Category: Uncategorized

If you fall off of the horse, do you get back on?

Quite simply, yes. But it was terrifying!

After our short nap we were up and getting ready for the day. Only getting a few hours of sleep is worth it when you know you get to see an Ancient Wonder of the World that morning.

We knew that it was going to be a rather busy first day with little sleep. Our tour guide has been doing this for a while, his name is Michael. He said that ever since he was 5 years old he knew he wanted to be a tour guide. I could tell right away that he was resourceful and efficient. Two important things if you are traveling with a tour group.

We set off and Michael taught us about the history of the pyramids and promised that he would give us more history about Egyptian and some of the more recent revolutions. I hadn’t researched too much ahead of the trip – so I am looking forward to hearing more as we go.

All of a sudden we rounded a bend and we could see the tip top of the pyramids. There is something so surreal about seeing THE pyramids in-person. I mean, we have all read about them – saw pictures – and maybe even heard a little bit about their mythology when we were younger. To say we were eager to get off of the bus is an understatement.

Michael knew that most busses would stop at the first pull out (where you can get close and snag some great pictures) right away. We headed past that pull out to where the camels and horse-drawn carriages were.

I was wearing a dress so I felt like riding a camel wasn’t a good idea, so we opted for the horse drawn carriage. We saw a lot of people from our group already trotting away on camels. They had us get into the carriage. At this point we were excited to get to a better vantage point of the pyramids where you could see the smaller ones behind the big ones. Did you know that they were there? We didn’t!

We had been on the “road” for about 15 seconds when the carriage started to flip. I’m known to be a little bit over dramatic when riding as a passenger in a car. So naturally there was a moment where I thought No, this isn’t actually going to flip – they do this all of the time! Right? NO – no. We are flipping! Based on where Andy was sitting – he hit the ground first.

I tumbled over him and landed face first in the sand. It knocked the wind out of me. I was in shock – Andy was too. Within 1-2 seconds he was already on his feet helping me up. By the time we stood up there were probably 15 of the workers surrounding us and helping dust us off.

We were both really shaky, but they promised that they would get us on a more stable cart. (Why did they even use the first one?!) So we went out – and that’s when we realized that Andy’s arm was bleeding and really scraped up. We think he hit the side of the carriage as he fell out. I had one spot on my knee, but was otherwise totally fine. Our driver tried to make it up to us and took so many pictures of us.

Honestly, we couldn’t have gotten a better day! Clouds in the sky made the pyramids look more dynamic, We got back to the parking lot and our tour guide came rushing up – he translated for us and let us know the owner was so sorry. He offered us some hats and said he would refund our money. However, Michael told us it would not be good for the owner. Honestly, I felt compelled to let them keep the money. Any time you enter into an activity like that (without any kind of waiver) – I feel like it’s at your risk. So – we let them keep the money.

I was more concerned about getting Andy a first aid kit. Everyone was trying to help. It’s just a remote area and there weren’t great facilities. We got really lucky. We could have broken bones, teeth, had the horse/cart roll onto us. We had picked up travel insurance (because it’s supposedly a requirement to get into the country). And in the back of my mind I’m glad we had it. No one wants to spend their vacation in a hospital! (Looking at you Jon!)

We went to the other spot – that we had passed on our way to the horses/camels and took some even more amazing photos. We also got to touch the Great Pyramid!

I was spitting sand out of my mouth the rest of the day. HOURS later Andy noticed I had something between my teeth. It was sand. It really stuck with me!

In the end, we got back on “the horse” in this instance – it was a different one. (Don’t worry, the first horse was completely fine. Not sure about the carriage). And we were able to still make a lifetime memory over it.

If you are going to the pyramids, I’d highly recommend taking a camel. 😂

What we did:
-Whitmore Hot Springs
-Convict Lake Hike
-Mono Lake – South Tufa
-Mono Cone
-Earthquake Fault
-Inyo Craters Hike

Where we stayed:
Wildflower Condos #61 (Airbnb)

In a nutshell: We were fortunate enough to be able to meet up with Emily Richardson on a spontaneous trip to the Eastern Sierras. This region is one of our top spots in California – and we keep finding new things to do each time we are there. We were able to enjoy the natural hot springs – soak in the views at Convict Lake – and explore the out of this world terrain at Mono Lake – South Tufa.

For our dedicated readers: This blog posts marks a deviation in our blog – for two reasons:
1 – We know that lengthy blog posts might not be something everyone has the time for – but they may still want to know where we went and a quick summary
2 – We had primarily used this blog for international trips; and now due to COVID-19 we are going to need to do a lot more domestic trips for the foreseeable future.

Emily had reached out to say that she was on her way out to visit her family in St. George, Utah. Due to changing plans – we no longer were planning on flying down to San Diego to visit Jon and Yvonne – so we floated the idea of meeting up somewhere. Emily shares a love of the National Parks as well – but unfortunately, most parks were still closed.

We discussed a few ideas – and landed on the Mammoth Lakes region. Somewhere that Emily hasn’t been – and one of our favorites.

We all arrived Friday night after work – but most of our adventure started on Saturday morning. On a previous trip, last fall – we had gotten to experience the Whitmore Hot Springs. Emily was interested in seeing them – so we started our day off there. The parking lot was a little misleading – but it turns out quite a few individuals camp in that area.

We didn’t have to wait too long before one of the hot springs was cleared of other people – when we were there the last time we shared a hot spring with another couple – but due to COVID we didn’t feel comfortable doing that.

The springs were hotter than I had remembered – I think it was because we had gone in the fall and the air temperature was much cooler. The hot springs are such a fun experience and very picturesque with the white capped mountains surrounding us.

We made our way over to Convict Lake – beautiful alpine lake with a rugged back drop. There was a relatively easy 3-ish mile hike around the lake. We had planned on kayaking – but the boat launch area was busy and we hadn’t made a reservation for an additional kayak so all of us could go out. We decided to come back later when it was hopefully less busy.

After lunch, we made the 30-mile drive to Mono Lake. Andy and I had driven past this area numerous times – but had never been able to make the stop. After doing a little research, we realized that South Tufa was where we wanted to be.

We arrived to the park – after paying $3 for the car we got out to make the quick walk to the water. The tufas are formed from fresh water springs underneath the salty water. Mono Lake is twice as salty as the ocean! It really felt like we were on another planet with all of the tufas surrounding us. It’s a short hike – you don’t need more than an hour to walk around the south part of the park. We would highly recommend this area – very fun to see the different landscape.

At this point we had felt like we had earned a treat – a year or so ago – we had run into another couple when we were wine tasting in Paso Robles. Somehow we got to talking about the East Sierras – and they had told us about this “Cash Only” fast food restaurant that’s near Mammoth Lakes. We had made a mental note – and finally, this was our time! We stopped to get milk shakes – and they were amazing!

We had made a reservation to go kayaking on Convict Lake – and by the time we got back to the lake the weather had turned. There were actual white caps on the lake. As much as we wanted to go out on the water, it looked like we wouldn’t have a lot of fun – and could potentially be dangerous. They thankful refunded our kayak reservation. We had missed our window of opportunity, but I suppose another reason to go back another time.

Another item that was high on the list was Mammoth Brewing Company – we had driven past but just hadn’t stopped. When we got there we thought we were going to have to sit outside to eat & drink. However, there indoor seating was open. We walked in and found the one random table that was off on its own – we wanted to make sure that we were able to social distance. It felt nice to be in a social setting again – and felt like we were far enough away from anyone else that we weren’t worried too much.

The next morning Emily hit the road back to Minnesota – and we decided to do a few quick pit stops before we left town. We stopped at an earthquake fault where you could see how the earth was torn apart. This was dog friendly – so Linus and Jasper got to come on the hike with us. It’s a short 15 minute excursion, but pretty neat to see.

One last minute add had been Inyo Craters Trail. I had looked this up the night before – thought it might be nice to stretch our legs before our 5 hour drive back. It was extremely windy – and we got on the trail (not quite at the trailhead), so we got a little turned around. However, as you come up to the end of the trail you can definitely see the crater formation. There were only a few others on the trail – so it was nice to be out in nature soaking up the fresh air. These were believed to only have been formed 550-650 years ago.

We will definitely be back to Mammoth Lakes again soon – so much left to see and do!

The day was off to a rough start – we got a few hours of sleep on the plane. But then we hit a delay and arrived about 30 minutes late. As luck would have it, our airport shuttle also wasn’t there to greet us. I had emailed the hotel a few days before confirming that the hotel shuttle would be there to pick us up – and gave them our flight number.

We followed their directions and looked around the pick up area – no one was there! We were practically zombies hiking up and down the pick up area they mentioned – but there was no one there from the Radisson. (So if you’re heading to Delhi – I can tell you that the Holiday Inn driver was there and was super helpful!)

After asking around we finally had to call – which meant we had to use our international calling (which was even more annoying!). They said they were two minutes away – and that they would come in to greet us.

Seven minutes had gone by and no one was there. I finally poked my head outside into the smoky air (Delhi has some of the worst air quality in the world) and there they were! Of course they had forgotten to come in to get us… Thankfully, I had sent the tour operator a message and they confirmed they were able to come a little bit late to pick us up – which bought us more time.

You can see the smoke in the air. Some of the worst air quality in the world.

I was frustrated because this was the only leg of the trip where we didn’t have flexibility with our timetable.

It all ended up working out – and I slept for a little bit in the car. From our hotel – to Agra it is a little over 3 hours to get there. Our guide is a local guide from Agra – this was his community and you could sense his pride when discussing the Taj Mahal.

(One of the gates to get into the Taj Mahal).

(First full view of it! The flowers on the walls are not painted – they are actual precious/semi precious stones in the marble).

(Wow – there it is!)

The Taj Mahal is so much more beautiful in person then you can ever imagine. The white marble changes in the sunlight and with the cloud cover. It took 20,000 workers over 20 years to build this mausoleum.

It is our fourth Wonder of the Modern World – and it might be our favorite (so far!).

You can read more about the history here if you aren’t familiar. Air pollution from nearby factories and automobiles pose a continual threat to the mausoleum’s gleaming white marble façade – our guide told us that many factories had since moved out of the area. These efforts were made to protect the Taj Mahal for others to enjoy.

We weren’t able to take pictures inside of it – so all of our shots were outdoors. However, we could walk in and see more of the beautiful craftsmanship.

The tour also included a visit to the Baby Taj Mahal (which was actually built two years before the Taj Mahal!) and Agra Fort. It made for a very long day – three hours driving to there – and then spending a good chunk of the day. Due to some protests in Delhi – traffic was really bad getting back in to town. I think it actually took us 4.5 hours to get back to our hotel.

(Baby Taj Mahal – and some of its detailing).

We were completely wiped – but we had an amazing day visit another Wonder of the World!

Have you been to any Wonders of the World? Which one has been your favorite? Or which one are you dying to visit?

New Year’s Day was a restful one for us. I wanted to go swimming one more time in the ocean before we went back to Colombo – because the beaches are just not the same there.

However, Hikkaduwa is known for their surf competitions – which means they had some pretty large waves. After a little bit we decided that we needed a more relaxing swim and opted for our hotel’s pool.

We had breakfast and made our way back to Colombo. We stopped to pick up a few souvenirs and then had lunch with Sabrina’s family. This was another traditional Sri Lankan meal – Kidu (sp?).

Sabrina’s flight was in the early hours of January 2nd – just like our flight. So we spent some time organizing our stuff and repacking. We tried to take a nap – but none of us were very successful.

Andy I went out to Galle Face Green to say goodbye to the ocean and get a cocktail. We were enjoying the day until Andy clipped his heel on the stone step and started bleeding. That wasn’t so great – but he is on the mend now.

Once we got back we had a fruit salad as a snack and I learned how to peel this wonderful alien fruit. I swear, Sri Lanka has some of the best fruits around!

We had dinner and we said our goodbyes. It was truly a wonderful time in Sri Lanka and what made it so much more special was Sabrina and her family. We truly got an authentic experience.

There were a lot of flights around the same time because the airport was packed. Security has increased since the attacks on Easter – I think our bags went through the machines no fewer than 5 separate times!

We got the pleasure of hanging out in the Executive Lounge – which sounded fancier than it was. It definitely made for a great place to take a nap though.

This was the flight that it was important that was on time – because the next morning we were heading immediately to the Taj Mahal right at 8:00 AM.

We started our morning with breakfast at the hotel. I was still feeling queasy after they day before on our trip to Galle. So I took it easy on the fruit salad they brought me. However, because of this we decided it didn’t make the most sense to do surf lessons.

(Gorgeous breakfast view)

After breakfast we decided to do a walking tour that our guide book had recommended. We were able to see different parts of the fort – that ranged back a few hundred years.

We lounged around a little bit and then we got a tuk tuk ride over to Unawatuna Beach (about 15 minutes away). This was a really nice swimming beach – the water was perfect and it wasn’t too crowded. The ocean threw a nice wave at me the moment I had my back turned to it – I took a tumble and ended up sand everywhere. I think it took two shampoos before it was finally out of my hair!

We cleaned up – and had lunch. Our hotel arranged for a driver to take us up to Hikkaduwa. This is where we were going to meet Sabrina and her friend Annie. The ride was relatively quick – and we pulled up into our hotel…. Only to find out that they had overbooked us. They were sending us down the road to his brother’s hotel.

Our driver had shared with Andy that they see this a lot – when people book months in advance on Hotels.com, Priceline, Expedia, etc. they secure a lower rate. But if someone just wanders in that day – they can get more money from them. Which means – people like us are left scrambling.

We ended up at Ocean View Cottages – which was pretty comparable. It was a little confusing – but we got settled in to our rooms. Sabrina had hit traffic – but made it in time for us to watch the final sunset of 2019. Sri Lanka gave us a very golden sunset to end the decade.

Annie arrived and we all got ready to head to dinner. Dinner was back in Unawatuna. It started to rain again – not as bad as Christmas Eve. Thankfully there were beach umbrellas that we could take shelter under. Sabrina, myself and Andy agreed that we wanted to leave no later than 10:50 PM so we wouldn’t spend New Year’s Eve in the car. Annie ended up staying behind, but we all headed back to the hotel.

One big beach party – look at all of those lights!

It was such a good night. We changed in to pajamas – took off our make up. (Not Andy – he has a fresh face without it anyway!) Scooped a few chairs and brought a bottle out to the beach.

We rang in New Year’s between two competing clubs that were shooting off fireworks. Sri Lanka doesn’t have restrictions on fireworks – so it sounded like a war zone. It was the best time.

They had even sent lanterns floating off in to the night’s sky.

We went to bed shortly after midnight – it had been a great evening!

Sorry for the delay in posting… sometime it is a chore to keep current events, well current!

On Monday we left Ella and made our way south to Galle. I was particularly excited about our hotel here because I splurged so we could stay inside Galle Fort. The fort has a long history – Portuguese, Dutch, and the British all had their time in Galle. The fort is impressive and is actually a UNESCO world heritage site.

Our drive took longer than anticipated – the roads are busy even in country areas. Plus, I think this was our only driver who followed posted speeds and wouldn’t pass unless he was in a passing zone. (Unlike most Sri Lankans).

Disclaimer – we are about to have some real – and really funny talk. If bodily functions make you queasy, get out – and get out now!

I think we’ve all been there right. You eat something wrong and it doesn’t agree with you? But usually you’re near a bathroom. Whether at home, or a friend’s, public restroom, etc. Well… when you are in the midst of a five hour road trip I couldn’t have picked a worse time.

I want to start off by saying I think that all of our food was safe. I think that I am a sucker for fresh fruit – and that I ate too much of it. (The jury is still out).

I’m starting to feel queasy and hoping that the moment passes. But there I am – sitting in the backseat praying to God – Buddha- whoever will listen. Pleaseeeeee let me make it to Galle! And when it became more apparent that my upset stomach may end up spewing out from both ends – I quickly started praying for just a roadside cafe that would take a poor, sick, refugee like myself in.

Well, that is where Asia is different than most US freeways with their fast food restaurants and rest areas. There was NOTHING. I mean nothing in sight. We asked our driver to stop – and he kept saying, “Not good.” Meaning the restaurant, snack stand, etc. didn’t have a bathroom.

He was truly to help. He finally pulled over at a shack and the guy says I can come in. (At this point I’m sweating – and not sure which end things are going to come out).

He points to an even smaller shack behind the snack one.

Good Lord. It’s a squatting toilet. And there isn’t a lock on the door. And it’s his family’s squat toilet.

(Pulled this off of Wikipedia to give you a visual – mine was much more rustic).

And Mother Nature took her course – and I’ll leave that up to your imagination! It isn’t a simple flush when you are done – I had to track down a bucket to “flush” the evidence down. I was praising our sweet tour guide from Thailand, Yui from afar. She had taught us how to use these toilets from our last Asia adventure.

As if this isn’t bad enough – I walk out. And an older man walks out of the house – doesn’t speak any English and sees this white woman coming out of his bathroom. I don’t know what he tried to say to me – but I’ll let his son do the explaining!

I took some Imodium – and by the time we got to the hotel I was feeling a lot better. I scolded myself for eating too much fruit – again – pretty sure this happened in Costa Rica too. I just need to learn how to say no!

We ended up getting to our hotel around 3 PM.

At this point we hadn’t late and we had a decision to make – early dinner? Light snack? So much of this trip centered around food so we opted for the early dinner.

We found a place right along side the water. When we had checked in we had asked where the closest swimming beach was – the best beaches were about 15-20 minutes away in Unawatuna. However, there was a swimming beach by the lighthouse.

(You can see the Fort’s walls from Lighthouse beach).

We walked around the fort’s ramparts and eventually found the beach. It was very small – but it was nice to dip our legs in the water. As we were walking back we found a great little restaurant to watch the sunset.

We did a little bit of souvenir shopping and then turned back in to the hotel.

Overall, it was a long day of driving but a relaxing day once we got checked in to our hotel.

Up Next:

• Fort walking tour
• Surf lessons
• Drive to Hikkaduwa for NYE with Sabrina and friends

I had done a lot of reading about different hikes that you could do while in Sri Lanka. Initially – Adam’s Peak had been a part of our itinerary. However, this hike looked like a lot of work – and most people started it around 2 AM so they could be at the top by sunrise. Nothing about that screamed vacation to us – so we opted for the less strenuous version. Little Adam’s Peak – just outside of Ella.

We had a quick bite to eat before venturing out. We have learned that although Google Maps is extremely reliable in the USA – it is not in Sri Lanka. Thankfully, the path was well marked with signs for LIttle Adam’s Peak.

(We did not zipline down – we chose to hike it. Although it was tempting!) .

We wanted to get an early start because it’s been so hot in Sri Lanka. The path wasn’t very busy at this time. Just small children and some of their parents trying to sell us cold coconuts. We made it to the top relatively quickly – and got to take in the view and see Ravana Falls in the distance. (Which we were planning on going to after we finished the hike).

After finishing the hike we decided to decline the cold coconuts and track down some iced coffee. After relaxing for a little bit, we found a tuk tuk that would take us out to Ravana Falls. There were monkeys everywhere on this stretch of road!

(No monkeys – but this is how crazy the tuk tuk drivers drove. All over the road!)

We got to the falls and took a few pictures.

When all of a sudden a very naughty monkey dropped out of a tree and stole a woman’s freshly cut mango right out of her hands. What was left she threw at him to try to get rid of it so he wouldn’t come back.

(The naughty monkey with a full mouth).

We also saw a guy that was wearing a Stillwater, Minnesota shirt. I tapped him on the arm and asked him if he was from there. That was a firm no – we eventually realized he was from Kandy. Not sure how the shirt got there – but still a funny moment.

We had lunch and then ventured out to the Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory. Our waiter from the day before had shared that they still had tours – but they were only explanation tours. (No production on Sundays). We were actually pretty grateful that there was no production, because it was pretty warm the way that it was. With all of the heavy equipment moving it would have only made things hotter (and louder). It must have been a slow day for them – because our guide only took the two of us out on the tour.

(The view from the tea factory).

It was very interesting to see how tea is made versus coffee, beer, whiskey, etc. After the tour was over, we got to sample four different types of tea. (Of course there was no cream or sugar to make it tastier for me!) It was all rather good. Sri Lanka still might make a tea drinker out of me yet!

After the tea factory tour we went back to our hotel and relaxed. We are just over halfway through our trip so I started to rearrange my suitcase. I’m still not entirely convinced that rolling your clothes is better than packing them flat. (Who is with me?)

We went to dinner at a restaurant that had a blend of Sri Lankan, Asian fusion, and Western food. We had a real treat at the end – we had a banana rotti with honey. It was so good!

It had been a long day – and we had done a ton of walking so we turned in early.

Up Next:

• Drive to Galle (4.5 hour drive)
• Explore the Fort
• Swimming
• High tea at one of the 5 star hotels in the Fort

We had breakfast at our hotel – there was a really nice buffet that had both English style and Sri Lankan cuisine. Sabrina introduced us to hoppers – these are basically bowl shaped pancakes. They contain coconut milk and rice flour – they are crispy at the top and a little thicker at the base. They are used to dip curries and chicken in – again for that more savory breakfast. It was a nice treat!

We also had some fun watching three monkeys storm the breakfast buffet. We watched them slowly scurry down towards the edge of the roof and peek in. Once they saw no one was watching they dropped down. The staff chased them away numerous times. It wasn’t until we were leaving that one of them had successfully stolen half a loaf of bread. We were able to watch him enjoy his reward from the top of the roof.

After breakfast we hit the road – we made a brief pit stop to take pictures at the Golden Temple – this is right next to the Dambulla Cave Temples. We didn’t have time to stop at the caves due to Sabrina and company having a very long drive back to Colombo. The drive to Kandy took about 2.5 hours from our hotel in Sigiriya.

We stayed at the Queen’s Hotel in Kandy. It was centrally located near Kandy Lake and Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Kandy is the second largest town in Sri Lanka. There was a lot of traffic and people were everywhere.

We had a quick bite to eat at the restaurant in our hotel and then we set out for the Temple of the Tooth and the Royal Palace.

The Temple of the Tooth is a very sacred place for Buddhists in Sri Lanka. There really is a tooth – a relic from Buddha. However, if you think you are going to be able to see it – you’re wrong. It is shrouded in mystery – just kidding – it’s actually housed in a golden casket. The tooth relic had been moved around Sri Lanka quite a bit – it was believed that whoever possessed the tooth had the right to rule the island. Sri Lankan Buddhists believe they need to visit the temple at least once in their lifetime because it is supposed to help their karma.

There was a lot of construction surrounding the temple – and it looked like we were supposed to cross a road that had been blocked off to get to the Royal Palace. Once we started walking we realized we couldn’t get through – it was one of the few tourist attractions where we paid a fee and didn’t receive a map of it. So we walked out of fenced off area thinking the Royal Palace wasn’t connected. We were wrong – but honestly we ended up being okay with that decision. We walked around a little more near our hotel.

We decided to hike up to see Arthur’s Seat around sunset. This would give us a great view of all of Kandy. The hike wasn’t too bad – but our legs were still aching from climbing Lion Rock. The view was superb. Unfortunately for us, the place we chose for dinner meant we had to go down the hill and climb back up on the other side. I guess we were making up for long time we had spent in the car in the morning!

(The view from Arthur’s Seat – Kandy Lake in the background along with a few temples – the large white items on top of the different hills).

We took a tuk tuk back to the hotel – now that it was dark it was pretty dangerous to walk on single road streets. Not that riding in a tuk tuk is much safer – the driving in Sri Lanka has been pretty crazy. I think Sri Lankan’s use the lanes as “guides” not that you can only drive in one side. They really do use both sides and you’ll frequently see two tuk tuks side by side in a tiny lane. I’m grateful that we don’t have to drive at all while we are here!

We are heading to Ella next. One of the things we were most looking forward to was taking the train from Kandy to Ella – however, the agency we booked our train tickets with cancelled them because the train was overbooked. So we will be using a driver to get us there instead.

Up Next:

• Drive to Ella
• Uva Halpewaththa Tea Factory
• Nine Arch Bridge

We had breakfast at our hotel and packed up. We had used 12GO to book a driver to take us from Kandy to Ella after our train tickets fell through. I had done a lot of reading about how beautiful the train ride was between the two cities, but it wasn’t in the cards this trip.

Our driver arrived on time – and was very friendly. He told us to let him know whenever we wanted to stop to take pictures – as the drive itself was very picturesque. We made pretty good time – despite stopping to take pictures of the fields and hills. We even saw a wild peacock!

(Why did the peacock cross the road? Because we were heading his way at a frightening speed!)

There had been some miscommunication about which hotel we were staying at. It turns out that there is a famous resort in Ella – called 98 Acres. We however are staying at 88th Ella. Even though we told him that we would be at 88th – he still attempted to take us to 98 Acres. I only wish we were staying there!

Our hotel is recently built – and there aren’t very many reviews online. But it is nice – clean – and a great location. Only downfall is sketchy WiFi – which is a total first world problem.

Once we got to the hotel we weren’t able to check in – so we dropped our bags and started heading to Village Cafe – Nine Arches Bridge. I had read online that this was one of the best locations to view the bridge and incoming trains.

That’s great and all… except it doesn’t exist! Our hotel staff couldn’t find it – they took us on their tuk tuk and asked a few other locals. No one had heard of it. But being the millennials that we are… we kept heading that way anyway.

We eventually called it quits and decided to head to a different cafe – Asanka. Due to the sketchy cell service – we were bound to be let down. Once we got there – it really was only a shack that the owner had turned into a viewing platform. However, he took pity on us and gave us two tiny bananas and we purchased a Coke. We were ravenous after the drive and hike.

We were about to turn back after taking a few pictures when we heard the tell tale whistle of an incoming train. Jackpot! Within a few minutes the train had pulled through the tunnel and we had a front row seat of it!

We made it back to our hotel – got checked in and went to eat at the Ceylon Tea Factory. This restaurant was built to look like an actual tea factory. The food was great – and our service was even better. Our waiter helped us plan out the rest of our time in Ella.

(Andy in his natural element).

We spent time wandering around the main strip before heading back to relax. We had heard about Cafe Chill from our driver – and it didn’t disappoint. It had a great ambiance, was reasonably priced, and had fun drinks.

Up Next:

• Ella day 2
  • Little Adam’s Peak
  • Ravana Falls
  • Massages
  • Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory Tour

We had a very early wake up call yesterday – woke up around 4:30 AM for a 5:15 AM departure time. Thankfully, my body is so confused as to what time it is… it wasn’t that difficult to wake up.

It’s been hard to sleep in the car because I want to look at everything. I did take a small siesta – and after we woke up it was time to stop for a quick breakfast bite. The first stop was not quite what we were looking for – but then we found a small bakery.

(I went for sugary – mine are in the right side of the frame. The others had fish buns and another roll that was savory).

We got to Sigiriya – and found out that because we were foreigners there was a closer parking lot. (We pay significantly more than Sri Lankans – $30USD vs. a nominal fee). We started the hike – and it was already sweltering.

(Before the actual hiking began).

After this Sabrina mentioned that she had never actually seen a line to climb the rock. The line was long – and full of people trying to cut in front of you. Thankfully, Sabrina’s mum scolded them – since we didn’t speak the language!

(The long line waiting to go up to the frescoes).

The frescoes are an interesting part to this visit – they have been maintained very well. Some say that they are nymphs to shower Kings and Queens. Others say that they are Queens and/or concubines. They believe these paintings to be over 1,600 years old! Isn’t that shocking?

(You can see how crowded it really was – and also, how intact some of these images are).

After the frescoes – you make it to another flat area where there are plenty of monkeys and tourists. Not sure which ones were more wild?

(These two lion paws and a few steps are all that are left from the original structure – which is believed to have a lions mouth that visitors would enter through).

After waiting in line (impatiently – of course) – we made it to the top. And WOW! You could see for miles. It really felt like you were on top of the world – and you could absolutely see why someone would want to build on top of this giant rock.

After climbing down – we were absolutely famished. We got a few popsicles and drove to our hotel. We were able to drop our bags before we made our journey to Polonnaruwa.

We had a very eventful lunch – which, I don’t want to draw anymore attention to. But, if you end up in Sigiriya please don’t eat at Sam’s Sigiriya. Food was good – service was not.

We made it Polonnaruwa – another UNESCO site – an ancient city. This area reminded us of Chichen Itza in Mexico – where there are many structures across a sprawling area. This helped us understand how large this ancient city was.

Both locations were absolutely stunning and we are so glad we were able to squeeze both of them in. As we were leaving – they checked our tickets and recommended since we hadn’t stopped to see a series of four Buddhas to turn around and go view them. It was worth it. They reminded me of a small Mount Rushmore – except with Buddha.

We made a quick pit stop and tried a few coconuts. Super refreshing after a hot day of running around.

On the way back to our hotel – we had noticed a car flashing its lights at us. We come around a corner to find – nothing other than an ELEPHANT. Yes, a wild elephant! Yippee!

We also got to see a very beautiful sunset over one of the reservoirs. We had dinner at our hotel and turned in for the evening. It was a very full day. But well worth all of the steps and climbing!

Up Next:

• Golden Temple
• Kandy
• Temple of the Tooth
• Royal Palace
• Queen’s Hotel

We slept in a little bit this morning and after waking up we had porridge. When I think about porridge – I think about oatmeal. However, this morning I was delighted to find a more savory version of porridge (made with chicken). Today was not a day that we had a lot planned – other than visiting friends and family.

When we had visited the Mount Lavinia Hotel I had purchased a sapphire ring that was being custom made for me. We had requested to pick this up in Colombo vs. driving outside of town. We had a little bit of a language barrier when trying to figure out if it was ready – but after the third try we were told it was ready for pick up in their headquarters location.

Sabrina’s mum has caught on quickly to how much I love rings and costume jewelry – so she had recommended another store for us to check out. Sabrina and I both ended up leaving with a ring – this time I found a ruby! When we were in Thailand we had hoped for a lot of rings of different gems – but everything was too expensive. Whereas, in Sri Lanka everything was reasonably priced for both precious and semi-precious stones.

We were going to have our Christmas lunch at Sabrina’s friend’s house. (Annie – who we had met last night during the rain storm). We were originally going to have it at Annie’s house – but at the last minute the location changed to the hotel that Annie’s parents own. It was gorgeous!

We had such a fun time getting to know Sabrina’s friends – and their friends. (And some of their family!) It really felt like we had known some of these people for a while – it might be because I had heard some stories about Sabrina’s friends. But either way – it didn’t feel like we were out of place and we had such a good time.

They were serving mulled wine – which I’ve never had, but throughly enjoyed. They also had other beverages – I think Andy ended up drinking whiskey and I eventually switched to champagne.

There was the large table – and all of the different dishes were served off of this table. There was such a variety of food and I don’t think anyone could have left hungry.

After leaving Annie’s – we went back to Sabrina’s and played games with her aunts and cousins. We had a good time – we played Boys & Girls and Taboo. I forgot how bad I am at Taboo – but we had a great time.

We have to get up early tomorrow – so we will be heading off to bed shortly. We are heading out to Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya for some sight seeing.

Up Next:

• Sigiriya – Lion Rock
• Polonnaruwa