Our tour of Sri Lanka Part 1

My wife, Madeleine and I visited Sri Lanka in February 2024. This happened before I became a Travel Counsellor, so we asked our Travel Counsellor about some destinations we fancied. It takes time to craft that perfect holiday, so we discussed our requirements and she added some she knew we liked from previous trips. We flew from London Heathrow on our trip of 3 weeks, with a short stopover in Doha airport, A must if you are planning a trip East. (Top Tip: You can book to stay at the airport, it’s well worth it.) Our first hotel was to allow us to relax after a long journey. A list of the hotels we stayed at: • Arie Lagoon we only stayed one night before starting our 10 day tour of the island. • Amaya Lake we stayed for 3 nights, a pretty hotel by a lake in a beautiful lodge with plenty of space to relax. • Amaya Hills, set above Kandy with beautiful views of the sunset and the surrounding hills. It’s cooler here but a little more humid we stayed for 2 nights. • The Argyle, the name comes from the owner of the Tea Planation the hotel now sits in. This was our favourite hotel, the staff said they treat everyone like family. The cynic in me said ‘yeah, right!’ but when we came to leave after 3 nights I had something in my eye! They really did make me feel special. • Cinnamon Wild, set in Yala National Park we only had 1 night but as our cases were being brought to our room monkeys were sat in the tree next to the lodge, a lovely welcome. • Cinnamon Bey, our final hotel for the tour. It’s set on a beach, with a natural lagoon great place to go snorkelling and a beach of fine sand and coral. The hotel also has the biggest pool I think I have ever seen, it must have been 100m long, great for getting the lengths in for your exercise. After that first hotel, our driver, Nalinda really had a pace to ensure we saw all on the itinerary. Starting at Sigiriya Rock, it’s not for the feint hearted with 1200 steps to the top. Heat and humidity do not help, Madeleine had to stop half way due to her breathing. At the top views over the jungle where you can see for miles, which became very handy as a torrential downpour was heading our way I was able to take shelter! The next day we went to Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient city in Sri Lanka and also declared it’s capital in 1070 AD. It’s stone carved figures of Buddha stand several metres tall or long, depending on Buddha’s pose. The intricate carvings are impressive when you consider the age of them. We then had a traditional lunch at a Farmers type kitchen, served on a plate with a banana leaf, sat watching Egrets and listening to Peacocks in the paddy fields was our view. We then went to Minneriya NP for a short safari, we managed to see an elephant, several deer, a chameleon in a tree, a Kingfisher and several other colourful birds. The next day on our way to Kandy, we stopped at a spice farm and learnt about herbal medicine and the properties of various herbs and spices. We bought so much, Madeleine especially believes in herbal medicine, so we have lots of lotions and potions for our aches and pains! When we arrived in Kandy, we had time to look around an old colonial hotel, with the dark wood and old lift it was like stepping back in time. We then went for a walk around the Temple of the Tooth, a sacred place to Buddhist’s as it holds the tooth of the previous Buddha. Although the Temple was attacked by someone with a bomb a few years ago, the Temple has been re-built and has some of the most beautiful wall decorations. We returned to our hotel for the night, Amaya Hills overlooking the hills around Kandy. The following day Nalinda arranged for us to see traditional Sri Lankan dancing and drums. The Master explained how he had learnt to dance in this was from the age of 4 and was now approximately my age (56). When the dancers came on, the master had explained how young children learn from about 4 years of age how to place their hands in a certain position, this can take up to 18 months just for the hands, we discussed how disciplined children would have to be. Nalinda asked if we would like to go to a traditional Sri Lankan restaurant and eat as the locals do with our hands. For me, it was such a simple thing, but I loved it. Who’d have thought I would have to learn the knack, which involved making a ball of food with rice, sauce etc. and then using your thumb to ‘push’ the food into your mouth. It made me incredibly self-conscious, but then everyone else was eating the same way. For 3 meals including drinks it came to £3ph. The afternoon we went for a trip around the Botanical gardens in Kandy. The following day we took a train ride from Kandy to Hatton, the experience alone of hanging out the door to get a video, definitely not something East Coast mainline would let you do!! New destination, new hotel. The tour has taken a slight decrease in pace now, giving us time to relax by a pool with beautiful views over tea plantations, review our Social Media and relaxation. We also got to go to a Tea factory and see how the tea is picked, what the factory does with the pickings, how the leaves are refined. As tea drinkers, Madeleine and I found it really interesting. On our way back to the hotel, Nalinda showed us two waterfalls, Devon and St Clare. Surrounded by the tea plants and palms, they could have been out of a shampoo advert.