Blogs from Sri Lanka, Asia - page 10

We were up and out of the hotel by the crack of dawn (I’m talking 6am) and at Ella train station. We were finally going to sample the world famous Sri Lankan railway system. We were travelling from Ella to Nuno Oya, which we were told was he most beautiful part of the journey, and the early time meant that whilst there were lots of tourists, there were substantially less than there would have been at half 9 which was the next available train. It may have been the early start coupled with the colossus of yesterdays expedition, but the train journey itself was a mixed bag. I will sum it up like so. The Good: 1. I know it’s a repetitive thing for Sri Lanka but again the journey itself is beautiful, it doesn’t really ... read more

After a breakfast and a second farewell to our Kandy host, we set off on the long long drive to Ella. The car meandered along steep inclines to the mountains in the centre of the island, where we stopped at Ramboda falls, which involved sneaking into the elevator of a hotel built on the cliffside (should have bought a ticket. For a lift. Don’t think so) and walking down to the view point about 10 metres above the bottom of the falls. On we continued before stopping for lunch in Nuwara Eliya, which is coincidentally where our train journey from Ella will end. The town itself is bigger than Ella and will show up first when you start zooming in on google maps. It was a lot cooler and intermittent light showers added a refreshing twist ... read more

I’ve been a bit grumpy today, the swimming pool has done my ears in (I’m long suffering with ear troubles, as family and friends will well know, but I wasn’t not going to go in the pool on the beach. Simple as.) I also managed to hit myself in the head with the shower door and now have a small mark on the top right of my forehead, hidden just beneath the hair line. Excellent. When I woke at 8.30am Meg was already up, and out for a jog and a swim, returning shortly after. After our packing and ensuring that our baggage was aeroplane friendly, we put our luggage in the hotel hold and went out to source breakfast. A “Full English Breakast” consists of 2 grilled mini hot dogs, 2 pieces of grilled toast, ... read more

We got off the plane at half 11 Sri Lankan time, it was only a very small flight. Free wi-fi in the airport allowed us to book a taxi through “PickMe” which is the Sri Lankan equivalent of Ola. We changed our money (everywhere in the airport does the exact same conversion rate, however they only accept cash, as one stereotypically rude brit abroad found out (not us)). Immediately from the airport to the hotel, a half an hour drive, the roads seemed cleaner, palm trees scattered everywhere matched only in number by the large bodies of water. I’ve already had the talk with meg about staying 5 metres from the waters edge, as the island hosts thousands of Marsh Crocodiles along with a few saltwater crocodiles too. No thanks. We stayed in the Star Anise ... read more

Yesterday was a travel day, with the possibility of some sightseeing along the way, the route being Kurunegal-Kandy-Nuwara Eliya, about 5 hours of driving as well as whatever stops we made. I had some places on my wish list, but we weren‘t going to have loads of time if we wanted to arrive at a reasonable time. At no point along the route would it be described as easy driving. It was not for the faint hearted, anyone prone to carsickness or with a weak sphincter. I did my best to look relaxed and not hyperventilate or clutch the door handle. It was busy all the way and the last part was a long climb up with hairpin bends. The first stop was Kandy. I managed to finally persuade Anton I didn’t want to actually go ... read more