My visit to Unawatuna
The golden sandy beaches, the beautifully decorated light blue and bright blue sky with white clouds and thin layers crystal colored water kissing your feet, make you sit and wonder what more beauty can an island could possibly have.
Known as one of the most popular beaches in the world, the sea show is filled with coconut trees, palm trees, livelihood of the locals and much more.
The history talks about Unawatuna as a great location of the Ramayana Trials, where during the time of King Ravana, the monkey-warrior Hanuman was sent to Sri Lanka to fetch four herbs that could heal Lakshman who was injured trying to save Princess Sita, however could not find the herbs and took back the entire mountain to the battlefield and on the way back, he accidently dropped a chunk of it which is known as “Rumassala Hill”, which is located in Unawatuna, and also the name Unawatuna was derived by this mythical incident that enriched the entire area and the name Unawatuna means “fell down”.
It is not only a tourist attraction to day, but also one of the most beautiful beaches ranked among the twelve best beaches in the world.
The picture illustrates the picture square view as I wake up and walk towards the terrace of the beach chalet which I stayed at during my stay at Unawatuna. Up to a certain distance, the water length is only up to the knee and the dark blue color in the middle holds a massive reef that blocks unfriendly or powerful waves hitting the shore. Being as child friendly as possible, the private beach is at its best early morning, as you enjoy a sun bath and a hike up to the small rock located in the middle of the sea could be quiet adventurous.
Of course I did not forget to enjoy the lovely food prepared by the butler and the real taste of one of the most famous Sri Lanka cuisine filled up the lunch time, and the evening was spent at the beach.
The beach chalets were small, but cozy and comfortable, however, they were not luxurious, yet the scenery and the food really made up the day. The beach chalets were made with thatched roofs with a wooden stairway leading nowhere but straight to the beach, and the nights were a little cooler with the breeze of the Indian Ocean.
And during my stay, I also spotted many creatures at the sea shore, which includes, Jellyfish, early in the morning, at around 5.00am, you could spot these, and once you get into the water, massive numbers of small fish would swim electric fast passing you, not harmful at all. These are light greenish silver fish that belongs to the family of Clupeidae, most commonly known as Sprats, one of the most famous dishes in Sri Lanka.
It was definitely one of the best visits I’ve ever enjoyed down south. Clean, private and beautiful beach, mouth watering original Sri Lankan cuisines, beach chalets, cozy and comfortable, what more could add to the beautiful Island Paradise of Sri Lanka.
By Milani Wickramaratne
