First week in Sri Lanka

Our final train journey of India was definitely the low point of our trip so far. There was a mix up with our tickets which meant whilst we had got ourselves all settled in our beds for the overnight train, a group of men arrived a few stops later looking a bit baffled as to why we were there. We quickly got our tickets out to show we were in the right place, in that overconfident way you do when you are quite sure you’re in the right and they must be mistaken for a different carriage…

…Nope, turns out we were definitely in the wrong and we had to repack our bags before squeezing our way through the jam packed aisle and taking the train walk of shame. In a nutshell, we were on the right train with the wrong ticket and were initially advised we would need to pay a small fortune for two upright seats (for the entire 13 hour overnight journey). After trying to barter, and subsequently nearly being thrown off the train (which we HAD to be on to catch our flight to Sri Lanka), the train conductor said “there are no longer seats available - you’ll have to get off at the next station”. To which I responded with crying, mostly through stress as we had no idea where we were and knew fully well this was the only train to Madurai before our flight. He did look a little concerned at my reaction so he added, “if you want to stay on the train that badly you have to sit here” *points to small gap between toilet, sink, and open door full of beetles and mozzies*. I think he was quite taken aback when we put down our bags and replied, “fine”. 

Eventually I think he felt sorry for us and we were given a bed to share…. for anyone who has ever been on an Indian sleeper train you’ll know the beds are just about big enough for one relatively small body, so you can imagine how that went!!! 

Anyway. I am sure you’ll understand why we were excited to be landing in Sri Lanka the next day where almost instantly we felt a rush of calm hit us as we stepped off the plane. We spent our first two nights in Negombo where it basically rained for the entirety of our stay. Having totally sussed out Indian food, we felt clueless at any Sri Lankan menu we stumbled upon and it wasn’t long before we realised the food is a LOT spicier here! On our second night in particular, we were really struggling with the heat, so we summoned the waiter over and asked if he had any yoghurt or something to eat with the meal. It wasn’t quite what we meant when he returned with two chocolate mousses as “yoghurt is finished”. Oh well. 

After Negombo, we briefly stopped in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. We weren’t overwhelmed with stuff we wanted to do except visiting some floating markets which, when we arrived after a 90 minute walk, were literally a few empty boats in a small harbour. We quickly moved onto Kandy - a well known backpacker’s spot where we spent a fun-filled few days. After bagging ourselves a hostel for the grand total of 75p a night each, we explored the beautiful lake, had a look round the grounds of the Tooth Temple, and nosied around the very Western-looking shopping malls….and got ourselves a sparkly new rugby ball to play with! A highlight was definitely the traditional dance show, where we enjoyed 90 minutes of entertaining routines and beautiful costumes. 

Our next stop was the town of Sigiriya, a stunning section of jungle, lined with cute little eateries and fairy lights. This place is well visited due to it being the location of “Lion’s Rock” - an ancient rock fortress built by King Kasyapa over 50 centuries ago. As it costs a whopping $35 to trek to the top of the rock we opted for the much cheaper (at $3) Pidurangala rock, which actually gives a much better view of the more popular Lion’s Rock. We had been warned it was quite a tough route but, apart from the super steep steps up and ever-menacing monkeys, we found it relatively easy. The final stage involved clambering up some boulders which was good fun, before popping up onto a platform which gave the most incredible views. We loved this little trip as the location was quite remote and untouched despite it being a popular tourist hotspot, and we got to see lots of interesting wildlife whilst exploring the area. 

Our initial thoughts on Sri Lanka are 1) the food was better in India and 2) about everything else is better in Sri Lanka! Just kidding, but seriously it is so nice to be able to just chill a bit more and we are slowly becoming slightly more trusting humans again. The weather has been a bit hit and miss as we have hit the end of monsoon season, but that’s been quite welcomed after the unforgiving heat of India. 

Next up: Ella - blogpost to follow soon! :)