in this moment that we really enter in this country, even if it has already been two days after our landing in Sri Lanka. Finally we taking away those glasses as a tourists demanding and capricious … yes, let me tell it, that all ruin!
The night goes by so among the general and continuos laughter, between flying insects of all kinds coming from the holes in the mosquito net, between our pyrethrum automatic battery that every now and then exhales his useless puff (consider, however, that is the most useful and intelligent purchase for this destination), between the electricity that sometimes arrive to restarting the fan, to shut down shortly after when the call of the mosque start again!
At 6 o’clock, the light of the sun is almost a blessing because it allows us to get up in spite of electricity. The shower in the swamp is a unique experience, and after a quick breakfast with annoying flies (that can not compete with the conditions of the kitchen of our “resort”), we are preparing to leave for the beach.
Mind you that I’m not kidding. This is the kitchen!
We took the final arrangements with the boat, we pay taxes to the government official present at the beach, between the curiosity of the local fishermen for whom we are an unusual vision (some even ask us to take some photos with us with their mobile phones, while we take some pictures at them), we get ready to leave.
Our boat has 6 seats: we travel in 5 and Amila seats with us. A guy at the motor (near the extra fuel barrel) and another guy standing in front.
Let’s go among the boats of local fishermen and the landscape that takes hold of us immediately. It’s really indescribable!
There are dolphins jumping everywhere, play, swim, chase each other, …
Hundreds and hundreds of dolphins that delight in every possible performance in front of our eyes. The local fishermen, accustomed to this scenario, perhaps they can not even figure out how can we be so surprised.
In and out of the water the nature explodes in its beauty really uncontaminated that tourists were are not yet able to destroy.
We no longer know which way to look, they are everywhere.
The hours pass too quickly.
It’s an occasion where you would want to stop time, or at least have more available.
The night before, with its hardships, it is worth nothing in front of this.
And the feeling of being among the few lucky to see a place where nature can still lord it and the man undergoes for it must never be lost sight of.
Even in front of the harsh conditions in which these people live and work. And they always do it with a smile and they look sweet and always available at the click of a photo. It’s it can only make us ashamed for all the times when we complained – and complain – of our life and/or our work in Italy!
It ‘s impossible not to think about the difficult and delicate balance between our comfort and the destruction of nature.
To the point that we couldn’t even imagine that there may be similar places on this planet.
The young man at the engine asks us if we are tired. Tired??? I’d be here a week, day and night, without tired.
There is no more hot, sun, thirst… just we thought of being able to fix in the mind indelibly these images and this experience indescribable.
But time continues to pass unabated.
We have to go to look for whales. We cannot stop us here.
The boat leaves this place and goes offshore.
We proceed for a long time and we don’t see the coast. We’re totally in the sea in this boat and the guy standing in search of a whale.
For us, the sea is all the same and despite our powerful sunglasses, we can not see anything. Our research continues and at some point the guy standing in front snaps and indicates a point in the open sea. We can’t go ahead because we need maintain a distance from the coast of India. Fortunately, the point indicated is parallel to the coast of Sri Lanka.
We still do not see anything, but they are certain of the presence of the whale. And, finally, here it is also for us!
Stupendous in its magnificence and above all very close.
It’s really huge. No photo can make an idea of how we feels small in his presence.
The breath with its characteristic noise.
And when, at the end of his breath, decides to dive, he does it with elegance and refinement.
It also shows us the tail in all its explosion.
It can be underwater for an hour and above reappear in somewhere at distance. We can’t waiting. We go to looking for another whale, it’s not necessary too much time to see it.
Here you do not need sonar and sophisticated equipment. Whales are really a lot in these waters.
One more beautiful than the other.
But what impresses most is the proximity where you can go with a boat so small.
Nowhere else in Sri Lanka (and perhaps the world), tourists are accompanied by boats so small that allow you to go so near to whales.
One can almost touch it and I really want to dive with it!
Even here, hours and hours would not be enough to admire it. There never gets tired, in spite of the heat, the sun and thirst that are taking their toll. We never want to leave, but the fuel of boat has already been consumed. We can not remain still in the open sea. It’s time to return.
We leave this place that seems a parallel reality. In our eyes the elegance of the tail, as a homage to us with his presence to return to its depths, prohibited for us. In our heart the certainty that we will never really know our wonderful planet and in mind the doubt that we really lived everything and not have only dreamed it.
ADo you understand now why I’d like go back to sleep in that place so absurd immediately and why I’d like to stay there a whole month in spite of everything???
Do yant to see more pictures of this lovely place?
