Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka 19th - 29th July.
Kate and I decided that we wanted to meet in a country somewhere between the UAE and Japan. Sri Lanka was our final pick.
Day 1: I arrived the night before Kate in Colombo and luckily befriended a Sri Lankan guy, Mani, on the flight who arranged me a taxi to Colombo. Kate met me in Colombo the following morning after being stopped at the many military checkpoints. Because on the unrest in Sri Lanka the military presence in Colombo was strong and therefore scary. No matter how long I was there, I don't think I would ever get used to soldiers standing on every corner with machine guns. Needless to say we didn't stay very long in Colombo long. To make things worse the prime minister was in town to there were road closures and heightened security in some parts. We had lunch at a restaurant which I think was part of the YMCA. We were a little bit skeptical about the food but it was fine.
We were happy to leave Colombo and caught the train to Kandy. At the station many people stared at us, they probably haven't seen two (unaccompanied) white girls with massive backpacks for a long time, or possibly ever in Colombo. The trains were interesting. They were at least 50 years old. Possibly even the original trains! It was a great novelty being able to sit in the doorway and watch the scenery go past. Many young boys were hang out the side of the train, hitting branches as the train passed. In Kandy we stayed with Mani, his wife and family. They were so kind and introduced us to some Sri Lankan customs and eating etiquette.
Day 2 I woke at 5:30 thinking I was still in Japan. We had a large breakfast and went to see some of the sights of Kandy. The most notable was the Temple of the Tooth, which is the most sacred temple in Sri Lanka as the tooth of Lord Buddha is said to be housed there. It was strange that to enter the temple we hard to go through two lots of security, but to be honest I am glad they did. Kate and I caught the train to Nanu Oyu and then got a taxi to Nuwara Eliya. The train ride was beautiful as we climbed up into the hill country. The hill country is where most of tea in Sri Lanka is produced. Before even leaving the station there were drivers hassling us to ride with them, and obviously trying to rip off the foreign girls. We got that all around Sri Lanka, but Kate was a champ and didn't let us get ripped off.



Day 3 We went to a tea factory to find that because it was Sunday they weren't running any of their machines. We happened to meet a European guy and his Sri Lankan guide, who we eventually went driving with to find a tea factory that was running. It was very interesting seeing the simple and old equipment still used to produce the tea. After the tea factory we went to a waterfall, where a befriended a leech! Luckily I got him off before he attached himself. In many of the tea plantations there are Eucalyptus trees. It was so strange to see them in Sri Lanka.
Day 4 We got up really early to go out to the Horton Plains for a hike. It was so beautiful. We timed the hike perfectly as we got to World's End (a 800m vertical drop) whilst it was still clear. The view was amazing. About 5-10 minutes after we got there we saw the infamous fog rolled in and the view was lost. Horton Plains is home to a lot of wildlife including leopards, but unfortunately we didn't get to see any of them. We then caught the train back to Colombo. Unfortunately we had to back track, but it did save us a lot of money.
Day 5 We caught the train down the west coast to Hikkaduwa. The rail line in pretty much on the beach so the view was beautiful all the way down. Hikkaduwa was hit badly by the 2004 Tsunami and still some parts have not been rebuilt. We stayed at Hotel Moon Beam which was right on the beach. I never thought I would like a tropical holiday where you just sit around but I could definitely do it here. Sunset at Hikkaduwa was amazing.
Day 6 We decided to stay in Hikkaduwa for 2 nights as it was so relaxing. Unfortunately because of the Tsunami the snorkeling was disappointing, and because it was too rough we couldn't go to the place people said was the best. I have a sneaking suspicion that it also hasn't recovered from the tsunami. Still it was a very beautiful place to visit.
Day 7 We caught the train back up towards Colombo to Aluthgama/Bentota. We stayed at Terrena Lodge. The people were really nice there and the food was great. The lodge is set on the Bentota River on which you can do many water activities. After we arrived we walked around Bentota and walked through some of the expensive hotels. I much preferred where we were staying. In the afternoon Kate and I hired a kayak and paddled around. We paddles down river near to the inlet and went to the beach. We attempted to play cricket with a coconut and the kayak paddle but stopped as we thought we might break the paddle. The river was a little muddy to swim in but I thought it would be a good idea to swim out to a buoy and back. When I got out there, no matter how hard I swam I couldn't touch the buoy. The current was so strong. Maybe I just can't swim so well anymore. Kate thought it was very funny! She said she had no intention of saving me! Thanks Kate. I did smell a bit like mud after! We took a tuktuk out to a turtle hatchery and found that we could release them. We decided to wait until Matt came to release some.
Day 8 In the morning Kate and I hired the kayak again and paddled around. We made good time and came back way too early so we paddled off again and although we didn't know it we stopped and walked through the prime minister's villa to get to the beach. The security guy just let us through the gate, waited till we finished swimming and shut it back up. I wondered why he thought it was so amusing. At about lunch time Matt rocked up after a grand tour of Bentota. We had some food, and then went wake boarding. It was my first time to wake board so I was only slightly better than hopeless but Matt and Kate had done it before in Australia and Dubai (I think) so were really good. After, we hired some boogie boards and went to the beach. Unfortunately we couldn't surf as the waves were choppy at best. I successfully proved to everyone how not to use a boogie board so in the end gave up on it and just jumped up and down in the water. YAY! Body surfing wasn't too easy. That night we went back out to the turtle place and released three 3 day old turtles. I do hope they survive! After we went to have dinner and splurged! We had lobster and prawns and curry. It was expensive for Sri Lanka but still a lot cheaper than Australia or Japan. We were invited to a party back in Hikkaduwa by Thilanka, one of the guys that works at the water-sports boat shed, and so took Tuktuks down there. The tuktuks are scary during the day, so at night it was just insane. Luckily we made it though. At the dance party it was the biggest collection of people we had seen, except of course the jampacked trains. There were all kinds of people: aidworkers, engineers, teachers, and of course locals. The entrance fee was a bit strange. Locals free, females free, but foreign guys had to pay! I hadn't danced in a long time. I had so much fun!
Day 9 We woke up late because of the late night and took it fairly easy for the day. We relaxed around the lodge and read. We went for a walk along the beach. Oh, by this time I had successfully burnt my shins! They were perfectly red. That's what happens if you go kayaking and forget to put sunblock on your legs. At the end of the beach near the river mouth there is a Buddhist shrine. It was very beautiful and peaceful. In the afternoon we went wake boarding again but I lost the plot. I totally forgot the basics and then after a while my legs were too sore to stay up. That night we had dinner on the river, and Matt taught the restaurant how to make a banana split. Very amusing!
Day 10 We woke to take a trip on a catamaran with Sara, who is a local guide. The catamaran wasn't what we expected but the tour was very nice. Very tranquil. We got to see a lot of wildlife as well as learn a lot about Buddhism. After we returned, I had to say goodbye and catch the train back to Colombo for my flight. Kate and Matt stayed another few days. It was weird not having Kate around to ward off the few pesky people, but I coped. I made it back to Colombo with lots of time to spare so decided to take the scenic bus. It was very interesting, although apparently I was the interesting one for a lot of Sri Lankans.
Sri Lanka was a great place to visit aside from the security in Colombo. The people are very friendly. It was awesome spending time with Kate again. I hope we can have many more fun adventures together.