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Well - here we are in Sri Lanka.
Jeff and I had talked about coming here for years . The intention was always to go with Dina and Senani, unfortunately that was not to be, so now we find ourselves here, meeting up with Dina for Tour 2 next week.
Our first two nights were spent in Colombo in a small hotel behind the Kuwait Embassy and very close to Independence Arcade. A perfect place for shopping, that is if you can buy anything ........and food. Our exploring took us by tuk tuk, by bus and by our feet. Our favoured spot of the day was the Kollupitiya area. It an affluent and developing, tall high rise apartments, hotels and offices, all close to or over looking the sea. It is here where we found a great shopping centre beneath The Cinnamon Grand. This is where we both had haircut number 4. There is a whole blog on our haircut experiences, which will come at another time.
Our evening we spent in Asylum, a great bar where the live band entertained it's audience with 80's hits and I have to say with matching 80's haircuts. We are really looking forward to seeing more of Colombo on our return in a week.
Our immediate observations as we travelled towards the hills was the order of everything- the shops, the road, everyday functions of road cleaning and caring about the environment - basically there was very little rubbish on show. In our travels, rubbish and what to do with it, is clearly a problem worldwide, plastic being the main offender. This was no more so than in India and parts of Argentina. I think we all feel it's part of our duty to dispose of rubbish, but this sadly is not always the case; the bigger problem is disposing of the piles .... and as we know they can always be a problem!!!!!
As we travelled further from Colombo towards the hills - every opportunity ,however remote, was grabbed to sell fresh local produce and goods on the side of the road.
The drive to Dickoya, Hatton, our first destination, through the vast tea plantations was glorious. The different shades of green - the lush fertile landscape such a stark contrast to the desert like terrain of North India. Water is a plenty here and what a difference it makes.
Princess Dickoya , our first hotel of the tour,the reviews were very good. We decided to stay in small hotels in top places; however as we travelled in the large Land Cruiser, up the narrow path, higher and higher, my thoughts at that moment were mixed.
What a surprise we had! We were greeted by this smiley entrepreneurial family, who had grasped an opportunity. They had built two rooms on their property and had only been open for business for four months, had back to back bookings.
The plan, which was to be completed in three years,was to build two more rooms and a glass fronted restaurant on the top. I'm going to be honest that I never expected that.
The view across the tea plantation from outside our room was like looking at a travel brochure photo. In the middle of nowhere a perfect wifi connection.
Their seven year old son took us on a two mile return walk to view the lake. The scenery was jaw dropping. Well ordered plantations, similiar in a way to vineyards, except there were structured paths and steps for all to use. In his broken English, this little boy, Ravib, took us on a tour- a tour like no other and the the time went very quickly.
In the evening we enjoyed a splendid meal of local Sri Lankan food- the tastes, the variety and the flavours all fresh produce at her fingertips.
In the morning, our table had been repositioned for breakfast. As if it was on film, the sun rose on the view in front of us. It was perfect, as was the breakfast. After a quick farewell we were off to Ella. Another unforgettable memory.
As our driver Priyantha, drove us to Nuwara Eilya, the landscape changed to what can only be described as a market garden - everything growing on well manicured plots. I'm sure many you you have been to Mount Vesuvius in Italy, where an abundance of fruit and vegetables grow - it's similar here. What ever is in season is sold on the side of the road - Papayas, Pineapples, Jakfruit, Mangostin,Coconuts, Rambutans and vegetable- green beans, Ocra , all freshly picked - some of which I couldn't recognise.
Nuwara Eilya, a thriving and a rather beautiful place, famous for it's tea. There's quite a Scottish influence here in the name of the plantations and the buildings in the town. It's where the President has one of his many residence in a rather lovely position, situated behind the Grand Hotel and the pristine golf course and close to the race track.
It's also famous for clothes and apparently you can pick up a cheap 'North Face ' jacket!!!!
After a rather relaxing cup of coffee - I know that seems wrong when we are surrounded by tea!! We set off for our final destination of the day Ella. Our modern, two bed roomed hotel was very tastefully decorated. It was perched, high above the buzzing town and was run by three brothers, who all had a plan for the plot that belonged to their mother. She was part of the plan as cooked Sri Lankan breakfast every morning. The view was could do nothing but make you smile, as you looked down the valley with Adam's Peak (mini) on one side, a rocky mountain on the other. The blue sky, the hot sun. It truly was sublime.
Our front porch was surrounded by various trees- an avocado tree, had normal size avocados on it, but here they grow to epic proportions, black pepper corns growing in clusters, growing on a cluster,the leaves looked a bit like a 'Deadly Nightshade tree.' In front of us was a Jakfruit tree - very large,yellowy green, bumpy skinned fruit that hung with thick short stems, so large that they look as if they don't belong, but clearly they do. Then there were the banana palms, laden with fruit, the coffee beans ....... It was quite an incredible spot. To complete the image there was the sound of strange unrecognisable bird song that filled the air.
When you walked down the hill to the town there was bars and restaurants - if ever you are in Ella, the Chill Bar is the place to go. We had two ideal days in Ella where we climbed Adam's Peak ( the mini one), saw the train go over the Demodara Nine Arch Bridge and explored Ravana's Falls.
I'm sure that you have realised by now that I love seeing wildlife, so going on an elephant safari in Udawalawe was very exciting for me. It did not disappoint - seeing elephants in the wild, in their environment and close up is mesmerising. We were fortunate to see so many. The large males roam on their own, while the females and their young keep together. Seeing them bathing in the lakes - the natural maternal instinct of the females bathing their young, with their versatile trunks is just such a tender act to watch. As is the way they keep the youngest forever close to them- always protected by the ever attentive females, either by their side or under their legs. Then suddenly, when the decision is made, bath-time is over - all are rehydrated and cooler; they walk off in a line and disappear, it was a much quicker pace than I imagined. I felt so lucky - Jeff just loved to see the elephants in their rightful place. Even though we were able to get close to these amazing animals, you were regularly warned how dangerous they could become, esecially the males who would charge if they felt the need to do so. There was a respect between the safari jeep and the elephants; however there was never a doubt who had the ultimate control.
The National Park is vast with many huge lakes which is the home to an extensive range of birds, many of which we and seen before, the sight of a Toucan, flying is a very odd sight indeed. They just look like something prehistoric- long extended necks when in flight, which immediately retract when they land and then their distinctive yellow beak is apparent. Previously I have only seen Toucans on the Guinness adverts - years ago.
Then there are the natural dangers that lurk in such places. Beneath the water, especially when you look closely, as we were shown by our experienced Udawalawe driver, were enormous crocodiles, some basking in the hot sun on little islands, while others just beneath the surface. Waiting. The evidence of a recent attack evident - a wild boar, clearly got too close- it 's partially devoured body left bobbing in the shallows, the rest to be consumed later in the day.
It was just a fabulous day!
Our next stop was Mirissa, as we drove further south the landscape changed again; this time we were surrounded by endless coconut and banana plantations and paddy fields.
Mirissa was just bliss. Our hotel Lemanzone, was right on the beach and totally under budget. If ever you are on tour in Sri Lanka, this has to be on the list. The beach is white and the waves are high as they crash onto the shallow bay. The beach bar, Zephyr, had the vibe and the music that attracted a real eclectic mix of people all wanting to have fun and great food; it was just a moment from the hotel. We absolutely loved every moment of our time at Mirissa - jumping in the endless waves; our only problem was we only booked one night. Next time!
This region of Sri Lanka was wiped out by the Tsunami of 2004, so everything here is new, small hotel are popping up as the confidence has been restored and warning systems have been put in place. The tragedy will never leave and as we drove along the coastal road to Galle - there are little memorials to some of those lives.
Galle, was not as beautiful as we imagined, but we enjoyed our day exploring the Fort and then it was back to Colombo to meet up with Dina and start Tour 2.
We have loved our first week in Sri Lanka and when you think their troubles only finished in 2009 and travel with in the country was so restricted due to the brutality of war; it has made such massive strides to embrace its freedom and open its doors to tourism that it so justly deserves. It is truly a beautiful diverse country that has so much to offer. We can't wait to see more.
As the time is passing so quickly now, we can hardly believe that we will be back in England in two weeks. I had hoped to get this blog out a little quicker but internet connections have been varied, so another blog may follow very quickly as I need to share our Tour 2 with Dina.
So for now, in an ever changing, rather complicated world, do take care and look after yourselves.
- comments
Saint Ric Great Blog! Sri Lanka:,it's now on my Bucket List !
Alison Dumper Sri Lanka sounds amazing! I'd never really thought of going there but feel inspired to do so sometime soonish. I enjoyed Jeff's review of modes of transport. Brought back happy memories of several trips. Make the most of your last few weeks. Xxx
Kate Great blog, will becoming with Saint Ric I think. Sitting in the garden with my new grandson while his mum and dad sleep. Looking forward to seeing you soon. X
Dianne Wow. Sri Lanka is definitely on my list now!! Sounds wonderful. Love the idea that one can be in the middle of nowhere and wifi is excellent, but you can be 8 miles from London and the wifi can be .......! See you both very soon in Hove xx
Steve So glad you are enjoying SriLanka and it sounds like you went to some fantastic places. A lovely island. You even tasted a fruit named after you too, Jakfriut! We missed you at the Raglan leaving do last Friday at the Crown and Anchor. I hope week 2 is as good as week 1. Safe travels.
Jane Learmouth Sounds wonderful. Can't imagine drinking coffee surrounded by tea plantations! Surely that's illegal!! Enjoy your last few weeks looking forward to seeing you soon xxx
Karen Seaton Sri Lanka sounds amazing - as does your whole trip. What an achievement! It will be strange coming home for a while, but I'm sure it will be lovely to see everyone. Enjoy your final week and take care! xxx