Entry #2 Sri Lanka: March 2 -9, 2019

Hello Again From Sri Lanka!

The longest trip we’ve ever taken with the kids so far has been 3 weeks long.  Normally this would be the time to pack up and go home.  But here, we are 3 weeks in and we’re just getting started!

This past week has offered so much variety.

We were loving beach life back in Talalla.  It was a calm, beautiful place where playful waves were steps away from our very comfy guesthouse.  The kids were definitely in their happy place.  Sandcastles and snorkelling, fresh fruit smoothies and delicious curries, nowhere to go and nothing to do but relax and have fun!

Then it was time to move on and keep exploring.  We moved on to a town called Tissa, which was the gateway to Yala National Park.  This was going to be the place I would celebrate my birthday!  And what better way to celebrate than to go on SAFARI!  We hired a guide, had a safari jeep all to ourselves and spent the day bumping along the jungle paths, in hot pursuit of of the wild and elusive creatures that call this park home.  Man, did we ever get lucky! The jeep would creep along the brush as we mimicked the stealthy prowl of a leopard out on the hunt! Or we’d race through the park following a tip from another guide and then come to an abrupt halt when turning a corner, finding ourselves side by side with a wild elephant stopping for a sip at a watering hole.  The landscape was speckled with hundreds of deer, buffalo, and peacocks!  Endless varieties of birds made the wetlands like a noisy, living snowglobe of feathers.  We also got great views of crocodiles swimming and sunning themselves, the lively acrobatics of black faced langur monkeys, scurrying mongoose,  and giant monitor lizards.  It was such a special birthday treat!

Back in town we went for dinner, and the staff at the Smoky Kitchen restaurant bent over backwards to help make my birthday special.  When Lee secretly asked if they had cake they said no, but then while we eating one of the waiters must have run to the store because they surprised us with a slab of chocolate cake complete with candles, presented on a platter lined with fresh flowers!  It was such a kind gesture and totally typical of the generosity we have seen through Sri Lanka.

Ready for even more diversity, we grabbed a local bus that headed up to the highlands.

We were wowed by the views of mountain peaks and green valleys as the bus manoeuvred along hairpin turns all the way up to the town of Ella.






We spent several days here being as impressed with the scenery as we were with our kiddos.  This mountain town serves as the trail-head for a bunch of great climbs and iconic Sri Lankan sights.  We would hike for hours and hours and every time we thought it would be too much, or too difficult for the kids, they would prove us wrong.

Jamie was usually well in the lead, clambering over the rocks as the hikes became steeper and steeper climbs.  We could barely keep up with him.  And Jessie would insist on finding a walking stick and doing the tough parts of the climb all by herself.  They were amazing!  We climbed Little Adam’s Peak, Ella Rock, hiked to the famous 9 Arches Bridge, and went from one town to another along the train tracks - even stepping out of the way when an antique looking train would chug alongside us.

A particular highlight for Jamie was when he and Lee went ZIPLINING!!  Strapped into harnesses, they hurtled themselves off the platform and whipped along the line travelling from one peak to another, going up to 80 km/hr.  They got a fantastic view and an incredible thrill!!

 

That’s probably the theme of this past week: “Fantastic View and Incredible Thrill!”

Right now I am writing this entry sitting aboard a train that is hugging the cliff as we travel through tea country on route to the cultural centre of Kandy.

The verdant plantations and forested hills stretch out before us as we peer down from our mountain top path. Sometimes the drop is so steep it looks like the train is floating, (magically defying what seems like an inevitable plunge into the valley below.)

The kids watch the villages roll by, smile at the farmers tending to crops, and welcome the cool, tea scented breeze.  Our tickets say we have 3rd Class seats, but this whole experience feels like 1st Class all the way!