When we got closer to Mirissa, I handed my phone to the bus driver’s assistant to show him where I was going, and then he told the bus driver when to stop so I could get off. When I stepped off and checked my phone, he had actually passed the stop that I should have gotten off at, so I had to walk 15 minutes to my accommodation (Sun Hopes). Compared to the last one, it seemed pretty bare but again, it had a bathroom and air conditioning, so that’s all I needed. However that day, I had left some of my stuff in the bathroom and when I opened my bag that evening, it was covered in tiny ants! So no more leaving stuff in the bathroom. I was starving so I went for a walk to find the main part of town. But it didn’t really seem like Mirissa had a Main Street. I walked along the road that was right next to the beach, but I couldn’t figure out how to get ON the beach. I had decided on a couple of places to eat, but both of them were closed. And it seemed to be like that everywhere – I wondered if restaurants just closed during the afternoons. I finally decided to just go to a place called Milky Wave, which was quite expensive for Sri Lankan standards (and also my own). I got a tuna tartare, and it was so amazing! Probably one of the best tartares I’ve had!

After my quick snack, I was determined to figure out how to get on the beach, and I finally got there after walking through a restaurant. I walked along the beach and realised that this was where most restaurants were, but they were constantly approaching you and trying to get you to sit at their place. I kept walking along the beach and stopped at the end to watch the sunset. There was a questionable staircase up to a viewing point, but I had read that you should wear proper shoes to climb it as it looked quite slippery. So I stayed at the bottom, which still had a nice view of the sunset. After that, I knew I needed to get dinner but I wasn’t sure where to go. I finally decided on a place called Zouk, where I ordered a whole fish. I got to go up to the front, where they had a selection of different types and sizes of fish, and I chose mine. I also got a mojito since it was happy hour. The meal was really good, and I was surprised that I was actually able to finish it all! That night, I found a tattoo artist on Instagram in Georgia, and booked an appointment with her for when I would get to Tbilisi. After dinner, I walked back to my room and relaxed before bed.

The next day, I got up and chose to go to a specific restaurant for breakfast but when I went there, it was closed (seems to be a common theme here). I went to the place across the street (Petti Petti), which again was an overpriced place, but they had a nice view of the beach and free access to their pool (which I didn’t use because a storm was brewing). I ordered the Sri Lankan breakfast, which was fish curry with string hoppers. The fish was a bit dry, but it was still really good! I then ordered a smoothie and enjoyed some time at the resort.

I wasn’t too sure what to do since the forecast was saying that it would rain. I was so excited to have a beach day since my last beach day was in the Philippines, but it didn’t seem like it would be happening that day! I walked along the beach towards Coconut Hill, which is one of the most Instagrammable spots. The tide was coming up, so I had to climb up and down rocks in order to get there, as the tide was really strong and would have probably pushed me up against the rocks if I chose to walk along the sand. I finally got to the hill just as it started to pour, so I got the whole thing to myself for a bit. It was really just a hill with a bunch of coconut trees but as usual, Instagram makes something more popular than it needs to be.

I decided to walk back to my hotel since there wasn’t much I could do in the rain. It was about a 15 minute walk, and then I just relaxed when I got there, hoping that the rain would eventually stop. It finally did just before sunset, so I went to the restaurant beside the one I was at the night before (W&D Beach), and had happy hour there. I got a tuna tartare just to hold me over until dinner, but it actually ended up being way bigger than I thought it would be, plus it was more of a seared tuna. It was pretty quiet that night, and I watched the restaurant next door use a plastic pop bottle with string attached for fishing. They actually caught a tiny fish! After dinner, I headed back to my hotel and went to bed.

The next morning, I figured I’d have a better chance of getting transportation to Colombo if I travelled backwards to the bigger city of Matara. Everyone who I talked to seemed to tell me that the bus and train to Colombo would leave at different times, so I had no idea when to go. I tried to book a Bolt, but no one would accept my ride. I walked to the main street and a tuktuk driver stopped to ask if I needed a ride. I said I was going to Matara and he asked how much I would pay. I told him the amount that was on the Bolt app and he said okay. He asked where I was going and said that I had already missed the bus to Negombo, but he said that there would be a train to Colombo. He drove me to the train station, which took about 30 minutes and then I bought my ticket to Colombo. I was quite happy to take a train instead of having to take a bus again, even though the trains take longer than the buses. I got to Colombo at about 12:30 and tried to decide if I should get food before or after going to Negombo since I still hadn’t eaten that day. Remembering how crazy it was at Colombo station, I just booked a Bolt to take me to Negombo. The time to arrive just kept taking longer and longer, so I have a feeling that he was avoiding toll roads (plus traffic was really busy). It was about an hour and a half when I finally arrived. This time, I was staying at a hostel (Sea Sands Hostel) and it was probably the worst out of all of my accommodation in Sri Lanka. But at least I was just there for a night. It was right on the beach, which was nice, but Negombo didn’t really have many places for swimming since the waves were so strong. My first goal was to find food. I went to a place nearby called Rodeo Pub & Restaurant. It felt like a restaurant back at home! I asked the server what fish I should get, and they told me to get seer fish. I didn’t know what it was, but I agreed. I ordered an iced coffee to start, and I told the bartender that it was the best iced coffee I’ve had in my life. And then I got my meal, and it was another one of the best meals I’ve had in Sri Lanka! The flavours were amazing! I saved the salad for last, which is what I usually do so that I get full on everything else first. But even the salad was delicious!

For the rest of the day, I just walked down the street and looked at the shops. I still had to find a Christmas ornament, but they were extremely difficult to find. I eventually just started asking shops if they had anything that hangs, but it seemed like they only had ornaments that you set on a table. I finished my walk on the beach since the sun was starting to set, but as I stood there watching the sun set, I was constantly approached by vendors asking if I wanted to buy something. And they wouldn’t leave! Finally one would leave, and another one would come. I left without watching the sunset because again, what would have been an enjoyable moment was ruined by constantly getting approached. I walked to a restaurant on the beach (Serendib Pub & Restaurant) and was going to sit at a table on the sand but I saw a vendor watching me, so I decided to sit inside. I chose to treat myself and buy a strawberry daiquiri, and then the vendor ended up following me to my table and trying to sell me stuff. After multiple no’s, he finally left and I was able to sit and enjoy the sound checks by the singer that would be performing later. The server asked if I wanted to have dinner, but I still wanted to check out one of the souvenir shops before it closed (they all close at 10), so I told him I’d come back. I settled on a small elephant as an ornament, and then convinced myself to buy a painting, which I’ve had to carry around for the past month. Then, I headed back to the restaurant and ordered buttered shrimp. When they came, I realised that they were BATTERED shrimp. Guess I’d be eating gluten! They were so good though, and I really enjoyed my meal. After dinner, I headed back to my hostel and met my two roommates – one guy from the Netherlands and one guy from England. I headed to bed since my flight was at 11:30 the next morning, so I’d have to leave the hostel by 8.

The next morning, I got up and ready, booked a Bolt to take me to the airport, and got checked in. Luckily, they had a little restaurant that served Sri Lankan breakfast, so I was able to get that with a coffee. I absolutely loved Sri Lanka – the nature and the views were spectacular, as well as the food! Despite constantly being approached, I was still able to enjoy myself for the majority of the time. Two weeks wasn’t nearly enough time, and I’d love to return at some point! My time in Sri Lanka was actually shortened by a day because my original flight had been cancelled to the Maldives. The flight is only 1h30, but the option that they gave me for that day was a 13 hour trip with a layover somewhere! There was no way that I’d be spending that long travelling, so I had to change my flight to a day earlier, which meant I’d have one less day in Sri Lanka, but one more day in the Maldives. But I’ll save my Maldives portion for the next post! Love always

My accommodation owner came to pick me up, but he led me to a motorbike. I wasn’t sure how we were going to fit two people, my two backpacks and a bag on it, but we managed somehow. On the way, he asked how much my accommodation was on Booking. It was $3. He said that it was a mistake that Booking always makes, and he told me the normal price of the room. I said that it was way too much (I instantly started regretting getting on his motorbike – why didn’t he tell me this before, when I could have found new accommodation?). He asked how much I had been paying at other places and I told him, so we agreed on a price. But he told me not to tell the other guests how much I was paying. I felt somewhat annoyed, and wondered if I was going to be scammed while in Ella. Again, I was very far out of the town so I didn’t get to explore it very much. In some ways, this was nice when I wanted an escape, but I wasn’t getting much human interaction in Sri Lanka since I hadn’t been staying in hostels. Also, in order for me to see anything, I’d have to arrange transportation or tours (unless I taught myself how to drive a motorbike). The accommodation owner asked me tons of questions as soon as I got there, such as if I wanted to go to town for dinner or if I was going to have it at the hotel, and if I wanted to hike Ella Rock and if so, how we’d have to get up at 5am. I said I had just done that today and I just needed some time to relax and decide what I was going to do. The room at Adam’s Apple Homestay was probably the nicest room I stayed in during my time in Sri Lanka, and it had the nicest view! The owner brought me a whole pot of coffee and I drank most of it – I was so exhausted! After relaxing for awhile, I messaged the owner and said that I’d have dinner at the hotel, and that I’d be interested in hiking Ella’s Rock the next day. He came to my room and said that he’d wait to see what the other guests say and if they want to do Ella’s Rock too, then we’d go early. When it was dinner time at 7, I sat outside on the deck. Again, it was an assortment of curry and honestly, it was probably the best meal I had in Sri Lanka! The flavours were so amazing! The owner said that the other guests were doing Ella Rock on their own, so we could leave later. He said that we’d go to Ella Rock, then do Little Adam’s Peak, then go to the Nine Arches Bridge, and then the Secret Waterfall. He basically jam-packed two days’ worth of stuff into one day! But I was glad because I only had two nights in Ella, so I wouldn’t have been able to see everything otherwise.

I had breakfast around 7:30 (and chatted with the other guests – a couple from Belgium), and we left around 8. Luckily, we had a special path from the accommodation, so it probably knocked off about an hour of the hike (and a lot of the climbing!). I was in shock watching my hotel owner quickly go up the hill in jeans and flip flops, and he didn’t even bring a water bottle! I was struggling to keep up, sweating profusely, and constantly running out of breath. We found a guy who seemed lost in the forest, so he joined us. I was being extremely careful since the last time I was outside in this kind of heat, I got sick in the Philippines and I was starting to feel the same way, so I continuously asked for breaks and explained why. I think the guy who joined us was thankful though, because it seemed like he wanted a break as well. My hotel owner seemed completely fine, but he said that he does the hike 3 or 4 times per week. On the way up (during a break), I met a girl from Ireland who is living in Switzerland. We talked for a bit, but we couldn’t get enough time to talk before one of our guides would say to continue. We felt like they were trying to keep us apart for some reason. Finally at the top, we got to see the views of Ella, and had to time our picture-taking just right because the clouds were constantly moving in and out of the way. The Irish girl (Michelle) and I talked for quite awhile at the top and before we left, I suggested that we exchange information in case we want to meet up later. I’m glad we did because as soon as we walked towards our guides, they separated us again. There was the option to continue higher to see a similar view, but I was pretty exhausted so I was good with going back down. I had no idea how I was going to do Little Adam’s Peak afterwards! On the way down, we stopped for some fresh juice, which was so refreshing! And then headed back down to the accommodation. The owner said that we’d rest for 20 minutes and then leave at noon.

We got on his motorbike and he drove me to the beginning of Little Adam’s Peak. He said that he’d wait for me there, and I could explore on my own. There was a bar at the beginning with a bunch of pools and an amazing view – I was tempted, but figured it would probably be way too overpriced. The walk was really just up to a viewpoint and not so much a hike, which I was very thankful for. And honestly, I think the views were nicer than Ella’s Rock, just because it was clear and you could see a lot more. At the top, I ran into a group of Sri Lankan university students who were doing a weekend trip, so I had a good chat with them. Then I headed back down.

My hotel owner asked how tired I was because he could either stop above the Nine Arches Bridge, or I could go down to the train tracks and walk across the bridge. I said that I’d go down, so he stopped by a small restaurant and pointed me to the stairs. I had to go all the way down (meaning I’d have to climb all the way up), and then follow the train tracks. When I got to the bridge, there were so many people there. I saw Michelle and she had been waiting over an hour to see the train (which was supposed to come an hour earlier). I was SO lucky because I only had to wait five minutes before the train crossed the bridge. After the train went by, I explored the bridge for a bit and then headed back up to where the motorbike was.

We got on the bike and the hotel owner asked if I was hungry. I was starved since it was after 3pm, so he stopped at this tiny restaurant on the side of the road (Gaha Yata Rotti Kade), which was run by a young couple. It was a buffet-type restaurant, so they opened all of their pots for me and asked if I’d want spicy chicken or dried fish. I opted for the fish and loaded my plate with the rest of the food. They seemed quite excited when I said that I was from Canada (as do most Sri Lankans – they don’t seem to have many Canadians since it’s so far).

After lunch, my hotel owner drove me to the secret waterfall. We stopped at the side of the road and he led me through a hole in a barbed wire fence, under a shrub, and through a forest. I had no idea where he was taking me and I actually took a tumble down the hill (into the mud) on the way back – likely due to my legs feeling like jelly and one of them buckling. The waterfall wasn’t much of a waterfall to be honest, but it was still refreshing to be able to go for a swim. When we arrived, the couple from Belgium was there with their tuktuk driver so we chatted for a bit before they left. After that, I went for a swim and my hotel owner joined me. He said that the hotel is where he grew up and he was running the place with his sister (and his parents lived with them), and he was my age. We didn’t swim for long because the mosquitoes started coming out, so we headed back to the hotel. We stopped at one of the big waterfalls on the way back so I could take some pictures. He asked if I’d be going into town or if I wanted to have dinner there and while I was tempted to stay at the hotel since the food was so good, I figured I should probably see the town once before leaving. He said that the Belgian couple would be going to town later, so I could take a tuktuk there with them. I showered and got ready, and then got a message from Michelle asking if I wanted to meet for dinner. I waited and waited for the Belgian couple to come back and then finally, at 7, I messaged the hotel owner to see if they were coming back. Apparently they left early! So he arranged for a tuktuk to take me into town. The town of Ella had really nice vibes, and I wish I got to explore it a little bit more – although I think it was set up for tourists. Michelle and I met at Cafe Chill, which had a very extensive menu (so it’s obviously more difficult to decide what to get). I got a passionfruit mojito with a curry/poppadom meal, which was really good! It was nice having someone to talk to, especially another rare person who I clicked with! After dinner, it was about 10pm and I was meant to wait for the Belgian couple to catch a tuktuk together but I was exhausted. I messaged the tuktuk driver and he came to pick me up, and then took me back to my hotel. I pretty much passed out as soon as I got back – it was a full-on day!

The next morning, I had breakfast at the hotel and then my hotel owner said that he’d take me to the bus stop. Again, there weren’t any bus schedules posted online but he seemed to know when it would be coming. I thought that we’d be hopping on his motorbike, but he walked right by it and started walking down the street. Luckily, our tuktuk driver went by so we hopped on and he drove us to the bottom. We waited for about ten minutes and then he waved down the bus. It was so full! I ended up having to stand for the first 30 minutes. The guy who sold the tickets gave my bag to a girl who was sitting down (he must have known that she’d be getting off next), so that when she got off, I could take her seat. Standing for that first half hour was so difficult though! The roads were so windy and the bus didn’t slow down at all, so I was holding on as hard as I could, while trying not to think about how hot I was. I was so glad when I finally got to sit down! I was going to Mirissa that day, which would be my first beach town in Sri Lanka. On the way there, I heard a huge bang and jumped. A tire blew! The bus stopped and I thought that we’d have to get off. But surprisingly, it just kept going. For another hour and a half (but slower than before). Finally, we stopped at a mechanic and we waited about 15-20 minutes for them to change the tire. And then continued on our way. I finally got to Mirissa after about 5 hours. Love always

The train ride to Haputale was nearly six hours, but it was so picturesque! As I said in my last blog, taking the train from Kandy to Ella is one of the main things tourists come to do in Sri Lanka. Vendors would come on the train every so often to sell food, but it always seemed to be samosas, so I wasn’t able to eat anything. I arrived in Haputale at about 2:30pm and I was starving! A tuktuk driver asked if I needed a ride and I said I was going to go to a restaurant nearby. I went to a place called Lettuce and Cabbage Cafe, which apparently is more expensive by Sri Lankan standards. I ordered the chicken curry, which as usual came with a dish of chicken curry, but also a bunch of side dishes. And holy smokes, was it ever spicy! I guess I didn’t specify minimum spice, but it was definitely the hottest dish I ate in Sri Lanka. The flavour was still so good though! The spiciness kept building up until my tongue was burning, so I waved the waiter over and asked if they had any yogurt. He said, “Oh, for dessert?” And I said, “No, like right now – it’s really spicy!” I saw him run out of the restaurant (he must have went to the nearest convenience store), and he came back with a yogurt. I think it was vanilla or coconut flavour (I couldn’t taste it properly because I was losing feeling in my tongue), but I didn’t care. It helped make the food more bearable – and then I could at least enjoy the flavours!

After lunch, I tried to request a Bolt but since it was a small town, no one accepted my ride. I started leaving the restaurant and saw the same tuktuk driver who had approached me when I left the train station. I asked how much it would be to get to my accommodation and he said the same price that had been on my Bolt app, so I knew he wasn’t ripping me off. I was quite far out of town so again, I wouldn’t be able to do much other than hang around my room. He asked if I had any plans and I had been thinking of doing Lipton Seat, so he said that he could drive me out the next day. I said that I would think about it and I took his number. I got to my accommodation (White Monkey Dias) and had to go down a ton of stairs to get to the main area. It was a cute little family-run (a family of 6) bed and breakfast, and they said that they weren’t profiting off of it at all anymore. Most of the kids were grown up, but three of them were still around to help out and one of them started their own camping business nearby. They were such a warm, welcoming family and I really felt cared for while I was there. I went to my room, which had an amazing view but the clouds were rolling in so I didn’t get to enjoy the view for long. At about 7, I got a knock at my door that dinner was ready and I was led to the family dining room, which had a humongous amount of food that was just for me. One of the sons sat down with me just to chat, and he told me about his camping business and how the economy in Sri Lanka has made it very difficult to make ends meet. The amount that he makes from his business basically just goes back into making his business run, so he only takes home about 20000 rupees ($86CAD) per month. And basic groceries (like eggs) are very difficult to afford. It was getting late, so I figured that I should write the tuktuk driver to arrange my ride to Lipton Seat if I wanted to make it by sunrise. We agreed that he’d pick me up at 5am because it would be a 45-minute drive (I’d make it JUST in time for sunrise). I went to bed early, so that I’d be well-rested for my extremely early morning.

I got up at about 4:30, got my stuff ready, and headed up the tons of stairs. The humidity combined with the 1500-metre altitude made the climb so difficult – I was so out of breath and so sweaty. When I got to the top, I couldn’t see him so I messaged to see if he was there, and I sat down on the steps. He messaged back that he had been there since 4:55 and I felt bad because I had made him wait. It was so foggy, I couldn’t even see his lights! I got in the tuktuk and we started driving and then I realised that I didn’t have my bag! He turned around and I ran to the steps, hoping that I left it there. It was so dark, so I had to use my phone’s flashlight to search but I didn’t see it. Oh no.. did I seriously leave it in my room? I sprinted down the stairs, went to my room, saw my bag sitting right next to the door, and then sprinted back up. By that time, I was REALLY out of breath and really sweaty. Luckily, I had 45 minutes to get my body back to normal. I definitely would be missing the sunrise! We got there at about 6am and I had to pay an entrance fee. The sky was just starting to change colour, and it was gorgeous! The fog added a special mysteriousness to it. Abbas (the tuktuk driver) said that normally if the clouds weren’t there, you’d be able to see a lake. I told Abbas that I would like to walk back down (rather than take the tuktuk) and he said that he’d wait for me at the bottom. It was about 7km, so it would take around two hours (especially with all of the stopping I did to take pictures and videos). There were two dogs at the top, so they joined me for the first few kilometres, which was nice! The walk was absolutely gorgeous – the views of the tea fields were unreal, and the pictures don’t even capture the beauty that I saw. As I continued on my walk, the town slowly started waking up and I saw some people go to work in the tea fields. I also saw the students heading to school. There were ladies carrying huge bags (of what I assume was flour or rice), and they were all walking UP the hill! Everyone was so friendly, and said good morning with a big smile. I got back to Abbas just after 8am and we drove back to my accommodation.

He was a really nice tuktuk driver and had a lot of knowledge about the surrounding area. He said that he could take me on a waterfall tour (which I contemplated since it was supposed to be really nice), but I decided to catch the 12:15 train to Ella. He dropped me off at my accommodation and then we agreed that he’d pick me up again at 11. I showered, and went for breakfast at my accommodation. They served some crepe-like wraps with curry, and avocado with a tomato-onion mix (kind of like bruschetta on avocado slices instead of on bread – so smart!).

At 11am, I went up those stairs one more time, got on the tuktuk, and Abbas took me to the train station. I got there about an hour early and asked to buy a ticket, but they told me that they don’t start selling tickets until 30 minutes before. So I sat, waited, and finally got my ticket at 11:45. At about 11:55, a train arrived but I didn’t think anything of it. It sat there for quite awhile. After about 5-10 minutes, one of the vendors who I had bought water from asked where I was going and I said Ella. “That’s your train!” What?! But the trains are always late! I ran to the front of the train, and the conductor was there. He said that the carriages were crowded, so he led me to the conductor carriage. I got to sit in there for about 20 minutes, until the train finally left. I guess they had to wait for a train to go by from the other direction before they were allowed to go. Then, the conductor said I could go sit in the passenger carriage.

I saw two blonde women and asked if I could sit with them. They were from Germany, and we had a good chat for the 2-hour trip. When we got close to the station, I messaged my accommodation owner so he could come pick me up. But I’ll save that for the next post. Love always

The bus ride to Kandy was about 4 hours, and I even got to listen to some karaoke for part of it (locals would come on with their stereo, sing for 20-30 minutes, and then ask for money). I was on my phone the whole time, watching the map so I knew when to get off (you have to tell the driver when to stop or they won’t). I got off and went to my accommodation (256 Townhouse Rest). It was a pretty basic room, but it came with air conditioning and its own bathroom, so that’s all I really needed. Again, the owner was quite awkward and wouldn’t make eye contact with me, but he was extremely helpful as well. He was also the first person on my entire trip to understand what gluten-free was! When he asked about breakfast, I said I couldn’t have bread. “Oh, no wheat?” Surprised, I said yes. He looked confused and said, “What can I serve you instead of bread?” I told him that I could have hoppers. “Oh, because it’s rice flour!” It was so nice to have someone understand my dietary restrictions, for once! He told me to eat at a place called Balaji Dosai, so I went straight there since it was already almost 2pm. I ordered curry, which came on a massive platter with a bunch of different curries (I realised that this is what always happens when you order a curry – it comes with a main, and then an assortment of sides). I ate them like I eat everything – starting with the ones I don’t like as much, so I can finish with the best ones. But when two of them were done, the waiter came by and refilled them! I definitely wasn’t going hungry in Sri Lanka.

After lunch, I walked around town towards one of the temples. A solo female walking around seems like a foreign concept because I was constantly approached, asking if I needed help or where I was going or if I needed a Tuktuk. This is when I started to get extremely frustrated because I just wanted to enjoy my walk, but I felt like I kept getting harassed. I walked to the nearby temple (Sri Dalada Maligawa), which is famous for housing one of Buddha’s teeth. Once I arrived, people kept coming up to me and saying that the ceremony wasn’t until 6:30pm (they do a ceremony three times each day for the tooth, when you can view the gold case where it’s enclosed). They then told me to go to the Cultural Centre to watch the cultural show (there were multiple shows going on throughout the city and I had contemplated going, but because I was asked about 20 times to get a ticket, it made me not want to go, especially since I had read reviews that it was just a tourist trap). I didn’t mind going to the temple without seeing the tooth ceremony, as I really only wanted to see the temple. The security measures there were SO strict. I could tell that they didn’t want to let me in because my dress had a slit on the side that went above the knee (I never had this issue anywhere else). I saw the guards arguing and one even tried to tie my dress at the bottom, but they finally let me in. I had to pay for entrance and this one guy kept following me around. I told him I didn’t need a guide, and he said he wasn’t a guide – he was just there to help. I felt embarrassed for having assumed, and convinced myself that I didn’t need to have my guard up all of the time. I had to drop off my shoes, and then the “not a guide” showed me where to go. He explained a lot about the history of the temple and about the Buddhist religion, and said that it was up to me if I wanted to tip him at the end out of the goodness of my heart. Okay, NOW this was sounding like a guide… Annoyed because I would have preferred to explore on my own (without having to pay more), I still agreed and we continued. At the end, I gave him 1000 rupees and he said that he could arrange to get me tickets to the cultural show. It would be 2000 rupees and he would leave the ticket at the front gate for me to pick up. This seemed sketchy… he waited for me to hand him the money, and I had to tell him multiple times that I would get the ticket myself. I got my shoes back (only by giving a donation first) and then explored the grounds on my own.

Again, I was approached and I said that I didn’t need a guide. “But you’re not learning anything – you need a guide!” At this point, I was getting REALLY annoyed. I felt like during my entire time in Kandy, I was constantly getting approached or people were trying to get money out of me. However, I talked to other female travellers and they didn’t seem to have this problem, so I don’t know why I had such a negative experience. I wanted to get away from everyone, so I tried to go into a coffee shop. “Hello!” A guy said while walking by. I responded hi. “You don’t remember me?” Confused, I said no. “From the hotel?” I still felt confused, but said “Oh, hi.” He asked what I was doing, and I said I wanted to get a coffee. He told me that there was a market down the street and it would be closing in a half hour, so I should come with him first. I told him I’d go the next day, and he said, “It’s only open Mondays! Come, let’s go!” I said I’d rather just get a coffee, and said bye. Side note: When I went back to the hotel and saw the hotel owner, I realised that the guy DEFINITELY wasn’t who he said he was, so I wonder what would have happened if I DID go to the market. I had an iced tea and enjoyed the quiet and the air conditioning, and then I decided to walk up to the big Buddha that overlooked the city (Sri Maha Bodhi Maha Viharaya). It was a long walk uphill, and Tuktuks constantly stopped to ask if I wanted a ride. I declined and continued on my way. It was so peaceful up there, and I only saw two other tourists. Some of the monks were playing catch with a ball. I stayed up there until it started to get dark, and I enjoyed the beautiful colours of the sky.

I started the walk down and again, I was constantly asked if I needed a ride. One tuktuk even offered me a free ride, but apparently they charge you so much money at the end (my hostel owner warned me about this). Again, my patience was wearing thin so I walked into a random bar to get dinner (The Last Drop) and there was a group of four Belgium guys there. When they saw me, they said they’d buy me a drink and asked if I wanted to sit with them. I joined, and they were all really nice and funny – it was refreshing to have a good conversation. They left to go back to their accommodation for dinner, and then I ordered dinner at the restaurant. I got a fried rice dish, and then went back to my accommodation after dinner.

The next day, I wasn’t too sure what to do. I had basically seen all of the sites of Kandy. I definitely didn’t need to have two nights there and if I did it again, I would have only booked one night or maybe skipped it altogether. I figured I might as well go to the botanical gardens, but it was far out of the city so I’d have to get an Uber. Every time I requested an Uber, the driver would instantly call, ask if I was paying with card or cash, and if I said card, they’d hang up and decline the ride. One hung up and didn’t decline, so that I couldn’t request another Uber. We basically had to have a stand-off to see who would decline first (because he knew if I declined, he’d get the money). The longer it went on, the more annoyed I got. After 5 minutes, he phoned me and asked if I was going to cancel. I said, “No, you have to cancel!” “Okay, I’ll cancel.” But he still didn’t. So I went and did something else until he finally cancelled. I stayed in my room for most of the morning and then went to a place called Cafe Secret Alley for lunch. I thought that they were supposed to have a lot of gluten-free options, but it was only smoothie bowls and they were quite expensive by Sri Lankan standards. I got one anyway and when I finished, I walked down to the lake. I decided I’d try to get an Uber to the botanical gardens one more time. This time, I changed the payment method to cash. Again, as soon as I requested an Uber, the driver would call and ask how much I’d be paying. When I told them the amount on the app, they’d ask for more! Some drivers would accept the job, but then they wouldn’t move for two or three minutes, so then I’d cancel. By this time, I was starting to get angry. For the first and only time during my trip, I was not enjoying myself. I decided to just walk around the lake, but again I was constantly asked where I was going. I went into a cafe and got a smoothie. It was just me and the cafe owner. But after about 10 minutes, a tuktuk driver came in, sat at the table next to me, didn’t order anything, and asked if I wanted any tours. Seriously?! He then went through some of his reviews on Google to show how great of a tour guide he was. I took his number (I ended up taking A LOT of numbers on my trip, just to get people to leave me alone) and he finally left. But then he sat in his tuktuk outside the cafe, and I think he was waiting for me to leave. I sat there for as long as I could, and then I finally saw him drive away, so I left. As I continued my walk around the lake, I saw a giant lizard-looking thing, which I later found out was a water monitor. It was pretty shocking to see in the middle of the city, but also quite cool!

I went back to my hotel and stayed in there for the rest of the day, only leaving to go for dinner. I was in such a sour mood, I didn’t even feel like walking around anymore because I felt like I couldn’t enjoy it. For dinner, I went to a place called High Tide and order the King Prawn Thermidor. It had Singles cheese slices melted on top, which was interesting. It was good – not amazing, but still a nice treat.

The next morning, I had breakfast at the hotel, packed up my stuff, and my hotel owner gave me instructions on where I needed to go to get my ticket, and where to go on the platform (he even included little drawings!). He said that he would take me to the train station, and I didn’t realise that this meant we’d be taking a bus. I became a bit concerned since we were getting extremely close to the scheduled train time. I gave my hotel owner 1000 rupees ($5) as a tip and he said it was too much, but I told him I wanted him to have it. We got on the bus but due to bad traffic, the bus driver made us get off early and we had to walk the rest of the way to the station. By the time we got there, I think my train was meant to leave in ten minutes, but my hotel owner didn’t seem concerned. I got my ticket, got some water, and waited for the train to come. This train ride is the most famous train ride in Sri Lanka – everyone does the trip from Kandy to Ella on the blue train for the beautiful views, and to try to get a picture of themselves hanging off the side of the train (I didn’t do this). I didn’t go all the way to Ella that day – I got off at Haputale instead. But I’ll save that for the next blog. Love always

By the time I got to Habarana, it was already dark. My hotel (Centurion Resort) had told me to contact them when I arrived, so they could come pick me up at the station. There were a lot of local Tuktuk drivers waiting outside the station and when I went to wait by the road, they told me to come back in the building because it would be safer. My hotel owner finally came and took me back to the hotel. I had booked a room without air conditioning (I don’t know what I was thinking!), but I was relieved to see that there was an air conditioning unit in the room. I had asked if it would be possible to get dinner and the hotel owner told me to give him an hour and he would prepare something for me. The meal was fried rice, and some veggies in a sweet sauce. I had asked if I could go to Sigiriya Rock, and the hotel owner said that he could drive me for 4000 rupees (I think he MAY have overcharged me for this, but oh well). We agreed that I would have breakfast at 6am, and then he would drive me to the rock. I also asked about doing an elephant safari, so he said that I could do it at 2pm. My whole day was planned! The accommodation was a bit awkward, to be honest. It had three male workers, but it seemed like only one of them (not sure if he was the owner or not) did everything. I found that this was often the case though, and many males seemed to not know how to talk to a solo female.

The next morning, I got up at 5:15 to get ready and then have breakfast. It was some daal, some curry, some wraps (which I’m not sure what they were made of), and some toast. I ate everything except the toast, and explained “no bread.” Then, we drove to Sigiriya Rock. There are two rocks in the area – one is Sigiriya (Lion’s Rock), which was an old fortress but it charges tourists $30USD. The other one is Pidurangala Rock, which gives a view of Sigiriya Rock, but I think it’s less than $5. I still wanted to visit Sigiriya since it’s a UNESCO site. It was at least a 30 minute drive, and my hotel owner walked me to the ticket booth, and all the way up to the entrance. He told me to say no to all guides (and I was asked many times, even while he was with me). I’m glad that I started the walk when I did because 1) it got hot really fast and 2) it got SO crowded by the time I started heading back down. The walk up wasn’t TOO bad – just a lot of stairs on some questionable stairways. And the view was completely worth it! Seeing the old fortress was cool too – I often get quite bored of seeing ruins, but this one seemed more interesting, especially seeing the lion paws at the bottom of the stairs. I took my time at the top and then slowly headed back down. Originally, I had thought that I’d do the second rock afterwards, but I decided against it after finishing the first one. On the way back, my hotel owner stopped at a vendor on the side of the road and got me a coconut. It wasn’t as sweet as the ones in the Philippines, but it was still good. They then made a spoon out of the shell, so that I could use it to scoop out the thicker stuff.

I went back to the hotel and had a few hours to kill before my safari. The thing that I didn’t love about my hotel was that it was quite isolated (Habarana was a very small town and was still a bit of a walk away – a lot of people stay in the town of Sigiriya when they come to the area), so I often felt like I had to just hang out in my hotel room (at least there was air conditioning!). I figured maybe I’d try one of the local restaurants for lunch but as I was about to leave, all three of the hotel workers came up to me to ask where I was going. I had asked if they were making lunch as I didn’t want to leave if they were already making me something. “Oh! Yes, in 30 minutes.” I feel like maybe they thought I was requesting lunch, but it was lost in translation. So I guess I’d be staying. Lunch was some rice with hot dogs on top, an egg, and some cucumbers. Not the most appetising meal, but it was fine. After lunch, I hung out in my hotel room until my safari started. I was picked up by a big safari truck, and it was just me! I thought we’d be picking up some other people, but no. It cost me 9000 rupees for the truck (about $45) and 3000 rupees for the entrance fee into the park ($15), so $60 total. Way different to my time in Africa, when the truck was filled with 8-10 people so we were all trying to get the best views, and I’m pretty sure the prices were higher as well. My guide was great, and he must have found over 30 elephants! He spoke to some of the other drivers we passed (with full trucks) and some of them had only seen 4 elephants. I was extremely lucky! It was so awesome being able to watch them – I could have just sat and watched all day!

I wasn’t sure if I should tip (I read online that restaurants in Sri Lanka expect at least a 10% tip, so this was the first country I tipped in since Philippines doesn’t expect tips, and in Japan it’s rude to tip), and I also wasn’t sure what would be a fair tip. My guide did awesome and he was so excited when he found elephants, and also tried to get pictures of me with the elephants so at the end, I handed him 3000 rupees ($15). The next day when I got off the bus, he saw me and told me he’d give me a ride back to my hotel. I went to give him 100 rupees and he said, “No, you already helped me so much yesterday!” Even though it didn’t seem like much to me, it was a lot for him. That evening, I hung out in my hotel room until dinner. That night at dinner, I was served “lake fish,” which was really good! I said how much I liked it, so he said he’d make it again the next day. The hotel owner also told me about his wife and two kids, and showed me pictures. He said that he would love to move his family to another country, but his salary was only 45000 rupees ($204), and it would be impossible for him to move his family on that. Sri Lanka kind of gave me traveller’s guilt because I could easily afford to do what I wanted (at a low cost), while many people were struggling to make ends meet. I know I often ended up overtipping my accommodations (giving them 1000 rupees/$5), but seeing how grateful they were was worth it.

The next morning, I had breakfast at the hotel. They explained, “You said no bread, so we made you roti instead.” I knew I’d be having a reaction that day, and I ate it because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. It came with daal and more sweet veggies. And the fruit plate was just pineapple – the one fruit I didn’t like. Again, I didn’t want to hurt their feelings so I told myself I’d just eat two pieces from the massive plate. But much to my surprise, I actually liked it! For the first time ever, I ACTUALLY liked pineapple (and I’ve retried pineapple over and over, and didn’t like it) – maybe I only like Sri Lankan pineapple. On top of that, my tongue didn’t swell up like it usually does when I have pineapple in a smoothie. Winning! That day, I decided to go to the Cave Temples in Dambulla (Rangiri Dambulla Uyanwaththa Viharaya). In order to get there, I’d have to take my first bus in Sri Lanka. Luckily, my hotel owner showed me where to go – he walked me to the main road, waved down the bus, and told the driver where I’d have to get off. About 45 minutes later, I arrived in Dambulla. I got off the bus and walked to the temple, where I had to go up some stairs, then down some stairs, then up some more stairs, pay to go in, and go up even more stairs. It was so hot and humid, and I was wearing my light sweater since I thought my arms had to be covered (I soon realised that it was only my shoulders that needed to be covered, and I could have just worn my t-shirt). I passed some vendors selling shirts and contemplated buying a light elephant one, but when he said it would be 5000 rupees ($25), I declined. I don’t even buy clothes for that much at home! I then passed some women selling flowers to offer to the Buddha and when I saw the tourists in front of me buying some, I figured I probably should too. I asked how much and they said it’s by donation. So I gave them 100 rupees and then they asked for more. It’s hard in Sri Lanka because sometimes, I felt like I was being scammed. Even though it’s not a lot, I feel like a lot of people are just trying to survive so they overcharge and it’s hard to know what to do in those situations. I found that it was the worst in Kandy, and I’ll explain that in my next blog post. The cave temples were really cool!! There were five temples, but I think I went through them backwards because I started with the nicest ones. They were so breathtaking, and you could feel the history all over. It was extremely difficult because you’re not supposed to turn your back on a Buddha, but when the entire room is filled with Buddhas, you’re not sure which way to turn without possibly causing offense. After I finished at the temple (again, I had to pay to get my shoes back), I walked through the grounds for a bit and then decided to have lunch in town.

I chose to walk, even though it was really hot out and about a 20 minute walk. I went to one of the higher rated places, called Athula Restaurant. The owner was actually asleep at one of the tables when I got there, so the neighbour had to wake her up. It was a buffet restaurant, so they opened all of the dishes up for me and then she told me they’d make noodles – I told her not to bother with the noodles since I couldn’t eat them anyway. I filled up my plate and ate. The food wasn’t THAT impressive, and I was starting to think that was the case in the area since most of my meals had been sub-par. The owner said that she started the restaurant 20 years ago, but it’s been getting more and more difficult with the economy and customers get mad when she raises the price. When I was finished with my plate, she brought out a lake fish, and a huge plate of fruit – my stomach wasn’t prepared for more food, but I ate it anyway! After lunch, I walked to the nearest bus stop but I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I couldn’t understand any of the language written on the buses, and I also had no idea what city I was meant to head for. I wish I could say that I got the hang of the buses as my time in the country went on, but nope – I always needed a local to put me on the right bus (good thing they were so helpful!). Luckily, a local came to the stop so I asked him where I needed to go. He told me the city to look out for and when the next bus came, he waved it over and told the driver where I was going. I was so glad that he was there because I wouldn’t have had any idea that it was the right bus. I got off in Habarana and that was when the elephant safari guide saw me and drove me back to my hotel. I spent the evening hanging out in my hotel and worked on my blog. Dinner that night was rice with lake fish, beets, and cucumbers. Dessert was a plate of pineapple, which I was happy about this time!

The next morning, I had breakfast earlier since I’d have to catch the bus to Kandy the next day. There weren’t any schedules written anywhere online, but my hotel owner said I could leave at 9. I’m not really sure what breakfast was.. it was a dry ball of what seemed like flour but I don’t think it was wheat flour, and it came with a curry. I still struggled to get the dryness out, even after soaking it in curry. However, it was very filling since it was so dense. During breakfast, my hotel owner said that we had a problem. He said that I had booked a room without air-conditioning but I had used air conditioning. I asked how much extra it would be and he said he’d check. He came back and said it would be 1000 rupees ($5) per day, so 3000 total. It wasn’t much and I didn’t mind, but I was still kind of mad that it happened. I feel like they shouldn’t have put me in a room with air conditioning if I had booked a room without it, or they should have been clear from the start and told me I’d have to pay extra or not use it. This is when I started to become a bit sour, and more aware about the possibility of being scammed. The meals were also more money than I would normally pay for, and seemed very minimal for the amount that I was paying. But oh well. The hotel owner drove me to the bus stop and showed me the bus to Kandy, and I got on. Luckily, I was able to get a seat because it filled up quite fast. And then I was on my way to Kandy! Love always

The trip from Kuala Lumpur to Sri Lanka was 3.5 hours. As I mentioned in my last blog post, it was extremely delayed so by the time I got to Negombo Airport, it was nearly midnight, which is when I needed to check into my accommodation by. I decided to get a hotel closer to the airport since it would take over an hour to get into Colombo. I went to a SIM card counter that didn’t have a lineup (probably not the best idea since the coverage was extremely bad throughout my time in Sri Lanka, but oh well), exchanged my money to get some Sri Lankan rupees, and then walked outside the airport. As soon as I stepped out, I was surrounded by people asking if I wanted a taxi. I had looked up the price on Uber, and people were offering me almost double the price. Feeling overwhelmed, I tried to step back inside the airport so I could request an Uber (Sri Lanka uses Uber and PickMe), but there was a security guard that wouldn’t let me back inside. I asked if I could at least stand inside the door, so that I could get away from all of the taxi drivers. I requested an Uber and waited for them to come, and it was a ten-minute drive to my accommodation (This Is It Hotel), which (I didn’t realise until I got there) was a Michael Jackson-themed hotel – named after one of his final albums, an album that I had at home. When we got there, it was pitch black. The Uber driver seemed concerned and asked if I was sure that this is where I was staying. I was confused as well. Luckily I had gotten a SIM card so I was able to phone the front desk, and they opened the door for me. I noticed that my Uber driver had pulled over to make sure I got into the accommodation okay. I was taken to my room, which was themed for a couple who would have just gotten married. Not me, but I’ll take it! I didn’t get to sleep until after 1, which would have been nearly 5am Japan time. A fun fact is that Sri Lanka is on a time zone that is on the half hour from the rest of the world (like Newfoundland in Canada).

The next morning, I had a slow and lazy morning and didn’t leave until my check-out time. I requested an Uber to take me into Colombo, which would be about 3000 rupees (around $15). I like using apps for transportation because it’s a set price, and I can pay with my card so I can save cash for other things. However, I quickly found out that Sri Lankan drivers only like it when you pay cash. I got picked up and within 30 seconds of getting into the Tuktuk, he asked if I had cash. “Well yes, but I’ve already paid with card…” We kept going back and forth, but couldn’t understand what the other person was trying to say. He got out to get my accommodation owner so that she could translate. She said that he needed cash because he wouldn’t get the money in his account for 5 days. I explained that I would be paying twice, because they’ve already taken the money from my account. The driver told me to cancel the ride and pay with cash, but when I tried to do that, the app still wanted me to pay for the ride that I cancelled. I said that he would have to cancel because I wasn’t going to pay, so then he finally cancelled. Luckily I had exchanged some money at the airport because otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to pay him anyway! The ride was over an hour into Colombo, but I finally got to my hostel (one of two hostels I stayed in during my time in Sri Lanka, both of which were pretty grungy). We had a lot of difficulty finding the place – it was on a backroad and there weren’t any signs anywhere. It was also pretty sketchy, and there were quite a few homeless people sleeping in the entrance. The hostel owner was nice, and she warned the Tuktuk drivers. She said to always use the apps because they will rip you off otherwise. I asked where to eat and she told me to go to a place close by, called Sea Fish. I walked in, was barely acknowledged, and led to a table that hadn’t been cleaned (I had read bad reviews about the service here). However, I also read that it had good seafood. This was one thing I took advantage of in Sri Lanka, as most of the seafood was extremely cheap – especially compared to Australia and Canada. I got grilled shrimp with mashed potatoes, which was quite good! After that, I decided to check out some of the temples. I took a Tuktuk to Gangaramaya Temple. You had to pay the entrance fee and leave your shoes at the front (one thing that was annoying about a lot of the temples was that you had to pay for them to store your shoes, and you weren’t allowed to carry your shoes around). Luckily this temple didn’t charge for shoe storage. The temple was quite nice, and the inside was so bright and colourful! There were a few rooms that didn’t really have any significance to me, as I don’t know much about the Buddhist religion. As I was walking out of one of the rooms, there was a man with his wife and mother, who asked if I had seen the photos in the room. He led me back in and went through each of the paintings with me, explaining what they meant, and then he introduced me to his family. It was nice to have someone explain everything, only because they wanted to share – I always find that extremely special!

After exploring that temple, I walked five minutes to a smaller one, which was on the lake – Gangarama Seema Malakaya. I had to pay and leave my shoes at the front again. This temple was also very nice – calm and relaxing.

After exploring the temples, I wasn’t sure what to do but I saw that there was a shopping mall across the street, so I went inside just as it started to rain. That rain turned into a full-on thunderstorm! My plan had been to go to Galle Face Green, which is a local market along the beach where there are tons of food vendors. However, I wasn’t sure if anything would be happening in the rain. I decided to wait out the rain, since the forecast said it would stop within the next hour. But then, the forecast kept extending the time the longer I waited. It had started to get dark since it was 6pm, so I chose to order a Tuktuk to take me to a Vietnamese restaurant (I know – Vietnamese for my first dinner in Sri Lanka? But I read that it was the only Vietnamese restaurant in Sri Lanka and that it was rated quite high. Plus, pho on a rainy day sounded quite nice!). I went to Pho Vietnam, and enjoyed a really good pho and then got a Tuktuk back to my hostel.

When I got back, there was a girl from Israel there (Orel). We chatted for a bit and then she asked if I wanted to go for dinner. I told her that I’d come along and get a drink since I had already eaten. I was glad that I went with her since walking in the dark alone didn’t seem like a good idea. I got a mango mojito (quite interesting.. not sure if mint goes well with other fruit though), and she got the daal, which I tried – it was delicious (daal was one of my favourites every time I got food in Sri Lanka). We got back to the hostel quite late and then went to bed.

The next morning, I had breakfast at the hostel. I had said “no bread,” so they gave me some eggs and a couple bananas. I had a few things that I was running low on (face wash and contact solution), so I wanted to buy those since I wasn’t sure how easy they’d be to find in the rest of the country. Orel and another Israeli guy (Bar) joined me to the Pettah Market, which was quite busy! On the way, we stopped at the train station so I could get my ticket for later that day. I had booked my ticket online, but still had to collect it in person. It was so confusing trying to figure out where to go, as they had about 20 ticket counters, each for something different. I was finally able to get my ticket, and then we continued to the market. I found some contact solution and stocked up on wet wipes and hand sanitiser. I was getting quite hungry (unfortunately, not being able to have bread/toast in the morning always makes me hungry shortly after breakfast), so we went to a place called Arunthathee Vihaar. It was good, especially for the fact that it had air conditioning so we could get out of the 35-degree heat. I got the vegetarian platter and it was SO much food (I noticed that with most of my meals, Sri Lankans like to overserve. The amount of food that they’d give to just me could feed my whole family, and I was hardly ever able to finish a meal). I’m not even sure if I made it through half of the food, but it was still so good!

We headed back to the hostel and I instantly ordered a Tuktuk to take me back to the shopping mall. I had seen that there was a Body Shop there (which I was surprised about), so I decided to get face wash from there, instead of a random brand from the general store. However, they didn’t have any small bottles so I decided to just buy a huge bottle (which was quite expensive), and I’d have to buy small 100mL travel bottles later so that I could still fly with it. I got a Tuktuk to the hostel, grabbed my stuff, and then walked to the train station. I had no idea where to go, since I couldn’t find an information table with destinations and platform times, and none of the platforms had any information on them either. I went to one of the officers to ask, and he told me to go to platform 4. I waited and waited, but I still wasn’t sure if I was at the right place so I asked some locals, and they told me that I was fine. The train still didn’t come when it was supposed to, but after about a half hour, it finally came (apparently Sri Lankan trains never come on time, but the buses are usually quite reliable). I was on my way to Habarana, which would take over 4 hours (it was probably closer to 5 since it kept falling more and more behind). But I’ll save that for the next post. Love always