The Epicurious Wanderers!

Farewell Sri Lanka, at least for now.

Heading home from holiday is alway a double edged sword, it’s good to get back to your own bed etc but at the same time there’s always the feeling you didn’t quite see or do all you wanted to do.  This latter point is true of our trip to beautiful Sri, the events of Easter Sunday, no matter how we tried to not let them, did impact the rest of our time here.  

Lodge in Nuwara Eliya

Curfews, closures to some degree the weather reduced what we could do.  Up in the mountains at Nuwara Eliya the curfew from 6pm meant we couldn’t venture from the hotel grounds into town for dinner.  Don’t get us wrong the Grand Hotel really does live up to it’s name, a sensational colonial building harking back the to days of British rule, now a magnificent hotel.  Alas we had only the one night here, could easily have stayed for more.

Prior to that the views from the roost Topaz in Kandy, just too far from town to be practical for people like us that like to walk and explore.  Oh and let’s not forget the maze of mountain goat like roads that lead up to it, so easy to spend hours trying to find the right turn.

Our adventure started in the coastal area of Negombo, now forever etched in our minds as the site of one if the bombings.  Our ramblings here took us to within literally metres of the sight only a few days prior.  This location set on a beautiful beach with strings of cafes and shops will be permanently scarred by what occurred.  

Our hotel in Sigiriya with it’s magnificent views along the pool of the rock we almost conquered, such a great place to call home for several nights. The staff were all so friendly and welcoming, many showing genuine interest in where the guests are from.  In fact we watched several go out of their way to interact with children to allow parents to have a few minutes adult time.

The views of serene rice paddies from our room at Kithala in Tissamaharama, where we enjoyed our anniversary dinner with a celebratory cake made just for us.  Here we enjoyed a safari drive watching elephants, water buffalo and other animals in their natural surroundings.

Then there is Galle, where sadly we only had one of our two intended nights due to flight changes and road closures.  Here we really could have settled in for a few nights, the laid back nature of this charming fort town makes a changes after the hectic nature of the rest of life in Sri Lanka.  The Old Fort Printers, where we stayed, was a slice of days gone by, simply charming.

So thank you Sri Lanka for having us and sharing the magic.  Will we be back?  Definitely don’t discount the idea, there is still so much to see from Jaffna in the north to Trincomalee on the east coast and indeed Colombo which we never saw despite being so close.  So back on the bucket list we go…