Hikkaduwa (emphasis on the HICK) is the way-famous beach where all the hippies hung out. It's pretty much tradition to go there, so I just went there for awhile.
After half a century of tourism and over-exploitation of the local environment (most notably the coral reefs), it's not necessarily the most awesome beach imaginable (I skipped the Hikkaduwa National Park, for instance, which has extremely mixed reviews online), but there's some cool stuff around the town worth checking out.
There's a turtle farm about 3 km north of the city (there are many around these parts). The guy who runs it actually buys turtle eggs from the folks who dig them up to sell as food, lets them hatch, keeps them in a tank for a few days to get their sea legs, then releases them at night. He also keeps a number of adult turtles around, some of which are missing limbs or have been injured in some way.
It's not lit, so you basically have to visit during daylight hours (I was there around dusk, so the photos are hard to see).
Environmentalists have actually questioned the usefulness of these farms, since the turtles are apparently ill-equipped to deal with the sea after being raised in tanks--but the babies are super-cute anyway.
After that, I found a Tsunami Museum near the entrance to the Moonstone Mines. Remember the Tsunami? It apparently hit the coast pretty hard. The museum is basically a collection of photos of the event and the aftermath, pinned up on the wall of a wooden shack that was a real house before it struck.
I'm not much good when people tell me their sob stories (I can muster a socially-awkward and insensitive "I'm glad you didn't die...") but the museum is really worth seeing. It's far more profound and affecting than anything at the Killing Fields or Tuol Sleng Museum. Far more.
After half a century of tourism and over-exploitation of the local environment (most notably the coral reefs), it's not necessarily the most awesome beach imaginable (I skipped the Hikkaduwa National Park, for instance, which has extremely mixed reviews online), but there's some cool stuff around the town worth checking out.
There's a turtle farm about 3 km north of the city (there are many around these parts). The guy who runs it actually buys turtle eggs from the folks who dig them up to sell as food, lets them hatch, keeps them in a tank for a few days to get their sea legs, then releases them at night. He also keeps a number of adult turtles around, some of which are missing limbs or have been injured in some way.
It's not lit, so you basically have to visit during daylight hours (I was there around dusk, so the photos are hard to see).
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| Turtle Eggs. The babies inside slowly hatch and begin to implode the mound. Then the owner puts a bucket over them and puts them in the tank for several days. Then they are released. |
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| A lovely green turtle (even though it's brown) |
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| So pretty! And so friendly!! |
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| An adorable baby. |
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| Baby can swim! |
Environmentalists have actually questioned the usefulness of these farms, since the turtles are apparently ill-equipped to deal with the sea after being raised in tanks--but the babies are super-cute anyway.
After that, I found a Tsunami Museum near the entrance to the Moonstone Mines. Remember the Tsunami? It apparently hit the coast pretty hard. The museum is basically a collection of photos of the event and the aftermath, pinned up on the wall of a wooden shack that was a real house before it struck.
I'm not much good when people tell me their sob stories (I can muster a socially-awkward and insensitive "I'm glad you didn't die...") but the museum is really worth seeing. It's far more profound and affecting than anything at the Killing Fields or Tuol Sleng Museum. Far more.
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