Up for a bit of travel battery? This week I’ll be taking you on a rough-it-out camping trip to Jaffna. There’s a fair chance you’ll acquire a few souvenir bruises along the way but the experience is worth every purpled contusion!
First stop- Vavuniya
Actually, the only scabrous bit of the trip was the bus ride from Vavuniya to Jaffna. It’s jolty and manic; much like a rollercoaster ride though without the seatbelts. But first, to get to Vavuniya, you can take the 8.30pm train from the Fort Station- a first class ticket will cost you Rs. 600. I’d suggest you take a book along or anything portable to keep yourself occupied because it’s a long ride to Vavuniya.
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| Yummy peanut cookie |
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| Probably the best isso vadai (Prawn Vadai). Pix by Megara Tegal |
Of course, you could curl up in your seat and sleep through it though your bones and muscles will protest riotously.
When you get to the Vavuniya station it will be around 3am. You can make your way to the town by taking a left from the station exit, a right at the junction and another right at the next bend. Passing a chain of little shops, you’ll finally reach the bus deport. You can’t miss it; it’s bright pink.
You’d be able to pick up a cup of tea at a wayside shop, which you can only appreciate if you’ve got an intense sweet-tooth and I mean ‘INTENSE’. Breakfast usually includes ulundu vades and dosai with a spread of curries. The food at Vavuniya is so-so. Not bad but nothing to rave about either.
Bumpy ride to Jaffna
Buses to Jaffna will be available every 30 minutes. Be sure to be board one with enough seats available. On my first trip to Jaffna, about 2 years back, I stood in the bus the whole 3 to 4 hours.
The second time was earlier this year for the ‘Jaffna Music Festival’ and my group unwittingly sat at the back seat of the bus. We felt like little beads in a rumba-shaker. Being tossed around a good few feet in the air is terrible on the spine but heaps of fun!
Along the bumpy ride you’ll pass iconic areas that you’d only heard of in the news like Omanthi, Killinochchi and Elephant pass. You’ll reach Jaffna town by around 10am. Places to check out include the Nallur Temple in all its grandeur. You’ll have to take a bus to get to the large religious sanctuary.
The temple is cool on the inside- relief from beating Yalpanam sun; with almost life size murals right along the peripheral walls, depicting the legends about the Hindu Gods. Not too far off is Rio’s Ice cream parlour. With an assortment of interesting ice cream flavours and toppings, it’s pretty impressive.
Placid seas and pitching tents
Next up, Casurina beach! It’s on an island northwest of Jaffna town. You can get there by bus as the island is linked by a bridge. The journey however, will take about an hour or so. Be sure to head out by at least 3pm so you’ll have time to caper in the sea and pitch your tents later while there’s still daylight.
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| Rio’s ice cream |
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| Nallur Temple. Pic by Aamina Nizar |
A bus to Casurian beach should be available at the town; ask the conductors and hop off at the lane leading to the beach. You’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of you; about 20 mins- give or take. Just follow the path and the moment you see a patch of greenery like an oasis to your left, then you know you’re almost there. A few meters a head of you awaits a clear ocean with little fish that will swim along with you.
The sea is at chest level several meters in. Though you might want to watch out for sea urchins - in just 2 years the beach has gone from being relatively unpopulated to teeming with crowds like those at Galle Face on Sunday and quite littered.
Heading back you’ll pass a little shack of a shop with bottled water and snacks for sale. I’d recommend the peanut cookies. Quite simply delicious!
If it’s about 5pm you should make your way to the main temple in the area. The locals will be able to direct you there with ease; but it’s another long walk.
The temple is actually rather small but it’s located on a sprawling green area. You must ask the priest permission to pitch your tent there of course. They’re exceptionally friendly- they offered us a house to spend the night at and food. But we politely refused since we needed to put the tents to use.
Once you’ve got your tents up, look for firewood and build a little campfire- it gets freezing cold there at night. Prepare your camping meals and nosh up. You’ll be sleeping under a blanket of stars and silhouettes of palm trees.
Back to Colombo
Trains back into Colombo from Vavuniya are at 3pm and 8.30pm. You can have breakfast at the campsite and head back to the beach (it shouldn’t be as mobbed as in the afternoons). Take a bus back to Jaffna town for lunch, then bus back to Vavuniy and from there the 3pm train to the Colombo Fort station- for Rs. 600 and you’ll reach home by 7.30pm. You have the option of taking the A/C bus- aka the mobile refrigerator, though it’s Rs. 1500 (not very ‘budget’) and short of the travel experience. If you’ve got a free weekend coming up, Jaffna is the place to check out; think camping, beach, culture, peanut cookies and ice cream sundaes.
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