PARADISE BY THE INDIAN OCEAN, Mirissa, Sri Lanka, 2019.12.14

Day 10 (2 of 2).

In 1995, world renounced photographer Steve McCurry immortalized the South Coast of Sri Lanka with his iconic photograph Stilt Fishermen, capturing four local fishermen sitting on wooden stilts and fishing at the shore of Weligama.  The mid-1990s also marked the beginning of tourism at the fishing town of Weligama and the adjacent Mirissa.  Mirissa, historically known as the south’s largest fishing port for tuna, mullet, snapper and butterfish, was soon developed into a paradise-like holiday destination.  Between Mirissa and Weligama, there are plenty of pristine beaches, decent seafood restaurants, accommodations of all sorts, good surfing spots, hidden coves for snorkeling with sea turtles, and the world famous whale watching waters.  The Sri Lankan South Coast has all the essentials of a tropical holiday destination except the large partying crowds like Full Moon parties at Koh Phangan in Thailand.  In fact, in Sri Lanka alcohol is prohibited during Uposatha, or the full moon days.  Despite the lack of vibrant nightlife and the destructions and loss of lives caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, tourism in Mirissa and the South Coast continues to thrive solely because of the area’s natural beauty.

Many travelers prefer to stay in the South Coast for days if not weeks, especially if one is interested in surfing.  We didn’t have such luxury in terms of time, but could only spare two days to chill out by the sea, including a 7-hour boat ride out in the rough waters to seek for marine mammals.

Beautiful, laid back, and has plenty of space to just sit down to enjoy a fresh coconut drink, Mirissa Beach should meet most people’s expectations.

The quality of both the sand and water at Mirissa Beach is top notch.

Just months after the terrorist attacks in Colombo and Negombo, the number of foreign visitors might not match the previous year.  Nonetheless, the beach was filled with the laughter of local beachgoers.

The Parrot Rock Bridge, a rock island accessible by a short walk in shallow water, is an iconic feature in Mirissa Beach.

Climbing the Parrot Rock Bridge allowed us to have an overview of Mirissa Beach.

The Mirissa Beach is one of the many resort beaches in the South Coast of Sri Lanka.  In fact, the entire South Coast of Sri Lanka has a series of fine beaches along the Indian Ocean.

Two bays east of Mirissa Beach, we arrived at Coconut Tree Hill, a small peninsula topped with a grove of coconut trees that was made famous in recent years by Instagram users and online bloggers who post selfies taken from the hill.

Despite the poor weather, the Coconut Tree Hill was nonetheless a lovely place for us to enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding beaches.

All tourists chose to stand at the centre of Coconut Tree Hill to take selfies with the sea as the background.

There is a local old man lingering around the Coconut Tree Hill.  He loves to interact with tourists and showed them good spots for photo shooting.

In the evening, most tourists sat down at the outdoor restaurants along the beach, while the locals continued to have fun in the waves.

The last moment of sunlight created a dramatic moment at Mirissa Beach.

The locals refused to leave despite it was getting really dark.

A group of locals requested us to take a photo of them.

In the evening, most tourists would sit down at a beach restaurant for a seafood dinner.

We picked Zephyr Restaurant & Bar near Parrot Rock Bridge for dinner.

The staff at Zephyr brought out a plate of catches of the day for us to choose.

We sat down at a table on the beach.

One of us picked lobster as the main dish.

Another main dish we ordered was a grilled spangled emperor fish.  Fresh and great ambience.