We cross the bridge over the River Bentota by car. The railway track of Diesel engine powered trains shares the same bridge. Over the bridge, over the waters of river Bentota, all of a sudden it is calm now. Did we miss something? We try to have a glance behind the car. We travelled from north to south over the bridge & now unlike us, the River Bentota that was running from east to west while we crossed the bridge suddenly changes its mind & takes a ninety degree turn. Now, the river flows north right from the very location of the bridge itself, parallel to the coast, for a few hundred meters, separated by the sea only by a narrow tongue of land. Sea from the west, sea from the north-the choppy breakers of the Indian Ocean, & calm waters of the river Bentota from East. The narrow spit of land is beautifully sandwiched & shaded with palm trees on both the seaward & river sides. It can be reached either from the beach or by boat across the river: the paradise island.

The slow water of the Bentota lagoon is an ideal place to canoe or kayak as you meander upriver past little villages, beside leafy forests and aside little islands full of scented cinnamon or little Buddhist shrines. Bentota's calmer coastal waters also provide a great place to begin your sea kayaking adventure that may take you to little inlets and coves allowing you to see the island from a totally different perspective.