Where in the world...
Fabian in Sri Lanka
On May 3rd I set out on a 2 week adventure!
The first 5 days in Sri Lanka, then 3.5 days in the Maldives with a pit stop in
Istanbul. I couldn’t wait. No one in the office had gone to Sri Lanka and it
was a great group of us going, lead by our friend from Taj Hotels.
The trip started from LAX to Istanbul (nonstop) with
Turkish Airlines. I must say, this airline really stepped up their game.
Their Business class is very comfortable, at a reasonable price, and premium
economy is extremely impressive…. Reminded me of a seat on a first class
domestic flight.
As there was an 8-hour layover to take the next jump
from Istanbul to Colombo, we decided to enjoy the evening in Turkey. We
got in at about 5pm on a Saturday. We had planned a quick Bosporus Cruise and
dinner at the pier. Who would ever think there would be traffic at that time??
WRONG. The streets were packed with cars mushed bumper to bumper.
The ride was roughly 45 minutes from the airport to
the pier, where normally it would take 20 minutes tops. But it was
definitely worth it. I highly recommend even a 1-hour cruise through the
Boshorus. This really gives you a good “feel” for the city. After a
nice boat ride, followed by a delicious traditional Turkish dinner near the
pier, we hopped on the plane again and headed over to Sri Lanka.
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| Cruise Down Bosporus |
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| Sears? |
HELLO
COLOMBO! We arrived at the
airport, got off the plane and proceeded to customs. “We are here!”
Wait, what’s this?? Washing machines, refrigerators, coffee makers,
microwaves… as you make your way through customs. Huh?? For a
second, I thought I was still on the plane dreaming about being in a Sears.
After the ever-so strange encounter with Sears meeting
JFK, we got our bags and were greeted by our Sri Lankan trio; pro driver, guide
and assistant guide (prepared by Ceylon Express Tours). The three wise
men were great…. very knowledgeable of the area, flexible, good manners and
great English. They stayed with us throughout the entire stay in Sri
Lanka, as the country is relatively small (no need to fly anywhere… train or
car is all you need… possibly a tuk tuk as well).
The drive from the airport to our hotel was about 1.5
hours. We arrived to the hotel, the Taj Samudra, where traditional dancers were
doing their groove at the lobby entrance. The hotel is nice; beach-front with
clean rooms and great views. Tip: stay on the top floor, as the hotel recently
renovated these rooms.
After a long-needed sleep on an actual bed, the next morning was a blast. Our target that day was Kandy (2-hour drive), with a pit-stop at the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawala. We just made it to see the end of the Elephant bathing. We then went to feed the elephants after they were nice and clean. I have to say, getting up close to the largest land animal in the world and feeding it full bananas, watermelon and pineapple… you feel tiny (even me!).
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| Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawala |
Next stop was our target city of Kandy, a larger city around the middle of Sri
Lanka. Here is where I felt the similarities of Sri Lanka and India; the
people, the food, the hustle and bustle, the crowds etc…We went directly to our hotel, the Mahaweli ReachHotel. After checking-in to the room, we headed right out to see
a cultural performance by Kandyan dancers.
Following the cultural show, our “tour guide trio" took us to the most famous temple in Sri Lanka, the Temple of the Tooth. It is famous because it safeguards the tooth of Buddha, and people come to catch a glimpse of the tooth through a small window of the room where it is kept. Maybe I was just tired from a full day of experiences, but I wasn’t swayed by the magnificence of the temple. I am sure many people beg to differ but regardless, Buddhist or not, one still finds it very interesting to see the beliefs and respect that the locals have to the temple and its withholdings.
Following the cultural show, our “tour guide trio" took us to the most famous temple in Sri Lanka, the Temple of the Tooth. It is famous because it safeguards the tooth of Buddha, and people come to catch a glimpse of the tooth through a small window of the room where it is kept. Maybe I was just tired from a full day of experiences, but I wasn’t swayed by the magnificence of the temple. I am sure many people beg to differ but regardless, Buddhist or not, one still finds it very interesting to see the beliefs and respect that the locals have to the temple and its withholdings.
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| Temple of the Tooth |
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| Kandy |
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| View from Hotel Room |
The next day, we returned to Colombo by train, to then drive to a beach town called Bentota. The train ride is well known for its scenery… unfortunately we did not get this as it was pouring rain and extremely foggy, but you could tell that on a nice day, the views must be incredible (confirmed by my friend Google). TIP: go first class. The difference is not much monetarily, yet very well worth it. After the 1 hour train ride and 1.5 hour drive to Bentota, we finally arrived to our hotel; the Vivanta by TajBentota.
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| Vivanta by TajBentota |
The town of Bentota is well known for its scuba diving, surfing and its cinnamon! Believe it or not, the bulk of the world's cinnamon production (80-90%) comes from Sri Lanka. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the hotel and off to bed, to recharge and count some sheep.
The next day, we toured through the city of Bentota and its surroundings, including a visit to a turtle hatchery, a cinnamon and moonstone factory, a pit stop by side of the road to see how the locals make Coconut Liquor and finished the day with a quick drive to Galle, where we saw the Dutch fortress and the once-most important port on the island (18th century during the Dutch Colonial Period).
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| Dutch Fortress and Coconut Liquor Tasting |
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| Cinnamon Factory |
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| Moonstone Factory |
We returned to Colombo by car to take a flight and transport
ourselves to PARADISE. The Maldives left me speechless.
Stay tuned for part 2 of Fabian’s trip coming soon......Check out a complete collage of all of Fabian's Pictures here.
