Sri Lanka - 30th birthday in the Suwasevana Hospital Kandy - not my first recommendation for holiday accommodation

Why go see the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka when you can spend the time in a windowless room of a hospital with cockroaches, ants and frogs hopping across the floor, no way to wash, no toilet paper and giggling nurses doing tours for other patients and their families to see the sick Aussie girl? Beat that for a 30th birthday celebration! I just wish Russell would stop singing the birthday song "happy birthday to you; you smell like a monkey; a really smelly smelly smelly monkey".

The worst part of this hospital is that I was pushed through to the front of everyone else and got to see the Doctor straight away. Whilst part of me was glad as I was feeling so incredibly awful it really did feel wrong as there were plenty of other sick people there. I imagine it was because they knew they'd be charging me 100 times more than anyone else.

After that things deteriorated into a comedic skit. The nurses left the tourniquet on whilst taking blood and trying to insert the IV. Blood was dripping down my hand, onto the floor, all over them and once they inserted the IV line it snaked up to the saline bag. The nurses started to panic and couldn't work out what was going wrong until it reached over and unclipped the tourniquet. I'm now considering a career change; quite clearly I have a gift.

I shared the windowless cell I was in with a plethora of bugs; centipedes, ants, cockroaches, mozzies, fleas, another bug who's official name I believe is "Big Fucker", and also a couple of rather adorable frogs. It was quite clear from the start that I was a source of much fascination in the hospital. So much so the nurses started doing tours to see the sick white girl. Usually about 5 people would wander in; stand near the bed and look at me for a while and then if I smiled or said anything they'd all dissolve into histerical giggles.

The hospital must have been excited that I was there. I think I had every test done known to man. Not convinced the colonoscopy was necessary though. I was surprised to discover that the ultrasound goo doesn't automatically come at a nice warm temperature. If this experience was anything to go by its usual temperature is "holy shit that's cold!" The Doctor told me he didn't want me to leave as I still wasn't well (read: I still had money left in my account that needed to be in his) but after the fiasco with the blood test I decided I was better off out than in.

After self checking myself out of the hospital a kind bird celebrated my new found freedom by managing an admittedly admirable crap that landed on my head, splattered down onto my sunglasses, inside them and into my eye, dribbled down my chin, onto my shirt starting at the breast and ending at the hem, onto my pants with a grande finale on my feet. That is one shit-filled talented birdy (possibly a pterodactyl).

Sri Lanka - Kandy to Sigiriya

The last day in Kandy, Russell and I went to the Buddha Temple of the Sacred tooth. Neither of us enjoyed it. People were shoving and pushing, everyone trying to make whatever money they can out of whatever they can and it just didn't feel right for us. Disheartened we returned to our hotel to decide what to do next. I had been trying to get Russell to come visit an old colonial cemetery with me located behind the temple but as it had been pouring with rain the last 2 days he was reluctant. Finally I manged to convince him and I'm so glad I did. It had a much more sacred feel with a beautiful and peaceful atmosphere (plus it was free). It was raining, quite dark and fairly late in the afternoon, not long before closing time. We were the only tourists there and apart from some workmen in one corner there wasn't another soul in sight (get it... soul, dead people. Ha!). One young workman tried to lend us his umbrella but we refused and after we'd wandered around a bit he joined us and started telling us the histories of the graves. Most were lucky to make it to 40 and primarily died from malaria with a few from dehydration and mishap. It was in a beautiful setting, tucked into a jungle hillside, surprisingly quiet for being so close to town and made us feel much closer to spiritual love than the Buddhist temple down the hill despite the sad stories. The young man expressed his disappointment that most tourists that visited didn't want to talk to him and told him to go away; something most people do after being constantly harassed by locals trying to sell them things. He didn't work for the cemetery custodians however but was employed by the company doing maintenance (the cemetery primarily relies on donations to restore old graves and infrastructure and the Buddhist temple maintains it). Over time he'd learned many of the stories and although he didn't expect anything for taking us around we had had such a nice experience that of course we have him a small tip whilst his work mates looked on and chuckled.

After this we travelled to Sigiriya to see the famous Sigiriya Rock; which unfortunately we never got the chance to climb as someone got sick. Our driver did get us there safe and sound but without any of the agreed upon stops along the way (such as the Cave Temples at Dambulla which I really wanted to see). We stayed at the Sigiri Queens Rest Guesthouse which is a great place for people on a budget (including backpackers) and the more adventurous. For backpackers there is a very basic treehouse, not high enough to stand up in and open ended but extremely cheap and the owners will generally allow you to shower in their facilities. Our accommodation was in a tree house built from natural boughs and sticks and often using living trees as the basis. There was a bathroom in the tree house with a good flushing toilet and a shower which, although it didn't have much water pressure, it was a lovely experience to shower whilst looking out over wooded plans that could have been anywhere from Africa to Australia with red, coloured dirt and if you're extra lucky a wild Elephant. Keep in mind that when we went there really was a wild male Elephant that sometimes roamed those parts and apparently had killed a couple of people so the recommendation is not to wander off after dark (during daylight is apparently fine and we wandered into the bush a few times without mishap). The German backpackers that we met mentioned that it can be more difficult finding someone in town that will take you back after dark because of the Elephant. 

The town is tiny with only a few shops and places to eat, it's quite a rural area and to be honest the best food is to be found at the Queens Rest. The owner grows all the fruits and veggies himself so everything is organic. He always puts on a huge, varied spread in the outdoor dining area and will usually ask you want you want for tea with options available from crabs and cuttlefish to chicken, vegetable and lentil dishes and there's always far to much food. You'll even get dessert and all at a ridiculously cheap price. The owner wants you to feel like family and after eating his family and himself will often come and chat with you and nearly anything you want he can get for you plus he'll run you everywhere in his tuk tuk for only the cost of the fuel. That evening unfortunately I started to get ill. Disappointing as we'd planned to climb Sigiriya the next morning when the ticket office opened at 7am. The main one I'm disappointed about though is that the morning after we had planned to climb Pidurangala before dawn to be on top to watch the sun rise; a rock the same height as Sigiriya and immediately adjacent it is much much cheaper to climb (300 rupees compared to $35 USD) with the same view and far far less tourists. You can climb this one before dawn and be on top as the sun rises. Heavenly, peaceful and beautiful. The Queens rest will also loan you push bikes for the short ride there.

The next day I rallied for a safari to the Kaudulla Wewa National Park. If I hadn't been in so much pain I wanted an Elephant to trample me to death; it would have been one of the best experiences of the trip. As it was I'll still have the wonderful memories once I forget how uncomfortable I was. Sitting in the back of a jeep on padded bench seats that we had all to ourselves, bumping along down deserted dirt tracks watching a miriad of birds including Eagles, King Fishers, peacocks and many more; monkeys; lizards and watching the beautiful scenery pass by was a wonderful experience culminating in seeing my first wild elephants, including 2 kissing (or that's what I like to think they were doing). Unfortunately after one of the most uncomfortable and painful nights I've had we had to get a driver back to Kandy and after checking back in we had to head straight to the Suwasevana Hospital. Bum.           

Sri Lanka - Hill country!

The train ride from Colombo to Kandy is a beautiful one with views out over the hills and mountains; mist filled valleys and lush green vegetation. The train ride is extremely bumpy, almost like being on a boat, so if you suffer from travel sickness, be warned! Take travel sickness pills and a vomit bag (just in case). Russell, who suffers quite badly from sea sickness was feeling pretty queasy most of the way. The train takes about 2.5 hours and you can buy snacks and drinks on the train but note my previous comment about the bumpiness. I wore a hot cup of tea during the trip.

I love Kandy, much preferred than Colombo. There are more travellers and backpackers (or maybe it's just that they're all concentrated in the smaller town of Kandy so you run into them more). When we got here in the evening the weather was fine but the last two days it has rained almost constantly after about 9:30am. You may want to consider an umbrella (or wet weather gear) and some waterproof shoes if you don't want sqidgy footwear from all the dirty puddles. You're likely to have an eye taken out by an unresponsible umbrella handler so I recommend getting one of your own simply for added protection from a spoke in the eye. We paid about 500 rupees for one in the local supermarket on the Main Street across from the Pub but I'm sure you can find them cheaper. Also the supermarket stinks of old fish.

We splurged on the more expensive Queens Hotel. We thought we could afford $70 per night for a few nights. We found out that they then add on three different types of taxes so we ended up paying about $100 per night. We booked through booking.com and assumed the price would be all inclusive. Make sure you read the fine print. The hotel is old and charming however, built in 1844 and still holds that old world charm with live piano playing downstairs in the evenings. Our room is neat but basic with a view of Kandy Lake. It can be pretty noisy as it's on the main road but everything seems to stop about 11pm and the vehicle noise all but disappears. You may get a few highly irritating barking dogs however that seem to be able to bark constantly for a number of hours. 

We went up the 'the Pub' the first night for dinner which is only a block away from the Queens. Great place to relax at the end of a full day with chairs and tables out on the balcony overlooking the main street. Food isn't too bad and they have a pretty good cider available too. Prices aren't the cheapest but for atmosphere you can't go to wrong as it's a pretty popular backpacker/traveller hang out. Another eating/drinking place which is much cheaper is on the road behind the Queens Hotel called the Victory Hotel and Bar. There are only 3 couches on the veranda with views of the street so you may be hard pressed to get the best spot. A lot more local people frequent this place, probably because it's quite cheap with large serving sizes. Live music (a gentleman who played the guitar and sang and tried his best at attempting the flute too), quite good service and the Manager wanders around the floor checking that everyone is happy. The menu is mostly traditional but they will alter the level of chilli upon request. Downsides are that they didn't have eftpos facilities whilst we were there and the pepper shaker was full of dirt. Good thing we checked first.

We also tried out the Tea Centre across the road from 'the Pub'. It has a shop downstairs and a little cafe upstairs. Menu options are limited with you basic tea choices (normal teas, green tea, ice tea etc) and a small selection of cakes and sandwiches. For a coffee you could try out the Cafe Natural Coffee next to the Sacred Tooth temple although at Ru 500 per coffee it's not the cheapest option. We personally find the coffee in Sri Lanka to be extra strong and bitter but this place does cappuccinos and lattes and their only tea item which is a green tea maccha latte which tastes like extra sweet warm milk. Be warned that if you don't like things too sweet always ask for sugar separate. A lot of teas and other drinks come pre-sweetened enough to rot your teeth so if you're diabetic be particularly careful. At breakfast I asked for a freshly squeezed juice at the juice stand and they spooned about 4 teaspoons of sugar in before I could protest. Most places also have free wifi although you usually have to ask for the password.

We visited the Temple of the Sacred Tooth which is a pilgrimage spot for many Buddhists in Sri Lanka and it shows in the number of tourists inside. It gets a lot of school groups and other tour groups through and can be very hard to move at times. There are a lot of people who hang around trying to sell their services as a guide. The temple has licensed guides if you do want one and they will automatically show you their ID. They are generally available near the ticket office so don't enlist someone not showing you ID out the front or near the first entry point. Covered legs and shoulders is essential for entry for all genders and no shoes allowed of course. You'll likely be charged Ru 100 upon trying to pick your shoes up from the shoe kiosk. 

We also went and viewed the giant Buddha on top of the hill behind the railway station. We caught a tuk tuk up there for return Ru 400 (we didn't bargain so you can probably get it cheaper) but if you're feeling very energetic you can make the trek up the hill. Entry to the temple is Ru 200 per person and you must take your shoes off. The view from the platform on the back of the Buddha is fantastic and looks out over the main area of Kandy and to the hills on the other side. 

We've decided to make our way to Dambulla where the cave temples are and then Sigiriya with the infamous pillar of rock (sometimes called the Lions Rock). We were quoted $500 USD for a tour of the cultural triangle and then to be dropped off on the east coast but we declined hoping to find cheaper. After a trip to the train station we discovered that there are no trains to Dambulla. We were going to try and find the bus station ticketing office when we were accosted by a gentleman offering his taxi services to take us on a trip to the cave temples, some other temples of interest and then drop us in Sigiriya for Ru 6500 or about $55 AUD. By road Sigiriya is probably about 80kms but on the roads around here it feels like more. We figured for petrol and waiting times this wasn't to bad for the 2 of us, certainly less than back home and given we only have a week left in Sri Lanka it seemed the best option. We have nothing to recommend this gentleman to us though so we have our fingers crossed that he is legitimate and honest.

Sri Lanka - Still in Colombo

We weren't really sure where to go today as Colombo is interesting for its old buildings and colonial past as well as it's current fascinating culture visible as you wander the streets and alleys but doesn't really have any major attractions (apart from the National Museum). We caught the bus in again and further up the road they let a beggar on to serenade us with his drums and the sweet smell of faeces. 

Wandering around one of the main things I hear is men saying "hello, come". No man I've ever heard of throughout history has ever been able to get a woman to come on cue so I don't like their chances. The other one is "hello, taxi". Whilst walking through the Cinammon Gardens backstreets the other day I heard a very faint but small "hello, taxi". The voice sounded so much like a Corella I used to own that I have a bit of a giggle now when anyone says it to me. I would definitely recommend a wander through the Cinnamon Gardens area with the large colonial style mansions, big green open spaces and cute alley ways. 

We decided to try out the Galle Face Hotel for lunch; mainly because for some reason I find the name "Galle Face" amusing. On the way there I attempted to take a break and get our bearings by sitting on a low wall. Turns out we were sitting out the front of a police station and were gestured to get off the wall by a semi-automatic rifle wielded by a rather stern police officer. We weren't inclined to argue and decided to get a tuk tuk the rest of the way. Our tip for the tuk tuks is ALWAYS ensure they put the meter on before you get in and that it works. If they refuse (or tell you it's broken) it'll be very easy to get an honest driver who will put it on (if it's a very short distance they will likely prefer to bargain a higher price; which we don't mind paying, just make sure you know how much it should cost by metre first so you don't end up getting royally ripped off). We got ripped off badly when we got dropped at the train station. We had all our luggage with us and were so distracted we forgot about it until we were halfway there, whereby we were told it was broken and got charged more than a train ticket to Kandy cost us. Russell also nearly ended up in a punch-up with the guy. 

The Galle Face Hotel was being renovated when we got there. Colombo is starting to build lots of high-end hotels across from the Galle Face Green such as the Shangri-La amongst others. We sat inside in the air con to start with but soon realised it would be an uphill battle to get service so moved outside where there were more people. Food was pretty tasty, there are cheaper places to eat but the view is pretty hard to beat (we paid Ru 600 for a salad, Ru 810 for a wine and Ru 430 for a 325ml Lion Lager). There are some adorable squirrels running around that will eat out of your hand; although we did get a look from the waiter whilst feeding them that said he wished it was arsenic in our hands and that we were feeding ourselves with it. I'm guessing they're a bit of a pest. 

There's a plaque at this hotel with the names of famous people that have stayed here including Carrie Fisher. I accidentally pronounced her Star Wars character as Princess Leila and was pleasantly surprised not to be hacked to death by a group of fake-light-sabre-wielding nerds.

For lack of anything else to do we checked out some other places we found in the Lonely Planet Guide. We walked in to the White Horse bar and then straight out again. I was one of only two women in there, it was full of business men (it is in the commercial district), and full of cigarette smoke. No windows either which is something I hate. I love being able to enjoy the view whether it's a packed alley or the ocean, particularly during the daytime. Instead we went to the Bars Cafe. Lonely Planet guide says "linger over drinks" but be warned if you're looking for a drink that they don't sell alcoholic drinks. The desserts are pretty good though.

We booked a train ticket to Kandy whilst in town. Very easy to do from the train station but book early, particularly if you want a morning train. Which is recommended as then you don't have to hang around with your luggage after you check out of the hotel (like we had to). We paid extra for 1st class, observation carriage. Seats are variable and we got one with a wall next to us and a small amount of window that was like looking out of the bottom of a coke bottle. Definitely want to try and get one with the best view as the scenery on the way to Kandy is absolutely stunning! Tickets were cheap though at Ru 1100 each for 1st class. The other option is to book a bus at the bus station up the road.

For dinner we tried out the Breeze restaurant on the beach front in Mt Lavinia. I wouldn't recommend it as a first choice although there was a huge menu with a variety of food choices. After dinner the waiter brought out cheque over without asking if we wanted anything else so we assumed it was a "please leave now" hint. We wandered back up to the O! Restaurant for a drink afterwards and this place was definitely sealed as our favourite. I've noticed that they seem to like their "dance/techno" music over here which doesn't really appeal to me (unless I'm at a night club), so I love the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's music they play here. Great service, better than many other places we've been to where there seems to be a saturation of waiters but a distinct lack of any waiting actually occurring. We got back to the hotel just after 10pm and found we were locked out. Word of warning if anyone stays at the Tropic Inn, they close up at around 10/10:30. There was a doorbell but we felt like heels getting the hotel staff up given that his job is to get up before all the guests, help cook breakfast, serve all the guests with tea etc., clean our rooms whilst we're out, check people in/out and help cook/serve dinner. :/ He still greeted us with a smile though. Sweet man.

Although we had only been in Colombo 2 days it definitely felt like enough time to get a feel for the place. There are many more beautiful places in Sri Lanka so personally I wouldn't recommend more than a couple of days here, particularly if you're limited for time.

Sri Lanka - Colombo Day 2

Had a lovely, hot day out. We've been told it's meant to be dry season around Colombo at the moment but it's awfully wet and humid. We have fantastic water pressure in our shower which makes for a great relief after a hot and sweaty day out. Unfortunately the pump sounds like a nuclear reactor siren so we know everyone else's bathroom habits in the hotel and also get the urge to quickly evacuate the building with every bathroom trip.

The Tropic Inn staff gave us great directions to get into Colombo Fort cheaply. From the hostel we walked up to the main road, turned right to wander to the bus stop just past the temple and take the 100 or 101 bus. I found we didn't have to wander that far as simply making eye contact with the driver and giving him a nod would get him to stop anywhere you liked. Much to the peoples annoyance behind us we discovered that you don't pay the driver but a ticket collector on the bus. It only cost us 60 rupees for the 2 of us. Conversely on the way back we took a tuk tuk which cost us 600 rupees.

We got off at Fort train station and went into the tourist office there. Primarily because I needed the bathroom. We got quoted $705AUD for 4 nights from Colombo to Kandi, then the cultural triangle and getting dropped at a beach on the east coast. We've decided to buy a ticket to Kandi tomorrow and just wing it from there. I mentioned to him I might like to see North Sri Lanka and he attempted to subtly dissuade us whilst telling us he wasn't trying to dissuade us.

After trying to get tuk tuks to take us to some places we wanted to see and getting driven in circles for a while, getting dropped in completely different areas to where we wanted to be and getting lost we decided to try and the find Clancy's Irish Bar mentioned in our Lonely Planet Guide. I quite often find these are great places to meet expats and get some insider information and tips and tricks on how to get around the "foreigner" price hikes. Unfortunately upon arriving there we were told by an old local man that. Clancy's had shut down. We didn't check to see for ourselves but our driver dropped us off at a shopping district up the road and we found a fantastic tea place to eat and have a much needed strawberry iced tea.

The Ceylon Tea Moments cafe at the Grand Stand, Race Course on Reid Ave was very well priced, with a huge feed and great selection of tea drinks from mock tails to tea milkshakes, iced tea and of course hot tea. It doesn't do any other drinks apart from tea however. I had a Sri Lankan chicken curry with all the traditional accompaniments such as vegetable curry, rice, spices and a deep fried fish spring roll thing (I'm sure I'll learn the traditional names for these things before we leave). It cost us $18AUD for 2 huge meals and 2 iced teas.

Following that we tried out the the Cricket Club Cafe at 34 Queens Rd, Colombo. Great Colonial feel with large shaded verandas, gardens and old, dark wood interior. We had 2 wines and a beer which came to $18AUD, the same as our huge lunch, so not the cheapest of places.

We moved on to the Colombo National museum from here. Parts of this building date back to the 1800s and has a large amount of cultural relics and artefacts including the royal throne donated to King Wimaladharmasuriya II by the Dutch Governor Thomas Vanree who ruled the coastal area of Ceylon in 1693. Entry to the museum was Rs 500 for the 2 of us.

Following our death defying tuk tuk ride back to the hotel we wandered up the road to the Lions Pub on Galle Rd in Mt Lavinia. I liked the garden sitting area of this place. A cacophony of sounds from the crows, cats, people and the sound of the traffic on the main ride. Russell teased me mercilessly for using the word cacophony. I tried to point out that given he didn't know the word that makes him the loser but I had little success in my arguments.

We decided to wander back closer to the hotel for dinner. We went down to the beach and walked towards the huge white colonial looking building on the point (the Mt Lavinia Hotel?). The place at the end of the beach row before us appeared to be a great place for backpackers to go and watch the clouds over the surf. The owners were certainly pretty open in trying to get us in to join them but we politely declined over the lure of a nice meal back towards the hotel. We ended up eating at a place called The Shore by O! on the corner of College Ave and the beach. I loved this place as it had an upstairs dining area with views over the ocean, played 50s and 60s music with a bit of Elvis mixed in to give it that old beach scene feel and had a nice selection of drinks, including an Australian wine. They sometimes do live music and have an air conditioned separate lounge areas which they probably open up on weekends. Meals varied anywhere from 600 rupees for 'land' food, up to 3000 rupees for lobster. I had grilled fish with vegetables for Rp 850. The restaurant is also right next to the railway and it's fascinating to watch the trains go by in the evening, literally packed to the rafters with dozens of people clinging to the sides.

A wonderfully full and sweaty day out. Tomorrow we'll be trying our hand at booking tickets to Kandy. :)

Sri Lanka - Arriving in Colombo

Day 1 in Sri Lanka. We're still trying to get our bearings. We booked a hostel through hostelworld from Perth; the issue with that being its hard to judge where you should be staying without any knowledge of the area. I thought we'd booked right in the heart of Colombo but we've ended up south of the city in Mt Lavinia. Known as a seaside beach area which appears popular with the locals but is not really the place for relaxing on the beach as the one we visited was packed with people and didn't appear to be a particularly good swimming beach.

Whilst booking I thought the Tropic Inn sounded like a popular tourist place where we could meet lots of like minded travellers. So far we haven't seen any other travellers here but the guesthouse is clean and charming, if basic, with extremely friendly staff. We also got a cold juice and bottle of cold water on arrival which was oh so welcome after the long commute. Doesn't appear to be much tourist information available at the hostel which is also a bit disappointing but we'll ask a bit more tomorrow to suss it out further. We have 3 nights here and then we'll go wherever the wind takes us :)

The tuk tuks here are really something else. We've found a local hangout for all the young tuk tuk drivers in their hotted up tuk tuks with installed massive stereos. Probably the cheaper way to travel as taxis are really quite expensive, plus we're probably getting charged much higher prices being quite clearly foreigners. Tomorrow we'll explore Colombo a bit more and hopefully suss out the best places to see around Sri Lanka and how to get there. At this stage we don't really want to take a taxi with driver if we can avoid it so we'll look at trains and buses.