The Tree House

In Mirrisa I stayed in a guest house that was built basically in a tree. It was a really cool looking place. It was very basic, but I was not looking for anything fancy. It was a typical place compared to the other places I saw in Sri Lanka.

I got one of my first impressions of Sri Lankans from the man who ran the guest house. His name was Janaka and he is one of the nicest people I have ever met. I don't feel like he was being nice in order to be a good host, I think his kindness was very genuine. He offered to drive me places in his tuk tuk as well as he told me I "can borrow [his] surf board, no problem."

When I arrived he introduced me to some of his family whom I assume all lived in the main house. His mother, sister whom is a teacher, and his little brother. I think I also saw his father in the garden one day but I am unsure.

As I said, the place was very basic. It had a double bed with mosquito netting, a desk and a bathroom. The bathroom believe it or not did have plumbing, with a toilet and a cold shower. It also had a little grassy patio area equipped with a hammock!

On a tuk tuk ride to the beach to grab some food he asked what I was planning to do in Mirrisa. With no real plans other than to meet up with a friend I made in Korea (he teaches in Abu Dhabi) I told him I wanted to relax on the beach and take pictures. He asked if I wanted to go whale watching. I had never been whale watching before so I thought why not. He got me a good price on it and he drove me to it and picked me up.

Very nice. He also ended up taking me to Hikadewa in his tuk tuk early on my last morning at his place and offered as well to take me to the airport in Columbo. So nice!

I would highly recommend the place to anyone traveling in Sri Lanka. My first impression of Sri Lankan's were how overly nice they are and it seems so genuine.