Don't worry, my silence isn't because we've dropped off the edge of the world (sorry if it gave you a scare, Granny!). No no, we're back safely in Birmingham and have been busy moving into our lovely new home in Harborne. As promised, here is my own rough, brief guide to travelling around the sacred… Continue reading A Rough Guide to Travelling in Sri Lanka
It's surprisingly difficult to reach the village of Dalhousie, where we plan to climb the famous Sri Pada mountain, better known in English as Adams Peak. Although, we are travelling off-season, about two months after the main season actually, so maybe it shouldn't be so much of a shock to me. Still, tourists do climb,… Continue reading Dalhousie: Climbing Adams Peak
We caught the bus from Trincomalee, taking the direct road to the city of Anuradhapura, in the north west of Sri Lanka. Modern day Anuradhapura is a rambling and pleasantly unchaotic city, with many beautifully decorated round abouts and a very grand white train station. Just north you find yourself in the ancient city. Founded… Continue reading Anuradhapura: the sacred ancient city
We've spent the last few days allowing our souls to catch up with us and getting some well needed rest in the beautiful Sri Lankan bay of Uppeveli, a little resort and fishing village about 3km north of Trincomalee. We spent most of our time on the beach of course. A strip of white hot… Continue reading Trincomalee, Uppeveli – snorkelling on tropical coral reefs
And so we come to Sigiriya, where the wild elephants roam on the roads at night, and many travellers come to climb the ancient fortress of Lion's Rock. Often said to be the eighth wonder of the world, the striking naked orange of Lion's Rock juts boldly out of the flat emerald jungle landscape of… Continue reading Sigiriya – tree houses and massages
We now leave the South of Sri Lanka behind, and enter into Sri Lanka's cultural triangle, starting with the city of Kandy. While Kandy is more well known for the Temple of the Tooth, a world famous pilgrimage site, the city also has plenty of other culture to offer besides being the home to… Continue reading Kandy – monks and meditation
We caught the 10.56 train from Ella's beautifully quaint station. Once again, we chose 2nd class, where we knew we could open the windows and hang out of the doors, rather than reserve seats in the air conditioned (but closed in) first class carriage. There was also a choice on this particular train for… Continue reading Ella to Kandy (via Horton Plains)- Walking World’s End
It was one of those wonderful chances that seem to happen when you are travelling. We soon discovered, when we arrived in Ella, that we had come on the dawn of the biggest festival day perhaps of their entire year- Perahera. Our home while we are in Ella is the beautiful Waterfalls Homestay. This is… Continue reading Ella- A festival in the Hill Country
We were planning on doing this part of the journey by bus. We were confident it would be manageable, but we're not looking forward to the length of the journey and number of switches! Here's what we would have done- Tuk tuk to Pottuvil (200SLR) and then a bus from there to Moneragala. From Moneragala… Continue reading From Arugambay to Ella – a long and winding road
Welcome to surfers paradise. Arugambay is a little hotspot village on the east coast of Sri Lanka, to which surfers, both expert and beginner, from around the world flock in their masses. The Main Street runs parallel to the sea front, a stones throw from the beach. The beach itself is endless and golden, flecked… Continue reading Arugambay- sun, sand, & surfing
