We found Sri Lanka to be a wealthier,greener , less noisy, less busy version of India in many ways - just as we had been advised. Why mysterious then? Well - that was largely due to our
Travelbird booking and their local partners in Sri Lanka - Ratnaloka Paradise Tours. Combined they managed to make every day a surprise - not knowing where we would be staying and whether the hotel would be luxurious or unacceptable! To misquote Eric Morecambe - we visited everywhere we had expected (more or less) but not necessarily in the right order! That we enjoyed it so much despite having a guide / driver with little English or idea of how to do the job was largely due to the entente cordiale we struck up with our fellow travellers on the small coach Albert, Nicole, Francoise, Gerard , Pierre, and Marie - Claude. Little did we think that our French skills - limited as mine are- would be needed on a holiday to Sri Lanka as we joked and interpreted our "guide`s" ramblings to them! Great fun throughout and enjoyed their company enormously!
Arriving in Columbo some 30 hours after setting off from home we were not sure whether we`d be going to Ratnapura first (as per wrong itinerary sent 3 times!) or Habarana as per our booking. A stop over in Istanbul was followed by a technical stop ( or pick up as we would call it) in the Maldives.
At least I can say I`ve been there too now! Peter managed to get a bed for the last leg of the flight.
We prayed for Ratnapura first, as it was nearer but after some hesitation on the part of the guide Habarana it was! The drive there was horrendous. So busy at times and appalling driving with some of the most dangerous overtaking I`ve ever seen. It seems that solid white lines are mere road decorations and the best best to really get past someone is on a blind bend. Of course this is only safe if you keep your right indicator on and hoot your horn repeatedly - not to do so would be dangerous. Just another 6 hours later we were installed in our lovely, surprise Giritale Hotel.I say surprise hotel as the one supposedly booked was full, as was the 2nd one tried, before getting our midnight meal prior to bed in what was a much better hotel than we expected! Seems like in Sri Lanka hotel bookings are not confirmed until you are actually in the room! Read so many reviews where people turning up at the door and willing to pay the higher rate just take the rooms leaving you to move on and look elsewhere. Booking.com pay on arrival bookings are evidently not worth the confirmation notes you have in your hand. We were to experience more of this on the trip and get used to it.
Whilst in Giritale, some way away from our first supposed stop of Habarana, we first visited Sigiriya (Lion) Rock selected by King Kasyapa as the site of his palace and capital from 477-495 and later used as a Buddhist monastery. As he was carried up and down by servants on a bed he did not worry about it being 200 metres high. terraced, water and boulder gardens with an intricate irrigation system ahead of it`s time lead to the steps up to the palace and drawings at the top. I am afraid that Sue gave up due to a dodgy hip after the first stage and I went as far as a spiral, one way staircase and gave up too in the heat, humidity and crowds of the rock and preferred to have a walk around the gardens / lower terraces instead. here we first came across Albert`s sense of humour,who also stayed on the lower slopes, as he helped mock a rather arrogant Belgian who declared she was sick of us British saying should we be in or our of Europe and holding that they paid as much in as did the UK! Albert told her Belgium should be re-designated as a department or 2 of France and earned my immediate respect, especially as she had mocked my French saying I could talk in English as hers was excellent. I explained I was talking in French for our companion Albert who spoke little English but had achieved the total of "douze mots en anglais" by the end of the trip.I`d not doubted that we should stay in the EU until meeting that rather smug Belgian lady who declared Brussels as the centre of all Europe and everyone goes there. It`s not on my list missus!
 |
| One of the many roadside religious sites - this one Buddhist. |
 |
| Sigiriya Rock |
 |
| Watch out for the monkeys! |
 |
| Beautiful gardens and terraces |
 |
| What? We`re going right up there? |
 |
| View of the Buddha from part way up |
 |
| Council chamber |
 |
| Cobra Rock |
Then it was back to the hotel for a short rest before Chris, Peter, Sue and me embarked on our extra safari. For safari read - how many random forms of transport can you go on in a couple of hours or so! Great fun and so peaceful in the heat. All topped off by the 2nd best meal we had all holiday - I`ll tell you about the best one later!
 |
| First by ox and cart - so uncomfortable! |
 |
| Then by catamaran |
 |
| The boatman made us Robin Hood hats |
 |
| The birds balanced on leaves waiting for fish |
 |
| Then by Tuk Tuk |
 |
| Our village cooks |
 |
| Top of the range kitchen |
 |
| The cook then showed us how to weave |
Then it was back to the hotel with a quick dip in the pool before dinner. Lovely hotel with friendly staff and great views. At each hotel we stayed there was generally a bowl of water festooned with flower heads which was changed daily. Looked lovely.
 |
| Early morning view over the pool from our balcony |
|
 |
| Room flowers |
The next day it was up and onwards to Kandy, stopping en route to see
the Golden temple of Dambulla and an unusual, if enjoyable stop, at a
sort of wholesale market where we saw the range of fruit and vegetables
available in Sri Lanka and talked to some really friendly Sri Lankan
workers. People were so friendly everywhere we found.
 |
| Painted trucks just like in India - lovely! |
 |
| Saw our first wild elephants in daylight on the way. Seemed to be hanging around a rubbish dump! |
 |
| Chris and Sue try their first Sri Lankan king coconut |
We prayed for Ratnapura first, as it was nearer but after some hesitation on the part of the guide Habarana it was! The drive there was horrendous. So busy at times and appalling driving with some of the most dangerous overtaking I`ve ever seen. It seems that solid white lines are mere road decorations and the best best to really get past someone is on a blind bend. Of course this is only safe if you keep your right indicator on and hoot your horn repeatedly - not to do so would be dangerous. Just another 6 hours later we were installed in our lovely, surprise Giritale Hotel.I say surprise hotel as the one supposedly booked was full, as was the 2nd one tried, before getting our midnight meal prior to bed in what was a much better hotel than we expected! Seems like in Sri Lanka hotel bookings are not confirmed until you are actually in the room! Read so many reviews where people turning up at the door and willing to pay the higher rate just take the rooms leaving you to move on and look elsewhere. Booking.com pay on arrival bookings are evidently not worth the confirmation notes you have in your hand. We were to experience more of this on the trip and get used to it.
Then it was back to the hotel with a quick dip in the pool before dinner. Lovely hotel with friendly staff and great views. At each hotel we stayed there was generally a bowl of water festooned with flower heads which was changed daily. Looked lovely.
The next day it was up and onwards to Kandy, stopping en route to see
the Golden temple of Dambulla and an unusual, if enjoyable stop, at a
sort of wholesale market where we saw the range of fruit and vegetables
available in Sri Lanka and talked to some really friendly Sri Lankan
workers. People were so friendly everywhere we found.
No comments:
Post a Comment