We had planned a full day today. We had rented bikes from the guest house to go round the ruins of Polonnaruwa and were then off to the national park after lunch. The bikes were there before breakfast - all of the 1950s sit and beg types with dodgy brakes. We set off up the road and reached the site quite quickly. The ruins are relatively recent (12th Century) and in reasonable condition having been restored by the British. It was a mix of palaces, temples and ...

We left Negombo after breakfast. We decided to take the train north up the coast to Puttalam and then onto Anuradhapura. The train was at a civilised time but the downside was there was only third class unreserved on this line. When the train arrived, we were pleasantly surprised - it had padded seats and was half empty. The journey was supposed to take 3 hours but the train crawled its way along stopping at little stations. The only discomfort was when the train...

The trip over here has gone well. The journey to the airport was uneventful and, apart from the normal delay, the flight over was OK. I was the only one who slept which is why I am still up writing the blog! The plane stopped off in the Maldives which looked picture postcard perfect from the air - little coral islands and an azure blue sea. The ladies view was that we have cocked up already - should have stopped off for a couple of days in some 5* resort on the...