Sri Lanka… A Land of Smiles, Serenity, and Spices
We spent 10 days in Sri Lanka visiting some of the country’s highlights. We began in the current capital city of Colombo before making the four hour drive north to the ancient capital of Sigiriya. We then explored the busy town of Kandy, found serenity in Ella, and enjoyed the beach town of Unawatuna. Needless to say, 10 days were not enough in the places we did visit, let alone all the places we were unable to see. Sri Lanka exceeded our expectations, and one of the main reasons for this was the people. Every person we met was so kind, always offering directions, suggestions on where to go, or simply asking about our time in Sri Lanka. People were interested in what our plans were there, how long we were staying, and genuinely curious about how we were finding Sri Lanka. All you need is a smile on your face in Sri Lanka and the rest falls into place.
We didn’t spend much time in Colombo and it was probably our least favorite place we visited in Sri Lanka, but one thing stood out here, the hospitality. We met our Airbnb host very early in the morning to drop our bags off until we could check in. We asked him where we could try authentic Sri Lankan food, and instead of showing us on Google Maps, he walked us to the restaurant to confirm they were open and dropped us off. We couldn’t believe his kindness! Then, when leaving Colombo, we hired our Uber driver from the previous day to drive us to our next stop. Britt was slightly hesitant as she wasn’t yet sure how safe the country was, so she asked our host if she could let him know when we arrived safely, just in case. Not only did he check on us throughout the journey, but he messaged us every single day of our trip asking how we were doing and if we were enjoying Sri Lanka. We had this experience multiple times throughout our time there. Whether it was a tuk tuk driver we met one time or someone we spent the day with, they would message us every day on WhatsApp just to check in. It was always so comforting and thoughtful.
After our night in Colombo, we headed to Sigiriya, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka. The city was quaint. And by quaint, we mean one “main” road with around six restaurants next to each other, two convenience stores, and a few roaming wild bulls. The main attractions in Sigiriya were Lion’s Rock and Pidurangala Rock. We visited Lion’s Rock, which had an ancient civilization built on top of it and stellar sunsets, which unfortunately we did not get to see due to the cloudiness that day. After paying the very steep entrance fee of $30pp, we hiked to the top and enjoyed every second. We were impressed by how they built this city on top of this very tall rock. We had stairs to climb and it was still tricky to get up!
After two peaceful and slow days in Sigiriya, we took the local bus to Kandy, one of the larger cities in Sri Lanka. Kandy is situated around a beautiful lake. The highlight of our time here was visiting the Ambuluwawa Tower, or as the locals call it, “Crazy Tower”. This tower was built on the top of the mountain and included a spiral staircase that started from a wide base and slowly became so narrow that you could only fit one person sideways. Oh… the staircase was also on the outside of the tower… in the open air. It definitely tested Britt’s fear of heights and patience because the tiny staircase was a two lane road. One way up and one way down. Yup. It was a very tight squeeze at times. Nevertheless, we made it to the top and had a beautiful, clear day to enjoy the view! Our tuk tuk driver (turned guide), Pradeep, helped direct the traffic up and down the staircase, which was a huge help. Later, as we were driving back to town, he let Justin drive his tuk tuk! As we left, we exchanged numbers with Pradeep and he proceeded to check in on us every day, despite only being able to connect over a few English words.
Kandy is also the starting point for the famous train ride in Sri Lanka. We hadn’t seen many tourists in Sri Lanka until we arrived at the train station… then we found them all on the morning of our train departure. 🤣 The train ride was… in short… EPIC. We reserved seats in the air conditioned car thinking that was the right move since Sri Lanka is REALLY hot. However, we later realized the non-air conditioned car would have been better because the windows open up and we would have been able to take in the fresh air throughout the ride. it actually got a bit chilly in the mountains! Nevertheless, we were still able to snag an open door for the majority of the ride where we were able to hang out (literally) and watch the scenery go by. Justin described the experience perfectly… he compared it to the views you get when you’ve embarked on a really challenging hike, but with none of the effort. So it was actually the most ideal hike! The journey took a full day, and we watched in awe as we passed tea plantations, mountains, waterfalls, beautiful bridges, and more. Some describe the trip from Kandy to Ella as the most beautiful train ride in the world. We haven’t been on many… but we sure do believe it would be a contender! The whole trip was stunning, and we absolutely recommend adding Sri Lanka to your list so that you can take this ride!
The train ended in Ella, which is a town situated in the mountains. It was even more picturesque than Kandy and Sigiriya. Here, we went on a couple hikes, spent some time at the famous Nine Arch Bridge where we watched the train go by, and enjoyed the view overlooking the mountains and valley from our Airbnb. Ella was the most touristy town we visited. There were a few boutiques and cafes, which we enjoyed! We could tell they had taken a few notes from Instagram to attract the travel influencers. If you put fake flowers out… the people will come. Right?
For our final destination, we headed to Galle, a town on the southeast coast. The journey was around six hours and we decided to take the local bus… and this was the worst decision we made in Sri Lanka. Granted, the bus was 1/8 of the price it would have been for any other transportation, so we shouldn’t be surprised. Neither of us had a seat for the first two hours, so we stood and cradled our packs between our legs while we were thrown around by the crazy driver. By the end of the journey, we were covered in sweat (ours and others’) and dust, and had the Sri Lankan music that was blaring throughout the entire ride stuck in our heads. It was a journey to forget and we didn’t get back on another local bus for the rest of our time there.
After our treacherous bus ride, we quickly settled into the much more relaxed beach towns of Galle and Unawatuna. We loved how beautiful and unassuming they were. We decided to rent a scooter, primarily to avoid the bus, but also so we could get around quickly and see as much as possible in the limited time we had. Driving around was super easy. There was one main road that connected all the towns, with bright blue water on one side and markets and street food carts on the other. We found ourselves driving up and down the road quite a bit.
While navigating was fairly easy, we did have some fun adventures driving because we happened to be in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the “rainy” season… much more like monsoon season. And on our first night with the scooter, we got caught in one of these monsoons. We were out for dinner having our favorite Sri Lankan dish, kottu, which is a comfort dish made of chopped roti, meat, and veggies. We were almost done eating when the rain began, and we thought we would wait it out because all the other rains were short lived. This time, the rain kept getting stronger and stronger. The streets were flooding quickly, and we had no choice but to brave the rain to make it back to our Airbnb, which was conveniently located on a tiny dirt backroad at the top of a very steep hill. By the time we got to the road, it was already washed out and the water was rushing fast. The wheels were half submerged. Britt thinks it was the most impressive driving skills she’s seen, especially for a novice scooter driver who averages one scooter “oopsie” per rental day. Britt’s eyes were closed the entire ride home. So much for a copilot. But, alas, we survived! Needless to say, she may be easy to impress, but it was objectively intense. Oh, and Britt also got us lost on the way home causing the trip to be twice as long, but we won’t dwell on that. Maybe she should keep her eyes open next time!
On our last full day, we signed up for a cooking class! We loved Sri Lankan food so much, we wanted to try our hand at learning how to make it. During the class, Wasantha, our lovely teacher, showed us how to make six different curries. They were all surprisingly simple and delicious! Our favorite part about the class was that that we spent time with not just Wasantha, but her entire family. So we had a chance to get to know everyone and learn about their story and culture.
Sri Lanka was incredible. From the natural beauty to the beauty of the people, we were left longing for more. Seeing how happy people can be with so little and with so much economic uncertainty around them reminds us how grateful we are for the little things.
