Navalady Beach , Batticaloa

 Batticaloa- Nov 8  2018

It was raining non stop at Polonnaruwa, before I went to sleep the night before it was raining , after a night sleep the rain has not stopped. Nevertheless since I have the intention to move on, I packed up my luggage, keep checking on google weather forecast at what time the rain will reside. Hahahah used to have my adrenalin rush up when I am diagnosing performance issue of the database but this is my first time on rain rain when are you going to reside.?

I open up the sri lanka's tourist map .. hmmmm where would be my next destination.? Next would be Batticaloa.  I want to  see with my own eyes Indian Ocean  at Bay of Bengal.

Finally just as been forecast in google weather rain stop right on time . I take a final good look of Seyara Holiday resort and continue my journey.

Bus from seyara junction to Polonnaruwa bust station – 25SLR. Jump into bus to Batticaloa - 150SLR. As usual when you boarded the bus, most likely only a few passenger however along the journey more people will get in and eventually the bus will be full sardine pack. Worst is half way in the journey this particular bus breakdown. We were all ordered to get down and get into another bus. Language issue, I just could not understand why the bus stopped by the road, not a bus stop and everyone rush down. Everyone in the bus board into another bus. That bus is already quite full. I was shocked cause I keep speaking in English asking why ? How to get into this bus? It is so full. They keep saying Pasikudah.. I keep repeating I want to go Batticaloa... (language issue).

Somehow I managed to get into the super duper jam packed bus. It was my first in my lifetime that I got the feel of what is “sardine pack”. My trolley luggage bag is between my legs, my camera backpack on my back. My tripod sling down from my shoulder. I cannot even move a single cm, can't even raised my hand to grab some support while I stand in a fast moving bus.

Batticaloa is a coastal city in eastern coast of Sri Lanka. It is 17m/56ft above sea level. Due to heavy downpour some roads are flooded. 

 When I arrived at the main bus station, around is just another city. Where is the beach lines? I asked around the local told me Kallady beach. There is no bus that plight there. It is about 5.7KM so I have to negotiate for Tuk-Tuk taxi.

500SLR is the best fare to ferry me to NEEM garden guest house.

It was low peak season, apparently there is no restaurant nor food stalls open in Kallady. To solve my food problem, I request the guesthouse caretaker to serve me food (their leftover lunch) and I would also have dinner with her family. 

This is my lunch. Rice texture is what I used to eat back home.    This are all the surprise and unexpected for solo traveler on backpacking.

On nov 9^th 2018

Behind everyone in this Navalady village has a sad life experience. There are many plot of land fence up inside there is only a well and maybe a small structure building (toilet). Those survivors of 2004 big waves either has moved out to another city trying to erase off from their mind the black dot of their lives or all who once lives at that plot have washed away by the big waves. The manager of this accommodation she nearly washed away. She was only 10 yrs then. She lost her elder sister and younger brother. They are washed away by big waves.

Navalady is an eye opener to look and feel of the effects of Tsunami. 

This town of Batticaloa are 100% indian. In sri lanka there was a long period off civil war (Tamil Tiger from 1983 to 2009 ). Indian people are been suspect as terrorism. The army catch indian to put them to jail. The guesthouse caretaker's father, to date he is only 55 yrs old, however he has spend 19 years in jail.

Strolling along the beach here, I have the feeling beneath my footsteps there are someone was burried underground, cause huge amount of sand rolled in by the big waves. How high was the waves? It was as high as our street lights pole..

Fisherman - net fishing

It was an eye opener for me, that this part of the town in Sri Lanka the tap water , tap water and underground water are unfit for drinking. The water is salty. After taking bath, I have the feel that I am “A big piece of preserve meat sprinkle with salt”.

Clean source of water are scarce. Daily the villagers in Navalady go to the main town of Batticaloa with water barrels to collect clean drinking water.

Navalady is a good spot to watch fishing methods of net and catamaran.

Birds that caught my attention is this.  This beach is a good spot for large bill crows, Bhraminy kites. Plentiful there. 

If you asked me did I regret of visit to Navaldy Beach Batticaloa.  My answer to you is no. This is a 'sad town'. Many many people die in batticaloa during tsunami 2004. - sri lanka english. (many many water here). I can see with my own eyes Tsunami effects and how important is good drinking water.  Indeed this place every household need not to have salt in their kitchen.  They just need to turn on their tap or just get if from the well.