One last indulgent fling with the beaches in Merissa, Sri Lanka 9/2023 (Stop 6)

29-30 September 2023 Merissa From Ella in central Sri Lanka, I headed south towards the southern coast, to Mirissa. Many foreigners came to rendezvous with the beaches and whale watching.

Along the way, some rivers nearly burst their banks. This is the rainy season. The vegetation took the opportunity to soak up the moisture, looking lush green and growing wildly. Sri Lankan houses nestled in this jungle. The Sri Lankans did not bother even to trim the trees and shrubs.

Merissa was literally at the edge of the sea. Both sides of the trunk road were lined with restaurants and guesthouses. Tuk-tuks parked at every corner and along the streets ready to carry visitors around. It was a little boutique beach town, with beaches almost at your doorstep. After going around the country, and hiking in the mountains, the beaches were most welcome.

Soon after I arrived in town and checked into my guesthouse, I headed straight across the road to Merissa Beach. The waves were charging and roaring, crashing into white waves.

Then, further down from here, I walked up a low hill. Slender tall coconut trees stood like match sticks on the hill overlooking the beach below. It captured the picture perfectly; coconut trees and the sea belong to each other.

Secret Beach was 2 km from the main road, deeper into the bush and up the hills, unlike Mirissa and Coconut Beach. It was small and tucked away, like in a secret hideout. Its charm makes it an open secret.