Mutur – Uppuveli - 38 km
The next town was Trincomalee, or only Trinco. The way was flat, and
I followed the coast past China Bay, with its colourful fishing boats,
onto Trinco. Unfortunately, Trinco didn’t interest me much, and the
beachy village of Uppuveli rolled into view six kilometres further.
The Aqua Hotel in Uppuveli sounded fancier than it was. Still, the
place remained a good backpacker joint with a bar, a swimming pool,
and plenty of tables and chairs right on the beach—the kind of place
where one could park off for a few days. Of course, I had no intention
of parking off for a few days, but I did stay an additional day.
There wasn’t a great deal more to do but chill or take a walk along
the beach. The Aqua Hotel boasted a restaurant where the food,
while mediocre, came at a reasonable price. The walk along the
ocean was enjoyable, past rows and rows of fishing boats and
fishermen bringing in their nets. Unfortunately, the area was hit hard
during wartime and by the 2004 tsunami. For the most part, the
houses looked like they couldn’t withstand strong winds, let alone
another tsunami.
The hotel’s internet came in handy as I researched my next
destination. I didn’t come up with any bright ideas, except the best
would likely be to return to Thailand, from where I could cycle to
Myanmar, a country I haven’t cycled before. Bangkok was rumoured
to be the easiest place to obtain a Myanmar visa, and I hoped it
would remain that way until my arrival.