Unawatuna

Before the tsunami of 2004, Unawatuna was named one of the best 12 beaches in the world. The tsunami swept away most of the restaurants and businesses and destroyed the coral reef that made this spot so rich in biodiversity and enticing for snorkelers. Despite the lack of response from the government, the people of Galle worked very hard to preserve what was left of their businesses and begin the rebuilding process. It is rumored that celebrities like George Clooney and friends donated a lot of money to help rebuild this beloved beach. I don't blame them for wanting to get this place back up and running! Just 7 years after the tsunami and this place is as gorgeous as ever. The beach is lined with cute bungalows, bars, restaurants and small mom & pop guesthouses. The food is delicious and the views are fantastic.

With this beach being a mere 3 miles away, it's no wonder Unawatuna became our go-to beach when we'd get out of the hospital early and want to play the huge waves or eat dinner with the sunset and ocean crashing. Plus, it was the only spot we could find a pizza. And sometimes, you just need pizza.

Fireworks over Luck Tuna

One of our favorite little bars, Lucky Tuna, was right in the center of the beach front. We were introduced to this place on New Year's Eve when our tuk tuk driver, Dinesh, brought us here. Dinesh is born and raised in Unawatuna so he knew every guesthouse and restaurant owner and all the workers along the beach. Dinesh got us drinks all night and stayed with us during the New Year celebration, watching over Holly and I like our very own body guard. He was very protective of us and if any guys would start to bother us, he would come over and rescue us. He definitely made us feel safe in this foreign land. The nice thing about Lucky Tuna was that it was a locals joint, but many tourists also hung out here, making this place a great mix of people to talk to. AND then the British Royal Navy decided to make this their go-to bar.... so we highly enjoyed that.

One of the many gorgeous sunsets at Unawatuna.

 One evening, while waiting for Dinesh to come pick me up, I met a woman who owned one of the restaurants on the strip. It was the week we were on our Pediatrics rotation working with Dr. Jayantha. Apparently, her daughter was saved by Dr. Jayantha 22 years ago and she has loved him and prayed for him ever since. She told me she owes her life and happiness to him. She was so excited that we were learning from him, she asked me to invite the other girls back with me to experience some 'true' Sri Lankan curry at her restaurant. We took her up on this offer and had some of the most amazing curry with real spice! Not the 'tourist' level of spice, but the real deal. It was delish! We also met her husband, Anil, a jeweler whose work we had been admiring through the window for weeks. After meeting him, we ventured into his store... bad idea! He has some amazing work and such beautiful and rare gems. All three of us ended up making some purchases with gems unique to Sri Lanka. The one I really fell in love with was the star ruby. It's gorgeous! And ridiculously expensive- go figure. One day, I'll make enough money to get a ring or pendant made with a beautiful star ruby.

The gem I finally decided on for my ring.
Rhoti (don't know how to spell that)-
a type of quartz unique to Sri Lanka.