Sri Lanka, April 2014

 

Spring break school holidays provided the perfect time for Raquel and me to hop across the Indian Ocean from the UAE to Sri Lanka. Being starved of green in Fujairah, this Emerald Isle was a wonderful assault on the senses for a nature lover.

One of the highlights of this mini adventure was getting around the country by train, local bus and tuk tuk, on multi hour journeys costing only a pound or two! I excitedly joined the locals hanging out of the open doors on trains and whiled away the hours gazing out the open windows as the warm air blasted my face.

During our 8 days we packed in Kandy and Ella in the hilly tea-plantation-clad heart of the island, then Weligama and Tangalle on the south coast. We woke at the crack of dawn one morning to brave rough seas in the hope of spotting the world's largest mammal, and we were rewarded with a few glimpses of the mighty Blue Whale!

Raquel fished out a couple of delightful overnight stays from the internet, one surrounded by wildlife in a lagoon, and another near a most pristine stretch of sand. With ever so friendly locals and cheap delicious curry, fish and fruit, Sri Lanka has to rank among my favourite countries!