Firstly, we should say that we had intended to split this blog into two but the Mac charger died so had to wait till we got to Bangkok to buy a new one, best get a glass of something and settle yourself down, lots of photos!
After many passport and boarding pass checks (about 8 or 9 people handled one of these documents at some stage between arriving at the airport and getting on the plane) plus one immigration officer asking me “are you sure that this is you" after looking at me then my passport photo a few times (in jest of course), we boarded and made our way over to Sri Lanka.
In contrast to India, the immigration officer here didn't even bother to look at our e-visas..
We were picked up by a very smiley tuktuk driver and taken to our guest house in Negombo for the night. Just on the 15min drive we noticed the difference. The cleanliness and quietness of the streets was so different and a nice change from what we had been used to in India.
The following morning we made our way to Anuradhapura on a local bus. What a great experience that was! Lovely clean bus, got a seat and even better, a dvd of local music was playing which was very entertaining, sort of pop music with créole influences.We checked in to our guest house and walked over to see a 2000 year old bhodi tree and an ancient stupa as they were close by and they were magnificent. The next day we hired bikes and cycled around the old city, this is something you have to do as the site is spread over a large area, we saw lots of wonderful architecture including more stupas and dagobas and plenty of nature too. It really was a great day and one of our highlights of Sri Lanka. We had some local food in the evening, Kottu, this is veg and spices cooked with chopped up roti bread. Very cheap, very tasty, very spicy!
We then made our way over to Polonnaruwa to see the sites there which were of a similar vein to Anuradhapura but still impressive. Again we had bikes (free this time courtesy of our host Luxman) but this time it rained on and off, our first rain experience for 4 months or so! It didn't dampen our spirits too much.We met a lovely English/Irish couple, Fran and Andy at our guest house who had been travelling for a long time also, they ere cycling around the island the crazy fools, very impressive indeed, we had good chats with them. It really rained hard all day one day so we decided to stay an extra night and plan a little what our next route would be. It was made all the more enjoyable by our affable host Luxman who tried to feed us till we popped at breakfast. He fed us lots of Hoppers, Egg Hoppers and String Hoppers each morning.
Our next stop was Sigiriya, probably the most busy tourist attraction on the island. We arrived at our guest house which offered a lovely garden and it was really peaceful there. We played cards on our first night with some friendly German youngsters (makes me feel old writing that but they were only about 20). We got up early the next morning to beat the crowds and avoid the heat of midday so we could climb Sigiriya Rock and not get too sweaty, well that didn't really work out, it was sweaty and there were lots of tourists from China! Chinese New Year so they were all on holiday, it was like Nepal all over again. We somehow did manage to avoid the big groups though and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful views from the top, and of course the ruins.
The following day we ventured off to Kandy. Our homestay was about 3km up the hill from the town centre but it offered an amazing view of the surrounding mountains and it was not just a really nice house, but had a proper sofa to sit on! Luxury.We visited the Temple of the Tooth although you can't actually see the tooth.. Nice place though, we then decided to walk around the lake and the heavens opened, luckily we had borrowed an umbrella from our hosts, it really does rain hard in Sri Lanka. We did see a pelican and a water monitor lizard so it wasn't all bad news. We stayed in our homestay for an extra day as it was so nice to plan our next moves to Ella and beyond.
The train to Ella from Kandy took about 6.5 hrs and was really slow, in Europe the distance could probably have been covered in 2 hrs but this was the most stunning train journey we've ever taken. The scenery was breathtaking and we had a great view sitting in the doorway with our legs hanging out. We arrived in Ella and it was quite touristy for such a small village but with lots of hiking to be had in the area, this was why. We had booked a place for 3 nights but when we arrived at the homestay, there had been a double booking so the hosts put us up somewhere else for the night (her sister's place apparently). At first we were a bit annoyed but it was all fine and we met Audrey and Manon, a couple of very friendly French girls which we wouldn't have done otherwise. We were invited out for dinner by Fran and Andy whom we'd met in Polonnaruwa that night as they were in town and we asked our new French friends to come too. We had the most amazing pizzas, a bit expensive but you have to treat yourself now and again, cheap rice and curry does get a little boring if you eat it everyday. The next morning we moved to our original homestay and negotiated free breakfasts for our inconvenience and after dropping our bags off made our way to Little Adam's peak. Once again stunning views, we bumped into Audrey and Manon and continued our walk with them for the next 3 hours or so through tea plantations etc. We saw the nine arches bridge and walked down the railway track (Stand by Me style) back into Ella which was great fun. Another great walk followed the next day, this time on our own, up to Ella Rock. Again we walked down the railway track and then through tea plantations but this time it was a much steeper climb up to the top, it reminded us of our trek in Nepal. Amazing views once more and a top walk. We really enjoyed this little place. If you ever come to SL and enjoy walking the we really recommend it.
So more nature followed, we then made our way to Udawalawe to go on safari and hopefully spot wild elephants. We arrived at our homestay which was in a peaceful location and offered a great room, food as well as safari services at very good prices.
The home made rice and curry was the best to date that we had and the breakfast was gigantic! They really do like to feed you here.We set off just before 6 am on the day of the safari and spent over 4 hrs in the national park thoroughly enjoying what it had to offer. We saw plenty of water buffalo, birds, some crocodiles, bengal and water monitor lizards and off course lots of elephants of all ages including a baby one ♥
After lots of nature, we next wanted to go to the beach to do some diving and hopefully complete our PADI open water certification, so we headed to Unawatuna which was meant to be a nice location to do this. Unfortunately on arrival it quickly dawned on us that this place had lost its mojo. What was once a lovely bay had now turned into a horrible concrete jungle where the hotels and restaurants were built so close to the water's edge there was hardly any beach left. In fact there were some bulldozers on the what was left of the beach making up protective walls so these places didn't get washed away. It didn't feel right so we stayed one night and decided to head for Hikkaduwa via Galle and chill on the beach there.
We spent one day and night in Galle to visit the fort which had a lovely colonial feel just like Kochi in India. It was very quiet inside the fort unlike the busy new town part. Lovely buildings and expensive shops and restaurants attracted the richer tourists so needless to say we ate the cheap street food.
That day we received the email we had been dreading but expecting for a while. Wendy's step dad, Ray, had passed away the night before on 6th March.With hindsight it was a blessing that we didn't start our PADI course, we wouldn't have been able to concentrate and surely would have failed miserably.Ray loved to dive and am sure he would have wanted us to do it and so we will but maybe in Thailand.
We made our way to Hikkaduwa the next morning and after checking in to a nice hotel on the beach for quite a good price, we met up with our good friend from home, Jon Austin. After the bad news we had just received it was the perfect tonic to meet up with him.We spent a good week relaxing, swimming and chatting to old friends including Graham and Ilari whom we'd met in India and new ones like Dan and Melvin. We saw some turtles, they swam really close to us in the shallow waters, ate the best rice and curry and probably drunk too much Lion beer and Arrack than is good for us.
We loved Sri Lanka and it’s certainly a place we would return one day, our lasting impressions:
You constantly hear the bread man coming, tune being either Beethoven’s “For Elize” or the Disney classic “It’s a Small World”.
Bus drives are usually with loud music and fast.
Very friendly and relaxed people.
Accommodation is a bit pricey but always good and they always give you plenty of tea often with cream crackers strangely!
Entry fees for some of the historic sites are more than you would pay to get into major European ones!!
The food is quite salty, we loved the Egg Hoppers, Kottu and we had some amazing Rice and Curry meals.
They feed you till you pop.
The variety of landscapes and things to do on such a small island.
The nature is amazing, we loved the Malabar Pied Hornbills.
When it rains, it really rains!!
Anuradhapura
Polannaruwa
Sigirya
Kandy
Kandy to Ella
Ella
Udawalawe
Galle
Hikkaduwa
After many passport and boarding pass checks (about 8 or 9 people handled one of these documents at some stage between arriving at the airport and getting on the plane) plus one immigration officer asking me “are you sure that this is you" after looking at me then my passport photo a few times (in jest of course), we boarded and made our way over to Sri Lanka.
In contrast to India, the immigration officer here didn't even bother to look at our e-visas..
We were picked up by a very smiley tuktuk driver and taken to our guest house in Negombo for the night. Just on the 15min drive we noticed the difference. The cleanliness and quietness of the streets was so different and a nice change from what we had been used to in India.
The following morning we made our way to Anuradhapura on a local bus. What a great experience that was! Lovely clean bus, got a seat and even better, a dvd of local music was playing which was very entertaining, sort of pop music with créole influences.We checked in to our guest house and walked over to see a 2000 year old bhodi tree and an ancient stupa as they were close by and they were magnificent. The next day we hired bikes and cycled around the old city, this is something you have to do as the site is spread over a large area, we saw lots of wonderful architecture including more stupas and dagobas and plenty of nature too. It really was a great day and one of our highlights of Sri Lanka. We had some local food in the evening, Kottu, this is veg and spices cooked with chopped up roti bread. Very cheap, very tasty, very spicy!
We then made our way over to Polonnaruwa to see the sites there which were of a similar vein to Anuradhapura but still impressive. Again we had bikes (free this time courtesy of our host Luxman) but this time it rained on and off, our first rain experience for 4 months or so! It didn't dampen our spirits too much.We met a lovely English/Irish couple, Fran and Andy at our guest house who had been travelling for a long time also, they ere cycling around the island the crazy fools, very impressive indeed, we had good chats with them. It really rained hard all day one day so we decided to stay an extra night and plan a little what our next route would be. It was made all the more enjoyable by our affable host Luxman who tried to feed us till we popped at breakfast. He fed us lots of Hoppers, Egg Hoppers and String Hoppers each morning.
Our next stop was Sigiriya, probably the most busy tourist attraction on the island. We arrived at our guest house which offered a lovely garden and it was really peaceful there. We played cards on our first night with some friendly German youngsters (makes me feel old writing that but they were only about 20). We got up early the next morning to beat the crowds and avoid the heat of midday so we could climb Sigiriya Rock and not get too sweaty, well that didn't really work out, it was sweaty and there were lots of tourists from China! Chinese New Year so they were all on holiday, it was like Nepal all over again. We somehow did manage to avoid the big groups though and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful views from the top, and of course the ruins.
The following day we ventured off to Kandy. Our homestay was about 3km up the hill from the town centre but it offered an amazing view of the surrounding mountains and it was not just a really nice house, but had a proper sofa to sit on! Luxury.We visited the Temple of the Tooth although you can't actually see the tooth.. Nice place though, we then decided to walk around the lake and the heavens opened, luckily we had borrowed an umbrella from our hosts, it really does rain hard in Sri Lanka. We did see a pelican and a water monitor lizard so it wasn't all bad news. We stayed in our homestay for an extra day as it was so nice to plan our next moves to Ella and beyond.
The train to Ella from Kandy took about 6.5 hrs and was really slow, in Europe the distance could probably have been covered in 2 hrs but this was the most stunning train journey we've ever taken. The scenery was breathtaking and we had a great view sitting in the doorway with our legs hanging out. We arrived in Ella and it was quite touristy for such a small village but with lots of hiking to be had in the area, this was why. We had booked a place for 3 nights but when we arrived at the homestay, there had been a double booking so the hosts put us up somewhere else for the night (her sister's place apparently). At first we were a bit annoyed but it was all fine and we met Audrey and Manon, a couple of very friendly French girls which we wouldn't have done otherwise. We were invited out for dinner by Fran and Andy whom we'd met in Polonnaruwa that night as they were in town and we asked our new French friends to come too. We had the most amazing pizzas, a bit expensive but you have to treat yourself now and again, cheap rice and curry does get a little boring if you eat it everyday. The next morning we moved to our original homestay and negotiated free breakfasts for our inconvenience and after dropping our bags off made our way to Little Adam's peak. Once again stunning views, we bumped into Audrey and Manon and continued our walk with them for the next 3 hours or so through tea plantations etc. We saw the nine arches bridge and walked down the railway track (Stand by Me style) back into Ella which was great fun. Another great walk followed the next day, this time on our own, up to Ella Rock. Again we walked down the railway track and then through tea plantations but this time it was a much steeper climb up to the top, it reminded us of our trek in Nepal. Amazing views once more and a top walk. We really enjoyed this little place. If you ever come to SL and enjoy walking the we really recommend it.
So more nature followed, we then made our way to Udawalawe to go on safari and hopefully spot wild elephants. We arrived at our homestay which was in a peaceful location and offered a great room, food as well as safari services at very good prices.
The home made rice and curry was the best to date that we had and the breakfast was gigantic! They really do like to feed you here.We set off just before 6 am on the day of the safari and spent over 4 hrs in the national park thoroughly enjoying what it had to offer. We saw plenty of water buffalo, birds, some crocodiles, bengal and water monitor lizards and off course lots of elephants of all ages including a baby one ♥
After lots of nature, we next wanted to go to the beach to do some diving and hopefully complete our PADI open water certification, so we headed to Unawatuna which was meant to be a nice location to do this. Unfortunately on arrival it quickly dawned on us that this place had lost its mojo. What was once a lovely bay had now turned into a horrible concrete jungle where the hotels and restaurants were built so close to the water's edge there was hardly any beach left. In fact there were some bulldozers on the what was left of the beach making up protective walls so these places didn't get washed away. It didn't feel right so we stayed one night and decided to head for Hikkaduwa via Galle and chill on the beach there.
We spent one day and night in Galle to visit the fort which had a lovely colonial feel just like Kochi in India. It was very quiet inside the fort unlike the busy new town part. Lovely buildings and expensive shops and restaurants attracted the richer tourists so needless to say we ate the cheap street food.
That day we received the email we had been dreading but expecting for a while. Wendy's step dad, Ray, had passed away the night before on 6th March.With hindsight it was a blessing that we didn't start our PADI course, we wouldn't have been able to concentrate and surely would have failed miserably.Ray loved to dive and am sure he would have wanted us to do it and so we will but maybe in Thailand.
We made our way to Hikkaduwa the next morning and after checking in to a nice hotel on the beach for quite a good price, we met up with our good friend from home, Jon Austin. After the bad news we had just received it was the perfect tonic to meet up with him.We spent a good week relaxing, swimming and chatting to old friends including Graham and Ilari whom we'd met in India and new ones like Dan and Melvin. We saw some turtles, they swam really close to us in the shallow waters, ate the best rice and curry and probably drunk too much Lion beer and Arrack than is good for us.
We loved Sri Lanka and it’s certainly a place we would return one day, our lasting impressions:
You constantly hear the bread man coming, tune being either Beethoven’s “For Elize” or the Disney classic “It’s a Small World”.
Bus drives are usually with loud music and fast.
Very friendly and relaxed people.
Accommodation is a bit pricey but always good and they always give you plenty of tea often with cream crackers strangely!
Entry fees for some of the historic sites are more than you would pay to get into major European ones!!
The food is quite salty, we loved the Egg Hoppers, Kottu and we had some amazing Rice and Curry meals.
They feed you till you pop.
The variety of landscapes and things to do on such a small island.
The nature is amazing, we loved the Malabar Pied Hornbills.
When it rains, it really rains!!
Anuradhapura
 |
| Malabar Pied Hornbill |
 |
| Security chicken looking after our bikes |
Polannaruwa
Sigirya
Kandy
Kandy to Ella
Ella
Udawalawe
Galle
Hikkaduwa
 |
| Ludwig's first surf lesson from Jonny |
