I visited Sri Lanka for about three weeks in December 2017. It had been a tough year domestically, and I looked forward to running away from it all (I basically went radio silence on news and social media sites) and learning about an island that has had a long and tumultuous history of its own. I had such a great experience with Intrepid in Vietnam that I found another 15-day Intrepid tour in Sri Lanka, and then added a few extra days onto the end of my trip for relaxation at a swanky eco-resort called Tri. Once again, I will sing the praises of Intrepid (and my tour group leader, Ajith) for creating an immersive and fascinating journey through the country, from the sandy beaches at the coasts to the tea plantations in central hill country. Another wonderful trip in the books. Here are some bits and pieces, which can in no way convey the magic of the place- you’ll just have to go there and experience it yourself. 🙂
Of Monks and Kings – historic ruins and temples
One Cup of Tea – the tea industry of central Sri Lanka
Rice and Curry Forever – my favorite foods and drinks
The Southern Coast – beachy getaways and Colombo, the commercial capital
Tri – four days in paradise
And of course, a smattering of photos I like that didn’t really fit into the categories above.
Bags out in the morning mean we are moving on
A bit of friendly international pickup cricket while we waited for other group members
These feet are ready to see some whales
Taking the train, finally! The train strike lasted almost a week but we managed to get our last train leg in after a labor agreement was reached.
Bamboo Christmas tree at Koggala Lake
Sun-dappled living room? Yes please.
That’s a funny looking cow.
Photogs at work
terraced farms and tea fields in the hill country
Vacation selfie
I had cell service turned off, but my phone knew where I was, and even thought maybe I picked up some Tamil or Sinhalese
Lovely hotel in Dambulla
Beer and note-scribbling, right before the sky opened up and poured rain
The door of our bus
Public bus steering wheel. Seems legit.
The nightly scramble of figuring out the bill, and occasionally figuring out that they had “accidentally” charged us for NINE extra cocktails…
Thor’s tuk tuk
Jeep safari!
Public bus entertainment included these tuk tuk drivers sideshowing and stunting. Just like Oakland!
Our group photo at our goodbye dinner- an amazingly fun and interesting group of people
Got any snacks? Looks like you might have snacks. I want snacks.
Mark and me at the Dambulla cave temple
apples and jack fruit, and Ajiths crocs in the background
This monkey looks bored and annoyed. Or like she’s about to steal my backpack.
Note the solar panel
WOW
Our first hotel
Fuzzy little thieves know how to open the balcony doors
The Tri lake view cottages, as seen from the water
Dancers in Kandy
Greenery at a hotel
Super munchee! A bit like hard tack, but lighter.
All the public buses were decorated on the inside. It seemed like a contest.
Hannah, a financial analyst from Vietnam
Narrow outriggers like this are still used by fishermen
Elephant safari, saw several hundred out and about. Really amazing.
The view from one of our hotel rooms- sadly we were only there one night
the lake in central Kandy at sunset
Sara and Ajith
Dutch fort in Galle
Well hello there.
A rooftop restaurant in Kandy, where we had the best view and the worst service. Oh well!
Not a bad spot to take a break from the road and have a cup of tea
Not a bad spot to have your breakfast
Still a majority of farmers and agriculture workers here
Our trusty bus, which took us nearly 1,500 km around the country
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