Sri Lanka
We departed Singapore and headed for Sri Lanka, an island nation south of India located in the Indian Ocean and home to the largest biodiversity in all of Asia. The landscape ranges from rainforests and plains to highlands and sandy beaches. We flew into the capital city of Colombo and would spend 8 nights traveling this wild country by train.
We started with a six hour ride to Kandy and a visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a Buddhist temple located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy. From there we made our way to Maskeliya, a town in the Central Province of Sri Lanka where we stayed with a family (above there auto body shop!) and volunteered at a local school. It was then off to Ella, the beautiful mountainous and thickly forested interior of the island for some hiking through the countryside before finally making our way to Galle, a coastal town in the Southwestern tip of the island for beaches and a quest to find sea turtles!
The train rides were looooong (6-7 hours each), the people the NICEST we have met anywhere in the world, the currie inspired food incredible, and the landscape ever changing. The following is a quick update of some of our favorite memories from our time spent on this less traveled island off the coast of India.
A visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy...
Train ride to Maskeliya, to stay with a local family and volunteer...
Our host family children were the cutest, they took us for a walk and showed us the village.
A day volunteering...
We had such a blast with the kids in Maskeliya! Afterwards it was back on another train to the mountains of Ella...
The owners wife at our Inn in Ella was pregnant. As part of ritual, her family gathered to make rice as an offer to the local village for "good luck" and to obtain their support during her child's upbringing. They made enough rice to feed over 100 people! Sean learned how the process was done...
Afterwards a hike through the mountains, the views were incredible...
After a long day of hiking we ate dinner in the village, the cook invited us into his "kitchen" to observe him preparing the feast.
The next morning we slept in before our 7 hour bus ride (ugh!) to the coast...
Our time in Sri Lanka was memorable. It was such a beautiful country with the most amazing and incredibly kind people! We truly enjoyed our stay, but as always it was time to keep movin. This time to a very different location, to a city that is constantly being developed with building after building constructed daily. Off to the United Arab Emirates... quick pit stop in Dubai!
Truly amazing! God bless you both. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for following along!! Love sharing these updates with everyone!
Love the updates.
Great pictures.
WOW! Such an amazing trip with beautiful photos that truly capture where you have been.
It was an incredible place with incredible people! 🙂
Great memories and pics! How’s your energy levels this far into your year of travels? Do you miss home?
Energy is good! There’s never a dull moment 🙂 home is always missed.. looking forward to being back for the holidays!