Blogs from Central Province, Sri Lanka, Asia

While quarantining in Sri Lanka, we had hoped to do a few tourist activities. However, those activities were limited and adhered to strict requirements. One requirement was to have a certified driver at all times - you were by no means allowed to leave the car. The second was scheduling an approved appointment for said tourist activity. There was a list of about 13 activities we could do in the whole country and maybe 5 were in the region we were staying. I was disappointed not to see or stay at the tea plantations, but maybe next time. So, we opted for Sigiriya Rock and Polonnuwara, both located a couple hours' drive north-northeast of Dambulla. They did not disappoint! Sigiriya Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage site located near Dambulla, which itself looks to be an ... read more

Thursday 27 February, 2020 cont'd During the afternoon we started our packing and sorting things out for our departure tomorrow. We had a quiet evening and lights out was 9.20 pm. Friday 28 February, 2020 Today is our transfer from Kandy to Nilaveli near Trincomalee via Polonnaruwa. Woke at 6.20 am after a good nights sleep. Down for breakfast at 8.00 am. Nice hotel guy said the taxi driver would like an earlier start than 10.00 am as he felt there was a lot to do in the day. We comprimised on 9.15 am. Back to the room, showered and speeded up our final packing. I went down and paid our hotel bill. He had given us a slightly cheaper rate for the further two nights. The staff collected our luggage from the room and the ... read more

Saturday, 22 February, 2020 Move from Ella to Kandy today by train. Heavy rain during the night. Woke at 7.00 am, stirred at 7.45 am and down to breakfast. Eggs, toast, roti, plenty of fruit and cups of tea. Our train is 2.15 pm and check out is 12.00 pm. So when we paid our bill USD 39.12 (GBP 30.09) we asked about keeping the room for a little while. She said she had no booking for tonight, so no problem. We also asked them to book us a Tuktuk to the station. We packed and showered and left the room at 9.30 am, for a last potter round Ella. Pat had seen a “Starbeans” she wanted to try. We found it and had a coffee and a coke. Then a meander looking in various shops. ... read more

I forgot the elephants ! How could that have happened ?? Two days ago we were staying near one of the National Parks . This one is refuge for wild elephants . There are between 7-10,000 of them . During the day they are quite placid but at night they roam . The highway leading to the park is closed at night because it is considered to dangerous . You can no longer build houses in the area around the park and those who have them sleep in tree houses. Actually they are just platforms . Each year there are a human deaths , I think the number was @150 , caused by the elephants and double that number for the elephants. They are protected and the deaths are in defence, old age or illness . ... read more

I arrived in Colombo for a three week trip around the island of Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean. I was immediately hit with the humid city air, the intense smell of spices, the sounds of car horns going off in every direction and cows strolling down the roads. I walked down a small street lined with stalls selling many varieties of crunchy spiced nuts and caught a Local bus from Negombo to Colombo. It was hot and sweaty, and we were packed in like sardines, but $3 for a 45 minutes trip, I couldn’t complain! I took a walk along the Beira Lake and went to collect my prepaid train tickets and read my book at the Colombo Fort train station, the epitome of British colonial achievements. There was a small stall where ... read more