Trincomalee

After winter in New Zealand and Australia I had been looking forward to some beach days in Sri Lanka. I’ve never been the biggest beach lover, but I didn’t realise several months ago that Cambodia’s beaches would be the last proper beaches I’d see in a while, and I’d grown to miss them a little. Enter Trincomalee. A quiet stretch of beach with fine sand and clear, relatively still waters. I spent most of my time here alternating between lying still on the sand and cooling off in the sea. Beaches are back.

I’d travelled here with Chloe and Claudia, both of whom I’d met at our previous hostel. Were were part of a bigger social group at that hostel, and with the three of us travelling to the same place on the same day it made sense to go together. The bus journey was less stressful (although no less chaotic!) with others, and mealtimes were far more social with others around. We became very comfortable with each other in a really nice way - plenty to talk about over some delicious dinners, but also able to be silent and have our own space. Our new friendship group spent both of our nights there dancing on the sand. It’s good to have travel buddies again.