Travel, Theatre, Music, Cricket, Tennis, Writing, Life
Lazy day round pool and sea. Went into village – bank/water.
Had a lobster lunch at Ramona’s.
Played in sea and played volleyball in the afternoon.
Cocktail party in evening.
Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
River Safari – saw lagoon and mangrove life – Monkey Island, Cinnamon Island, Temple Island…
…and then picnic on remote island – very good trip.
Afternoon spent lazing by the pool and playing in the sea.
Supper club in evening – had flambé (pork Jane. I had non- flambé duck).
Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
Went out to moonstone mines to search for gems…
Each pair bought something. I got rubies for mum and dad’s ruby wedding. Saw mines and crude manufacture
I think the merchants were pretty honest ones. Of course the gems were not rubies – not in that part of the world, but they were pink sapphires, which are still precious and I didn’t pay all that much for them. They made a very nice gift when made up into an anniversary ring for mum later that year.
Lunch at Ramonas – gambas and tuna. Lazed around pool and in sea for rest of day.
Light supper in coffee shop in evening.
Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
Lazy day by the pool and sea.
Swam, ping-pong, Cashews.
We did more sea swimming that holiday than usual, for some reason. I think it was a very gentle sea at that beach…or perhaps I was a bit more crazy back then. Janie will have won consistently at ping-pong – she usually does. I remember the cashews around the pool being/seeming especially yummy.
Planned outings with Don and Zila…
Janie might remember this aspect better than me. They were a couple from our trip and the only other couple who went on to the Triton. I think in the end we only did the one trip with them – the next day to see gems etc. I don’t think they were as keen on doing stuff through Sunil/Ramonas as we were – but more on that as the next few days unfold.
…went into village for water and watched cricket…
I can only apologise to my cricket mates but there are no photos of the cricket. I suspect that we went into the village on our errands without cameras – otherwise there’d be photos.
…went to barbecue and fashion show in evening.
Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
Rose early for a drive round the coast to our hotel. Beautiful sea views plus coconut shell rope makers…
…and stilt fisherman.
Farewell lunch just outside Galle, then into Galle for a look round Church & fort etc.
Then on to gem, lace etc. factory and goodbye to tour.
Then on to Triton hotel (very tired) – unpacked, swam, changed, hot drink and flambé supper at supper club (very good) and to bed.
Free at last! Yes, Janie was especially taken with that flambé supper option at the Triton (now renamed the Heritance Ahungalla), I think we did it several times while we were there.
Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
Left Hill club early to drive (via Nuwara Eliya) through beautiful hill country, to Ella Pass Rest House…
and on to Tissamaharama for lunch and onto jeeps for safari round Yala National Park – very interesting – saw water buffalo and elephant at close quarters, crocodiles, ibis etc. We even saw a bear (very rare – only 20) but not a leopard (rare – only 25).
Got back to Tissamaharama dusty and late – went straight on to Hambantota – Peacock Beach Hotel – washed thoroughly and ate (good meal with limbo dancers!). Early night.
Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
Left for elephant orphanage early morning. Quite enjoyable.
Back for lunch and then leave Kandy for higher hills – beautiful scenery – stopped at tea Plantation/tea factory on the way .
Arrived at Nuwara Eliya Hill Club for colonial atmosphere – jacket and tie dinner, snooker afterwards, latish night.
Hot water bottle and soft bed – slept badly.
Part One of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 69 photos therein, ending as we leave Kandy:
Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
Day in Kandy – Botanical Gardens in the morning – 50-50 place…
…followed by gem factory/shop with hard sell and no sales. Then a ghastly souvenir shop place.
After pleasant lunch and relaxation by the pool, trip round Kandy market – very interesting and pleasant…
…then on to temple of the tooth for noisy ceremony…
… before returning to Hotel Suisse for dinner and early night.
Part One of our two-part photo album for this Sri lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below there are 69 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
Very early start to Sigiriya Rock – climbed all the way to the top – via the Sigiriya damsels (5th century wall paintings) – so high has a splendid ruined castle.
Returned to Sigiriya [Village Hotel] for swim, packing and lunch (best meal at Sigiriya) before leaving for Kandy.
I wasn’t going to miss that place, despite them saving the best till last food-wise.
On the way we stopped at a wonderful spice garden where all the edible and medicinal herbs were explained to us.
We then stopped at a daft batik factory before going on to Kandy.
Before dinner we went to a performance of Kandyan dance including firewalkers.
Dinner at Hotel Suisse – better than Sigiriya. Early night.
Part One of our two-part photo album for this Sri lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below there are 69 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:
Early start. Morning trip to Polonnaruwa – really bumpy ride – second oldest capital (11th/12th century).
[Polonnaruwa] ruins in slightly better repair than Anuradhapura – several temples to see plus more dagobas (stupas).
Also Gal Vihara – Buddha images.
Back to Sigiriya Village for mediocre lunch then on optional tour to Dambulla.
Climb up to cave temples – wonderful old (15th century?) Cave paintings and Buddha images – well worth the trip. My feet were attacked by killer ants as we left.
Yes, goodness knows where those biter ants came from, but as I came out of the cave temples entrance all of a sudden my feet were covered with ants – it felt like hundreds of needles being pressed into my feet. I think I made a bestial roar and started running around and shaking my feet to try to remove the ants. For some reason, this seemed to amuse the local tourists no end. My feet went red briefly and then returned to normal within just a few minutes, as if nothing had happened.
Back to Sigiriya [Village Hotel] for mediocre dinner and early-ish night.
Perceptive readers might have noticed that I was not overly impressed by that hotel, especially in the matter of the grub. Our other beef with the hotel was the paper-thinness of the walls. Although we were in “cottages”, the rooms were semi-detached halves of cottages.
Indeed, the thing that probably put us off group touring for good after this holiday was the vocal double-entendres at breakfast the next morning from our nosy neighbours, who left us and the rest of the group in no doubt that you could hear anything and everything from the next room.
We were one of only two younger couples in that Sri Lanka group (there was also only a handful of younger travelers when we toured China in 1993). We decided after this Sri Lanka trip that we didn’t want to be the unwitting entertainment for frustrated older couples any more.
Part One of our two-part photo album for this Sri lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below there are 69 photos therein:
Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here: