This article is finally written from home. Although I wanted to publish it during the layover in Dubai, I simply didn’t have time. It wasn’t much better right after I got back, because the day after arrival we were moving, then I was at 2 events, and then I left Prague again. Just to introduce and now let’s get to why we’re here. We have a few transfers, New Year’s drunks, a 5* hotel on the level of 1*, a bloody drone race, a police intervention, a tattoo, and finally a few numbers.
Drunks and the English Quarter
On January 1, 2023, we moved again, this time to Nuwara Eliya, where we wanted to rest after the demanding mornings and all the traveling and sightseeing. We stayed here for 3 nights and didn’t plan anything extra special.
The journey here took us about 3 hours by tuk-tuk, and along the way we stopped mainly at the Tea Castle, where we took a walk and bought some teas. Upon arrival in Nuwara Eliya, we checked in and rented a scooter to go eat and look around the area. I don’t know if it was because it was New Year’s, but in this city we saw the most drunk people in all of Sri Lanka. But when I think about it, the date probably wasn’t the reason. They actually celebrate the New Year sometime in April. Maybe some of the locals became a bit more Europeanized? There were lots of wine stores with terrible lines where people were literally falling to the ground in drunkenness. WTF – feels like home!
We walked through some markets and then went to see the local English quarter. Nuwara Eliya is the highest city in Sri Lanka and maybe that’s why the English chose it as their own, and it also left the biggest mark on it. Maybe it’s also because of the weather here.
5* hotel was….
On the second day here, we went out for a photo shoot. I took my “by André” shirts and went to find tea plantations. We took a lot of photos and the result is really great! Then we went for a ride again and back to the hotel to enjoy the peace and quiet.
The day before the next transfer, we went to Ambuluwawa Tower, which was recommended to us by Robin from SurfTrip. The less than 2-hour scooter ride was nothing special, but it was worth it – an absolutely amazing tower with a great view. We just didn’t dare go all the way up. Maybe it was the holes in the stairs or the fact that the stairs were then so narrow that not even one person could really fit. Well, luckily I had a drone with me, so I was able to take a look at it at least thanks to that.
So we were in a 5* hotel in Nuwara Eliya and we probably won’t ever again. Instead of rewriting it here, I’ll just throw in the review we gave the hotel.
Trip to Sigiriya
Before moving to Sigiriya, we went to visit the Damro Tea factory, where they took us on a tour and showed and explained the entire tea production process, including a tasting. We bought some more teas and went to the hotel for our things and set off on the transfer.
The trip to Sigiriya was almost 5 hours, so we arrived completely drained and just checked in and had something to eat. The next day we rented a scooter and rode around the area again, visited the Golden Temple and the Rose Quartz Mountain, and then went back to the hotel to work for a bit and swim in the pool. Because we were preparing to go to Pidurangala for the sunset, from which we wanted to watch not only the sunset but also the Sigiriya Rock. Because it’s really not worth climbing there.
The next day we wanted to go to the jungle-covered city of Polonnaruwa by scooter. Another over 2-hour drive and apparently we just chose the worst day for it. After breakfast it started raining, so we waited a bit and then set off on the journey. It was crazy because we of course got caught in a downpour and arrived completely soaked. I was completely, but Terka was quite dry. Oh, and the fries at KFC here taste like the ones at our McDonalds!
In Polonnaruwa, we bought tickets at the museum, walked through it and wondered what to do next, because it was still raining and not really suitable for a scooter ride around the city. Fortunately, it stopped raining eventually, so we didn’t have to use the services of the annoying tuk-tuk driver and did it on the scooter ourselves. In the end, I also dried out, so it was all dry. We took the road there and back through the elephant corridor, so we encountered several elephants along the way, who were really within reach and it was much better than watching an elephant on a rock like in the safari in Yala (see Sri Lanka vol 2).
Deer, Deer, and Well-Deserved Peace
From Sigiriya we took a bus back to the ocean, specifically to Trincomalee, where we didn’t have any plans because we wanted to chill on the beach and start enjoying the peace again. We had about 10 days left. We took accommodation for 5 nights, but on the first day we found that the beaches here are really not worth anything. You couldn’t surf, there was mess everywhere or sand fleas, and there was no life on the beaches at all. In addition, on the first day some dog flea jumped on me from a dog belonging to the accommodation. I was really happy, but luckily it was gone by the second day.
We drove around the area, temples or places where they feed deer and deer every day, which were just there non-stop. It seemed a bit strange to us when we arrived at the bus station that a deer was sleeping there, but we didn’t expect it to be that much. In addition to looking at the museum, we met the most puppies in the city that we’ve seen here so far.
Since we found out that we can’t even go see whales or dolphins because the season is, I think, from March to August, we packed up a day early and moved in a 5-hour car ride to Negombo. This is a city located just outside the capital Colombo. We really wanted to enjoy the peace so that we wouldn’t have to deal with a long transfer to the airport. After arriving, we checked in and immediately went to lie on the beach.
The next day we went for a walk and find a normal coffee and of course rent a scooter. In the afternoon, we both worked again and ended the evening with a walk. The following day, we planned just to sunbathe, because it was really nice. Actually, it was the first time I went to the beach with the intention of just lying down and sunbathing. Well, after 3 hours I got sunburned and we went back to the hotel. Before leaving the beach, we also looked at how two dozen men were using 2 tractors and 1 boat to pull in the caught fish. Well, I expected more fish. For the sunset, we went to look at the Sundown, which was really worth it. We wanted to go somewhere for a drink afterwards, but even though Negombo is quite touristy, at night it’s almost dead here.
Police Control in Colombo and Bloody Drone Race
The next day we had a trip to Colombo, where we wanted to go and buy some souvenirs for friends. When I was driving according to the navigation, it wanted to take us to the highway, which of course can’t be done with a scooter. And right after the turn, the police stopped me – for the first time in the whole time! In the end, everything turned out well and after about 10 minutes they let us go without a fine and even advised us which way to go. From what I understood, the fine would have been around 1,100 rupees, so nothing terrible.
As soon as we arrived, we climbed the Lotus Tower, from where we saw the whole of Colombo, where skyscrapers are connected to old buildings and the Sri Lankan craft in terms of buildings is perfectly combined with a modern style. We had food, went to the beach and to those classic markets where you can hardly walk, and then went home.
The next day, we drove around the beaches in the area and kind of chilled or worked. The day before the last, we got up quite early because we wanted to see the sunrise and especially have it in the photos. I also took out the drone, which was a really bad idea, because four local dogs didn’t like it at all. They ran after it like crazy and when I tried to fly away, about 3 crows noticed it too, so they didn’t like it either, so I stood knee-deep in the water and tried to land it quickly into my hand so I wouldn’t lose it. I just lost a little blood and slightly cut my fingers, that’s all.
Finally, also a Sri Lanka Tattoo
Yes, and I got a tattoo! Where else to get the national bird tattooed than here, right? In other words, André has a tattoo with a meaning!
Well, that’s it, friends! That’s all our travels around Sri Lanka and pulling out the most interesting things we’ve experienced, seen, and that was worth it.
Sri Lanka in Numbers:
Because I like numbers, I decided to add Sri Lanka in numbers. And in the article Sri Lanka vol 4 you can read how much everything costs here and also those general travel advice and tips that are good to know before you set off and when you arrive. You’ll also find our complete itinerary there, in case these articles interested you enough that you’d like to experience it similarly…
