February 27, 2024
Feb. 27th - 30km before Tangalle to Tangalle
I knew I was doing another short day today as I was headed to Tangalle. I made a reservation last night and contacted them to make sure it was okay if I arrived early. It's a little tricky because I only had about 20 miles to cover, but still need to go early because of the weather.
Got on the road by 8:30, but the heat was already pretty brutal. It's in the mid 90's, but the "real feel" is 100. I guarantee you, I was feeling it! It sucks the life right out of me.
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Bus traffic seemed to increase today as did their usual craziness. Today I learned that the red buses are the government buses and the blue buses are private. I'm pretty sure they all drive recklessly!
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I had just tiny little climbs today and I was getting a little out of breath. Pretty sure it was the heat as they definitely shouldn't have felt hard at all -- even for me who hates hills!
I found Pizza Hut in town and had the usual and got cooled down before cycling the last mile or so. I got checked into my accommodation which is absolutely wonderful as is the family. Highly recommend Dinuri Villa. The reviews on Booking dot com are absolutely correct. This place is a gem!
No since showering as I have to go check out the beaches. There's one at the end of my street, but I decided to walk to "Silent Beach" as that's the popular one. It's one of the few you can swim at. The others have rip tides, undertows, steep drop offs and big wave making them unsafe. Personally, I would be worried about a wayward crocodile, but that's just me.
I got charged extra for a water bottle today even though I know the price is printed on the bottles. When I told the lady she said I had to pay extra because it was cold. That's only the price for room temperature water. OMG, do you think I am stupid?! Whatever, I just paid it, but it's the principle of it that pisses me off. Tourist area, let's jack up the prices.
I had a nice walk along the beach, well, relatively nice. It was incredibly hot. The water on my feet never felt so good. On the way back I was walking into the wind so much better. Bargained the tuk-tuk to the normal price after refusing to pay the mark up saying, "I'll walk" but eventually the second guy said okay to my price. It was either that or he was going back to town empty. The first guy actually called my hotel I was staying at to complain to them why they were telling me the price. I told the guy, "Why are you calling them, I will walk." I may have also called him an idiot as I was walking away! I'm going to blame it on the heat. Actually, today was a tough day mentally. At one point, I felt like I could cry and I had no idea why. I think a combination of the heat, the buses, and worrying about how unprepared I am for my next country.
Got back and the family brought me another cold lime/lemon drink. I hadn't seen their What'sApp, but they lady wanted to cook me dinner, "her gift" even though they had quoted me a price earlier. So nice of them. I just rounded up when I paid for my accommodation and the two Coke Zero's I had requested they bring me when I learned that they were at the store. Dinner was delicious, prawns, rice and papaya! All in all, a good day despite the challenges.
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Today's ride: 21 miles (34 km)
Total: 1,226 miles (1,973 km)
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