Sri Lanka revisited - A report on my trip to Sri Lanka
29 March 2923 We decided not to visit the Millenium Elephant Foundation as we were aware some elephants are chained there. We figured it better to see elephants in the wild later in the trip. Instead, we drove to Dambulla and stopped at the main produce market for Sri Lanka on the way. The local lorries are beautifully painted! Our hotel was in Dambulla. This is a great base for exploring the area. after a couple of hours relaxing we went on safari to see elephants at Minneriya National Park. It is great to see elephants in the wild and we were privileged to see so many on one short trip into the National Park.
30 March 2023 An early start as we opted to leave the hotel at 5am to climb Sigiriya rock - 1200 steps later reached the top in time to see the sunrise. My wife and I visited Sigiriya on our honeymoon 32 years ago and we recreated some photos whilst we were there. Having returned from Sigiriya in time for breakfast we spent some time relaxing at the hotel before setting off for Polonnaruwa at 2.30pm. We got to Polonnaruwa at about 4pm as then have time to see everything but avoid the heat of the day. I would suggest this is moved forward by an hour as some photos were tricky in the fading light. 31 March 2023 Enroute to Kandy we stopped off to see the Dambulla Cave Temples. The Cave Temples were fascinating. Having visited the Cave Temple, we continued to Kandy stopping at a Spice Garden on the way. The Spice Garden was interesting. We learned about natural remedies as well as seeing many of the spices we cook with. We also all had a massage using the relaxing spices grown there. We then continued on to Kandy. After a couple of hours relaxing by the hotel pool, we went to the Temple of the Tooth – the ceremony is awesome! The wonderful thing about visiting a Buddhist temple is that you are welcomed, you can take photos and the guide can tell you about the ceremony as it is happening. It allows a visitor to learn so much more than simply visiting the building.
1 April 2023 The next morning, we visited the Botanical Gardens in Kandy. After this we set off for Nuwara Eliya. The drive to Nuwara Eliya has amazing scenery and you can see the tea being picked. We visited a tea factory to learn about how tea is made. We took the opportunity to visit the Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya as we stayed at this hotel 32 years ago. We visited just as the hotel was celebrating the start of the season and enjoyed the traditional dancers that performed in front of the hotel.
2 April 2023 After our stay in Nuwara Eliya our guide added an extra stop to Ella and Mini Adam’s Peak. My son has a friend called Ella who had previously visited it, so it was fun to send pictures to her of us visiting the same place. My other son is Adam, so it was appropriate to visit. There are zip wires at Mini Adams Peak, and this is a great attraction if you have adventurous people with you. We took some photos trying to capture everyday life and the stunning scenery as we continued our journey to Galle. Galle was occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and they built a fort to protect the settlement. We chose to stay within the walls of the fort as we could wander the streets, shop, and dine in some of the many restaurants. 3 April 2023 The next morning, we hired 2x Tuk Tuk’s to drive us around the fort for a bit of fun. In the evening we transferred to the airport for our flight home. Conclusion: Sri Lanka has so much variety to offer visitors. Our tour crammed in the most significant sights and we really enoyed our time in Sri Lanka. It is worth booking a tour as the island is too large for day trips. The driver guides add so much to your sightseeing.
I will be suggesting some handy hints for any clients I send there 1. Takes sensible shoes – there is quite a bit of walking 2. Wear socks as the sand can be sharp when you are barefoot at temples 3. Be aware you should cover shoulders and knees when visiting sacred sites 4. Take some cash to exchange for Rupees at the airport 5. Focus on getting smaller notes for tipping money 6. Haggle – one item reduced from 6000 LKR to 1000 LKR 7. If visiting Nuwara Eliya take a sweater 8. Take a lightweight raincoat for tropical showers 9. Take the hotels’ free water with you – you will need it during the day 10. Carry a compact umbrella as it is great to stop the rain and the sun.
