Oruthota Chalets Kandy

... Norden, come on how cool does that sound. He was heading to the South Coast of Sri Lanka to work as a surf instructor at some accomodation down there after just finishing up some study in Aus.<br><br>The flight was pretty uneventful, probably because we were in a come like state for most of it, the landing scared the **** out of us as we were both asleep.<br><br>Stepping into the terminal was pretty cool, the first thing we noticed was the Sri Lankan airlines uniform, the best saree's in ...

... a large lake with lush green mountains in the background. Our guesthouse was just outside town which meant it was very peaceful and had amazing views off our balcony. We joked that our room was the nicest room we have stayed in since we began our travels. We arrived right around dusk which was just in time to see a TON of huge fruit bats cover the sky in front of our balcony. Since we had been traveling since 2am we decided to treat ...

... I didn't pay. But in the end I learned (again) and know you always have to ask for the price beforehand - even if they acts as 'friends'. After this I took the bus to Kandy. Just before Kandy the bus was stuck in a tremendous traffic jam and I soon found out why: for the last few days the holy Tooth Relic (an original tooth of Buddha) was on display, attracting hundreds of thousands pilgrims to Kandy. My government's travel advice says basically don't go north and east of Sri ...

... space in the overhead compartments as they had all gone crazy in duty free. Luckily I had checked in my bag and so had nothing to carry onboard. The flight to Colombo took 4.5 hours so the chance of a good sleep was minimal. This was only made worse by the person in front of me who spent the first hour taking pictures with his mobile and subjecting the whole plane to his music collection. I think I managed to get about 30 minutes sleep in total and was ...

... Car seems to be something of an institution in Sri Lanka but like many of their institutions it is not quite what one might expect. Forget the great two tier observation cars of the Americas and Europe think more on converted diesel rolling stock. Strip out the interior face all the seats backward and put in a couple of large windows at one end and there you have it. Individual reclining seats not more than fifty years old, side windows which pull up ...

... about being overcharged may make it seem like it ruins the holiday, it's not the case. Not ideal but it's just something that goes with the territory, like mosquitoes I guess. I did meet some very nice people who were happy to chat and tell you interesting things about Sri Lanka just to practise their English. On the morning I was due to leave, while having breakfast, I noticed a monkey climbing around the tree just a few metres away. Thinking this ...

... distances between the different settlements increases. In every village another traditional craft is practiced. At one point the edges of the road are lined with iron goods, at another time with leather products. Then we pass a village dedicated entirely to the production of pottery. The jungle hangs sumptuously over the seam of the road. Enormous clusters of bamboo rise up 40 feet into the sky. A flat mountain rises out of the green-blue distance. We cross torrential, brown ...

... coming up to us on the street saying they have seen us on TV. Even in Kandy some 3 hours out of Co,ombo some man came upto me! The Conference itself was all worth it though, not just from what I have learned but from all the people I have met and become friends with. I have met individuals from so many countries all with a story - its definetly been an experiance I shall never forget. At the end of the Conference we had a big party, I then had to get up very early to meet to ...

... course with one hand) after breakfast one final hour in van and we arrived at Habarana. The van dropped us off at the edge of the village and we started our door knocking in earnest. Habarana is a very low income area in the dry zone and the houses vary , some are pretty modern and some are no more than one large room but every single house hold was totally welcoming and we stopped many times to sit and chat. Most of the house holds did ...

... mates to turn up. So here I am now in Kandy, a quaint British colonial town high in the hills. Since I arrived here yesterday it hasn't stopped raining, not just rain but a torrential downpour. I'm staying at a 150 year old colonial house converted to a hotel owned by the same family for over 100 years. It has so much character, mum you would love it. The funny thing is, I don't think it has changed at all over the last century, there's still an old hunting room with ivory tusks and ...