Sri Lanka

Koho mada !!! That means "How are you" in Sinhalese. Something I picked up along the way.


Me and Jyoti decided to embark on a journey around Sri Lanka and it turned out to be one of the best travels we have ever made together. 

We traveled using public transportation the entire time and got a chance to meet some amazing people along the way. Read on to find out a thing or two on our experiences while there.

Our journey covers : Colombo > Dambulla >  Anuradhapura > Mihintale > Vavuniya > Jaffna > Vavuniya > Kandy > Hatton ( Adam's Peak ) > Nuwara Eliya ( Horton Plains )  >  Ella > Tanggalle > Unawatuna > Galle > Mt Lavinia > Colombo > Matara > Arugam Bay > Trincomale > Colombo



Flight Details:
Air Asia: Kuala Lumpur – Colombo International airport
19th January 2013 - 18th February 2013
Travel Duration: 1 month
Budget : RM 2500 / pax ( I had few hundreds left at the end of the journey since we spent less than budgeted ) 


Expenses based on location


1 Malaysian Ringgit =
39.48 Sri Lankan Rupee


Location
Amount Spent per pax (RS)
Dambulla
LKR 7,126
 Anuradhapura
LKR 6,827
Vavuniya & Jaffna
LKR 3,773
Kandy
LKR 5,573
 Hatton
LKR 1,852
Nuwara Eliya
LKR 3,037
Ella
LKR 3,610
Humayana Blow Hole
LKR 824
Unawatuna - Scuba diving included
LKR 13,550
Mt Lavinia
LKR 2,178
Colombo
LKR 8,795
Matara - Mi Ella
LKR 4,835
Arugam Bay
LKR 5,265
Trincomale - Nilaveli Beach
LKR 8,184
Colombo
LKR 15,904
Total in LKR =
LKR 91,333
Total in MYR =
MYR 2,313.39
 


I did Couchsurfing : www.couchsurfing.org along the way while I was volunteering in a village in Mi Ella in between my travels. 2 hours of a winding bus ride from Matara town. If you are interested to contribute some time with the kids by teaching English, you may get in touch with the host : Firdouse, at https://www.couchsurfing.org/people/firdoouse/ . I was glad to share a part of my life with the family and kids that came to learn English. Till a point where few sessions was conducted due to good response. What a wonderful time. So, do stop by to spend some time in this awesome neighborhood !


Shihama (Firdouse's wife) and Her wonderful kids at Mi Ella village.



Kids playing after school time.

While in Anuradhapura. we cycle around with a rented bicycle to visit the archaeological sites under the wonderful sun. Jyoti got lost before she found her way back after few hours.

I would say Anuradhapura is one of my favourite places to visit in Sri Lanka. The city is well organized. Tourist friendly place. You can clearly see and feel the city, it has its own charm without much effort put into it. I wish we stayed longer here..... oh well, travel must go on !


Jyoti riding in Anuradhapura



The largest Stupa - Anuradhapura


Daily routine  - Anuradhapura


Our home stay in Anuradhapura - Mansion guesthouse
While I was sipping a bottle of Coke with Sampath hoping that Jyoti will find her way back soon. Got to know that Sampath has a dream of traveling and to further His studies in the future. For now, He is helping his dad in the bicycle rental business for tourist.  He speaks a little bit of every language having mixing around with tourist often than not. He even joined us for the 1000 steps temple in Mihintale the next day morning. Not to mentioned Sampath and His dad walked us back to our guest house at night when we were being followed by some ruthless guys. God bless this young man and his family and may his dreams come through !



Having  a chat with Sampath - the guy that rents bicycle while waiting for Jyoti to find her way back ( She got lost !)


The place we get our supplies while in Anuradhapura


Having a chat over tea with the monk and the guy - Mihintale
Can't remember exactly but after around 4-5 hours bus ride from Colombo to Dambulla, We checked into Blue Sky guesthouse before we call it a day after dinner. A good start of the journey with the tasty local Sri Lankan dish. Visited Sigiriya and Golden temple while there.


Sigiriya - Dambulla


My RS 200 lunch - Fried rice + Chicken


While at the Cave temple , Dambulla


We stayed here while in Dambulla
 Ella, a place higher than a thousand feet above sea level has one of the most seek after hiking spot for outdoor enthusiast like us. We hiked up Ella rock which took about 3 hours or so to finish. Little Adam's peak - worth going to have a good view of the surrounding area. You will find elderly folks picking tea leaves as you walk pass the tea plantation up to Little Adam's peak. Don't be surprise if you see someone come running out after you to invite you for a tea. ( its a restaurant - you have to pay )


Little Adam's Peak , Ella


A regular train ride in Sri Lanka



Part of Ella Gap - Ella


Little Adam's Peak


Ella rock - Ella

If you have not been to Kandy, you have not been to Sri Lanka. This cool place up the hills will bring you to surprise. We got into the traffic jam when we arrived. The rain did not help to ease the traffic.


Sevana Geusthouse - Kandy


Our tuk tuk driver was smart enough to maneuver his way through and brought us safely to our guest house - Sevana guesthouse , which expectedly happens to be up the hill too.
.


Traditional Kandyan dance


Traditional Kandyan dance


Tooth Relic temple - Kandy


It was a festival at Tooth Relic Temple - Kandy


Next day, we took a local bus to Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage and it was a relaxing one. You may start getting souvenirs here as I did not see similar thing can be done in Colombo. I didnt manage to find shops with souvenirs in Colombo. Not sure if Pettah Bazaar in Colombo has it. It was too busy for me to even try looking there.



Try to avoid going to the herb's garden if you see people calling out to you. They will try their best to offer you a body massage using traditional herbal products and sell you stuff after inviting you for a demonstration. Me and Jyoti felt weird and left after the whole thing finished. We did not feel comfortable with the guys there. Anyway, this is part of the journey... so, no complaints. Life goes on





Elephant Orphanage


hhhhmm...guarding the elephants ?


up the hills in Kandy

We managed to hike up Adam's peak too while in Sri Lanka. So much for being on an adventure. We hiked up, stayed for a while under the freezing cold weather and finally got to see the sun rise before we make our way down and continue our travels. We stayed at Dellhouise which is just meters away from the entrance of Adam's Peak. You do not have to pay to hike up Adam's Peak.

Do arrive early as there is a  Temple up there where you may witness the morning prayer along with the sun rise.

According to Wikipedia : "It is well known for the Sri Pada, i.e., "sacred footprint", a 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is held to be the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Islamic and Christian tradition that of Adam, or that of St. Thomas."


Adam's Peak - Hatton

If you wish to skip going to Nuwara Eliya, you are making a HUGE MISTAKE !!! It is one of the best out of the best places to visit !  It never cross my mind how beautiful and vast landscape this country has to offer. I am glad I visited Horton Plains. No words can describe how amazingly beautiful it is in the morning. It feels like you are in a Safari land in no where close to Sri Lanka. You have to brace the morning cold to witness the magical morning. I can bet you it will be worth while.
Horton Plains - Nuwara Eliya


Horton Plains - Nuwara Eliya


Horton Plains - Nuwara Eliya


Horton Plains - Nuwara Eliya

More pictures from my travels in Sri lanka , hope you would find Sri Lanka as magical as we did.


Scuba Diving in Unawatuna
Train ride : Mt Lavinia - Colombo Fort


Sunset - Mt Lavinia


Temple - Jaffna


Nilaveli Beach - Trincomale


Arugam Bay - Pothuvil


Galle Face - Colombo

Find out more here : https://www.facebook.com/pinparadise.blogspot


Dambulla : http://pinparadise.blogspot.com/2015/02/dambulla-sri-lanka.html

Arugam Bay :http://pinparadise.blogspot.com/2015/01/arugam-bay-sri-lanka.html


Follow me : Travel Blog  / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Comments

  1. Stunning. I've always been amazed at travellers who can spend 1 month of more exploring places, especially non-touristy places. I think it is an overwhelming experience to know a foreign culture, tradition and ways of life.

    Thanks for sharing these priceless information in your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey girl,
      Thanks a lot ! It was indeed an amazing one. Honestly, one month is not enough... oh well, that is better than nothing right?

      I learnt a lot from each travel. Lets go travel someday.

      you are welcome to read on for more destinations are coming up very soon !

      Delete
  2. Ayubowan! This is freaking fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yo Jas ! I hope you find Sri Lanka as fantastic as I did... I know you enjoy it much !!! :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts