By Almost 10 weeks in Saudi and it was certainly time for a little vacay. Only a 5 hour flight away and packed with promises of lush greenery (a stark contrast from the desert), Sri Lanka was a no brainer when it came to choosing my destination.
My first hotel was The Earl’s Regency, sat atop a hill on the edge Kandy, the location was magnificent.
Rather than pay the extortionate hotel driver fees, we agreed that our taxi driver would stay with us for our time in Kandy as our personal driver at around a quarter of the cost!
Driving back down the surprisingly steep and winding hill into Kandy we headed towards the Temple of the Buddha’s tooth, said to house one of Buddha’s actual teeth. The building itself is rather imposing like a large white fort with a moat surrounding it but beautiful none the less, with hand painted murals on the walls and ceiling inside. The detail in some of these was very impressive.
We had ended up being in Kandy during one of their Holy festivals, Esala Perehera (Festival of the Tooth). A historical procession full of elaborate costumes, loud music, bright lights and elephants. Whilst it was a wonder to see, as a believer in the protection of animals it did leave me with a rather sour taste in my mouth. Dozens of elephants clad in heavily decorated and lit up covers, with large ornamental saddles and riders on their backs, their legs so closely chained together that there movement was more shuffle than walk, mahouts with their large pointed hooks walking close by to ensure they are kept in check. Honestly, it brought a tear to my eye.
Aside from the Elephants the rest of the entertainment was a cacophony of color and sounds and truly enjoyable. Drummers, dancers, fire throwers, and we even managed to order a Pizza Hut directly to our seats in the front row!
Next came the wood carving factory and the tea plantation. Now the guys at the wood carving factory are true artists. The detail in the carvings was so intricate and beautiful, no two carvings were ever the same, each piece unique. Many of the larger items were specifically commissioned with the others being sold within the adjoining store.
After perusing, and making far more than necessary purchases, I asked our tuk tuk driver if I could take his tuk tuk for a spin around the car park, I mean how hard could it be…right!? I’ve driven plenty of cars and understand how to ride a motorbike but this, this was something else entirely! A small steering wheel surrounded by a barrage of knobs that control the thing in some way or other…but me being me, embraced the challenge and off I took…for all of 10 seconds before the driver saw his life flash before his eyes, I saw the fear in everyone watching’s eyes and my friend threw her hands over her eyes, funniest 10 seconds of the whole trip, but sadly not caught on camera.
Once everyone had calmed down and my heart rate returned to normal, off to the tea plantation we trundled. Now I am a tea lover and I was in a little slice of heaven, the smells were intoxicating and seeing how the process works from beginning to end was enlightening. We were educated about the different kinds of tea produced in Sri Lanka and their benefits, which lead to more purchases of white tea (good for blood pressure and cholesterol) before getting to taste a tea of our choice. Despite the language barrier, the ladies working in the factory part of the plant seemed to take great pleasure in showing us around their workplace, stopping occasionally for the obligatory photos.
With tea being one of the major exports of Sri Lanka I couldn’t recommend a trip to a tea plantation more highly, even if you are normally an avid coffee drinker.
Next our little getaway took us to Sigiriya. Famous for the Lion Rock I was excited to see what awaited us.
Another great hotel, Aliya Resort & Spa, this time we were sleeping in a static tent, completely our choice, we even turned down the free upgrade so that we could experience the sheer novelty of it. The hotel has a stunning infinity pool with uninterrupted views of Lion rock in the distance and some pretty groovy artwork around the place.
Jumping in yet another tuk tuk we headed out to what we had read would be a grueling climb. Even our driver questioned why we were making the choice to do this in the middle of the day in the scorching heat! Despite the warnings, we stocked up on water, paid the entrance fee, an extortionate amount as a tourist compared to what the locals pay, off we set. The first part of the ‘climb’ took us through some lush gardens that used to contain the waterways of the city, we jumped over walls and explored caves before starting on our true ascent up the stairs.
Now I’m not adverse to a few stairs, I love to use the Stairmaster in the gym, but this…this was something else. Between 750-1200steps up 200m of rock! It’s safe to say that we certainly took it slow and steady, taking full advantage of the stop off points along the way.
Along our climb we happened upon 2 young monks who were giving tours of the rock. These mischievous little ones climbed this thing multiple times per day and seriously looked to be enjoying themselves.
Reaching the final flat before the summit we got to see the remains of the lion that used to be carved into this rock. Once a majestic stone lion carved directly in the giant rock, now sadly all the remains are his front paws, and even these were being restored at the time. We were also surrounded by signs telling us to keep quiet. Looking just off the platform to our left we discovered why…bees!!! Ginormous nests of bees!!!
The final part of the climb, for me, was the worst. The steps are no longer part of the rock, they are metal stairways bolted into the rock with sheer drops beneath. Now I have done a bungee jump before but this certainly put me on edge. To make it worse, what can only be described as a gang (because they had a true mob mentality) of monkey’s, lurked between the top of the metal stairs and the summit. Running the last few meters whilst desperately clinging to our belongings, we finally made it, and oh my goodness what a view. See for yourself…100% worth the climb.
All in all Sri Lanka was a blast, absolutely worth the trip, I would recommend it to everyone. Sri Lanka can definitely be considered a trip to do on a budget however I ended up investing in some blue and white Sapphires whilst I was there. Living in the Middle East where gold to set them in is relatively cheap it was a perfect opportunity.
Visiting in August we did risk the monsoons however there was not a spot of rain whilst we were there. In fact we found it a tad too hot.
I will be looking to return to Sri Lanka at some point to spend some time on the beaches but in the meantime I have the rest of the world to explore.
If you have any questions about my trip or Sri Lanka itself feel free to drop me a line through the contact page. Happy travels!
Life Wandered Not Lost 