Negombo and Colombo

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Well, now that we've finally got our bags and visa's sorted, we thought it might be about time to write about some of the actual cultural experiences we've had. Chilling out at the guesthouse, and oasis of calm in chaotic Colombo, it's given us a chance to put our heads about the parapet and reflect on the experiences we've had so far and to look forward to some of the things we're going to do in Sri Lanka.

We've barely met a Westerner since we've been here! Aside from Tom the sweaty sock who has had similar fun obtaining an Indian visa, we've been surrounded by genuine, down to earth Lankans;
Sunil, the Ferrari-driving cabbie with his home-made religion,
Somasasa, the enthusiastic chef with his unquestionable desire to seal his new found friendship with an entire day of our company up near Kandy (without rupees!) along with Maurice, the softly (and rarely!) spoken elderly waiter,
And Sunetra, the recently widowed guesthouse owner with her aristocratic family who took us through every family photo since 1930 something....
The great thing has been that we've had the time to listen to their stories and it's genuinely been really interesting - it's been like the history lessons I never got (or paid attention to!) at school.

Tomorrow, we set off for the first time with all our kit and the freedom that goes with it. It's almost too much to handle - Rachel had to compose herself by writing a what-we-CAN-do list ;-) We've going to head to Kandy, the cultural capital, where we we stay for a few days before heading south to surf, release a few turtles and learn to scuba dive.

After what we've got through so far, nothing shall be unachievable!

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Photos

Trying on a Sari
Could I really spend all day in silk sheets?!

Our bags!
After 2 hours at customs and 10 different offices, I was pretty happy...