It took two local busses to reach Ella from Tangalla. Each blared local sri lankan tunes from the bus radio as it dangerously swerved up the winding roads to reach the village of Ella, situated in the centre of Sri Lanka in the Hill Country. We found a place to stay at a friend of the people we stayed with in Tangalla and managed to get a fairly cheap and nice room as Ella is notoriously expensive. The climate is much cooler in Ella and we immediately appreciate...

Mirissa is a small bay, only 40mins east along the coast from Unawatuna. It is famed for its whale watching trips and chilled out, quiet atmosphere. When we arrived, we struggled to find cheap accommodation and ended up paying more than we wanted to for a fairly decent room in a very ugly hotel. We quickly began to dislike Mirissa - it was over-priced, the Sri Lankan locals were rude, lazy and unwelcoming, and the food was appalling. There was also a rediculousl...

After a 45 minute flight from Trivandrum, India, we arrived in Sri Lanka with a driver waiting to collect us. He drove us in an aircondition minibus for about 3 and a half hours to Mango House - my sister Bex's beautiful Sri Lankan home. It was a real treat to have such a comfortable ride. We commenced our week in Unawatuna with the hope that we would do our PADI course - to enable us to become qualified open water scuba divers! After a day of relaxing and catch...

Ed's parents kindly arranged for us to stay at this incredible beech resort for the last three nights we were in India. We stayed in a small hut situated in beautifully maintained gardens which overlooked the palm fringed southern coast of India. Despite the most horrendous toothache I have ever endured, Ed and I spent out 3 days here really chilling out. The host, a Brit called Phil, made sure all our needs were met and even sorted me out antibiotics for my to...

Kochi is a quiet fishing port centrally located in the southern Indian state of Kerala. We arrived in Ernakulam, the modern and busy transport hub of the area. A tuk tuk for only 2 quid took us to the old area of Fort Cochin, where we chose to stay. The place was pretty but quiet. Deemed by most as a sleepy haven for travellers after travelling the chaos of India, Ed and I felt we were not quite ready for the break. The town is very forward-thinking and artist...