Tag: vacation

It was very strange going to sleep knowing Tracey was on her way home and equally strange waking up in the morning without her here! 

I have another full day and a night in Kandy before going to Colombo.

These last 5 or so days have been tricky to organise. I didn’t really want to go back to where I’d already been, Ella, for example, which is gorgeous! Or head too far down the coast just to come back for my flight. 

Unfortunately due to the dates for all of my visas starting in Australia where I left on the last possible day! 😬 Then my dates for Sri Lanka, which I’d already messed up and had to change my outgoing flight! And my dates for India, where I didn’t want to spend too long on my own before my Tour starts, all means that I am kind of marking time for the last few days in Sri Lanka. 

With all this in mind I have opted to stay in Kandy one more night then spend 4 nights in Colombo at a nice hotel, chilling before India. 

I decided to do a short tour of Kandy in a Tuk Tuk, it took rather less time than I’d anticipated! This in part was because Tracey & I had visited a few places already. 

We went up to the Kandy Viewpoint, which was exactly that, then made our way across Kandy to a large Buddhist Temple and Monk School. 

This was a beautiful building with lovely views across Kandy. My driver then took me to a Herbal Garden, which had I been thinking clearly I would have realised exactly what this was. I visited one in Hikkaduwa, it’s essentially an Ayurvedic business that also has a herb garden. 

It is really interesting hearing what all the different plants are used for but the main purpose is to sell their products, which are not cheap, I’m sure they are amazing, I just don’t have space in my case for anymore stuff! From here the driver wanted to take me to a Gemstone factory, but I declined. He dropped me back into the centre of town and I had a little mooch around, stopped for cold drink then walked back around the lake to the hotel. 

My new room has a lovely calm, quiet private patio area so I sat there and read my book! I also had to sort out my nails, I had managed to tear a nail very low down, which I’ve been trying to allow to grow up before cutting but it keeps catching and I’m scared it’s going to rip off!! Ouch! 😩 

I’m traveling to Colombo by train, it’s so cheap and I’d loved the Train journey from Ella. 

The hotel staff said that traffic would be bad, so organised a Tuk Tuk to collect me at 15.15 for a 16.20 train, I felt this was a little early but hey Ho. Needless to say the traffic was fine, I arrived at the train Station by 15.25 to be told my train was delayed by 30 minutes! 🤦‍♀️ Normally a 90 minute wait would be a nightmare but I’ve kind of got used to waiting and sitting around, so it wasn’t too bad. 

The train arrived and I found my seat, I was sitting next to a lovely young Japanese guy he was trying to take photos out through the window, I explained that he could go the the end of the carriage and open the doors to get clear pics and video. He then spent the next hour doing exactly that and was so pleased and grateful. The journey was nice, not quite as spectacular as the Ella to Kandy one, but pleasant. 

I arrived in Colombo 30 minutes earlier than I’d thought, grabbed a Tuk Tuk and came to my hotel. 

I’m staying at the Marino Beach Hotel, it wasn’t cheap but it looked fab. 

It’s big, beige but clean and comfy. The rooftop pool is gorgeous and they offer a free City Tour and have a Beach Lounge further down the road, with a free shuttle. 🥰 

As it was late I just grabbed a beer and some food and headed to bed. 

I’m quite happy to be in a big hotel, being a little anonymous and just relaxing. 

The pool is amazing, a really good size for swimming, with lovely views and lots of Sun loungers! 

I’ve visited the Beach Lounge, nice. 👌 I have also been into the city, which was OK. 

I visited a large Shopping Mall, which was interesting. Quite a few of the high end shops selling Imported goods  only had a few items in. 

I’ll talk about the reasons for this a little later. 

I took a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel and the driver was trying to sell me a city tour, which I explained I was doing with the hotel, he then tried to convince me to go to a Gem shop, I explained that I’d already visited Gem shops and factories, but thank you. This conversation happened twice. He still drove me to an area of the city which is full of Gem stores and tried quite aggressively to convince me to go. I told him loudly & assertively to take me back to my hotel immediately or I would get out and he wouldn’t get paid. This did the trick. Whilst I understand that the drivers make commission on people that they take to these places it is frustrating and concerning when you are traveling alone, especially as I was already paying him double the going rate! 

I took advantage of the free city tour, which was great. We visited The Colombo National Museum. Which was really interesting, and on the way I spotted 2 elephants being transported on the back of a truck! One of the exhibits had artefacts that had been returned to Sri Lanka by the Dutch, I wonder if The British Museum will ever do the same!? 

From the museum we visited the Independence Square. Built in 1948 to celebrate Sri Lanka’s independence from British Rule. I visited a few of these on my travels. 

We then headed to Gangaramaya Temple, the largest Buddhist Temple in Colombo. It was fabulous, as they were gearing up for a huge procession & Celebration, Nawam Maha Perahera. Which is why there were elephants being transported to take part in the parade and lots of people in beautiful costumes and traditional dress. 

The temple is a treasure trove, literally. Full of an eclectic mix of items gifted to the temple. Including some huge and very old Tusks. 🥺

The temple also houses the smallest gold Buddha, encased in a moonstone jar. It’s tiny! 

I managed to get a photo of the Colombo Lotus Tower, the tallest structure in South East Asia. It’s very pretty and even more so at night. 

Then a quick stop at Galle Face Green and back to the hotel. 

A very pleasant tour. 

I grabbed a cocktail and watched my final Sri Lankan sunset, very pretty.  And that’s almost the end of my time here in Sri Lanka. 

I last visited Sri Lanka in 2018 since then the country suffered a devastating terror attack in Colombo and nearby Negombo in April 2019 which killed 269 people. A change of Government in 2019 which many believe were corrupt and inept and COVID! 

The country began a swift decline towards economic crisis which peaked in 2022, when Sri Lanka defaulted on their sovereign debt. This resulted in blackouts, fuel and food shortages. A terrible time for the Sri Lankans. 

Things are now starting to stabilise, a new President was elected in 2024, the left wing politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake. 

I feel these things have resulted in an increased level of pricing particularly for tourists, which I understand completely, because when I’m moaning that the Tuk tuk should only be 1000 rupees not 2000 that’s still only a difference between £2.70 or £5.40, which I obviously wouldn’t quibble about if I was at home. 

Sri Lankans are still struggling out of the economic and political mess they found themselves in, but manage in the main, to be helpful, kind and friendly. Has it changed over the years, most certainly, some areas like Hikkaduwa have changed a great deal, with the massive influx of Russian Tourists & money. However It is a beautiful country with wonderful people that is definitely worth a visit.

Thank you Sri Lanka for a wonderful visit. 

I’m off to the airport soon on my way to India! 🇮🇳 I’m excited and a little nervous. I think it will be different to anywhere I’ve been before. 

I will let you know how it goes! 
Have a great week.

🩷💚🩵💙❤️

Books read.

The Village. Caroline Mitchell. It was OK. 

Her Last Walk Home. Patricia Gibney. No 7 in the Lottie Parker series. Not my favourite one. 

Once again I appear to have totally messed up the dates in my blog!

I was obviously going to write more, but figured Yala deserved a post all on its own!

Tracey and I left Tissamaharama and drove the 2 hours up into the hill country and our next stop, Ella. 

It’s great to be visiting places in Sri Lanka that I haven’t been to before and to be doing it with Tracey is fabulous. 

The drive was great, very picturesque. 

Our hotel, ‘Ella’s Edge’ was exactly as described, on the edge of Ella with a magnificent view. 

Once we had figured out the slight issue with the rooms, we settled in and then went by Tuk Tuk to a café overlooking the fabulous 9 Arch Bridge, also known as The Sky Bridge. 

The viaduct was designed to connect 2 mountains on the Badulla to Colombo railway. It was envisaged by the British shortly before the outbreak of WW1 however but when it came to construction all the steel needed was diverted back for the war effort. It was then constructed and built with stone and cement largely by Sri Lankan engineers and workers, it was completed in 1921. It is a stunning piece of architecture and design. It is an iconic & popular landmark in Ella. 

The Tuk Tuk, with our driver, Kumarah took us up quite steep, bumpy and somewhat scary dirt roads to the spot where he could leave the Tuk Tuk then walk down the steep steps to the café, Café Soul. 

This route down was a little steep, which I didn’t love. But it was worth it as the views of the bridge were spectacular. We were also lucky enough to be there when not one but two trains crossed the bridge! 

Most of the trains stop on the bridge to allow passengers to take photos. 

It’s quite scary seeing people sitting on the edge of the bridge, with a long sheer drop to the valley below! 😳

We were there on a Sunday which meant it was very busy, lots of Sri Lankans visiting Ella for day trips. 

We climbed back up the hill, and stopped in Ella for a bit, had a refreshing cocktail 🍹then went back to our hotel, chilled, got changed and back into Ella for dinner. We chose a place recommended by The Lonely Planet, The White Rabbit, it was busy, but great vibes, live music and delicious food. I had a Sri Lankan Jackfruit curry, so good. 

Then back for a good nights sleep! 

I set my alarm for 6am so I could see the sunrise. It was wonderful!  

I looked, enjoyed, photographed then went back to sleep! 😴😍

For our second day we had asked Kumarah to take us to a little place outside of Ella, called Demodara. From here you can get the calypso train the short distance to Ella, crossing the 9 arch bridge! All for the princely sum of £3! 

The train was fabulous, we snagged a couple of stools in the open carriage, sat back and enjoyed the odd and vaguely mariachi band playing music and the fantastic views! 

It was so much fun! 🤩🎉 Being on the bridge was amazing. Fun seeing it from a different angle.

The whole thing only took around 35 minutes, but it’s definitely worth doing.

Kumarah picked us up at Ella train station and we drove to Halpewatte Tea Factory for a tour. 

Again, stunning views, and an interesting and informative tour of the tea factory, who knew how much work goes into your daily cuppa! 🫖 ☕️ 😮 Fascinating.

We went back into Ella for dinner and ended up leaving one quite fancy place which couldn’t seem to get our food order correct after numerous attempts we cancelled the food and found a much less fancy but fabulous place that served good, tasty Sri Lankan food! Winner. 🏆 

As a special treat Tracey & I had booked an afternoon at Ravana Pool Spa, handily this was on the route to climb ‘Little Adam’s Peak’ which Tracey wanted to do, I had said I’d do as much as I fancied, which turned out not to be very much tbh! 😳 There are a lot of very steep steps, and lots of people. Going up is hard work, but coming down for me is a nightmare, both for my knees and my worsening fear of heights and falling! 

So Tracey did the last (steepest bit) on her own, and whipped up there like a mountain goat!! Impressive 😍 

I waited for her and spent the time enjoying watching people doing the ZipWire and a little 6 year old boy doing the climbing wall! 

Once Tracey had returned we walked back to the Rana Pool Spa. We were a little early for our booking so we had a Cocktail, obviously 😁 I had a really tasty Bloody Mary.

Our VIP pool experience was fantastic. We had a nice big bed area and a wonderful infinity pool! 

We went a little mad and ordered a bottle of French Rosé Wine, which was great, it appeared to start a trend though as then everyone around us started ordering it, which meant when we wanted a second bottle they’d run out!! 😮😁 We compromised on a nice bottle of dry white! 

It was a brilliant afternoon, and towards the end we got chatting to the 2 couples next to us. They were in Sri Lanka on holiday from India, New Delhi, they were great fun and super friendly (the wine might have helped!) we exchanged numbers and they have told me I must contact them when I arrive in New Delhi! Which I most certainly will! We are also also invited to Anupam’s sisters wedding in November! 😂 

All in all a fantastic day!! Finished off with more delicious curry at the same restaurant as the previous night and finishing Tracey’s Gin back at the hotel! 🤣

Getting up for our train to Kandy the next morning was a little challenging 😜 But we made it to the station for 8.30ish! 

It’s a little chaotic on the platform but once the train arrives it all gets sorted. We had reservations in 1st class, comfy seats, air con, they also came around and asked for our food order, result! We both ordered Veggie rice. When it arrived it turned out not to be part of the ticket price! But still enjoyable.

The train journey from Ella to Kandy is another ‘Must Do’ in Sri Lanka.

The train takes around 7 hours to wind its way through miles and miles of lush green hills and tea plantations. The views are truly spectacular. I was even brave enough to do the obligatory leaning out of the open train door!! In fact I think I spent most of the journey at the doorway as the views were so incredible. 

Up there as one of my favourite experiences in Sri Lanka. 

We arrived in Kandy at around 4pm and made our way to the hotel. 

We had opted to change our hotel in Kandy for one with a pool. The one we chose was quite fancy, and very gorgeous, the pool however was tiny! 😂 It really didn’t matter because everything else was perfect. 😍 The comfiest bed on the whole trip! 😴😴😴

We opted to go out for dinner to a place again recommended by The Lonely Planet. Another hit! Great live music, good grub and the most delicious cocktails! 🍸 

Sadly Thursday was Tracey’s last day with me! She was heading to Colombo at 10 pm that night for a 4am flight! 

We spent the best part of the day at The Royal Botanical Gardens, which were simply gorgeous. A really large area of lush planting, stunning native trees, flowers, wildlife, completely glorious. 💚🩷❤️

We saw loads of Fruit Bats or Flying Foxes roosting in the trees, they are huge. A strange little man offered to sell us one for £1! random, we declined. A decision I somewhat regret! 🦇🤔🤣

We then went back into Kandy to visit the Temple of the Tooth. A very holy Buddhist Temple that holds part of Buddhas a tooth.  It also has a museum dedicated to Raja the Tusker, a very beloved Elephant used for important processions. He died and was then preserved and kept in the museum. 

For our last nights dinner we managed to persuade the hotel to make us a Sri Lankan curry, which wasn’t on the menu. It was fabulous.

Then it was time for my beautiful friend to leave! 🥺

It was a tad emotional saying goodbye and just felt all kinds of weird to be saying goodbye in Sri Lanka and not going to the airport together! 

It has been unbelievably fantastic to share our time together in Sri Lanka, seeing and doing things that will stay in my heart and mind forever.

Thank you my darling Tracey for everything. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I will try and catch everything up tomorrow. 

No new books yet! 

Happy Sunday lovelies.

💚💙🩵🦇🩷