Passekudah —-> Jaffna – August 10
Jaffna DIY – August 10/11/12
8/10
The tuk tuk (300 LKR) takes me to Valachchennai Junction. No direct bus to Jaffna arrive in an hour waiting, so I jump on the first one to Vavuniya (384 LKR), and then catch the immediate connection (190 LKR) to Jaffna, my final destination, a rickety bus, no doors, very crowded. We stop at a checkpoint, and I have to fill out a kind of register, indicating the length of my stay. The controls are theoretical, though, since I will leave one day before, and no one will notice it.
Jaffna, the extreme outpost at the north of the island, is much more similar to India, less clean, and there are also some cows around. The bus station, surrounded by yellow cab arcades, it’s quite a mess, and the heat, combined with the confusion, is initially rather annoying. The classic first sensation of arrival in India. 🙂
A tuk tuk takes me to the Cosy Guesthouse, 1650 LKR, I choose room nr. 203, big, with a large window, huge bathroom, and fairly clean. No hot water, but, as in other places, it’s so hot that I do not feel the need. I rest a bit, basically I spent almost 10 hours on a bus, I woke up at 16.30. I shower and laundry, and note that: 1) the sink water, rather than in the siphon, flows directly on my feet, on the floor 2) the shower does not drain well, a pool of water stagnates on the floor, adding to the sink water. Having some kind of omen, I sense that maybe it’s better to go out for a walk, and in the meantime look for an alternative. Returning to the terminal, about 500 mts far, I step in front of a decent hotel, recommended by some Malaysian lonely traveller, the Gnanam Hotel. It’s more expensive, 3500 LKR, but the guys at the reception are kind, they show me a room, and give me their business card, just in case …
The center is a jumble of shops, but nothing interesting, however there are several local restaurants, which seem promising. I get info on connections from Jaffna to Trincomalee, discovering that there is a night bus. I stop for dinner at the GH Cosy Restaurant, good Indian food. Back to my room, I am disappointed to see that all the water which was stagnant in the bathroom has now poured in my room. I put all my stuff on table, chairs and bed, and go down in reception to report the inconvenience. The manager sends a maintainer, who comes to inspect and promises he will return. No one comes so at 21.00 I turn off the light, and go to bed dressed, keeping the door open. At 21.30 still no one, I close the door, I go to toilet for the first time, flush it, and again to bed.
8/11
During the night, perhaps at 3.00, I go to toilet again. At about 6.00 the first light wakes me up, and also a strange smell, like sewer. I look at the floor: let’s say that, to put it in a nice way, the toilet flushes in reverse mode 🙂
I go down, I pay and I run away. The temptation to vanish without paying was strong, but I still felt it was not correct. At Gnanam Hotel they wait for me with open arms, the staff is much more professional, friendly, attentive and caring
Breakfast with tea and cake at a hotel in the bus stand (80 LKR), then I go to buy a ticket for the next evening with destination Trincomalee (508 LKR). I decide to visit the islands to the north, with public bus 779 (70 LKR to go, 80 to come back) which reaches Punkudutivu. The isthmus crossing is spectacular, it seems to glide over the water.
Low bushes give way to lush vegetation, palm trees beyond the fences of the gardens, the bright green leaves that stands out against the blue of the sky
The bus stops at the ferry terminal. The first leg is in a pot-bellied wooden scow, with small windows, a mass of people standing, like on a bus, and Ganesh as a protection
Variables prices, 50 LKR to go and 30 on the way back. I pay the same amount of other passengers, it is not a rip off reserved to foreigners. Speaking about foreigners, on the 776 bus I meet two Chinese girls, one of them, Aileen, says she noticed me yesterday upon arrival at the bus terminal. She saw me get off the bus, and eat around. She wants to know my itinerary, why I travel alone, and so on. She and her travel mate met at the airport, and decided to share the experience.
The ferry docks at Nainativu, very small island, with sparse vegetation. The points of interest are two temples, one Buddhist and one Hindu
I buy some samosas and nibble them walking under a pitiless sun in the straight that connects the two sites. In the Hindu temple I assist to a pooja, much more animated than the Kataraghama one : infernal uproar, music of drums and trumpets, the crowd in faithful adoration, offerings of food, incense clouds, priests and procession of gilded statues, unknown deities. Very interesting and engaging, even if I do not understand anything. As always, and as in India, I do not care to understand what happens moment by moment, but rather enjoy the mystical moment.
I return by bus in the early afternoon, 80 LKR, and I decide, always with public transport to reach the Nallur templer, in the outskirts of Jaffna, in time for the 5.00 pooja. If in Nainativu temple I was a little secluded, this time I jump into the fray and go to sit on the floor on the women side. Initially the priests recite formulas, to which the devotees respond heatedly occasionally. After, the procession, offerings of food, a bit as it happened this morning. After the ceremony, I wander in and around the temple, till I get curiously attracted by a small building, the size of a large garage, with the sign “cultural center”. In front of it is a crowd of people, and some girls dressed as dancers, ringed and bejeweled. Inside, children play and sing, like at year-end school essays. TV is filming. I have a pretty good idea of how the Hindu dances are articulated and I want to watch the show, the dancers, garlanded by orange flowers have beautiful costumes, colorful, gold shining. The performance is decent, one of the two girls is very graceful
The audience is composed almost totally by women only, when the show is off, and we leave, people gather outside, and look at me, smartphone in their hand, as if they wanted to take pictures but do not dare. In the socializing mood, I approach them. I get bombarded by dozens of shots with the dancers, with relatives of the dancers, with other girls, with the children, they even put infants in my arms
At 19.00 another procession arrives, it starts to darken, I see some lights, but there are so many people that I can’t get close, swarms of humans in the square, among the stalls selling sweets and games
I feel happy and at home. Maybe this country does not have much to offer from the landscape or artistic side, but the warmth and hospitality of the population make up the gaps, it’s an experience that needs to be done once in a lifetime.
I have dinner at Sanje, near the bus terminal. A simple place, where I’m treated with all honor, the young waiter is very considerate, and does not fail to top up my glass when empty.
Back at the hotel, I see sweepers who are busy collecting waste and taking it away in wheelbarrows. I want to enjoy a little the beautiful room, the tv with American satellite channels, the feelings and sensations I lived today. I go to bed later than usual. This one, Haputale, and Negombo were the most beautiful days of the holiday.
8/12
Usual breakfast with tea and biscuits in a hotel (80 LKR), I never got used to the local food in the early morning, for the first meal of the day I prefer to keep home traditions. I go to visit the hot springs of Keerimalai, (50 LKR + 50 return) but they are a half disappointment. They are cold, there are no springs, and contain sea water. The women’s section is a concrete hole surrounded by walls, it looks like a prison. The beach in front is quite dirty, so I decide to return to Jaffna. The nicest part of the whole expedition is the coach journey. Lunch at Rolex Hotel, 210 LKR.
In the early afternoon, under a merciless sun, I decide to explore the city, protected by an umbrella. It’s quite hot. The ruins of war, bombed pastel houses, pass in front of me witnessing the atrocities
Churches, with their serene and peaceful atmosphere, do not compensate the previous sorrow experienced. I still take this opportunity to find shelter in the shade, and rest a while
Someone is resting too much. I see a man, rosary in hand, lying sprawled on a bench, snoring like a pig. 🙂 🙂
The tour makes me thirsty, I’m so dehydrated that return to Rolex, I order a fruit juice, and I gulp it at the speed of light without even asking myself which kind of water they used. I realize it too late, an hour later when I order a similar juice in another little bar, and I’m asked if I want plain water or mineral water, with a surcharge. Fortunately, no belly problems.
I pass next to the clock tower, then I stroll to the fort, which was bombed during the war. It is now being renovated, but still little is left.
It’s funny to walk on the ramparts, enjoy the wind, admire the sea, and the isthmus I traveled by bus yesterday, now full of fishermens. I wait for the sunset for some pictures.
I have dinner again at Sanje, I greet my new friends, I go to the hotel to pick up my stuff, and go back to the bus terminal. I did not have great expectations, but the night bus that awaits me is similar to the dozens ones I used at day time, there are no spacious and reclining seats, no air conditioning and no other white tourists. Instead, what is not lacking, as soon as we leave, it is a disturbing loud music, which, however, does not prevent me from falling asleep, despite the awkward position, and the bustle of people going constantly up and down around me.