Welcome to Sri Lanka

Ahhhhh Sri Lanka. The Pearl of the Indian Ocean. A trip I had been planning for about 18 months and was a long time in coming. And yet all I could do as we were whizzing in and out of the manic traffic from the airport was sleep. After the long flight I was so tired and was struggling to keep my eyes open throughout the two and a half hour transfer to the hotel. When I did manage to stay awake for longer than five minutes my initial thought was “wow, no-one knows how to drive in this country!” and I also couldn’t help but feel saddened by a lot of the poverty in the more rural areas, especially where people are still trying to get back on their feet after the devastation of the tsunami.

I knew though, that I had made the right decision in coming here and that I would certainly have an experience to remember.

First up, I was planning on having a couple of days to relax at my hotel in Beruwela (on the coast) and begin to settle into Sri Lankan life. Then I was going to hire a driver for a few days to take me to all of the sights I absolutely had to see around the island, as I had read that this is the safest and easiest way to travel by yourself. Being an animal lover, the one place I absolutely had to visit was Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and couldn’t wait to see this place I had read so much about. Let the adventure begin….