Waterfalls

The ride from Kandy, through Nuwara Eliya, to Bentota was breathtaking. We drove through a lot of the Sri Lankan island and each place was different and absolutely glorious. When we first saw a waterfall we had to stop the bus and take pictures. After seeing the 10th waterfall, the kids didn't even bother looking. It was a visual feast and the kids were full after the first two hours. The drive was long, but it brought back cleaner memories of driving to Chitwan. H-e-a-v-e-n.

Islamic tradition holds that the Garden of Eden was in Sri Lanka. I now see why.

Terah's Sri Lanka

My Favorites:

1. The simplicity of the Buddhist monuments and temples.

Colombo Buddhist Temple

Dambulla caves

2. The beauty of the Colonial buildings.

We stayed at the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya. It was built in 1821. As you walked through the corridors you could really feel that there were some interesting things that happened in the hotel. As Axel said, 'Someone has definitely been murdered here, no question.' Sweet dreams, kids.

I LOVE the East Coast and the old Colonial style. Nuwara Eliya was the perfect mix of exotic living and British traditional style. It is a quaint city in the hills of central Sri Lanka that was used as a vacation getaway for the Colonialists to avoid the heat of Colombo. A must see in Sri Lanka.

Downtown Nuwara Eliya

Kandy

3. All the signs of Hinduism that I miss.

4. Open markets and interesting smells.

A meat house

5. Exotic and natural beauty.

A place is always great if orchids can grow in the open air

Sorry if my blogs appear manic and unorganized lately. Blogger is acting up and I'd rather get this recorded with flaws than not recorded at all. I am painfully aware of all the imperfections, but I embrace imperfection. Obviously.

Axel's Sri Lanka

Axel loved Sri Lanka for a number of reasons:

1. He got up close and personal with cobras.

Axel holding a cobra (Defanged, of course.  Axel's crazy, but not insane)

The baby cobra that was caught at our hotel.  A driver gripped the snake and said, 'I trust the snake and he trust me'.  Um, what if he changes his mind?  

Axel's Rat Snake #1

Rat Snake #2

Rat Snake #3

Not without consequences

2. He fell into a herper's paradise.

One of the many monitors he caught

Before

After

3. He could appreciate the Buddhist art everywhere.

The Dambulla Caves

4. He explored the beautiful jungle.

Axel herping in the drippy, lush forest of Kandalama 

5. He fished and spearfished with the locals and caught a few toys for the kids.

6. He got to dip in water.

7. He saw some indigenous jungle fowl.  

8. He received a strong signal on his Blackberry so he could still do what he does best.

Conference call at a Tea Plantation in Nuwara Eliya

Receiving some important news from the home office in beautiful Bentota

9. He appreciated each individual tea plant as a potential bonsai.

10.  He spent a ton of individual time with the kids.

BTW if it appears that my husband wore two outfits for our entire 10 day trip, he did.  I left him to pack for himself.  Never again.