Pillow fighting Sri Lankan style

Having let the excitement of the previous day's wildlife encounters sink in, we were eager to set off again yesterday morning to make our way to the southern tip of Sri Lanka for some beach time.

However, we had another special treat in store for us en route in the shape of our own mini Sri Lankan Olympic Games. We stopped off at a smallholding in a banana plantation to participate in some traditional rural games which are usually played by the community at New Year. The first was a type of impossible hopscotch which none of us could quite get the hang of much to our hosts' amusement. The second was a bit like cricket, again with unfathomable rules but made a lot more fun by pitching the girls against the boys (we lost). The third, my favourite, was essentially a pillow fight, made harder by the fact that you had to balance on a log whilst fighting with one hand behind your back. Each match was therefore brief but violent! The final game, again impossible, involved trying to swing a stick to break terracotta pots that were hanging from a tree having been blindfolded and spun around several times. That one could have turned into more of a game of avoiding being hit around the head fellow competitor if we hadn't decided to help each other out a little! 

After our excursions, we were treated to some homemade food from our hosts and a lovely cup of tea served in coconut husk cups. We also got to climb up into the treehouse that they use to sleep in and guard their crops at night from marauding elephants who are apparently very destructive and cause damage that can ultimately ruin the livelihoods of these already struggling people.

Returning to the bus, I got to sit up front on the farmer's hand tractor which was yet another first and new mode of transport this holiday to tick off the list!

Back on the road, we gradually entered one of the zones that had been badly hit by the tsunami of 2005. Following the disaster, Exodus had run a project in the area to rehouse a number of local people so we were invited to stop off at one of their homes for a delicious homecooked lunch before driving the last couple of hours to our beach resort at Ahangama. 

The last 24 hours have been spent rotating between the waves, sunlounger and shade of my veranda, with the odd bite to eat thrown in. I'm detemined to make the most of my last chance to relax before the flight home and work on Monday. I can't believe my latest adventure is nearly over...

Why did the elephant cross the road?

After a relaxing evening in Bandarawela, we set off again, pausing briefly in Ella to take photos of the famous Ella Gap. For once, I manged to stay wide awake on the bus and thoroughly enjoyed taking in all the scenes from village and rural life as we wound our way south. However, one scene as we neared our destination Kataragama was rather unexpected. Our bus suddenly lurched to a sudden stop and this was quickly followed by loud exclamations from those in the front seats. It turns out that an elephant was crossing the road! Apparently, even buses don't argue with adult male elephants, so we slowly edged carefully past him, whilst everyone clambered to take photos out of the window.

We weren't to know that later that afternoon, we'd have an even closer encounter with an elephant. I was in the first of three open-sided jeeps on our way to Yala National Park when suddenly we spotted another male elephant emerging from the undergrowth alongside the dirt track we were on. Our driver came to a halt and then swung the jeep quickly into reverse in such a way that I couldn't quite tell whether I should be excited or petrified by what I was seeing! Being six foot away from a wild elephant is pretty cool though, especially given that they're quite rare at Yala, and I made the most of the opportunity to take some good snaps! Our driver later admitted that he was poised to make a quick getaway if needed as lone males can sometimes become quite aggressive.

The main purpose of this game drive, however, was to try and spot leopards. We'd been told not to get our hopes up but we were feeling lucky following our earlier encounters and kept our eyes peeled. There was plenty of other wildlife to keep us occupied whilst we searched. Wild pigs, crocodiles, deers, buffallo and many different types of birds could be seen at clearings and watering holes on either side and it was wonderful enough to just take in the scenery. Our lucky streak wasn't quite over though because our driver, having received a call on his mobile, quickly sped off down a side track where we suddenly found ourselves joined by several other jeeps, all with people hanging off the sides and climbing in the top in an effort to see something in a nearby tree. Having waited patiently for our turn, we were able to spy what everyone had been looking at - we could just make out the shape of a rather large cat on the lowest branch of the tree, it's tail hanging down in the shade. Not such a close encounter this time but thrilling nonetheless! The bumpy ride home was made even more special by a rather wonderful sunset and we arrived back at our hotel, hot, dusty and bruised but very happy!

The end of the world...

Having reluctantly risen from our hot water bottle warmed beds at the Hill Club at 5:15am, we clambered into mini vans for another uphill drive to the entrance of Horton Plains National Park and the start of an 8km hike.

There is a great photo of Kat and me taken at a spot called World's End in Petra, so we were pleased to see on the Horton Plains map that we would again find ourselves at the end of the world... three and a half years older and this time on a different continent.

Despite the tricky terrain, I soon settled into the walk and can honestly say I enjoyed every minute. Every time I do something like this on holiday, I remember how much I enjoy it and resolve to do more of it back home. Maybe this time I will, even if only as a way of continuing to strengthen my dodgy ankles! The views from World's End were breathtaking and it made a nice contrast to the vastness of it all, to catch our breaths by Bakers Fall, tucked in amongst the trees. We even caught sight of a rather handsome stag as we wended our way back to the car park.

I was excited about what the afternoon had in store as Gemma and Helen had told me that train travel was one of the highlights of their trip to Sri Lanka last year. We were to catch the train from the highest train station in the land to Bandarawela, the location of our next hotel, dropping nearly 1000m over the course of the journey.

After some lunch nearby, we settled in at the quaint old station to await our train which is notorious for being late. Kat took the opportunity to do some sketching and had soon attracted quite a crowd of local onlookers - amusing for us, perhaps less so for her!

In the end, our train arrived just ten minutes late and we managed somehow to wedge ourselves into one of the carriages using a combination of British politeness and pointy elbows! I may not have had the best vantage point to begin with, stuck as I was trying to balance in the internal door frame of the carriage but the glimpses I did catch of the view out of the window were tantalising to say the least. What I could enjoy however was watching my passengers, including several generations of one family who were clearly on the way to join some kind of celebration, excitable and dressed in their finery. The shy smiles I coaxed from the little girls and the mischievous grin from the grandfather, made my day. With just one stop to go, they relinquished their seats and I finally got to lean out of the window and take in the shifting scenery as we descended back to lower altitude and warmer climes. All-in-all, a rather satisfying day!

A leap back in time...

The last few days have been filled with so many new experiences. I'll start on Monday night when we pulled into Nuwara Eliya after a long and very windy drive. We'd taken in some spectacular views as we climbed to 2000m and entered the heart of the tea growing area but nothing had quite prepared me for the sight of our hotel. Set back from the road in its own grounds, you could be forgiven for mistaking it for an English manor house. This feeling intensified as we disembarked from the bus to find that the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees and that there was a definite drizzle in the air.

The Hill Club, as it turns out it is called, was altogether charming and well and truly stuck in a time warp. When I say that nothing has changed since the 1930s, I mean nothing. Sri Lanka's answer to Manuel from Fawlty Towers served us a welcome drink in the drawing room whilst we placed our orders for that evening's dinner in the formal dining room. The menu? Mushroom vol-au-vent, cream of pumpkin soup, lamb and veg and then strawberry cheesecake for dessert. The bedroom I was shown to was very sweet but the only concession to the modern world seemed to be the addition of a rather ugly electric heater stuck in front of the original fireplace - which I hastily switched on whilst digging out that one jumper I'd judiciously packed.

After a short stroll around town in the now torrential rain, we dressed for dinner and met in the 'mixed' bar. The lads in our group had diligently hired their jackets and ties for the evening and it was remarkable to see how well we all scrubbed up given that we spend most our days 'glowing' in T-shirts and shorts. Dinner itself, at a lovely long table near the open fire, was sadly not quite up to scratch but, as an experience, you couldn't beat it. I only wished Mum had been with me to enjoy it as we'd have found a lot to smile about. 

The icing on the cake though? Returning to our rooms to find that hot water bottles warming our sheets. I fell asleep with toasty warm feet, imagining myself as part of some old black and white movie...

White water watching

With age comes wisdom which is why I find myself this morning sitting on the verandah of our jungle lodge observing the white water rapids below instead of racing down them in a dinghy. Given that 2015 is proving to be quite an accident prone year, I figured I oughtn't to tempt fate.

As a back up option, this isn't half bad - for starters, the view of the jungle across the other side of the river is not like anything I've ever seen before. We went on a jungle walk yesterday afternoon taking in the film location for The Bridge on the River Kwai and crossing the river on a rather rickety old bridge of our own, which was fun... as long as you didn't look down. At one point we had to shelter from a sudden downpour in tiny half-constructed house and also took tea with some local villagers who welcomed us with big smiles and some rather yummy sugar coated biscuits.

Earlier on we had visited a tea factory on the Geragama Estate and we taken through the process of how tea is manufactured. Very little has changed in fact since the British brought tea to Ceylon in the 1800s and the machinery in this particular factory is still going strong despite being 110 years old. It was really interesting to hear about the process from the tea grower's perspective and I was even able to offer some further insight into what happened to the teas after they were sold at auction ... it's good to know that those years at TGB didn't go completely to waste! One thing I hadn't fully appreciated before is how hard the lady tea pickers work. Having to pick over 20kg a day is no mean feat, requiring stamina and dexterity. I will try and pause and spare a thought in future for those who made my cuppa possible.

The tea plantations themselves are rather beautiful and I was particularly impressed with the Kenilworth Estate which we passed en route and which is run by Tata-owned Watawala Plantations. I hope we get the opportunity to stop off and take some more photographs this afternoon as we wend our way to the next stop.

Tour de Giritale

Time to blog about one of my favourite experiences so far this trip. Last Wednesday, we left our hotel at Sirigiya for a short drive to our next base at Giritale. Having dropped our bags off at the reception of the rather grand looking Deer Park hotel, we headed just a few hundred yards down the road to select our new mode of transport for the day: mountain bikes.

I was more than a little nervous about what lay ahead, anxious that my ankle or level of fitness might let the side down and leave me having to give up half way and hold everyone back. Thankfully, I needn't have worried. Just a few minutes after climbing into the saddle, I was happily pedalling away through beautiful countryside with a light breeze for company. For the next hour or so, we followed the river, pausing from time to time to watch a kingfisher in the trees or greet some of the local people who were bathing or doing their washing along the banks. The paddy fields and palm trees we passed were such vibrant shades of green and all the little children we met en route were so happy to see us that I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear despite developing a slightly sore bottom and burning calf muscles!

Just in time, we made our first pit stop with some villagers who quickly made us feel at home. One scooted up a nearby palm tree to harvest some fresh coconuts and we all sat around drinking the sweet coconut water whilst the lady of the house showed us the many uses that a coconut can be put to - I was particularly taken with the little cups that they make from the husks from which to drink their tea.

Then it was back in the saddle for another half hour or so before stopping for a delicious farmhouse lunch which we ate out of palm leaves sitting around a large communal table. Now rather full, we then mounted our bikes (a little reluctantly perhaps!) for the third and final  time and bounced along over slightly tougher terrain for a further forty five minutes or so before meeting up with our bus and gratefully gluging down bottles of water, basking in the chill of the air conditioning and congratulating ourselves on successfully completing around 17km in total.

A game of volleyball in the pool and a beautiful sunset over the Giritale Tank were the perfect end to a very satisfying day.

Drunken trees and double coconuts

I know I have some catching up to do but I'll start with today and work my way backwards.

Right now I am sitting in the shade of a beautiful old tree in Kandy's Botanical Garden while Kat sketches a nearby pagoda and Saff reads her book. We decided to let the rest if the group go on without us this afternoon as the opportunity to just relax and be by ourselves for a bit was just too appealing, especially given such beautiful surroundings.

Earlier today, we visited the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic which (as it suggests) is said to be home to one of Buddha's teeth. The relic in question is protected by a beautiful golden casket and the three keys which open the various layers within are kept by three different Buddhist monks, two from monasteries outside the city and one from the temple itself.

It was very special to watch the thousands of devotees who had traveled far and wide to visit the temple, all of them dressed in white to signify the purity of mind in which they must enter this sacred place. The chanting taking place was mesmerising and I said my own little prayer as I placed my lotus flower on the altar in front of where the casket is displayed.

An altogether different kind of worship was underway at our next stop - the gem factory and museum. Lots of pairs of eyes lit up as we walked into the showroom having learnt a little about how gems are mined in Sri Lanka and the various kinds of stones on offer. Don't tell anyone but I might have bought myself a little souvenir. Well sapphires are the national gemstone of Sri Lanka and they do go with my eyes...

And now we find ourselves in thrall to nature as I gaze out over the Great Lawn of the Botanical Garden taking in the apparently famous Double Coconut Palms and drunken pine trees, so called because they bend in all sorts of directions having been buffeted by the Monsoon winds each year. It's a lovely, peaceful moment and one I'm happy to savour before rejoining the hustle and bustle and catching my first tuk tuk back up the hill to our hotel and this evening's 'cultural show'. Who know what's in store for us!

Lions and elephants

Today has been a very eventful day. This morning I gave my ankle its first real workout when we climbed Lion Rock (or Sirigiya), a volcanic plug and World Heritage Site which stands 200m tall and totally dominates the landscape. I was wobbling a bit by the time we made our way down the thousand odd stairs but it was well worth the effort as we got to feel a bit like the Kings who built their palace there must have felt standing atop the Rock and surveying the surrounding countryside for miles in every direction.

After a quick dip in the pool and a restorative bite to eat, we were ready again, this time to set out on an excursion I had particularly set my sights on since booking this holiday to Sri Lanka - to go see elephants in the wild. My ankle had to 'man up' once more as I climbed into the back of a jeep that I would call home for the next four hours in order to bump and jolt our way around Minnerya National Park in search of nature's most magnificent mammals. We weren't disappointed. After the initial excitement of spotting a herd in the distance and zooming over to take lots of photos, it was wonderful to experience the calm that washed over the group as we simply settled in to watch elephants of all shapes and sizes go about their daily business of eating, drinking, washing, feeding and communicating with one another. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to get up so close and spend some time in their world.

This evening after yet another shower - I'm averaging three a day due to dust and humidity - we enjoyed a second pleasant evening in the bar and restaurant of the Hotel Sirigiya. The bar is under a canopy by the gently-lit pool and the trees either side perfectly frame Lion's Rock, making it a wonderful spot to relax and congratulate yourself on a day well spent! 

Cycling tomorrow... eek!

Ayubowan Sri Lanka!

This new adventure feels a little overdue so I'm glad that it's shaping up to be a good one. It already feels like a long time since I met my friend Kat and her friend Saff at Heathrow Airport yesterday evening and we treated ourselves to our last big western meal for a while before boarding our 10.5 hour flight to Colombo. Saff assures me that I was out for the count about 10 minutes after take off which just goes to show how much I was relishing the thought of a prolonged period of no internet or phone connection. Subsequently, I arrived in Sri Lanka rather more rested than most but feeling somewhat sorry for the kind gentleman next to me on the flight who had gamely continued to try and make polite conversation with me every time I stirred... largely producing monosyllabic results.

I'm now lying in my little bed in Palm Village in Wattala just outside Colombo following a wonderfully relaxing afternoon and evening. Travelling half the way around the world may be a little extreme but it sure is a good way to create some mental as well as physical distance between me and my worries. After a brief walk to take in the beach and the roaring waves, we settled in by the pool, taking the occasional dip to cool off and chat to some of our fellow travellers. This evening's 'mildly spicy' meal did make my eyes water but was delicious nonetheless. This place stirs memories of Goa and I wonder whether the comparison to India will be evident throughout. Tomorrow we set off inland towards Dimbulla and Sigiriya and I will see my first cave temple. Will write more then...