Our next stop was Sri Lanka. We spent 3 weeks here. We had a rough idea of places we wanted to go and see, thanks to the Lonely Planet. We tended to only book hostels or guesthouses a day or two in advance which gave us the freedom of moving on from places when we had done the sightseeing. Getting around the central Highlands consisted of mostly trains (which are an attraction in themselves, thanks to being able to hang out of the doors as you go past the lush forest and hills) and minibus taxis which are usually booked through your Guesthouse owner. Once you reach the coast there is really only one road and it is super cheap and easy to hop on and off the local buses, but they do go very fast and can be very busy!

27th Sept – day 17 – We had arrived in Sri Lanka late the night before and were staying at Marine Tourist Guesthouse, Negombo. We had a fairly relaxed day (staying as close to a toilet as possible!). Chloe and I went to the beach which was very quiet, but had lots of locals trying to sell us brackets etc. In the evening we went into Negombo, which is a very small place, and had some food.

28th Sept – day 18 – Negombo did not have much to offer, its mainly a stop pre- and post- flight. We caught the train from Colombo to Kandy which was as busy as India’s trains! After a few hours we managed to get a seat to sit down! We got to Kandy and checked in to 281 Kandy Hostel.

29th Sept – day 19 – We got up early and took a taxi to Sigiriya Rock. The entrance fee is a little steep, and there is a neighbouring rock which looks onto Sigiriya, for a much better price. The views from the top however were amazing, even if the steps up were a little scary! The rock has an ancient fortress built on the top of it and is a UNESCO heratige site.

30th Sept – day 20 – we headed to Nuwara Eliya by train and visited some of the tea plantations and factories. The drive was winding and green. On the way we saw spectacular scenery and waterfalls. In Nuwara Eliya we stayed at Hi Lanka Hostel.

1st Oct – day 21 – We went for an afternoon tea at The Grand Hotel and then stocked up on snacks for an overnight hike up Adams Peak.

2nd Oct – day 22 – We got a taxi to the bottom of Adams Peak and started trekking at 2am! It took 3 hours to hike up the hundreds of steep steps to the top. We made the top in time for sunrise and the view was breathtaking. The walk down took another 2 hours and it was warming up but the leaches meant we had to keep our long trousers and sleeve on. At the bottom we went to a hotel for a wonderful breakfast of Dahl, rice, fruit and tea. After breakfast we took a long ride to Ella.

3rd Oct – day 23 – Ash and I spent our first morning at Ella Escapade Hostel doing some yoga. We then walked down the railway tracks into Ella Town and had some food and drink to get away from the rain! Getting hold of beer was a ltttle difficult though as a few places said they didn’t serve beer, we eventually found a place that took us upstairs to have a few alcoholic drinks!

4th Oct – day 24 – Robyn and I spent the sunny morning walking up Ella Rock, which felt like a breeze compared to Adams Peak.

In the afternoon we got a taxi to Udawalawe. We arrived at Pokuna Safari Eco Lodge and had an amazing fish dinner cooked for us before turning in for the night. Unfortunately a little mouse kept us up for some of the night!

5th Oct – day 25 – Another early rise at 4am to head into the Udawalawe National Park. On the jeep safari we saw elephants, buffalo, birds, lizards and jackals. It was amazing to see these animals in a natural environment.

6th Oct – day 26 – We caught a couple of buses to reach Tangalle and checked into our B&B Conch Villa, which was luxury after a few nights in the sticks. We headed straight to the beach and had our first experience of the strong Sri Lankan waves! We headed out to the very quiet town in the evening and had Kotu.

7th Oct – day 27 – We spent our second day in Tangalle by the beach again then walked into town and found ourselves amongst a 2 hour long carnival! We spent the evening eating seafood at a beachfront restaurant. We packed our things ready to leave early the next day.

8th Oct – day 28 – We woke early and caught the local but to Hiriketiya. We headed straight to the blue waters of the beach and watched the surfers! We stayed in another small guesthouse called Ocean View.

9th Oct – day 29 – We had a wet weather day so stayed in and watched Netflix all day! In the evening there was a major infestation of big daddy long leg type flies (they reminded be of fish flies they have in Canada!).

10th Oct – day 30 – We made our way on the local bus to Mirissa, one of Sri Lankas most popular holiday destinations. Although popular, there are still no high-rise buildings or hotels, mostly small boutique guesthouses and B&Bs. At Mister Hostel they had organised a happy hour of cocktails in the evening and we all partied the night away at Cheeky Monkey!

11th Oct – day 31 – As expected after our first night drinking in 30 days, we woke up hungover! The rain had followed us to Mirissa so we spent the day playing cards. It brightened up in the evening so we walked along the coast to Palm Tree Grove, but missed sunset!

12th Oct – day 32 – 5.30 our alarms went off. We got a tuk tuk to the port and boarded a boat ready to go whale watching! On the bumpy ride out to sea I learnt that I get very sea sick! We were fortunate to see blue whales, dolphins and sea turtles!

13th Oct – day 33 – The rain continued, however we were reunited with our friend from home, Dani and her boyfriend Jake and we had a few more card games, a burger and watched at film on the TV at the hostel. Later in the evening we went out to the beach bars with the hostel.

14th Oct – day 34 – Finally the sun came out and we hung out at the beach with out new Dutch friend Jo. Chloe and Ash both got their first bit of sunburn! In the evening we ate at the beach before attempting to catch the bus to Unawatuna (buses move FAST in Sri Lanka and we learnt they don’t like stopping when it’s dark, we ended up getting a lift from our hostel owner to Unawatuna).

15th Oct – day 35 – After a good sleep we explored some of Unawatuna. We went to Jungle Beach and watched sunset the the Japanese Peace Pagoda.

16th Oct – day 36 – Today we caught the bus to Galle for the day. We explored Galle Fort and had breakfast in one of the quaint cafes. In the afternoon we went back to the beach in Unawatuna and had a go on the rope swing!

17th Oct – day 37 – In the morning we headed to the Turtle Hatchery and saw lots of rescue turtle in rehabilitation! We spent the afternoon at the beach where Ash and I had a 2 hour surf lesson which was great fun! To end the day, as it was Wednesday, we spent another night at Cheeky Monkey!

18th Oct – day 38 – Another hungover day, so we chilled in the morning before heading to Colombo to catch our flight to Bangkok.

Sri Lanka was beautiful. I definitely want to go back here one day and explore the North and East Side of the island (we done mainly South-West and Central parts). There is something for everyone here; beaches, wildlife, hiking and partying and it is not too touristy yet. We did go just before the peak season started so weather could have been better and places were very quiet but it was the perfect piece of paradise!