Sri Lanka (Part 2)
Back again!
Here is a post about my trip to Sri Lanka. This is Part 2 so if you haven't read Part 1 I would recommend reading it. Just follow this link. Anyway, here is Part 2.
Day 8
Day 8 was spent in Ella and we climbed the magnificent Ella Rock. It was a very long walk! It started with a walk by the railway line to the bottom of Ella Rock. We watched a train go by whilst we were walking. Getting up Ella Rock was a bit of a challenge. There were a few different routes and all of the locals seemed to be pointing us in different directions! Nevertheless, we got up in the end. The climb went through some tea plantations first and then there was a bit of a steeper climb. One of the reasons why I liked the walk was that it had variety. Some of it was in direct sunlight and some of it was covered under trees. The last part of the walk was very very steep but when we eventually got to the top, we were rewarded with beautiful views. We had planned to do other activities in Ella but we were too tired from the hike!
Top tip: I would avoid climbing Ella Rock in the rain because our guide told us that there are leeches in wet weather!
Day 9
On day 9, we headed down the country to a small place near Udu Walawe national park. However, before we made the journey, we visited a tea factory where I learned all about the different processes of making tea and how to identify different types of tea. It was really interesting and the visit ended with a tasting session where I had lots of fun tasting different types of tea. When we got to the hotel, after a quick swim in the pool, we headed to bed early because on day 10, we were set to get up at 4am in the morning.
Fun fact: Tea with bigger leaves tends to be more delicate and aromatic whereas finer tea is stronger with a more intense flavour.
Day 10
On day 10, we woke up at 4am to drive to Yala Safari Park. Here, we saw various animals including a leopard! It was lying in the sun on a tree and there were about 50 jeeps all pushing and shoving to see it. The safari was really impressive even though we got up so early! When we got back, we jumped straight back into bed! Later on, we enjoyed a nice swim and a delicious buffet for dinner.
Top tip: When going on a Safari, it is best to get there early so that there are not too many jeeps all fighting for the same spot to view the animals.
Day 11
On day 11, we headed down to Tangalle which is another place by the coast. Here, when we arrived we settled in to a beautiful beach resort on the sand with hammocks! I spent most of the afternoon lying on a hammock reading my book. My favourite part of the resort was the beach bar where you could get cocktails or food and have them overlooking the beach. The sea was too rough to swim in but the place we were staying at had a natural part of the sea bordered by rocks so that you could paddle without any danger. That evening, we took a Tuk tuk (Sri Lankan version of a taxi) to a nearby section of beach and saw a turtle digging a hole to lay her eggs. Although we had to walk a bit and then sit for an hour on the beach, the turtle was spectacular! She didn't actually lay any eggs because she wasn't satisfied with the hole but we found some eggs that were hatching and watched some baby turtles making their way to the sea. It was an amazing experience.
Fun fact: Tuk tuks are Sri Lankan taxis. Many people in Sri Lanka don't own a car so the tuk-tuks act as a cheap taxi service to use.
Day 12
Day 12 was our last full day in Sri Lanka but it was a very exciting one! We started to make our way up the coast to Galle. In Galle we explored an old fort and stopped for lunch and an ice cream. It was really nice to walk by the sea and look at the fort. After that we went on a boat trip. We stopped at a few places on the river where we learned about how cinnamon is grown, had a massage from fish and held baby crocodiles. The boat trip was really fun and although I got a bit wet from the spray, we managed not to fall in! We made our way to Negombo for our last night in Sri Lanka.
Top tip: In Sri Lanka you often get people trying to sell you stuff like monuments and bracelets but don't show too much interest if you want to buy them otherwise the price will shoot up!
Day 13
On day 13, we went to the airport and said goodbye to the lovely country.
I would really recommend Sri Lanka to anyone because it has stunning scenery, interesting places to visit and delicious food! I hope you have enjoyed my two posts. Look out for Photo Gallery of Sri Lanka which should appear in the next week or so.
Bye!
Here is a post about my trip to Sri Lanka. This is Part 2 so if you haven't read Part 1 I would recommend reading it. Just follow this link. Anyway, here is Part 2.
Day 8
Day 8 was spent in Ella and we climbed the magnificent Ella Rock. It was a very long walk! It started with a walk by the railway line to the bottom of Ella Rock. We watched a train go by whilst we were walking. Getting up Ella Rock was a bit of a challenge. There were a few different routes and all of the locals seemed to be pointing us in different directions! Nevertheless, we got up in the end. The climb went through some tea plantations first and then there was a bit of a steeper climb. One of the reasons why I liked the walk was that it had variety. Some of it was in direct sunlight and some of it was covered under trees. The last part of the walk was very very steep but when we eventually got to the top, we were rewarded with beautiful views. We had planned to do other activities in Ella but we were too tired from the hike!
Top tip: I would avoid climbing Ella Rock in the rain because our guide told us that there are leeches in wet weather!
Day 9
On day 9, we headed down the country to a small place near Udu Walawe national park. However, before we made the journey, we visited a tea factory where I learned all about the different processes of making tea and how to identify different types of tea. It was really interesting and the visit ended with a tasting session where I had lots of fun tasting different types of tea. When we got to the hotel, after a quick swim in the pool, we headed to bed early because on day 10, we were set to get up at 4am in the morning.
Fun fact: Tea with bigger leaves tends to be more delicate and aromatic whereas finer tea is stronger with a more intense flavour.
Day 10
On day 10, we woke up at 4am to drive to Yala Safari Park. Here, we saw various animals including a leopard! It was lying in the sun on a tree and there were about 50 jeeps all pushing and shoving to see it. The safari was really impressive even though we got up so early! When we got back, we jumped straight back into bed! Later on, we enjoyed a nice swim and a delicious buffet for dinner.
Top tip: When going on a Safari, it is best to get there early so that there are not too many jeeps all fighting for the same spot to view the animals.
Day 11
On day 11, we headed down to Tangalle which is another place by the coast. Here, when we arrived we settled in to a beautiful beach resort on the sand with hammocks! I spent most of the afternoon lying on a hammock reading my book. My favourite part of the resort was the beach bar where you could get cocktails or food and have them overlooking the beach. The sea was too rough to swim in but the place we were staying at had a natural part of the sea bordered by rocks so that you could paddle without any danger. That evening, we took a Tuk tuk (Sri Lankan version of a taxi) to a nearby section of beach and saw a turtle digging a hole to lay her eggs. Although we had to walk a bit and then sit for an hour on the beach, the turtle was spectacular! She didn't actually lay any eggs because she wasn't satisfied with the hole but we found some eggs that were hatching and watched some baby turtles making their way to the sea. It was an amazing experience.
Fun fact: Tuk tuks are Sri Lankan taxis. Many people in Sri Lanka don't own a car so the tuk-tuks act as a cheap taxi service to use.
Day 12
Day 12 was our last full day in Sri Lanka but it was a very exciting one! We started to make our way up the coast to Galle. In Galle we explored an old fort and stopped for lunch and an ice cream. It was really nice to walk by the sea and look at the fort. After that we went on a boat trip. We stopped at a few places on the river where we learned about how cinnamon is grown, had a massage from fish and held baby crocodiles. The boat trip was really fun and although I got a bit wet from the spray, we managed not to fall in! We made our way to Negombo for our last night in Sri Lanka.
Top tip: In Sri Lanka you often get people trying to sell you stuff like monuments and bracelets but don't show too much interest if you want to buy them otherwise the price will shoot up!
Day 13
On day 13, we went to the airport and said goodbye to the lovely country.
I would really recommend Sri Lanka to anyone because it has stunning scenery, interesting places to visit and delicious food! I hope you have enjoyed my two posts. Look out for Photo Gallery of Sri Lanka which should appear in the next week or so.
Bye!
Comments
Post a Comment