Wrap It Up!
This is a collection of some of my favourite moments and memories during our time in Sri Lanka. You will see that food played a VERY prominent role in my overall experiences and enjoyment.
The colours in the sand and the crash of the waves.
The first time we saw the giant Sigiriya from our hotel. This ancient palace fort is truly a site to behold.
Sweet potatoe chip/fries! Made from the cutest, smallest and sweetest sweet potatoes.
The young man whose famiy restaurant was where we first tried sweet potato chips - and who kindly showed me the sweet potatoes themselves (the ones on the left)
Kottu!! With chilis and a beer. Kottu - a thick parantha (roti) that's chopped up and fried with eggs, veggies, chicken, chilis and any number of things. Absolutely delicious.
Cycling with my man.
Wajira (Waji), fearless leader, professor, "dad" figure, man with a BIG heart and a BIG laugh. He made our trip GREAT, along with......
....his amazing team: (L to R) the Sweep/Technician: Dinuka, the bus assistant: Ranishka, Bus Driver: Sameera, and the Truck Driver (for all our bikes): Ashan. We couldn't have done it without their white glove treatment.
Cycling with all our new UK friends....and especially our delicious snack breaks every couple of hours. It was like being school kids again.
Meeting up with our UK friends, Beda and Bernard, from the Sardinia cycling trip we did 4 years ago.
All the fun things we shared the roads with while cycling.
The dinner we had in Ella at a private home. The husband and wife cooked for us.
Leg massages. I am addicted to leg massages - good ones. Especially those that involve handsome young men.
Lamprais. Introduced by the Dutch in the 18th century - savoury rice and mixed meat, seeni sambol (onion relish) and ash plantain curry, wrapped in banana leaves and baked.
The day we got completely muddy cyclng off road in the rain. it was very dirty but very fun.
The first hotel Danica had booked for after our cycling.
Okay, fine, the precarious road to Lipton's Seat. Terrifying but thrilling.
The scenery on that terrifying road.
The climb to Ella Rock and the view of the surrounding mountains.
All the great meals we shared with Danica and Lahiru.
Sri Lankan beaches at sunset.
Our climb to Little Adam's Peak - from which we could see Ella Rock (which we also climbed) - it's behind us.
All the weird and wonderful creatures, birds , flora, and fauna we saw.
Camping near Udawale National Park, and learning that elephants had broken through the electric fence quite near to us.
Elephants!!! Up Close!!
And more elephants!!! Up closer!!
Trees. So many trees. So many tree photos.
The peacefulness of Buddha.
And so many Buddhas!
The crashing of waves.
The beauty of the empty beach.
Tasting Araack - Sri Lankan coconut flour alcohol.
....enjoying a little too much Araack.
Delicious fruit that tastes as it should.
Amazing meals created by our own Chef at the beach house Danica found for us.
Sri Lankan breakfasts, especially Egg Hoppers (on the left). Yummy eggs in basically a crepe bowl made from rice flour and coconut milk.
And again....did I mention Egg Hoppers??
Those crazy Tuk-Tuks. Everywhere. All the time.
The things - and people - we saw on the road.
Okay, fine. Final mention goes to the crazy red buses. What can I say - they made the entire experience unique. And scary. And great for photography.
The day we got very muddy and very wet.
No beverage is more important to Sri Lanka or our UK friends than tea. See what we learned and how all this exposure to tea has impacted me and Gary. Enjoy!