The journey plan started with a list of must-dos and our travel advisor was flabbergasted at the places that were “musts” and the number of days we could commit! But we did it and proudly so.
Began day 1 or night 1 with red eye flight at 1 am in the night and landed in our land of adventure on early morning (4 am).
We checked in to The Covanro, Veyangoda for a quick nap and breakfast before we began our journey toward what my daughter called “the elephant home”!
We reached Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in good time to catch the feeding time of the elephants. While we were tentative in handing pineapples and bananas to the elephant, my 5 year old had a gala time picking every fruit, explaining its nutrient value to the elephant eyeing it greedily (!!) and placing it gleefully in the trunk.
Watching the elephants playing around the mud and proceeding in a disciplined line toward the river for a happy and lengthy bath process was a scene of mixed emotions really - exhilarating, awe at the huge beasts calmly following their
Mahouts, lying playfully in the water as the sprinklers came on and Mahouts diligently scraping them clean with coconut kernels, serenity as we saw them move in herds and alone to chew on their fibrous fare of banana leaves, coconut leaves and more.
As we browsed through the little market that came up in the by lanes, we saw with intrigue that a lot of stationery and gift items were created of elephant dung which was considered rich(??!! Whattt?!) in fibre. What cute little souvenirs they made... albeit a little expensive for the material used! But something to carry home if you love your diaries.
We quenched ourselves with HUGE coconuts that beat the heat and soothed our parched throats with the sweet water therein as we moved on to skim through the Spice Gardens
We learnt about different spices - saw their stages of growth, how we could use them beyond flavouring our curries. Cloves, Red Pineapple, Jackfruit, Nutmeg and more.
We saw the miraculous hair removers and slimmers, magic potions that cured snoring and relaxed your aching muscles, pinches of powders that promised to bring down your sugar levels and hypertension! Magic Garden... it was.
Having had our refreshing cinnamon teas sweetened by vanilla and head-shoulder massages, we were back on road to look for the beautiful Gems that Srilanka specialized in. And we landed in a Gem Lapidiary.
And were we tempted!
We covered a lot of ground and felt we needed a bit of shut eye before heading to explore Kandy where we were to spend the night.
The hotel - its ambience, the hospitality, the food - it captured our hearts and we have promised to go there yet again some day!!!
They upgraded us to a beautiful view; our balcony opened into a little fairy tale garden path and overlooked the water front. Peaceful, strangely calming. The pictures hardly do any justice.
Well, the day was not complete yet. After a quick nap we stepped out to enjoy the Cultural Show at the centre - Cobra Dance depicting actions of a cobra, Raban Dance that was a balancing act, Mayura Wannama or peacock dance, Fire Dance. Mesmerized by the flamboyant costumes and elaborate jewellery that the dancers earned through their experience, we loved the glimpse of the country’s folk dancing.
We walked along the pond housing ducks and cormorants as they paddled, waddled and dives to catch their food.... and reached the Temple that held with reverence the tooth relic of Lord Budhha. The offerings of flowers decorated in their special way the temple told the story of how the relic was stored and revered through the years.
The day ended with us excited with all the beauty we captured and anticipating more that was to come
Day 2 began with huge breakfast spread of English and Srilankan fare. We enjoyed the variety of cheese and balanced the calories with herbed bitter gourd juice! We tried string hoppers and coconut curry rich in veggies.
Soaking in the beautiful view as we gobbled down our breakfast we set out for yet another day of fun!
We proceeded toward the quaint little town of
Nuwara Eliya. En route we enjoyed a little waterfall and visited the Hanuman Temple with 57 steps (as counted by my little one!).
We studiously listened to “how to” of tea making, absorbing the tea tourism that Srilanka is known for and mentally comparing them to the tea gardens of Ooty and Munnar and the like. They were all fun... and the funnest part was tasting the healthy green tea - the first time for my kiddo who lapped it up and announced it “nice but bitter”????
We entered the town which looked a picture from a European county.... a horse racing track, lush green gardens with pansies & peonies & dahlias surrounding the famous Gregory Lake, tudors and chalets dotting the hilly landscape, flowers of every imaginable colour hanging in pots and baskets of the window sills.
But what took our breath was the fresh bread basket that could beat any European cafe hands down (not exaggerating at all!). Our home at Nuwara - The Galway Heights - was a cosy, comfortable place with delicious food to relish.
We sampled the local fruits: lanka cherry and chow chow - and were told that these were typically ingredients in their curries.
We entered the town which looked a picture from a European county.... a horse racing track, lush green gardens with pansies & peonies & dahlias surrounding the famous Gregory Lake, tudors and chalets dotting the hilly landscape, flowers of every imaginable colour hanging in pots and baskets of the window sills.
But what took our breath was the fresh bread basket that could beat any European cafe hands down (not exaggerating at all!). Our home at Nuwara - The Galway Heights - was a cosy, comfortable place with delicious food to relish.
We sampled the local fruits: lanka cherry and chow chow - and were told that these were typically ingredients in their curries.
We entered the town which looked a picture from a European county.... a horse racing track, lush green gardens with pansies & peonies & dahlias surrounding the famous Gregory Lake, tudors and chalets dotting the hilly landscape, flowers of every imaginable colour hanging in pots and baskets of the window sills.
But what took our breath was the fresh bread basket that could beat any European cafe hands down (not exaggerating at all!). Our home at Nuwara - The Galway Heights - was a cosy, comfortable place with delicious food to relish.
We sampled the local fruits: lanka cherry and chow chow - and were told that these were typically ingredients in their curries.
We entered the town which looked a picture from a European county.... a horse racing track, lush green gardens with pansies & peonies & dahlias surrounding the famous Gregory Lake, tudors and chalets dotting the hilly landscape, flowers of every imaginable colour hanging in pots and baskets of the window sills.
But what took our breath was the fresh bread basket that could beat any European cafe hands down (not exaggerating at all!). Our home at Nuwara - The Galway Heights - was a cosy, comfortable place with delicious food to relish.
We sampled the local fruits: lanka cherry and chow chow - and were told that these were typically ingredients in their curries.
We entered the town which looked a picture from a European county.... a horse racing track, lush green gardens with pansies & peonies & dahlias surrounding the famous Gregory Lake, tudors and chalets dotting the hilly landscape, flowers of every imaginable colour hanging in pots and baskets of the window sills.
But what took our breath was the fresh bread basket that could beat any European cafe hands down (not exaggerating at all!). Our home at Nuwara -
We sampled the local fruits: lanka cherry and chow chow - and were told that these were typically ingredients in their curries.
We checked for Srilankan savouries and snacks and were promptly pointed to the Coffee Buns and egg rolls shaped like the Indian Samosas!
We visited a strawberry farm and before a picture could be clicked the fresh juice and yummilicous icecream was allllll gonnnne!
The Ramayan tour could not be complete without a visit to the Seetha Amman temple housing the Ashok Vatika and Seeta’s own bathing rivulet.
In all of Nuwara, we could see only this place teeming with hordes of monkeys said to have made this place their home - where their beloved Seeta was held captive by the demon king Ravana and met Hanuman.
It was a small, serene temple with a river flowing by, believed to be where Seeta took her baths and offered prayers to the Lord, wishing to be reunited with Rama soon.
We spent a good time walking around the Gregory Lake... taking in the chill in the weather as evening set in, appreciating the scenic beauty unable to take our eyes of the colourfully green landscape.
The day dawned with the cheer of greenery, the flowers and sweet smelling fresh bread and healthy juices.
We visited the Grand Hotel - a heritage site and hotel - which has been around since the colonial days. True to its name, it is grand.... complete with a taaallll, fierce looking yet extremely sweet butler who took us around the place.
We took to the road on the longest road drive of our trip... about 6 hours but not a moment of boredom watching the trees rush by, the hills, occasional waterfalls and tasting tea of all kinds - orange, apple, white, and beyond on the way.
We explored the mountains and now was the time to hit the beaches!
We checked into the beautiful hotel that was a breath away from the beach... in Kosgoda and could not but resist going to the sands as the tides beckoned.
At around 9 pm, as we just about finished our dinner we got to know from our Hotel guys that we may be able to see a turtle mom as she waddled on to the beach to lay her eggs and excitedly we ran to watch to miracle.
And we did. Not wanting to startle or disturb the humongous mom as she placed hundreds of eggs in the sand pit she’d dug we watch for a bit and decided to retire for the day as my little one chattered on about how and why and when!
Day 4 began really early with us up and about at 4 am to watch the whales at Mirissa beach. Our optimism was catching... the crew on the boat said it could take anywhere between 2 to 6 hours to spot a fish (no promise of whale!) but we were excited and nothing could dampen it.
And the optimism was well placed too coz we spotted a fin whale, two (yeah, a rare sight) blue whales, a school of dolphins as they swam with us and a turtle swimming in the roughs... all within 3 hours on the boat.
We caught fishermen untangling their nets and yachts waiting to sail off and the sea breeze set the mood right as we munched on sandwiches & juice provided on board. Of course our hotel had thoughtfully packed our lunch bags (at 4 am in the morning, sweet right?!)
Satisfied and gleeful at our luck, we headed back towards Galle. Caught glimpses of the beach... the famous stuck fishermen who climbed on stilts to catch their catch!
We stopped ever so often to our driver’s amusement to look at enthusiastic surfers and lazy sun bathers or just dip our feet in the cool, green-blue waters. The palm fringed beached, mangroves dotting the shore line, sparkling waters - had us mesmerized no less.
We reached Galle Fort that marked the southern capital of the country. With distinctly Dutch architecture, rocky-sandy beach, the light house and eateries / watering holes that beckoned - it now holds the administrative offices and commercial outlets.
Re-booted we moved on to look at the Sea Turtle Hatchery. It was one of the most memorable and MUST DO aspects of Sri Lanka visit alongside the whale watching and the scenery and... you get it!
We got an orientation on how turtles lay their eggs, the beach boys comb the shores to carefully pick those and put them in the conservatories, the eggs hatch and then the turtle-lings are released in the seas. And what a variety of turtles.
Green turtle, Olive Riley, loggerhead, albinos, ones hurt by sharks, oxbill - who could bite hard!
Happy and excited we were not finished yet! We caught a quick wink and set out for a boat ride on Balapitiya River.
And no simple ride it was... we rode into alcoves made by mangroves and spotted the birds and beasts who lived around. We visited the Cinnamon Island - getting to know how fresh and pure cinnamon was rolled / powdered / made ready for consumption. And we got our feet eaten away by Mosambi Fishes at the Fish Farms. We saw the Prawn Farm and the little islands where people grew spices of all sorts.
The river met into the sea forming a little lagoon - blending the sweet and the salty.
We walked on to the beach as we reached our little heaven of a hotel... as our vacay was almost done.
Walking on the beach we absorbed the “noise” of the sea... the waves crashing... the rocks, the sand, the palms, the mangroves. Silently we walked on... loving the space... the sun, the sea.
And filled up on a breakfast that was Srilankan and English! We got back on the road towards Colombo to glimpse through the capital before we crashed for the night.
Baudhhaloka replica statue, Bandarnaike memorial hall (BMICH), Independence square, Colombo municipal council, kite flying at the sea front, floating market, lotus tower, Parliament building....
The city is throbbing with hustle and bustle of any metro city...
Our last checkin at a Srilankan Hotel to rest for half a night before we caught our red-eye back at 5 am!
We did not miss on the beautiful water front view or the sumptuous dinner spread before we caught some shut-eye.
5 days of Sri Lanka, memories of a lifetime!
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