Sri Lanka is a great place to travel. Interesting, friendly people, easy to get around, lots of places to stay and very cheap. It is monsoonal on the West Coast - the main tourist area - from May to about September but the East coast weather is totally opposite. In other words when it is raining and pretty ordinary on one side of this tiny Island the other side is enjoying nice weather.

Since a cease fire was declared in early 2002, for the first time in over a decade people can travel safely and easily to the once war torn east coast regions. After staying in Kandy for a few days I headed for Hikkaddua in the south, rented a XR250 trail bike and off i went exploring the east coast from Arugum Bay to Trincommole, to Nivelli Beach and to the temples (destroyed long before we got there by some serious fighting) about 100kms to the north of Trinco, then across the country through Columbo and back to Hikkaddua about 28days later.

I went diving in Nivelli Beach, surfing in Arugum Bay and on the way got chased by elephants in Yala National Park, saw fantastic scenery all around, played golf in Kandy, traveled through war torn areas where mine clearnig was going on, met some great locals and fellow travellers and all in all had a good time. If the ceasefire lasts on the East Coast, and it looks like it will, this will be a hot place to travel from June - Sept as there are endless pristine beaches and great scenery.

If you are on a tight budget and want to stay in a country for a long time without the hassles and stress of India, Sri Lanka is the place. I hope you like these pictures.