Being British in Little Britain: Sri Lanka

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Being British in Little Britain & the Kandy Kids

What better place to watch the Royal Wedding, a Sri Lankan’s favorite; Nuwara Eliya, nicknamed Little Britain, the once playground for the upper classes, a rich green land with every inch cultivated, decorated with quaint timber cottages, rose gardens, an impressive golf course, and 5 star hotels. This is the place to not just fantasize that you’re from high society, but live it out without breaking the bank. So Alex and I indulged for 5 days, first staying at the Hotel Glendower, a mid range colonial alternative, then downsizing to the bohemian dwelling the King Fern, complete with Bob Marley Memorabilia. We strolled through flower gardens hand in hand, nibbled on cakes from our High Tea spread served in the Grand Hotel, played snooker with our new French friends, dressed in my sari we fine dined at the St Andrews Hotel, and one sleepy afternoon wandered the austere corridors of the Hill club (founded in 1876).

Moving on from Little Britain, Alex had his heart set on embarking on a breathtaking train journey across the hill country, so we booked the glass fronted viewing carriage for the entire journey to the majestic lake city; Kandy, where from the comfort of our velvet covered seats we watched as the scenery flash across the windows, as the train navigated through giant hills, tea plantations, and hidden village dwellings.

Our last days in Sri Lanka have been spent here in our pleasant white washed guesthouse: Lakshmi, high up on the hill side overlooking the Temple of the Sacred Tooth and the famous manmade lake. This being my second visit, with temple visits and dance shows under my belt, luckily there has still been plenty left for us to see, including the Botanical Gardens which we found to be slightly overpriced and a bit disappointing as we didn’t witness much wildlife, however they did have an impressive collection of rare orchids, a flower which never ceases to impress me. There was no way we could leave Sri Lanka without Alex fulfilling his life ambition to ride a elephant, so we settled on the Millennium Elephant Foundation where we were able to both wash and ride anyone of the adult and teen elephants, also on request you could partake in an elephant shower: a hilarious event where you sit on the back of the elly and are hosed down by its trunk, great fun!!! But we still had to travel home for 45 minutes soaking wet much to the annoyance of our driver... oh well we are on holiday.

On a more personal note in the last few days two amazing things have happened, Nick and Vera our friends from Hikkaduwa decided to visit Kandy and we bumped into them when Nick decided to check our guesthouse out. We were pleased as punch to see them again after hearing recent news that they had both been struck down by Dengue fever whilst surfing in the Maldives. They have both made a miraculous recovery; however they are now staying in Jaffna in the north. I only pray they take care and we get to meet them again one day. The other amazing thing to happen was meeting Kris, a lovely and down to earth Thai, who revived my passion for Thailand and has given me the perfect excuse to visit again!!! Maybe next year….

In just two days we will be staying with my friend Raj in Chennai, a fellow creative and talented fashion designer, I just can’t wait to experience his city through his eyes….until then thanks everyone for joining me on this journey x

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