Wonderful Sri Lanka
Date: Sep 1st, 2008 10:17:23 am - Subscribe
Mood: ugh
We spent 6 days in Mirissa and it is wonderful! It was nice to relax and do nothing because it had been for some time (well, less Lijiang) that we had not ceased. The beach was beautiful and the waves were so fun! We celebrated Dave's Birthday on 28 with drinks and games ... Dave likes to play spoons that we agreed to play even if it is always a little intense ... we are fortunate to have a solid table this time. He did not win but he was still happy! The servers at the restaurant even reserved a special table for us with candles and makes a special meal for the anniversary boy.Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Mirissa and we headed to Colombo for our last two days in Sri Lanka. We went searching our visas on Thursday and thought we would get right away but we had to wait an hour in a room very brief! We spent our last afternoon underway at the hotel gym and swimming!
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Plenty of Sri Lanka time
Date: Jan 28th, 2008 12:23:30 am - Subscribe
Mood: alluring
Hello everyone! Ok, here I am in Sri Lanka, dodging bombs and the search for the sun! He He! Only joking, well done, half of the half! Yeah, there were some bombs since I got here, but on the whole they were in Colombo and I have to say that I do not feel unsafe at all. Apparently, the cease-fire has officially ended, and if there are military and police wherever you go here. On the front of the sun, it is honestly rain continues during the first week to be here. We then got a nice few days and now his chuck it down again, therefore, in this regard, I am looking desperately for some sun!
So what am I doing up here? Well, I will start right to leave Goa.
Our taxi stand earlier than we had 5:30 reserved for it and, therefore, was awakened by a hut banging on the door. Bondi, convinced that I had overslept and was late for the taxi, but it turned out to be only 5 hours and thus had a lot of time. We arrived at the airport of departure and the first was to put the bags through an xray before we could check in. Stupidly, I forgot to put my pack in the bag before it went through the scanner, and therefore had to queue twice for the xray! Seems to have had the chance to arrive early, after all! Eventually the bag was scanned and the sticker security in place and joined the queue for registration. When we arrived at the front though, the lady told us that the flight was overbooked and they have left transit passengers in the first place. Would we mind standing aside and they find us another flight indirect if not managed to get on it! Well, after spending an entire day searching for a flight, spending almost 14k ruppees for a direct flight from Goa and have obtained at 5 o'clock this morning to get this flight, I was not having any of it. Oli is the same view, therefore, basically, we told the woman we were not move until we checked on the flight - passengers in transit are not our problem, and if it does we could check in, it is better to have her manager to come and talk to us as we were not moving away from the check-in desk. She huffed a bit, and tried to serve the next in line with the people around us have arrived before another woman behind the desk. Obviously, the manager, but did not talk with us, she simply told the lady to check us! She was not happy and slammed passports with boarding passes! At least we were on the flight if! Although I do think perhaps that our luggage would be sent to timbuktu or somewhere!
Anyway, we got to board the plane and a few hours later were in Sri lanka. It was very hot when we arrived, and much more humid than India ..... And significantly more sunny!
Outside the airport, we were able to take a bus in Colombo (the airport is a way out of the city) where I could try to find the Indian Embassy to apply for visas. The guys on the bus for stingus tried to double the fee charging more for us that our bags for us, so I decided to go meet them. After 5 minutes of reasoning, I came back with half of the difference between my hands, I was happy with that bearing in mind that the bags did indeed take place a seat and the bus does are really crowded.
When we arrived in Colombo, we realised that it was the embassy on Saturday and, if we found it, would probably be closed. So instead we joined a huge queue at the station to get a ticket in Kandy. Oli went off on the hunt for beer and cigarettes and we took in turns, while the other queue of a "looked after" the beer! Little did we realise at the time that his illegal to smoke in the street and probably drinking beer in the street! Nobody stopped us, and even if the rickshaw driver who spoke to us did not see fit to mention this little item! This is the first realization that being a visitor basically means you get away with something.
We missed the first train, but we managed to get to one side. It turned out to be an hour slower, so it took about 4 hours to reach Kandy. Before we got on the train, we went to coffee from the station for something to eat. He had a loadof various breads and cakes to choose, so we picked a couple each. This was our first experience of how Sri Lankan eating! There were some ladies who had an enormous shelf stacked in front of them with different breads and cakes! I could not believe that a person could eat as much, but they worked their way through it! What we chose - rotis, has proved to have more chillis and nothing else! It was also our first experience of how the food was spicy!
We left the cafe 10 minutes before the train was due to leave another ...... Lesson! In Sri Lanka, you do not get a seat in the ticket! Accordingly, it has come to sit on the package in the door of the train! It was not so bad, and although I have to say that when an open seat came a few hours later, he was more uncomfortable than I had been over the pack in the door! Until it got dark, we benefited from the campaign in passing, which was so nice, after India. The place is so green and lush and unlike India, is not strewn with litter.
Anyway, finally arrived in Kandy and finally, after walking miles, we found the Glen guesthouse. She was so clean, it is incredible and mattresses were at least 4 inches thick - luxury!
We stayed in Kandy for a few days, checking out the tooth temple, the demand for my visa for india (yes, there was another Indian embassy in Kandy, which was great because it meant I did not have to return to Colombo to seek It) and drink with a couple of Oz, we met in the pub on the first day! I do not want to spend my firstday normally somewhere in the pub, but it was chucking down with rain and it seemed like a good place to take refuge!
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Sri Lanka Royal Garden
Date: Oct 9th, 2007 2:38:22 pm - Subscribe
Mood: goofy
It was one day splendid for the rise with the fresh breeze and not much of sun. The first thing we saw were the royal garden by the foot of the rock, which considered blown us. It was filled of some astonishing architectural wonders that you not to believe were there is the 1000 years possible. Initially we were shown a complex drain with rainwater of provisioning starting from the top of the rock to the garden filling some 100s of the ponds, swimming pools and floors. Fountains of water that several feet the distiller top actuates during rain seasons! A complex system of filter of water was in place to provide water to the swimming pool and the fountains. The king - Kasyapa, made some astonishing swimming pools, which are larger and more originator than the swimming pools at the 21st century. The massive royal swimming pool in the shape of an octagone cut out in the rock is a true wonder.
Because we started our to raise, we were exposed to more feasts of the ancient kingdom. The place of rest of the king close to the sector of parliment has a device of air-conditioning air-cooled complex. The water of lake was pumped in an enormous water tank resting on a large rock. A ditch was cut side of the rock dropped water on each side of the rock, cooling the rock and making the place of rest of the king inside the cavity of the cooler of rock! ! The royal rock of Parliment and torturers was traditional.
Beautiful the frescos drawn on the face of the rock is amazing. Although only some of them are saved, you can still obtain a very narrow glance. The wall of mirror along the frescos is clever, reflecting the frescos and leaving the ancient travellers paintings on the two sides see.
The top has the ancient ruins of the royal palate and a royal swimming pool of preserverd good and few rooms. All in any whole voyage to the top hypnotized and completely astonishing. To take a good guide with you and to begin the morning early. To be on the watchout for warnings of attack of wasp as certain periods of the years the attacks of wasp can occur!
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sri lanka supper
Date: Sep 18th, 2007 2:20:27 pm - Subscribe
Mood: psyched
We dressed for the supper, we took our remaining bottle from wine (an Australian Syrah) and directed above to the restaurant of the natural food of Sonja again. Hoping to us they were all ours currys, and Karuna had done the rice and poppadums (as we needed more food). We opened the wine, we toasted and remetimos pulg. Everything was great. Curry of the fragmentation hand grenade was a little sharp, so it can be that we fall something of the Chile that entered that next time. The sweet potato was our favorite that I think. The lentils were good like the pumpkin. We will definitively use the green prescription of haba again, as soon as like lateral plate for any food. The fish was excellent, if a little huesudo, so we would still use probably diverse fish or crustaceans. The brines were a great addition also - I must admit that he was a little careful brines, but they were not as our brines and they were very smooth.
A magnificent banquet and a way too much food. Karuna said that her family would please itself to finish the rest. This would have been perfect but for a small thing - then our food finished, a verbal fight began just outside the restaurant with some women. Unfortunately Karuna obtained very fast and very noisy united inside, and rather soon the way was right cacophony of the voices of griterío of the women. he raises absolutely quickly, but Juan and I felt that it was hour to go. We paid to Karuna the class, packed upon the rest of our left wine and to go again to our hotel.
We walked throughout the beach - there were so many stars in the black sky. The moon was a moon of the cat of Cheshire (to ask Fiona if you do not know that one). He was definitively one of those “moments in time”.
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Trip to sri lanka
Date: Aug 7th, 2007 8:54:31 am - Subscribe
Mood: befuddled
Our trip to Sri Lanka was anxious before even it began! We left Vietnam L the 18 of May and directed again to Bangkok to only discover that Sri Lanka had begun to close its airport due to fighting at night (had been recently a bombing in the door following low military man to the airport and to some air lines, e.g the air and the Emirates of Singapur now rejected to fly to Sri Lanka in all (Juan says: “Fighting” he makes the sound as we flew in center of a civil war and landed in a “LZ warms up” and we had scurry to the terminal building that he avoided to placed in ambush gunners, it was not absolutely like that one). What that means to us? Well, aside from we could have remained a day more of length in Vietnam, meant that we had to find a hotel in Bangkok. The next morning, we were for above with the larks again (or what the equivalent one of Sri Lankan is) and walking throughout the beach. This time, we took cash with us and we decided that if we anywhere saw that sold coffee, we would stop. The previous morning nothing was open, but éramos really early. This time is was 6:45 before we struck the beach and so he was closest to 7 for the moment at which we began ours we walk behind. (Juan says: Lynne is giving returned in a person in the morning. She did not mention that she was for above first yesterday and now is only 7am and we are in our posteriora part of the way) Then the luck would have the resource of the beach of Unawatuna (UBR to locals) was breakfast of the correct portion and in the beach. Hicimos to explode for above and we took a glance in its menu there from the breakfast and we seated down! This was going to be great. Ooops, we brought enough cash? For the end of the food, we had them discovered we had quarters that included the breakfast and the supper (average board) for only little more than where we were, and, they had a swimming pool with an area that seated and a bar. Tenían a restaurant and an Internet without threads! Finally we were the day following in the train - I think that the trip was near 2 hours - and directed to Colombo. I took 200 pictures throughout the way, was more wastes, but something was quite fresh. To leave us opinion right that the train was filled up and the conditioned air consisted of two ventilators bolted to the ceiling, that were rather so useless that all the windows in the car were opened anyway. Then Juan did not have any seat, he hung between the cars, pretty much outside the train most of the trip. Very Western-he watched really since you told on a cattle to horse galloping that he came to the flank and he grasped the tracks and he finishes of jumps on board (although would not have been site for them). The salesmen would happen periodically to traverse. A little selling food some drinks, the tebeos of some children really salesmen. In a station a salesman obtained ignition with (I think) the fresh prawns for the sale that she surrounded in the newspaper for which they wished them. Once we arrived in Colombo, UBR had fixed so that a car satisfies us, takes us to the lunch and leads around Colombo until our flight time. This one turned out to be not a so great idea, but well of oh. We had lunch good, where we would have chosen, but was not absolutely good. Then we conducted ourselves around the city with the conductor of the taxi that said that where we could not go because there had been a pump in a bus the previous day, and some of the ways had been made jump. Oh, and this place was closed the tourists, and that place now had protectors, and so on. (Juan says: There had been a pump in a military bus the day before. He had gone in of the way where they were the jewelers and the retailers of gold. This one was the area that was closed and by all means where Lynne wished to go! The rest of the city was open. We saw soldiers, but they were in protector around the military bases that we it mountain range Juan is forgetting that they were also around monuments and of the historical buildings also. Sri Lanka is not that great and we it lead under one of the main ways in the island. We by all means saw many bases and of them the military all the had protectors. The plus, is something threatening on the Russian weapon of the assault AK47 there that all the soldiers took. To be honest mountain range hardly so many machine guns of the police that took in London after the bombings of the tube are said since I did in the truth of Sri Lanka), I I was glad to leave Colombo. We made a shutdown nevertheless fast, to buy some bangles to go with my saris bought again.