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Farewell Sri Lanka

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 The Galle area in the South has a rich history. A trading port for the Arabs from ancient times, it was accidentally discovered by Portuguese in the 16th century when they were blown off course during a hurricane. They established a fortress to defend the area. This was captured by the Dutch in the 17th century and has since been known as the Dutch Fort, as they extended and fortified an even greater area. We have been here for 3 nights so had time to explore. Our arrival however coincided with the Buddhist Poya Day on Friday and the Full Moon Festival (Sinhala and Tamil based). It meant many of the shops and restaurants were closed and no alcohol served. The Araliya Resort we are in has a big mix of Russians, Muslims and we Aussies are a minority novelty. Greeting dancers on arrival at resort. View from our window, at the Dutch Fort. Full moon, cricket ground Galle, the Infinity Pool, level 12 at resort, surf beach. Departed for Colombo this morning for our final 2 days. We visit...
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Yala National Park

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 In Nuwara Eliya we had a free morning so walked downtown to see local shops and people watch. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival is happening this weekend so everyone is out shopping. We checked out the local Cargill’s supermarket. In the afternoon we went to St Andrew’s Hotel for High Tea, a very grand spread.  Wednesday we headed down the long winding descent towards the lowlands. First stop was to get a Tuk Tuk ride to view the famous Nine Arch Bridge outside Ella. This is a colonial era railway construction with a difficult 9 degree curve and steep gradient, still in operation after over 100 years. We saw a train cross it at 11am. The Tuk Tuk ride there and back was like being on a roller coaster! My Apple Watch thought I had activated a cycling exercise and timed me as having done 11 minutes on the bike. Descended further and through the very touristy town of Ella, very popular with the back packing crowd. Quick photo stop at Ravana Waterfall. We had lunch at Tissam...
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Nuwara Eliya

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 This morning (Monday) in downtown Kandy we visited a Gem factory (this city is gem central). After the usual spiel the showroom was there for the shopping. Sri Lanka is world renowned for its sapphires and other precious stones. After we strolled through the famous Peradeniya Botanical Gardens which cover an 147 acre site. So serene after the chaos of the city. Then upward, climbing to 1800 mtrs above sea level to the high country and the tea plantations. Tea was planted in the early 1800’s by the British, who also established a “little England” town of Nuwara Eliya. We visited Damro Tea which was established 150 years ago, and saw how the leaves are dried, fermented and processed all within a 24 hour period. Our accommodation for the next 2 nights is the Hill Club, very redolent of the British era. (In recent history Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) was ruled by the Portuguese, Dutch and British). We ate at nearby Grand Hotel (walked there in the rain) and on return to our room, disco...
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Ancient History lesson

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 This morning we set out for Polonnaruwa which was built in the 11th and 12th centuries A.D. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are the ruins of the massive Royal Palace, which even had a bathroom. A lake and a series of reservoirs were also built during the King’s reign. There are also Buddhist statues and a Shiva Temple. Buddhism is the predominant belief system in Sri Lanka today. Later in the afternoon we set out on a Jeep safari looking for elephants and did we see over a dozen, also Water Buffalo. It was a long day and as we returned to our beautiful hotel a massive thunderstorm hit, our second since the start of this trip. Breakfasts and dinners here have been superb too. I tried a ‘Hopper’ for breakfast, a bowl shaped pancake with egg. Ancient Palace ruins (no, not these two) Egg Hopper Sunday: today we started at a Spice Garden at Matale. A Herbalist showed us spices that Sri Lanka is famous for, particularly the high quality cinnamon. He explained the many medicina...
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Greetings from Negombo

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After a very long day flying and marking time in airports in Brisbane and Singapore, we arrived in Colombo, or more correctly Negombo, the closest port to the Sri Lankan airport. Our Hotel is a grand old establishment right on the beach. Yesterday was a quieter day with a city tour in the afternoon to see the fish market and other highlights. We had a swim in the pool after. Thunderstorms are predicted each evening, and our planned walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner had to be abandoned but we enjoyed a mud crab curry at the hotel with some of the other passengers. Friday: This morning we headed inland and up to highlands area. The highlights were - staying in a magnificent hotel set into the rock face at Kandalama. It was designed by famous Sri Lankan architect Jeffrey Bawa. But an even bigger highlight was the climbing of Lion Rock (Sigiriya). There are 1200 steps to the top. The climb is considered moderately difficult due to the steepness and the number of steps, and I did it!
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