Despite the peacefulness instilled by the lush green jungle forest that looks on the verge of claiming back the cities, Sri Lanka is hectic.
The streets do not just bustle - they are uncontrolled with life, frying food and petrol smells all to the soundtrack of speeding tuk tuks.
People walk oblivious to oncoming traffic, school girls dressed in immaculate white uniforms make their way along dusty roads while tall coconut palms sway high above the rooftops and banana trees sprout out from any available space.
As the bus pulls around a corner new sights are revealed, never letting you put your camera down.
The trip from Colombo airport to Bentota South takes close to four hours despite the short distance of around 60 kilometres.
The tarmac roads wind around villages or hug the coastline offering fantastic views of daily life, peppered with quick glimpses of orange robed Buddhist monks who stop to smile when you catch their eye.
The population of Bentota is 48,000 and after spending just a few days there you might actually see every single one of them on the street, in shops, at the beach or piled into a tuk tuk.
People bustle around constantly either going to market, selling fruit, catching a bus or going to work at any time of day or night.
Comeback year
It may not be an obvious choice as other cities have more cultural sites, but Bentota South, one of the locations hit by the tsunami last year, is making a comeback and trying to entice tourists interested in water sports and long stretches of immaculate beaches for a complete getaway.
After the tsunami, the scene was dramatic in Beruwela, near Bentota in the district of Galle.
Here most buildings had been washed away, leaving a damaged church right on the ocean, according to reports.
However the debris was similar all along the coast with broken fishing boats, bits of buildings and furniture, household goods, dead plants, rubbish and lots and lots of shoes.
More than a year later, the only stark reminder that a natural disaster claimed so many lives and destroyed habitats is the frequent sight of smashed up fishing vessels left to rest on the shore by the road.
The Emirates Diving Association recently flew out to Bentota to assess the diving facilities in order to push more eager scuba divers to the country and give the tourism industry a boost.
Colombo is easily accessible with only a four-hour flight from Dubai. A handful of members from the association as well as working at dive centres in the UAE visited three dive sites over five days.
Ebrahim Al Zu'bi, director of the Emirates Diving Association, said Sri Lanka has a lot to offer to divers.
"Diving in a new destination and in a new place underwater is always exciting. I have always heard about how beautiful Sri Lanka is and the diving there is different," said Al Zu'bi.
"On our trip we saw different species there that we do not have here. Diving in Sri Lanka and promoting the region is also helping the tourism industry there after the tsunami last year," he said.
Perfect diving spot
He added that there was no better location to dive if you want to participate in the reconstruction of the area by 'diving for a cause'.
"They do have poor and limited resources there, but the dive experience is completely different and I believe it is a must see destination for divers," he added.
Once the wetsuits were dry the team had ample time to stroll through the streets, often accompanied by young Sri Lankans desperate to show the way to a relative's shop, while young Buddhist monks willingly posed for photos near the temples.
On the last day we visited the Pinnawela elephant orphanage situated between Colombo and the ancient royal residence Kandy in the hills of central Sri Lanka.
It was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Department.
This 24-acre elephant orphanage is also a breeding place for elephants, 20 of which have been born here since 1984, and it has the largest herd of elephants in captivity in the world.
By 2003 the elephant population had grown to 65.
Visitors can observe the feeding of the baby elephants everyday or have their picture taken among the herd.
Photo shoot
In the afternoon about 30 elephants are led through the street for 400 metres down to the river Maha Oya for a two-hour bath where visitors get the chance to have photos taken while wading in the river.
Old men rush to the crowd to sell us pieces of pineapple which the elephants love.
This sanctuary is a must see for any traveller in Sri Lanka and the best opportunity to observe the young elephants at play.
