Sri Lanka

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Hello there!

Apologies for the delay in writing this next blog, I did type it out once then promptly lost it when the Internet cafe lost power (no, I still haven't learned to save) and we haven't had Internet for a few days...

Since I last wrote we have spent a month in Sri Lanka. Once described by Marco Polo as one of the 'best islands in the world', it's easy to see why. Tear drop shaped and cast adrift in the Indian ocean Sri Lanka is small but perfectly formed and is so varied that it feels like several countries rolled into one. Unlike India whose vast scale makes it impossible to explore fully, I do feel as if we have experienced a great deal of the country. Although we haven't seen everything, we managed to squeeze an awful lot into our time there. So much so that I've decided to break it down into bite-sized chunks!



-Colombo and cricket

Our first stop was Sri Lanka's capital Colombo and we arrived just in time to watch the England vs Sri Lanka second test match, which I'm supposed to believe was a coincidence... Watching my first ever cricket match in the same stand as the barmy army was quite an experience and not having seen so many Brits together for a while I was certainly treated to the sight of a few scantily-clad, beer-chugging specimens! The atmosphere was really fun though and it was great to see England playing so well (we were there for the third day and they eventually won the five day test).
Colombo itself isn't much to write home about; it's very clean compared with somewhere like Delhi but it lacks the character and flavour usually associated with Asian cities. Soon after the cricket we took a train to Kandy, the gateway to the Hill country.

-Pre-dawn pilgrimage and lots of rain

We spent just over a week exploring the central part of Sri Lanka, known as the hill country. The landscape, though not on the scale of Nepal, is truly spectacular; rolling green hills carpeted with beautiful tea plantations and lush vegetation stretch as far as the eye can see. The climate here came as a welcome relief after the heat of south India and we experienced crystal clear mornings before the mist descends at around 3pm and the rains begin. The highlight of our time here was undoubtedly climbing Adam's Peak, or Sri Pada in Sinhala. A site shrouded in religious significance for Christians, Buddhists and Hindus, the mountain strikes an imposing figure as it rises from the mist. Waking at 2am was a bit of a shock to the system but was worth it even just to see the snaking trail lit by twinkling lights as it winds it's way to the summit - magical. After not having done any proper walking since Nepal the two hour walk up steep steps was challenging and the tea houses that line the route gave a welcome pit stop and a cup of chai. We reached the temple at the peak and there was a hushed, reverential atmosphere as we waited for the sun to rise with other walkers and religious pilgrims. When the dawn broke we could finally see the amazing countryside, which had been in darkness and was now lit with a mystical pink hue. The descent was pretty demanding on our aching knees but seeing the clear blue sky and verdant landscape illuminated by the brightening sunshine made it all worth it (as well as the thought of breakfast!)

-Wonderful wildlife and a queasy boat trip

After spending a bit longer in the hill country, staying in the hill stations of Haputale and Ella, we caught a very crowded bus to the south coast along with Ameline from France, who we met in Haputale and travelled with for about a week. One thing I have learned is that a bus is never full. Just when you think no else could possibly fit, another 6 people and their various parcels (or just a tractor tyre) squeeze on! But at around 50p for a 2 hour journey you can't complain. The first thing we did in the south was organise a safari trip into Yala national park. Just roaming around the park was beautiful enough with many small lakes and lagoons filled with water lilies and lotus flowers. But we saw lots of wildlife as well ranging from painted storks and spotted deer to lazing crocodiles and huge elephants. To top it all off, just as we were about to leave we saw a leopard! The next excursion, a whale-watching trip, I didn't enjoy quite so much because I had raging sea-sickness (explains a lovely photo that's already up on facebook...) When they came round with travel sickness pills as we set off I refused thinking, 'nah I'll be fine!' - should have taken one. We did see an amazing blue whale though, which certainly made up for over five hours of feeling horrendous (I think).

-Galle and colonial culture

Deciding to skip the tourist resorts of Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa that we'd heard were pretty built up now and not quite so pretty, we headed straight for Galle, the main city on the south coast. Galle is split into two parts:the new town, full of bustling markets, local businesses and home to the cricket stadium, and the old town, situated inside the fort that was built by the Portuguese. The fort area is filled with beautiful colonial mansions that have been converted into arty cafes, boutiques and galleries. We spent a few days wandering round the city, Ameline and I did some souvenir shopping and Lewys caught some local cricket. After our fill of Colonial charm we took a bus back to Colombo.

-Trinco and beach paradise

We said goodbye to Ameline in Colombo (she was getting a flight back to France) and we caught the night train to Trincomalee on the north east coast. The only tickets left were second class 'sleeperettes' and there was nothing 'sleeper' about them. The seats reclined about half an inch, the light stayed on all night and a helpful guy fell asleep leaving Sri Lankan pop music playing on his phone most of the night - Lewys actually looked like he could kill him. Not the best sleep we've had but arriving in Trinco and seeing the nearby beach of Uppuveli made it all worth it. We spent about a week staying in a little bungalow with sea views a stones throw from the water, perfect. Trinco itself is an interesting place, after nearly 30 years of civil strife the city is enjoying peace and welcoming visitors again. The only outward sign of any previous unrest was the heightened military presence, but the uniformed soldiers carrying guns gave us huge smiles, waving as we passed and curious about where we were from and how we liked their country.

We're glad we broke away from the usual tourist trail and headed north. I like it when places aren't just geared up for tourists, offering western breakfasts and selling souvenirs and instead you can see people going about their daily lives. We ate in little local restaurants where the best food is: breakfast - dosai (pancakes) with lentil curry and fiery coconut sambal, lunch - 'rice and curry' which is actually about 5 different types of really tasty and very spicy curry, dinner - kotthu rotti, dough fried and chopped up into tiny pieces served with vegetables.

Sri Lanka is an amazing country and is incredibly diverse; one day you can be trekking through lush tea plantations in the rain, the next lounging on a beautiful beach and swimming in pristine waters. A couple of things are always the same wherever you go, the food is always spicy (we were even asked if we wanted chilli on our pineapple) and the people are always friendly.

We are in Indonesia now for the next month - exciting!

Lots of love xxx

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