30/09/2023 From Germany to Sri Lanka
After the world trip
Two months after returning from our world trip, we are on the road again.
The past two months have been intense:
- Going back to school full time to teach
- Planning our wedding
- Buying furniture for our empty new apartment
- And being back to long distance for two months
Luckily, it’s my autumn break now which means two things:
1. Seeing Blake again and
2. Exploring a new place together
Bring on Sri Lanka!
We first met each other in Frankfurt again where we had a great evening at our friends’ place with Julie and James.
01/10/2023 From Germany to Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka at last
Since 2020 we wanted to go to Sri Lanka but with the big C and other trips getting in the way, it took us 3.5 years to make (one of) our dream(s) come true.
Apart from the first location in Colombo we hadn’t made any plans yet but wanted to plan that after our arrival in Colombo.
A great flying experience
Flying with Qatar Aiways was amazing: from the high end food to the latest movies over to the great service with getting snacks and drinks all the time, we could not complain at all.
02/10/2023 Colombo
What to expect
Colombo
Stay at Granbell Hotel Colombo
In Colombo we relaxed at our hotel which had an incredible infinity pool on the rooftop overlooking the ocean and parts of Colombo. It was pretty amazing and widely above our normal travelling standard.
Eat Sri Lankan food for breakfast
Of course we wanted to try the local cuisine. This is why we went to a local Sri Lankan restaurant called “Curry Pot”. For 2€ a plate we got a big plate with yellow rice and different veggies and meats (for Blake).
You know you are the only foreigners when:
- Everyone is looking at you.
- You are the only ones
- to be asked if you want it “mild” (our mouths were still on fire),
- wearing shoes,
- eating with cutlery whereas everyone else ate with their hands.
Needless to say, it was as authentic as it could get.
Take a tuk tuk
In the evening we took a tuk tuk which seems to be one of the main means of transportation in Sri Lanka.
Eat curry
The tuk tuk drove us to “Culture Colombo”, where we both had curry with roti and fried rice cooked in a bamboo stick. It was tasty, but again: our mouths were on fire!
Have a drink at the rooftop bar
To finish a great and relaxing first day, we enjoyed a drink on our rooftop bar of the hotel, from where we had a fantastic view over the lit-up city of Colombo.
03/10/2023 From Colombo to Sigiriya
Infinity pool it is
The next day Blake explored the city in a tuk tuk, while I enjoyed the comfort of our hotel room with the massive window front facing the ocean.
I’m not a huge fan of bigger cities and from my first impressions, Colombo seemed quite big and dirty.
After that we enjoyed the rooftop pool together one last time before we got picked up by our personal driver that was going to drive us to Sigiriya, our next destination inland, for one of the most famous sights in all of Sri Lanka.
Sigiriya
Try roti for dinner
Five hours later we had arrived in Sigiriya in the dark. We had the famous roti with vegetables and chicken at Chooti Restaurant.
Roti is an unleavened flatbread that is traditionally made from whole wheat flour.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti
Again, for it being hyped for having the best roti in Sri Lanka, we were a bit disappointed. I guess we just had really high expectations of Sri Lanka’s food which hadn’t been the case so far.
04/10/2023 Sigiriya
Life in Sri Lanka
Life on the roads of Sri Lanka is definitely different:
- There are constantly cows walking over the road
- You can see elephants at the side of the street
- There are tuk tuks everywhere
- Entire monkey families are crossing the roads on the electric wires.
Stay at a Sri Lankan homestay
So far we found the Sri Lankan people overly friendly and very warm! Last night we stayed at a Sri Lankan homestay. The owner’s son lent us his scooter to go out for dinner which was really kind.
Furthermore, for 8€ p.p. per night, we had breakfast included, which consisted of coconut pancakes, honey balls, roti with jam and butter, omelette and tea, coffee and water. It was quite the spread!
Hike up Sigiriya Lion Rock
Today was going to be an ambitious day! First we hiked up Sigiriya Lion Rock.
Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress […]. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of granite approximately 180 m (590 ft) high. […] This area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (AD 477–495) for his new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Siṃhagiri, the Lion Rock.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigiriya
From the top you had a great view over the green countryside with lots of Buddhist statues since Buddhism is the main religion in Sri Lanka.
Go on a Safari in Kaudulla National Park
We were quite excited about the next activity: we were going on a Safari to see elephants in the wild. Our personal jeep driver picked us up at the homestay. We both really enjoyed the Safari and saw about 30 wild elephants in total, one eagle, peacocks and different monkey species.
If you can only do one thing, we still preferred the elephant experience in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where we fed, bathed and walked with the elephants.
How to get around Sri Lanka
In the evening the same driver from last night picked us up again in order to drive us to our next destination: Trancomalee.
If you do not want to hire your own car in Sri Lanka and you cannot be bothered to rely on public transport, another way to get around is to get your personal driver. We haven’t done that in any other country yet, but it is quite common here to do so.
05/10/2023 from Trincamalee to Nilaveli
Trincomalee
Have breakfast at Café On The 18th
In the morning we had delicious smoothie bowls at “Cafe On The 18th”. The best part about this café besides its tasty bowls and coffees was that it was right at the beach.
And the beach looked so beautiful with its white sand and turquoise water.
Relax at the beach
What better way is there to soak it all in than on a sunbed with a fresh coconut in our hands – life is good!
Shower time 
and swing time
Afterwards we checked out of our hotel and took an uber to Nilaveli about 20 minutes up the coast.
Nilaveli
Stay at Cardamon Hotel
Our hotel here was incredible! The pool as well as our balcony were both facing the ocean and a million palm trees.
Try koththu for dinner
We enjoyed the rest of the day at the beach before doing a beach walk to a beach restaurant called “The Beach Lovers”. I tried kottu roti for the first time there (7€ incl. water).
Kottu roti is a Sri Lankan dish consisting of chopped roti, a meat curry dish of choice (such as beef, mutton, seafood, chicken, or pork), along with scrambled egg, onions, and chillies.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kottu
It was tasty but again a massive portion of the same food.
06/10/2023 Nilaveli
I was very excited about today as I was going scuba diving this morning.
Go scuba diving
The dive shop was literally right next door to our hotel. By boat we only drove out for about 10 minutes and both dives were only 10m deep. They were both fairly easy dives (not like the one on the Galapagos Islands with really strong currents and cold water). We saw a lof fish, including little nemos and large schools of yellow fish.
They call it rainy season for a reason
In the afternoon Blake and I relaxed at the beach a little longer before a massive thunderstorm hit the coast at the exact same time as last night – I guess it is rainy season here after all.
A unique experience
At night we took a tuk tuk to a family-run restaurant called Nila Rice and Curry, where we were the only customers. Blake had fish curry and I tried the local dish called devilled fish, which is a Sri Lankan spicy chilly fish stir fry.
Since it was still raining, the restaurant owner was kind enough to drive us back to the hotel in his own tuk tuk. Even though the food was a bit too spicy for our liking, it was a very authentic experience again, which is what we love about travelling.
07/10/2023 From Nilaveli to Arugam Bay
New day, new driver
Since our last personal driver had left the area by now to pick up tourists in another town, he had organized that a friend of his would drive us to Arugam Bay.
Although six hours seem quite long to a lot of people, we both enjoy long rides as you get to see how the locals live and what the nature looks like in the countryside. Also, seeing wild elephants on the side of the road is a huge plus.
Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay is the most popular surf spot and is also the only international surf competition venue in Sri Lanka. It is also rated as one of the top ten surf destinations in the world.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arugam_Bay
We immediately loved the chilled atmosphere Arugam Bay displays. The whole yogi-surfer-vibe with lots of health cafés and restaurants reminded us a lot of our time in Santa Teresa in Costa Rica, Canggu in Bali, Koh Phangan in Thailand and Tulum in Mexico.
Bad hostel luck
What we did not like as much, however, was our hostel “Hakuna Matata”. We got fooled by all the positive reviews online. But even though the owner Billy was a great sport, the room itself was dark, moldy and just seemed like a bunker to us.
Unfortunately, I had a massive headache from the long car ride, so the moldy smell throughout the night only worsened my pain.
We only made it out to a café called “Squeeze me”, where we both had delicious juices and Buddha bowls before I went back to that little dark hole aka our room for the night, while Blake watched some “important” sports game in a bar.
08/10/2023 Arugam Bay
Even though we had booked two nights here, we knew we couldn’t and didn’t want to stay a minute longer here.
Have a Sri Lankan breakfast
We did, however, make use of the free breakfast. I mean where else can you have curry and potato roti for breakfast other than in Sri Lanka?
We then moved to a hotel called “The Bay” which had much nicer and lighter non-moldy rooms, a pool and an ocean view (for the same price of 14€ p.p. per night). So we were sold.
For the rest of the day we relaxed by the pool and enjoyed the great weather before having a late lunch at the beach.
Watch sunset at Elephant Rock
For sunset we took a tuk tuk to Elephant Rock where we were lucky enough to be the only ones to experience an incredible sunset at the beach.
Our tuk tuk driver told us to be back for 6.15 p.m. as wild elephants would come out for dusk. Only in Sri Lanka…
Try a sweet hopper
This savoury (or sweet) pancake consists of fermented batter, made from rice flour and coconut milk, fried in a bowl-shaped pan and filled with kari (curry) and sambal (fiery relish). It’s a morning staple in Sri Lanka and a popular street food, where they’ve been plated up for years — often with a runny egg baked into the base. Texture-wise you can expect perfectly crisp edges and a soft centre to soak up the flavours. Throw in some fresh coconut and fragrant spices and you have yourself a breakfast — lunch, or dinner — of champions. No cutlery required.”
nationalgeographic.co.uk
After sunset we bought a peanut butter banana “hopper” at one of the streetfood stalls (really tasty!). Afterwards we went to a bar to meet up with a Dutch couple and an English guy that Blake had met here the night before (when watching his important soccer game on TV – what else?!).
09/10/2023 Arugam Bay
Today was such an amazing day in Arugam Bay!
Start your day with yoga
I began the day with a 1.5-hour-yoga session on the rooftop with first row ocean views.
Go surfing
Then Blake and I had our first surfing lesson in Sri Lanka. Shockingly, on the entire world trip we had only gone surfing once in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica!
Our surfboards were put on top of our tuk tuk and together with our surf instructor we squeezed into the little tuk tuk and drove to the beach.
New surf pros on the horizon?
And to both of our surprise, the surf lesson was so much fun! Why hadn’t we done this more often on our trip?
Standing up on the board and riding the (white water) waves was so rewarding and definitely made up for the exhausting paddling back to catch the next wave.
Have breakfast by the beach
Afterwards we treated ourselves to late breakfast bowls in a cute café right by the beach.
Do a beach walk
After some more relaxing time by the pool at our hotel, we did a beach walk for sunset.
Have an ayurvedic massage
In the evening we took a one-hour-ayurvedic massage, which was very relaxing (but also very oily). Covered in oil from head to toe it was time for dinner. We found a local seafood restaurant with such tasty tuna steak and Mahi Mahi fish.
This day was probably my favourite day on this trip!
10/10/2023 Arugam Bay
Go on a Safari in Kumana National Park
Today it was time for another safari. We heard that Kumana National Park (also known as Yala East) is great for seeing leopards in the wild. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any of the 66 leopards in the park. But we saw a lot of other animals instead:
- Crocodiles
- Peacocks
- Monkeys
- Wild pigs
- Lots of deer
- A snake
- Elephants
- And countless water buffaloes
Overall, we were pretty happy after the six-hour-safari. We only had time to eat dinner at a local Sri Lankan restaurant (curry and roti, our go-to meals in Sri Lanka), before our personal driver was picking us up to drive us to our new destination inland: Ella.
11/10/2023 Ella
Ella
We woke up in our beds at “Oxy Breeze” to a beautiful green mountain view with a massive waterfall in front of us. It was pretty spectacular. We even got served breakfast on our balcony. Why can’t we always wake up like this?
See the train on the Nine Arches Bridge
After breakfast we took a tuk tuk to the viewpoint of the Nine Arches Bridge in order to see the train pass by.
The setting was really beautiful, but we couldn’t believe how many people were on the tracks just for the “perfect shot”.
Hike up Little Adam’s Peak
Afterwards we met up with an English guy that we had met in Arugam Bay to hike up Little Adam’s Peak. Unfortunately, the weather inland turns cloudy and rainy a bit sooner than on the coast. Therefore, we could not see a single other mountain from the top.
On top of that, it started raining by the time we hiked down again.
Luckily, there was another tuk tuk waiting for us at the bottom of the hill to drive us to our next activity which would be inside.
Visit a tea factory
Sri Lanka has over 1000 tea plantations all over the country. It only made sense to visit one of them and to learn more about it.
It was quite interesting to learn about what all goes into the final tea bag.
We also had a tasting of different black teas in the end. But to be honest I could not taste a difference at all. It was all black tea to me.
Have a sweet roti
In the afternoon it still hadn’t stopped raining when we had an early dinner in town together. Blake and I got a roti with coconut, chocolate and banana to go and took a tuk tuk back to our place in order to get cozy and to hide from the rain.
12/10/2023 From Ella to Nuwara Eliya
Rent a scooter
We’d be doing one of our favourite things today: a scooter ride to explore the area. For that we started the day early to get as little rained on as possible. Spoiler alert: this plan did not work – at all!
Where are we?
The idea was to ride all the way to Nuwara Eliya and to see different waterfalls and tea plantations on the way. The drive was beautiful and after about two hours we stopped at a tea plantation for some tea (what else).
Unfortunately, from that moment onwards we were going the completely wrong way. And since it had started raining heavily, I wasn’t able to check the phone for (the right) directions.
As wet as we can be
By the time we had realized that we had gone the wrong way, turned around and finally arrived in Nuwara Eliya, it was five hours later and we were wet to the bone! Why did we not have a spare set of clothes with us when we knew it was going to be raining? Who knows!
Plan B
Sightseeing was about the last thing on our minds now. All we wanted was to be warm. This is why we paid for a hotel room only to use their hot shower and go under the warm blankets for a bit to warm up again. It did not really work, especially since we had to put on our soaked clothes afterwards again. But here’s to hoping… Desperate times call for desperate measures! The hosts of the hotel must have felt sorry for us as they offered us free hot coffee, which we were very grateful for.
Back to Ella – but how?
Blake was so sweet and ordered an uber for me so that at least one of us would warm up a bit, while he drove back the scooter in his wet clothes and in the rain.
While my uber driver drove like a maniac, Blake was on his last percentage on his phone, while it was still raining and it was slowly getting dark. Luckily, we both made it back to Ella in the end.
Dry at last
Blake and I met in a restaurant in town for some hot curry and some dry clothes for Blake that I had taken with him from our hotel in the mean time. This was definitely an experience. One might think we’ve been doing this whole travelling thing for the first time…
13/10/2023 From Ella to Gampola
Catching the train from Ella to Kandy is probably one of the most famous things to do in Sri Lanka. And of course we didn’t want to miss out on this experience!
Take the train from Ella to Kandy
The train takes about six hours and only costs less than 2€ per person! Packed with lots of local snacks for the ride, we were ready to go!
The ride was beautiful with lots of green tea plantations, massive waterfalls, huge mountains and tiny villages all around us.
A highlight was definitely standing on the open doors while driving and watching the local life pass by.
Kandy/ Gampola
At our final destination Gampola our hotel owner picked us up personally and surprised us with hot tea and big cookies at his cute hotel that he had fully designed himself.
Since it was raining heavily again, he brought our dinner to our room, where we enjoyed a typical “devilled chicken” and a veggie soup.
14/10/2023 From Gampola to Negombo
Sadly, today would be our last day in Sri Lanka.
Climb up the tower “Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex”
In the morning after a massive (!) free breakfast in our hotel, we took a tuk tuk to the tower called “Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex” close by, which is the main tourist attraction in this area.
Ambuluwawa is a well-known tourist location in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, close to the town of Gampola […]. It is well known for its scenic beauty, biodiversity, and spiritual significance. Ambuluwawa is a hill that is 590 meters (1965 feet) away from Gampola town and rises to a height of 1,112 meters (3650 feet), providing breathtaking vistas of the surroundings.”
amazinglanka.com/wp/ambuluwawa/
Monkeys, snakes and tourists
At the tower we were greeted by lots of wild monkeys and a Sri Lankan guy playing the flute for his three cobras. It was a very odd picture, but Blake seemed to be as mesmerized as the snakes
From the top of the tower you had an amazing view over the stunning nature all around Gampola.
We then booked our last personal driver for our time in Sri Lanka to drive to Negombo for three hours.
Negombo
Negombo is actually much closer to the airport than Colombo. Therefore, it made sense to book one last hotel here.
And then it was time for a few “last times”:
The last time to
- relax by the pool,
- treat ourselves to a massage,
- eat (way too spicy) curry and
- “run away” from the stray dogs that seem to be everywhere in Sri Lanka.
At 1.30 a.m. our taxi picked us up to the airport so that we would arrive back in Frankfurt on Sunday at 2 p.m. – just in time for school starting again in the next morning.
Resumé Sri Lanka
We both really liked Sri Lanka a lot! What really stood out to us were the kindness of the locals and seeing free elephants on the side of the road, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
We would love to come back and explore more of Sri Lanka’s south (when it’s not rainy season), take the train from Ella to Kandy again and try some more surfing in Arugam Bay. So here’s to hoping that this wasn’t our last visit in Sri Lanka.
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