We got up at 5am in order to buy our 6.30 train ticket to Colombo - and a good thing we did too as we managed to get a seat which made the trip pleasant. As we reached Colombo that familiar heat and humidity returned. We got a tuk tuk to Sunshine Hotel in Colombo 4 and not far from the coast. We couldn't check in until 2pm so we spent some time browsing in the nearby shops on Galle Road, and ended up buying a heap of souvenirs, particularly in Barefoot - a fancy...

The train to Kandy from Nanu Oya was packed so we couldn't get a seat - Em sat on our bags in a makeshift seat for a way while I stood by door, and got to sit out the door for a bit too - actually pretty fun, watching the incredible scenery roll past. Plus I made friends with some Sri Lankan university students who were also visiting Kandy for the festival. Kandy was crazy busy when we arrived due to the Esala Perahera. Families grab spots on the side of the str...

We caught the 9.47 train from Ella after another breakfast at the curd and honey shop (which is buffalo yoghurt and treacle!) The train was incredibly spacious compared to the cramped buses - our bags fitted in the overhead shelves and we could stretch our legs out. The views from the train were incredible - rolling green hills filled with tea plantations, tea factories, dagobas/stupas dotted around. Unfortunately about half way through our journey the train sto...

So getting to Ella was a chore. We woke up with a hangover from last nights extended "happy hour" fun. Neither of us had great tummies either and we only had some biscuits for breakfast - BAD IDEA. We got the bus from Pottuvil to Monaragala. Then from there to Wallawaya, and from there to Ella. On one trip one of the two of us felt awful - at least not at the same time, so one could comfort the other! Nausea, stomach pain, headaches were the order of the day. A...

We arrived in Arugam Bay very hot tired and sweaty from our trip from Kalkudah. The bus from Kalkudah to Batticaloa was fine - plenty of space, not too many people and only an hour. The next two buses (from Batticaloa to Attaravatti and from there to Pottivil) were an exercise in how many people can you fit into a bus - plus it must have been a shopping day as people had large bags of stuff piled all around us. By the end (around 4 and a half hours in total) we w...