Sri Lanka Day 1 I am in love already!

Sri Lanka Day 1 I am in love already!

I wanted to go to Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives while I was living in India because I figure I won’t be close to these countries again.  I went to the Maldives  a few years ago and I will be going to Nepal for Math Counts next year.  Everyone I have ever talked to LOVED going to Sri Lanka.  They call it “India Lite”  Some of the good things about India with less of the bad things. So far, I agree. The roads and roadside stores are similar, but no animals blocking the roads.  You can drive a lot faster when there aren’t cows, goats, water buffalo etc swarming the roads.

I left Mumbai on a 2:30am flight straight to Colombo and got there at 5am.  Same time zone as Mumbai so that is a plus! I booked a tour with Beyond Escapes tour company.My driver, Savi was waiting for me at the airport to take me on a 4 hour drive to Sigiriya.  He has the nicest tour car I have ever been in - a deep purple Prius Hybrid - he was very proud of it. I asked him if the drive was pretty or not and he kind of shrugged so I thought it was ok to take a nap for a bit.  I curled up in the backseat for an hour or so and when I woke up, we were driving through gorgeous green jungle areas.  His idea of a pretty drive and mine are different!  I stayed awake for the rest of it. He stopped about halfway at a roadside hotel so I could get breakfast. 

I really enjoyed the ride and Savi knows a decent amount of English so I could ask him questions.  As we got closer to Sigiriya there were signs with Elephants on it and he said that at night the elephants roam the roads and there are electric fences protecting villages.  He said there were lots of  monkeys too.  My hotel is about 10Km away from town and is lovely.  Kassapa Lion Rock – it has a pool and spa and little bungalows.  It isn’t as open air as other places I’ve been due to the monkeys and elephants J they welcomed me with watermelon/pineapple juice and let me go to my room around 10:45 so  I could take a nap.  Savi said I could go walking, but once it got dark, I can’t leave the hotel area. 

I started walking and the town was farther than I thought.  I was hot even though I had an umbrella and I was out of water.  There were no empty tuk-tuks so I just kept walking.  I heard a rustle in the weeds next to me and thought it was a monkey.  I am very mindful of those things after my rabies shot experience!!  I looked over and it was an ELEPHANT!!  Right next to me!!  I was trying to get a picture but he was so close and I didn’t want to be on the news like “ a tourist was killed when jumping in a lion cage to get a selfie”  I waited until he backed up a bit and tried to get some shots.  I was a little unnerved as I kept walking.  I decided it wasn’t super safe.  I had turned down a guy in a truck offering me a ride, but I accepted a ride on the back of a guy’s motorcycle – figured he couldn’t go too far rogue with me on the back!  Turned out I was really close to town and the elephant signs!  He dropped me off,  I got some water and found a tuk tuk to take me back. 

There he is - wild elephant on the side of the road!

I went and hung out at the pool for a bit then had the buffet dinner at the hotel.  I slept well - the hotel is in a nice secluded, quiet area.