Four Yogis and their TukTuk

In terms of literature, an adventure story needs 6 components: a hero, a quest, an unfamiliar or dangerous environment, a villain, a risk and a transformation. My roadtrip through southern Sri Lanka checks every box, so I present to you the adventure story of Four Yogis and their TukTuk.

It all started in the surfing village of Midigama where Mimi, Michael, Ailish and I were warned of driving a tuktuk by enough people who had never done it before that we needed to test it for ourselves. Tuktuks are the most common form of transportation in Sri Lanka. They’re used as taxis and many families have their own as an investment. A tuktuk is basically a three wheeled stick shift golf cart, a motorcycle with a carriage built around it. Our favorite tuktuk driver gave us a lesson and we were able to rent one from a trustworthy local’s garage for $9 a day. We could load all of our backpacks in by stuffing half of our things in a garbage bag and strapping it to the top of our bright red machine. After a few stalls in the beginning we got the hang of it pretty quickly and were on our way eastward down the coast. We had this little bluetooth speaker. The first song Michael played when we hit the road was “The Letter” by by the Box Tops and this tune was almost annoyingly stuck in each of our heads for the duration of our 10 day road trip and became our iconic theme song. Our first destination was Hiriketiya Beach, with a little pit stop at the Dandra lighthouse, the most southern point of Sri Lanka.

Mimi and her injured foot

Hiriketiya beach is another surfer's paradise. We stayed for just two nights and I got a unforgettable surf session in. I’m definitely a beginner and it’s obvious to anyone surfing near me. A Hiriketiya local saw me getting wrecked by waves and asked to help. I knew he was good because he had the smallest surfboard I’ve ever seen and it was covered in crustaceans, I come to find out he’s an instructor at the local surf school. Rish helped me align my board with the waves, told me when to paddle and would give me a little push before I stood up. I surfed my biggest waves yet, ones that would’ve absolutely terrified me without his help.

The next portion of this adventure was north, to Udawalawe national park for an elephant safari. On the way we stopped at Mulkirigala Rock Monastery. There's a Buddhist temple carved into a mountain that we couldn't miss. Off the beaten track, this place barely has visitors. The monastery is deep in the jungle, so much so it felt like the jungle was trying to take it back. Moss growing on the rocks and roots of trees busting through the stone walkways, monkeys swinging in the branches as we walked up to the temple. The only sign of people being there were the fresh picked flowers laid out to honor the Buddha. We arrived just before a short rain storm came through, and right before it ended the clouds broke and the rain come down in the sunshine. I stood under it for good luck.

We checked into our Airbnb after a day of driving and it marked the worst Airbnb experience of my life. Unfortunately in some places in Sri Lanka it’s quite common for foreigners to be scammed. I paid for the accommodation on the airbnb app and the host insisted I pay him in cash as well. This was a back and forth for hours, with Airbnb support trying to help me until it was settled. I booked a safari vehicle to pick us up from our airbnb the following morning, and we were basically chased out by the screaming host for showing him a door handle that was broken when we arrived. Luckily our safari driver was on our side and rushed us out of there before things escalated. I’ll never forget the rage in that man’s eyes as he held the door handle above his head screaming at us. Lol.

Elephants are my favorite animals. I fell in love with these graceful creatures after I met a 70 year old giant in South Africa that looked me in the eyes and I swear she smiled at me. I read online that sometimes the elephants are missed on the safari through Udawalawe Park when they move deeper in the jungle. It’s not 100% garnered to see them. I was literally praying on the way to see an elephant and God must’ve been listening because not only did we see multiple elephants, we got to see babies with their mothers. The park is also inhabited with brightly colored peacocks, alligators, monkeys eagles and foxes - which we got to see as well. The four of us had the whole safari jeep to ourselves, even though we contemplated taking the tuktuk through the park.

I promise I own a hairbrush

Sri Lanka has a small mountain range going through the center of the island with little hiking villages scattered throughout. The most popular one being Ella for its iconic ‘Ella Rock’. After the safari we headed even more north to Ella. We passed “elephant corridors” where elephants from the national park cross the highway and I’m not kidding when I say we nearly hit the biggest elephant I’ve seen. The safari ended in the afternoon and we over estimated our speed by quite a bit thinking we’d get there before sundown. Unknown to us, the address to our hostel was entered into our gps wrong and it was directing us off the main road and onto a low maintenance road, to put it lightly, up a mountain. I messaged the host and asked if tuktuks are able to make it up. Assuming we had the correct address, he told us it’ll be easy. We took this as a green light to force our little cart up the side of a mountain. At one point we all had to get out besides Ailish who is bravely driving, shine flashlights and literally hold our beloved tuktuk upright as it climbed over rocks. The forest leeches slowed us down but by the force of pure willpower we reached the top of this mountain and I was actually thankful it was dark enough to not be able to see the drop below us. I pulled out my phone to tell the hostel we’ve arrived and learned quickly that yes, we went the wrong way no, there’s not a connecting road. We’ll have to go all way back down. I called my friend Michaela the next day after we safely arrived and told her this story, her response was “they let YOU navigate?!” Lesson learned. But what’s an adventure without a healthy dose of fear of death? (Just kidding grandma & grandpa).

Ella is a sweet little village along the Sri Lankan railway. People come from all over the world to hike her trails. We got in two incredible treks. Terrified of the leeches on the trail we all rocked dorky “leech socks”, which are now my most favorite souvenirs. The first hike took us over the famous 9 arch bridge, around tea estates scattered with villagers picking Ceylon tea, through little villages and ended at the train station. We’re a group of the least timely people and it was no surprise when we missed the train back to Ella at the end of the hike. A tuktuk driver offered us a ride but we were too loyal to our own and asked him if there is an alternative way back. He said that it’s possible to walk the railroad tracks all the way back to Ella. I felt like I was in the movie Stand by Me as we trotted down the tracks past waterfalls and through tunnels filled with bats. We made it back to Ella and enjoyed post-hike local beers, happily exhausted.

Tea collectors greeting us as we walk by

Laundry drying on rooftop in local village

The next morning, still sore from yesterday’s hike, we got up and prepared ourselves for another journey, this time to Ella rock. I loved this trail because it began on the tracks and took us up the mountain on no specific path. We kinda wandered around until we reached the top. As soon as we could see the end there was this huge bureaucratic fence blocking way. You had to pay a fee to see the views of Ella from the top of the mountain. It was 70 rupees for locals and 900 for foreigners, which we didn’t have on us. I’m all for supporting nature conservation but this seemed a bit extreme. Because I am my mother’s daughter I led the group in hopping the fence out of sight. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

View of Ella Rock from our hostel

Cricket practice below

Sri Lankan scarecrow

We got up early for our last day in the tuktuk. It was time to head back down to Midigama to return the Red Rover and catch the train to Colombo for our flights out of the country. We listened to The Letter way too many times, stopped for fresh fruit and friendly food stalls along the way, and arrived in Midigama for one last sunset swim after saying goodbye to our tuk.

Michael is heading back to India to continue his spiritual journey. His first stop will be a vipasssana: 10 day silent meditation. Mimi and Ailish are Irish trailblazers moving to New Zealand to start new lives. I’m heading to SE Asia to explore Vietnam in time for the Lunar New year. We took the fort train to Colombo together. You’d think after almost a month constantly being in each other’s company we’d be sick of one another but we spent those last few hours on the train crammed together in the very last corridor as we watched villages, palm trees and views of the Indian Ocean go by. We passed children trying to run as fast as the train beside us smiling and waving, brightly colored birds flying with us and fishermen carrying their catches back home. The sunset aligned perfectly with where we were sitting and it felt like Sri Lanka was sending off with a warm hug. I believe if you really love a place, for what it is in its wholeness, it’ll love you right back. Sri Lanka isn’t perfect, nowhere is, but it offered a type of beauty and lifestyle centered around simplicity and kindness that gives beyond its issues. Sri Lanka treated us like an old friend staying for a visit.

We created a little family here. It really felt like one. We supported each other when things got challenging, divided tasks, even got into arguments from time to time. It felt like we had been friends for years after this adventure. We’re all out here exploring the world for different reasons, some more similar than others. Mimi lost her dad two years ago and almost lost her mom to cancer. The parallels between our lives are no coincidence. She misses her sister and is also finding some healing through travel. We even have tattoos for our dads in the same place on our arms. I think God, the universe, fate, whatever it is, brought us together. Mimi is a tough chick. She's learned how to cope with her loss and live in uncertainty while creating her best life. She doesn't hide how she feels, wears her heart on her sleeve, and isn't ashamed to really miss her dad from time to time. We shared stories, related, laughed and cried together. The kind of comfort that comes with being with someone who understands this grief, so specifically, is something I didn’t even know I needed. I’m a million times more grateful for this experience because of her. These goodbyes aren’t getting easier and that’s okay. I’m so excited for these three incredible humans and their next destinations, it makes leaving them a just a little bit bearable. Plus, I have a feeling we’ll find each other again, like we did this time.

Here’s a little piece Michael wrote about our adventure that I love:

"Welcome to Sri Lanka"

Once upon a time, four yogi's rented a tuk tuk and decided to see how far a bit of existential surrender, faith in the universe and good vibes would take them. Good music blaring out of a Bluetooth speaker and the steady rattle of our three wheeled drive created a beautiful symphony of madness, enticing and engaging, it whispers stories of freedom, responsibly to one's own heart and the ancient spirit of travel and all those who have dared follow its call.

See you soon, Vietnam.

Listening to: The Letter by the Box Tops