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just there for the beach and the sun.
The beaches were busy, most locals make their living from the beach. That’ s evident by the hundreds of fishing boats on the sand. There was a lot going on at the beach even the cows get to hang out there!
Having a rest day in Trincomalee, gave me a little bit of time to try to adjust to the humidity. The pool quickly became my favourite spot as I am too afraid to swim in the ocean. Later that morning I took a ride with Nemo through the grounds of Fort Frederick, built by the Portuguese in 1624, demolished and rebuilt by the Dutch in 1665, to visit Thirukoneswaram Kovil Temple perched on a cliff face.
The cliff is known as lovers leap, after the daughter of a Dutch army commander fell in love with a Dutch soldier. The soldier broke off their engagement and sailed back to his homeland. The young woman was so heartbroken she stepped off the edge as she watched her lovers ship sail over the horizon. There are now prominent spikes on the fences only to serve as a deterrent, I am told it doesn’ t stop the odd heartbroken individual for copying the Dutch commander’ s young daughter.
The Hindu temple was stunning, how they built these temples with the decorative architecture blew my mind. This is the second temple built on the site after the initial temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in the 30-year war. It’ s decorated with little wooden cradles which are brought to the temple by newlyweds in the hope of being blessed with a healthy baby. The next temple we visited was Shri Badrakali Amman Hindu kovil, where a wedding was taking place, we stayed and watched on for a little while before leaving for a ride around Trincomalee Bay which also has a fairly significant history.
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