Hereandthereclaire.com

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Having had a good nights sleep, I woke up nice and early, it’s always a little disconcerting waking in a cold dark room knowing that outside its blazing sunshine and Hugh humidity! I am leaving this hotel today and heading to The Fullerton Hotel for my last night.

I left my cases in the at the hotel and headed to the MRT (Singapore’s Tube system) I thought this would be a new, cheap and easy way to get to my destination; The Gardens by the Bay. The MRT is a revelation, calm, quiet, clean, with frequent trains. I did get a little lost but nothing major. It took around 5 mins to get to my destination.

The Gardens by the Bay are stunning, a huge green area, near the port and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. There are ponds, lakes, bio domes, and the very futuristic sky trees and sky walk. It was lovely to walk through the gardens, which are free to enter, you only pay for the Sky Walk and the Bio Domes.

I took the sky walk, which was amazing, the sky trees are such a brilliant idea, covered in succulents and air plants, flowers and vines, the walkway was a little trippy as it wobbled a bit and I’m not the biggest fan of heights! But I pulled up my big girl pants and got on with it. It did feel extremely hot and humid, not helped by the fact that it was Midday! Typical bloody Brit! All in all a wonderful way to spend a few hours.

I took the MRT back to the hotel, collected my case and jumped in a taxi for The Fullerton.

The hotel is Gorgeous! When I was checking in the receptionist told me I had a city facing room, we chatted and I said my stay was a treat to myself, she asked me about traveling alone. When I got to my room it was huge, and facing the Marina! I feel I might have got an upgrade! 😍👍 my first of the trip.

So, to say this hotel is posh is somewhat of an understatement! I went to the loo and was startled by the seat lifting on its own, the surprises didn’t end there, the toilet seat was heated, and it has a feature to wash and dry your bum, god forbid one should have to do this oneself! The shower has a little seat in, as it is simply exhausting standing for the duration of ones shower, automatic curtains controlled from the bed are another energy saving option!

The bath towels are huge, I was able to wrap my more rubenesque figure twice! God knows how the tiny Asian women cope, once it’s on them it must act like an immobilising device!!

I had a little wander round the hotel, it’s huge and used to be the central post office in Singapore. There is a lovely little rooftop bar called the lighthouse, which I eventually found, by wandering through vast corridors and up some winding stairs, unfortunately it was not open (which was a shame, as after the long walk to get there I was gasping for a drink! When I left I discovered there is a lift that takes you all the way!) I enquired if it would be open in the evening and was told it was booked out for a function. I was gutted, I really wanted to sit on a rooftop and watch the sun go down! But hey ho.

I decided to go to visit the ‘Merlion’ half Lion half fish, the official mascot of Singapore. It is on the waterfront across the road from the hotel, I asked the best way to get there and was told that the hotel had an underground walkway direct to the waterfront. The walkway has aircon,  travelators and escalators! It simply wouldn’t do for the guests to get hot and sweaty walking in the heat!! 😂😂

Merlion Park was packed, lots of families and a huge primary school party, all whom said hello as they went past, cute!

In the evening I went downstairs to the Post Bar to have a drink, asked again about rooftop bars and was told I could go across to the sister hotel, Fullerton Bay, they have a large rooftop terrace. You get there using the same underground walkway. The hotel is also stunning, a more modern feel, with huge crystal chandeliers. When I reached the terrace, people without reservations were being turned away or asked to pay a 80 dollar cover charge! My hopes of a table were slim, but I thought I’d ask anyway, turns out if your a guest you get priority!! I was led straight to a lovely table on the terrace with an amazing view. The experience just got better and better, as I arrived there were F15 fighter jets doing Ariel displays, and later there was going to be a firework display. This is all in preparation for Singapore Day, which is in August, but they practice every Saturday for 6 weeks beforehand!! Lucky me!

The evening was fabulous, the drinks were lush, the view stunning, with a lightning storm in the distance and the fireworks truly spectacular!

The cherry on the cake came towards the end, when a lovely young lady came over and gave me a voucher for a free drink, which she wasn’t using and wanted me to have! So kind and thoughtful. 😘

I feel very spoilt and Posh!

Just in case you’re wondering this theme will sadly not be continued through my entire trip, YHA’s await me in New Zealand, but for now I shall wrap myself in my huge fluffy towel, sit on my heated toilet seat and live the dream!! 😍😍

 

So following a very busy first day, having been awake for 30 odd hours! 😣 I got an early night and slept for 13hrs! I woke feeling refreshed and ready to go, albeit a little late…10.30!

I decided that due to lack of time, blisters (courtesy of malfunctioning shoes!) the best option was to use the ever useful Hop on Hop of buses, I did this in the USA last year. It still required a fair bit of walking but, different shoes and a plaster sorted me out. I decided to take the Red route which would take me Marina Bay and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which I wanted to look at.

On arrival the bus stops near a Shopping Mall, so I thought I might be able to get some new trainers…sadly the Mall is home to the largest collection of designer shops I’ve ever seen, and my budget doesn’t stretch to D & C or Gucci trainers! I made my way to the Hotel and purchased my ticket for the SkyBar on the top floor (the cost of the ticket can be redeemed against a drink! Handy 😍) The whole place is amazing, huge and like nothing I’ve seen before. The skyBar is on the same side of the building as the huge infinity pool, which is breathtaking. The views of the Singapore skyline and right into Malaysia are fantastic. I found a table and ordered a Singapore Sling! A drink that always reminds me of my lovely friend JoAnne. The staff are all very attentive and I was moved  to a more appropriate table, less hot, more shade and a nicer view! I spent a couple of hours here just soaking up the views and atmosphere, enjoying another Cocktail and some lush spicy chips. After leaving and getting lost in the designer shopping mall, whilst looking for a Loo! I jumped back on the Bus and had a tour of the City:

interesting fact, Los Vegas takes in Approx £15billion a year from 75 casinos, Singapore takes in £6 billion a year from just 2!! There is a lot of money here!

The bus took us through the city to Little India, which is in an old part of the city with smaller building, which are very quaint and colourful, the smells were delicious! We also went past the Arab part of the city, which again is small older buildings and a beautiful Mosque. It is near a road, called Beach Road, which used to be where the beach was, but due to land reclamation the nearest beach is now 3 kilometres away! Crazy. I jumped of the bus by Boat Quay and went to find the Cat Café I had seen the day before and which Corey also recommended. I found it and it was a little bit of heaven, aircon, coffee and Cats!! 😻😻 All the cats are rescues and have been there for approx 7 years, they are lovely, all different shapes, sizes, temperaments. I really enjoyed this calming break.

After this I walked back to the hotel for a quick shower and then off out again for dinner. I walked back to Clarke Quay, which at night is much more lively and colourful, I stopped to have a drink in a little bar by the river (there are loads all in a row) and ended up sitting next to a group of guys, Aussies and Kiwis, probably bankers, all suited and Booted, well, they were obviously enjoying a large no of beers after work, and I have to say I have never in my life heard so many fucks used in one sentence! And I’m friends with Laura…😂😂 It was amusing to start with then they just turned into drunk knobs….think antipodean Wolf of Fucking Wolf Street Mate! 😳😂

i sauntered off down the Quay and had a lovely Chinese meal, veg rice (Yes Nicole more rice!) then started to head home, but got slightly side tracked by Los Iguanas who do the nicest cocktail, “Citrus Mint” I had been there the evening before. I stopped to have one and then the lovely waitress bought me over a free Margarita! Well it would be rude to leave it (bonus points to them for also serving a large bowl of tortilla chips and salsa with each drink!

After this is did head back to the hotel, got another good nights sleep ready for day 3!

 

 

11th July 2019: Singapore 

After a relatively good nights dozing my Heathrow hotel, I was up early and ready to get going.

I took the Hoppa bus to the terminal, which was a quick, cheap and on time! Having already checked in online, via an App, on my phone no less! (Thanks Tracey 👍) The check in, bag drop and security process was very smooth and stress free! My stress free morning continued when I arrived at my Lounge and sat down with a delicious Bloody Mary! (Or 2!) My flight was with Singapore Airlines and it was great, I had a fab seat, with extra legroom, as I’m so tall! The service was impeccable and despite another failed upgrade opportunity, a good, albeit very long flight.

I arrived in Singapore at 7.15am here, 12.15pm uk time. The weather on arrival was 31c, sunny and humid. The drive from the airport is amazing down a long tree lined road, with views, and flowers, a lovely first impression. I was lucky enough to get an early check in, so was able to dump my bags, charge devices, slap on some sunscreen and off I went to explore! The staff at reception, seem to think I’m a little mad for wanting to walk everywhere, and insisted on giving me another bottle of water 😍

Singapore is very clean and orderly, you don’t see many people about on the streets, but that’s because they are all walking around hidden inside lots of malls and on elevated walkways, I guess this is to make things bearable in the heat? Or they are busy beavering away in the millions of banks here!

I walked to china town, which was great if a little quiet, but it was only 9.30am!! I think in the evenings it must be buzzing. But I like walking around a city as it comes to life, it feels different more authentic somehow.  After China Town I walked back to Clarke Quay a restaurant complex along the Singapore River, then along the river towards the marina and then back through the city. After 4hrs walking in 32c and no sleep for 24hrs I was a little tired! I came back to the hotel and had a refreshing swim in the pool and am now struggling to keep myself awake till this evening…..😳 The fully functioning, arctic aircon is helping!!

A fantastic day so far. ❤️❤️

 

 

Hi All,

welcome to hereandthereclaire 2019!

It’s  been a while, 91/2 months to be precise.

So, having left my apartment over 3 weeks ago, and finally leaving Newquay 10 days ago, having said goodbye to various people numerous times! (It started to get a tad embarrassing 😳) I am finally on my first leg.

It has been wonderful catching up with Family and friends, celebrating new gorgeous babies,  Babies yet to arrive and special birthdays! Thank you to everyone who has put me up and run me around, Alison, Ruth, Sandra, Hayley, Tish and Tracey! You are stars.

The first leg started well, Tracey very kindly drove me to my Heathrow Airport Hotel using the postcode on the booking form…..except there are 2 Ibis hotels on the same road and I was at the wrong one! The lovely receptionist told me that this happens all of the time, Helpful…not. My options, go and stand outside by the large busy duel carriageway and wait for a bus or order a taxi, so Taxi it is then! At this point I can hear an American guy trying to check in who is in the same situation, so I said I’d ordered a Taxi which he could share, he grunted an “OK” then ignored me till the taxi arrived at which point he climbed into the front seat and when we arrived at our destination, climbed out leaving me to Pay,  Rude!! I think perhaps he had had a stressful day.

The Hotel, is fine, if a little dated, I have just discovered that my aircon doesn’t work….. this is a major issue for me as I can’t open the window far enough and I am known as Cryogenic Claire 🥶!

I now have a rather inadequate looking fan, but I’m sure it will suffice.

Off to bed soon, early start, airport for my first ✈️ Singapore awaits! 😍

photos to follow, as I have momentarily forgotten how to do it!!

 

 

My 2 days staying in Pinnawala with the majestic Elephants has sadly come to an end.

I arrived in Pinnawala after a 4 hour drive from Trincomalee. As expected the drive was wonderful, it is fascinating driving through Sri Lanka, you can witness life being lived right in front of you. So many different sights. Buddi as always was amazing and managed to always answer my numerous and sometimes random questions. We had to stop along the way for Buddi to buy some Buffalo Curd!  The way it seems to work here is that certain areas specialise in different things or products, for example Buffalo Curd, or Pick Axe Handles ( yes, Buddi needed one of these as well!) toilets,  Bee honey, fish, bricks, mopeds and numerous other items. It’s very well organised in a random sort of way. 😁

You drive along and suddenly there will be a huge Temple seemingly in the middle of nowhere! And always lots of food stalls and people and colour and everywhere it’s so vibrant and beautiful.

We arrived in Pinnawala at just before 4 check in is after due to the Elephants taking up the road on their way back from the river. Buddi and I stood and watched them head back and it was incredible, to be so close to them is awesome, and a little scary!

My hotel is situated right in the river, so a perfect spot to watch the elephants. Once I checked in I sat and had a lovely cold beer and watched the river. It is so interesting, even without the elephants. There are people walking across to get home (not an easy task) I watched one elderly gentleman slowly make his way across holding his shoes and a carrier bag, he nearly slipped at one point and my heart was in my mouth, Glad to say he made it 😁 There are people fishing, washing their clothes. There are lots of fish which attracts the birds, cormorants, herons, cranes, egrets and fish eagles. It is just simply a wonderful place to be.

I thought that I would have my dinner in the hotel restaurant, however when I got down there around 7pm it was like Mosquito Central, and they were some big suckers! I made the decision to eat in the safety of my room!

I think I need to explain a few things here. I had read some worrying reviews online about the elephants and how they are treated, I did however also do some more detailed reading. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage was set up to rescue baby elephants who were abandoned in the wild it also takes in elephants that have been mistreated. Obviously baby elephants grow up! A fully grown Asian elephant can weigh between 2.5 and 4 tonnes. Male elephants can become aggressive and unpredictable when they are in Musk, or ready to mate. In most zoo or wildlife parks male and females are kept separately.  some of the large males have chains on their legs, this is so that they can be safe while in the river, their safety, the other elephants and the people. The females and younger elephants are taken to a different part of the river. When the elephants are being bought down to the river, they walk down a very narrow road (more on this in a bit!) I did not witness any ill treatment of the elephants either at the river or in the Orphanage. The Orphanage is run by the government and is strictly monitored.

The staff had reserved me a lovely table on the terrace for breakfast with a fantastic view of the river and elephants. The first small group arrives at 8.30 this is a group,of large males, poorly elephants and the more unsocial ones. They stay for an hour. It is amazing  to watch them in the water, rolling, being scrubbed! This group leaves at 9.30amd the next group come at 10 I watched the first group leave, again so   incredible to be so close. Once the first group left I wandered up the road a bit and was standing in a shop door when the next larger group came down, they kind of plod along but as they went past it struck me how huge and powerful they were so I moved back into the shop a little. At which point a one of the elephants gathered speed and headed straight towards me trunk raised and trumpeting, I dived behind a clothes rail, he veered off and charged another part of the shops scattering  staff and a few Japanese tourists before it came to a halt when the Mahood shouted! I emerged from behind the rail, (like that was going to,stop a 4 tonne beast FFS!) my legs like jelly and a funny feeling in my tummy! It was extremely scary and it makes you realise that these are not tame elephants they are huge, wild, unpredictable albeit glorious creatures. I’m pleased to say that this little drama didn’t stop me enjoying my time in Pinnawala. I’m so glad I made the decision to go and I feel it was a fitting end to my time in Sri Lanka.

Whilst having lunch, I met my first drunk Sri Lanakan, I didn’t get his name, but the whole experience was a little weird! He was sitting at a table near me with his wife and small son, his friend and his mother in law. He was celebrating his 11th wedding anniversary (apparently) he asked me to come and chat with them, which I did. He started to tell me how much he admired my face which was beautiful, my eyes and my lovely figure which he thought was quite wonderful and a bit sexy! (Seriously!) I have to explain that there was a nearly empty litre bottle of whiskey on the table 😁 his wife seemed nice, but I think her English was not as good as his thank god, awkward! I eventually made my excuses at which point he took my hand and informed me that in his next life he wants to return and be my husband!! OK then! 😳😁

I am sad to say that Buddi my lovely Tour Guide and friend was unable to bring me back to Negombo as he was taken very ill and is in hospital with extremely high blood pressure, bless him he arranged alternative transport from his hospital bed. I spoke to him on the phone when I got to Negombo and he is OK, but needs to rest. He and his wife Sriyani have been an amazing part of my adventure here.

So that’s almost it, I’m heading to the airport later tonight. Thank you all so for reading this blog I have enjoyed writing it and sharing my adventure with you. Can’t wait to see you all in the UK.

Love and Peace. 🌈💖🌈

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have spent the last few days at a nice hotel just further along the coast in Trincomalee at a place called Uppuveli. I have just been relaxing and enjoying using the pool to cool down, the average daily temp is around 34! I think that after 3 months I am finally acclimatising to the heat as the last 3 nights I have turned my air con off!! Just in time to return to the cold! 😳😂 Although I am coming home in my favourite season; Autum. 😍

I think that as I get closer to the end of my trip I am starting to feel a little homesick. Grantley is already home and moved into his new house, Georgia is flying home as I write this and I leave in 3 days. I am however looking forward to my last few days. I’m heading off  soon to drive back north to Pinnawala and to stay for 2 nights near an Elephant Orphanage. I did some research and this place seems to have good practices and is ethical. I do really hope so.

I’m looking forward to the drive, as we will be going through parts of Sri Lanka I haven’t yet seen, and there’s always fantastic sights to see and I’m sure Buddi wouldn’t mind stopping for the odd photo op!

This is a short update more to come when I get to Pinnawala.

Happy Friday everyone.

 

Today was the day that we had planned to and visit a small island and National Park called Pigeon Island. The purpose of going was so that I could snorkel. All morning I kept thinking, this is really not my thing, I had an ongoing debate with myself as to whether I should just tell Buddi that I didn’t feel well, I could limp about a bit and fake an injury, or perhaps I could just get over myself and give it a go! So not really feeling in the best of moods, I walked to the beach at the allotted time, 8.30, and then waited for a group of 5 youngsters who were 40 minutes late! As if this wasn’t irritating enough, 3 of them, all fit, strong, and in their twenties stood around and watched, whilst the boatman, Buddi and I pushed the extremely heavy boat into the sea! Fuckwits! Not the best start. During the boat ride across to the island I did some breathing, and tried to get my head into a better place.

Pigeon Island is not very big and Buddi explained that one side had coral and one side not so much. Buddi suggested we start on the coral side. So to give you some idea, I am now wearing a snorkel, swimsuit and t shirt and a pair of flippers, which are impossible to walk in. Buddi says we have to put the flippers on when we get to the  sea, which is great except this means walking barefoot across the coral! Which is like walking across a Lego strewn carpet that has drawing pins hidden amongst it!! Once you get to sea and have put on your stupid flippers you have to walk backwards so as not to fall over, clearly Buddi has no idea about my ability to fall over even the smallest of items when walking forwards, let alone backwards on an sharp uneven surface wearing Fucking flippers!! But by some miracle I made it into the sea. I stuck my head under the water and moved possibly 3 meters before a wave pushed me back I felt quite scared and nervous but I tried again. I moved a few more meters and another wave hit me and I tried to stand up, but with the flippers, the coral, the snorkel and waves, it was damm near impossible! I put my hand down, which got cut on the coral, panic was starting to set in, finally I managed to stand up on rather shaky legs and slowly made my way back to the shore, backwards, whilst trying not to cry. Buddi tried to tell me it would be fine, but there was no way I was going back in. Snorkelling is not for me!

I walked across to the other side of the island and it looked much nicer. For a start there was no coral! It was also much more sheltered. The floor was nice and sandy, so I decided to give it another go. It was quite pleasant in the shallows I saw some nice fish. But, snorkelling is still not for me! We stayed on the island for a couple of hours then headed back to Nilaveli Beach.

After a hectic and traumatic morning I decided to just chill by the beach and read my book. I was joined by my new pal, a cute little puppy who comes and sits with me every time I’m by the beach and then barks at people who come near me! Later in the afternoon the sky began to get darker and darker and I could hear distant rumbles of thunder. My puppy was joined by his mum and they both sat under my sun lounger. The storm got closer and finaly hit with a vengeance! It was epic! torrential rain lots of thunder and lightning, I did eventually go back to my room, I tried to encourage the dogs to come with me but they were happy to stay under the sun lounger. I do love a good Storm!!

Day 4. Interesting.

So it’s not letting me upload any photos at the moment, will do them later.

 

 

 

 

 

We left our hotel in Habarana a little later than usual, 9am which constitutes a late morning for me at the moment!  We were taking a longish drive to Trincomalee on the East Coast. It’s a pretty straight road and as it was Sunday not very busy. You do drive through a National Park, so we kept an eye out for elephants in the road, sadly we didn’t see any, however I did see a Mongoose and a large hornbill, which was exciting. As you get closer to Trincomalee you go through a vast area of paddy fields and also a huge reservoir, which was low now but is often full. This reservoir ensures that the paddy fields and the surrounding farmland always has sufficient water for irrigation. The amazing thing is it was commissioned and built by a king back in the 11th Century! Sri Lanka is almost self sufficient when it comes to food, growing and producing enough for the whole country, they import very few items mainly electronics, cars and larger items mostly from Japan and China.

Trincomalee is a large city with a huge natural harbour whose strategic position has shaped its history, it has been held by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and also the British. More recently it was rented out to the Americans. This area of Sri Lanka, the North and East, was the area fought over during a 26 year civil war. The war was fought by the Tamil Tigers in the North, who wanted an independent Tamil state and the Sri Lankan military. The Tamil Tigers were defeated in in May 2009.

Buddi and I visited a large Hindu Temple to the God Shiva, which is inside a Fort built by the Dutch (the Dutch do seem to like a Fort!) Once again I had to remove my shoes and run across molten tarmac, the things I do for a good Temple! The Temple outside was being renovated but inside it is so incredibly colourful. People come here to worship but especially if they are trying for a baby. They give the priest some milk which he then blesses and puts it into some part of the Temple that then flows out to a tap, which the couple then drink from. (I’m not convinced this would pass Health and Saftey measures at home!) As this temple is about babies and conception there were lots of colourful mini wooden courts attached to the wall outside. If the couple conceive they then return with their baby for another blessing, so it was a lovely to see lots of babies around.

After this we drove to our hotel, which was a little further up the coast a Beach called, Nilaveli.

Nilaveli is gorgeous a long stretch of white sand and blue sea, with very few people. I went and sat by the beach and watched the sea, the waves looked very small so I decided to go for a paddle/swim in the sea. Most of the waves are small except the rather large one that landed on my head and knocked me flying! I retreated to the saftey of my lounger and watched the wildlife, Gorgeous Bee Catcher birds, huge bees, more eagles. Then as I was sat there some cows came wandering by in the beach, very random!

I had an early dinner another beer and went to bed.

Day 3. Fantastic

After a relatively good nights sleep, I was up early for a light breakfast of tea and a small banana, mush to the disappointment of the hotel staff who kept trying to offer me eggs, more fruit, bread, yogurt!

As we had arrived the night before in the dark I hadn’t really seen the view, it was fabulous. The hotel is on the banks of the largest river in Sri Lanka the Mahaweli, which starts up in the hills by a large mountain called Adams Peak and runs all the way to Trincomalee on the east coast. I stood and watched the river and birds for a while, I saw several Kingfishers, an eagle, a cormorant, swimming under water! Egrets, it was very peaceful.

Buddi and I headed into Kandy at 8am to visit one of the most important temples in Sri Lanka The Temple of the Tooth, which holds a sacred relic of  Buddhas tooth. We took an offering of some flowers. The Temple is amazing and very busy. The tooth relic is guarded very well. Wothin the grounds there were some statues, one of which is of a young prince who was killed by the British. He was held by them and they threatened to kill him if his father the king didn’t give himself up, the Prince said he would rather die than for his father to be captured, so they killed him. Horrid.

After the Temple Buddi and I started the longish drive towards another Temple called Dambulla. Dambulla is a series of temples within caves within a huge rock. We arrived there at Noon, I climbed the 700 odd steps up to the Temple in the 33degree heat!! Mad dogs and even madder bloody English women!! (Buddi rather sensibly stayed in the air conditioned car!) You have to leave your shoes outside with a shoe man then scald your already boiling feet walking on the rock floor! Thank goodness the caves were a little cooler. It is an impressive sight and the views were awesome, you can see another major attraction; Sigiryia, from the top. After having a look at the temples, I decided to head down, that’s when I realised that my purse was in the car and I had no £ on me and I needed to pay 25 rupees  (like 10p) to collect my shoes!! I had to ask a very bemused German lad if he could give me the money, luckily he agreed, I collected my shoes and began the rather steep descent, helped by watching the families of monkeys all around. It took me at least an hour or more to cool down after this!

Over lunch Buddi told me that the next morning we were due to visit and climb Sigiriya. Just to explain Dambulla had 700 wide and spacious steps, Sigiriya has 1200 narrow, steep, people going both ways on the same stairs, steps! Which take up to 3 hours to climb! I told Buddi that whilst it might be nice to see there was no bloody way I was going up to the top, so we visited it after lunch and I had a nice slow walk part way round the base, by the lovely ponds looking up,at the huge rock feeling relieved 😅

After this we picked up Jeep for our Safari in Minneriya & Kaudulla National Park. The Park is home to lots of Elephants. As we drove through the park, we were on a winding dirt track and as we came round a corner we came face to face with a large Bull Elephant!! It’s mating season at the moment and this can make the elephants aggressive, this one did not look happy to see us!! We started backing up, which was not easy as there were Jeeps behind us, the elephant just kept coming, getting more and more agitated, I have to say, whilst it was very exciting it was also a little scary! We finally managed to move away and drove further in Tom the park, we saw lots of Black faced Langur monkeys, peacocks, and other wild birds then we came out of the bush onto the lake area and there was a huge herd of elephants eating and playing by the lake. It was amazing. So many elephants and also lots of young ones, and some really young, possibly 2 months old! We stayed for ages just watching them eat, play, interact. At one water buffalo came running round the lake and seem to,scare the elephants to bits  all apart from one large female who charged them. On the lake there were also Pelicans, Storks, egrets and flying above several large eagles. I had the most fantastic time, truly awesome.

Agter the epic Safari we drove to our hotel, thankfully just a short ride away, we had a well earned ice cold beer and jumped into the pool! Bliss.

Day 2. Epic

 

So it’s been a while since I updated the blog, this has been due to very busy days and very patchy or non existent WiFi. I have now finished my tour and am staying in Uppeveli, Trincomalee.

My tour started at 7.30am on the 31st we had a pretty long drive back towards and through Colombo then heading towards Kandy and beyond. The drive is really relaxing and interesting. Buddi is very knowledgeable about SriLankan history, and was able to answer all of my many and sometimes random questions! As I’ve said before it is fascinating the things you see, I just wish I could capture it all. Buddi took us of the main roads and through the villlages and countryside, apparently this is a short cut, it was certainly scenic.  Apart from a short stop to have a wee and a bite to eat, chicken puffs/puffs of chicken!! We drove until we came to a lovely old but operational tea factory. I took the tour, it is really interesting to,see the process and have an understanding of the intricacies of tea growing. We also tried a gorgeous cup of high grade black tea.

We continued to drive through the tea plantations, which are very steep. Apparently people in this area are amongst the healthiest in the country, I’m not surprised the amount of hill walking they must have to do! We also passed paddy fields and small waterfalls on our way to see a large waterfall called Rambuda, which was beautiful.

On our way to the waterfall we passed a large very colourful Hindu procession, as we moved towards it on the road, I could see a man in what I thought was a hammock, being swung backwards and forwards, Buddi slowed down so I could take some pictures and as we got nearer I could see that the man was not in a hammock at all, he was suspended from a large wooden pole on strings which were attached with hooks through the skin on his back!! 😱 It was horrible, I am quite squeamish so  I could hardly look, as we moved on and there were 2 more! I managed to get a picture with my eyes shut, which I will share on here so be warned!!

We headed towards Kandy, which is a large and important city in Sri Lanka. Apparently it is where the wealthy people live due to its milder climate and lush green hills. We passed through the grounds of a stunning University, the most prestigious in Sri Lanka, it looked gorgeous. We arrived just in time for me to attend a Cultural Show, of traditional dancing from around Sri Lanka. It was amazing, the dancing, the costumes and the drumming, brilliant. As it finished and we headed back outside, it was dusk and the skies suddenly filled with thousands of huge fruit bats! It’s was surreal.

We arrived at our hotel down by the river at around 7pm after a long day, I had curry and rice for dinner and went to bed.

Day 1. Fantastic. 💕