Blogs from Sri Lanka, Asia - page 24

Blue whales, the largest mammal on Earth and a lifelong dream of mine to see them in the wild. The Indian Ocean is one of the best places to do this as its a breeding and feeding ground as opposed to a place they pass through as is the norm with so many other blue whale spotting locations. The morning started as most on our holiday: waking before sunrise, then being picked up by a tuk-tuk at 5.50am to take us a distance we could easily walk. Glyn had pre-booked us with 'Raja and the Whales' and upon arrival we were offered sea-sickness tablets. Now having been on many boat trips and never once suffering from sea-sickness in my life, I wasn't going to take one and was concerned it may not mix with other medication ... read more

Day 7: Monday 11 September- Kandy This morning, after we were taken to another Gem Museum & Shop which showed us how they mined gems, we visited the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens. At one time, these beautiful botanical gardens were reserved exclusively for Kandyan royalty. Today even commoners are allowed into what are, at 60 hectares, the largest and most impressive botanic gardens in Sri Lanka. It was a beautiful garden with Orchid House, expansive lawns and manicured hedges, massive old trees from throughout the world and colonial buildings dotted throughout the park. We enjoyed a coffee at one of the restaurants in the gardens. The day was hot and humid again so it was lovely to sit in the cool. Fernando then took us through the very busy local fruit and vegetable market where we ... read more

More than 40 teas in one day? That's easy in Sri Lanka! This morning we had a lie in until 6am! Glyn couldn't believe his luck. It's amazing we slept as the ineffective ceiling fan is incredibly noisy. At our £7 per night hotel, breakfast is included so at 7am we were served with toast, fried egg, tea, noodles, spicy coconut sambal and dahl. Plus some watermelon. Across the road we caught a tuk-tuk driven by a middle aged guy in a red stripey shirt. He'd not heard of Hundungoda Tea Plantation that Glyn had seen in Lonely Planet and I found on TripAdvisor, but after much discussion with the other tuk-tuk drivers he agreed to take us there, wait and bring us back. It turned out to be a fair journey for a tuk-tuk and ... read more

Day 6: Sunday 10 September - Sigiriya - Dambulla - Kandy This morning we explored Sigiriya, home to the 5th-century UNESCO World Heritage listed Rock Fortress, also known as ‘Lion Rock’. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning. Before starting our climb, we visited the Museum which told us the story of the rediscovery of the rock and the ruins. Even the museum was surrounded by water-lily covered ponds with many monkeys playing in the trees and around the rocks. Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (Lion Rock) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres high. According to ... read more

Day 5: Saturday 9 September - Anuradhapura – Polonnaruwa- Sigiriya This morning after breakfast we left Anuradhapura for the ancient kingdom of Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. Polonnaruwa was the capital of Sri Lanka from 11th to the 12th centuries and is a well preserved city of stupas, frescoes and statues. Southeast of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, which was the media eval capital of Sri Lanka, and the ancient city is today one of the most beautiful centres of this island’s cultural heritage. When early in the 11th century AD Anuradhapura suffered one of the worst of its many Indian invasions, Polonnaruwa became the next of rule The second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite ... read more