I think I will start posting my full report in detail on tomorrow or Sunday, but here are some few appetizers :cheers:

This is my travel route map

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo360/malaysianboy2/lanka.jpg




And here is the landing video on AK255 KUL-CMB, taken on my camera.
Sri Lanka is so green! You can hear my voice in this video :lol: The passenger next to me is a local Srilankan whom I just met in the plane. And he let me join his family's car from airport and dropped me off at A1 where I could catch bus to Kandy :okay: I had breakfast with his family and visited a friend's house on the way. What a pleasant start of my exciting journey to Sri Lanka !! :okay:

Landing @ Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo
DRrtSVaQBrw

good start, looking forward tosee more of your travle pics and narrative :okay:

looking forward to your full report!:)

Great!! I am planning to post the same set of report in Travel & Geography in a highly well-arranged mode but here in SL forum I hope you dont mind if the report is messed-up abit. Kindly advice on any suggestions.

This is my short narration on overall impression of Sri Lanka and the routes that I took. More narrations ( much longer than this ) will come, don't worry!!

Overall impression of Sri Lanka

I really enjoyed my trip to Sri Lanka and planning to visit there again this December! :cheers:

Since this was my first trip I decided to explore the main spots stretching in between Colombo and Kandy ( Central ), Galle ( South ) and Negombo (slightly North )


To put it short overall, I found that Sri Lanka is an extremely "rural" country BUT strangely, living standard is good- most of the population live in solid homes, have relatively stable income to survive and to enjoy some luxuries, and there are very, very little poverty that came to sights. I did not find any beggars on the streets ( except for one old man in Galle ) and the worst habitations in Sri Lanka being the slums in Colombo suburbs. But out of Colombo, almost everyone live in solid homes and earn reasonable income even in rather remote villages. It's like the "Switzerland of Asia"......... a country of high rural population but with good living and healthcare standards. Life expectancy in SL is high at 75 years which is a unique figure in South Asia. That's even higher than average life expectancy in Malaysia. :okay:

Colombo is pretty modern city with very colourful buildings and beautifully-decorated cute shophouses all along its northern and southern suburbs It looks alot better ( externally ) than places like Taipei which is the capital of a highly advanced economy which I have been for a couple of times! Of course if you look deeper Taipei is more efficiently run with mass transit and high level of punctuality and infrastructure but in terms of building codes and architecture Colombo and its suburbs seems fancier and alot more attractive.

SL is the country of buses! Buses take you to almost every single corner of SL at very high frequency which I have never seen elsewhere!! It's sooooooo easy to move around with fast and smooth public transpo, unlike here in Malaysia where PT is slow and people are very car-dependent. And they are so cheap, with $ 1- $1.50 you may travel half the country from East to West , or North to South by ordinary buses and trains. Though they are always very crowded. Comfortable luxury buses and trains cost double of that, and that's still filthy cheap!


Here was my route:

I didn't make any plans in advance for this SL trip ; I simply flew to Colombo and decided everything on the spot :lol:

Day 1- KL to Colombo--> bus to Mawanella--> overnight stay in Mawanella ( small rural town before Kandy ) with a Sri Lankan family --> visiting Kandy , and scenic points in between Mawanella and Kandy e.g. Kadugannawa with Mawanella friends

Day 2- Kandy ( Kadugannawa Station )-Colombo Pettah by train, then Colombo Pettah- Galle by bus .Overnight stay in Galle

Day 3 - Galle- Colombo by train --> Negombo. Overnight stop in a restaurant in Negombo

Day 4- back to Malaysia

Day 1


I woke up early at 2.30 am and dashed off to KL Airport ( LCC terminal ) around 3 with dad by his car. I arrived at LCCT around 4 and it was already packed with people esp. those flying out to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Colombo, Guilin and several local destinations by Air Asia.


The flight to Colombo was 70-80% full with estimated 70-80% of passengers are Sri Lankans. I found 2 Sri Lankan persons at the boarding gate and asked them several questions regarding several beaches in SL and we had several chats on the plane. One of them is Waruna. He explained to me on what I should do in Sri Lanka and it was very informative

Landing into Colombo was spectacular and as we entered Sri Lankan airspace from the sea I was enchanted by how lush and green Sri Lanka is! I mean, looking down through the aircraft window, the whole of SL looks like jungle that floats on water!

Bandaranaike International Airport is pretty modern... it looks alot similar to most airports in Japan and China in terms of design and handling. I think the airport was built by either the Chinese or Japanese. Its far bigger than Zia in Dhaka, and alot more efficient with smart flight display boards and overall orderliness. Only passengers are allowed into the terminal, like Zia. Probably as a precaution against any possible threats by certain rebel group in SL ?


Coming from Malaysia I don't need pre-arrival visa for visiting SL. But I do need pre-arrival visa for visits to the rest of South Asian countries ( probably.. except for Nepal and Maldives ). This is a huge plus of Sri Lanka since I could avoid hassle at Embassies and saving $$$ to apply for visa. For India, Malaysian nationals need to pay around MYR150/ $ 40 for a single trip! That's crazy and distracting tourism industry IMO.


I arrived at Colombo airport around 7:30 and got out of the terminal around 8:30. Very hot! Abit hotter than in KL. Waruna offered me a ride to Colombo-Kandy road so that I could get on a bus to Kandy from there. He was greeted by his family and we left by his dad's van/minibus. His family members which consist of dad, mom, himself and a younger sister are very friendly; they are of Sinhalese ethnicity ( the majority ethnic of Sri Lanka- around 80% of total population). The first few minutes ride out of Katunayake ( where the airport lies ) I was stunned at how "rural" Sri Lanka is. I mean... the whole 20-30 km journey out of the airport towards A1 ( Colombo-Kandy road ) was completely rural despite we being so close to the capital city. Yes its completely rural but I noticed that almost all the homes that came along are solid and beautifully decorated. Sri Lanka's GDP per capita is around $ 4,800 for 2008 which makes it the second or third most developed country in entire South Asia. Only Bhutan and Maldives have higher figures maybe, though I think its unfair to compare populous Sri Lanka with 20 million people to Bhutan or Maldives which have under 1 milion inhabitants combined.


So I just skipped the city of Colombo and dropped off in the middle of Colombo-Kandy road. The road is popularly known as A1 in SL. It's 2-lane road with single lane on each direction. Road condition is ok... but less than what I expected for a country of $ 4800 per-capita GDP income. I expected 4-lane semi-highway linking the two important cities of Colombo and Kandy, at least . There were so many buses ( 10-15 mins frquency ) that run in between Colombo and Kandy. As mentioned before, Sri Lanka is a country of buses!! There are 2 types of buses- Ordinary and Luxury. I took an ordinary bus after just 2 minutes of waiting at the halt and... the bus was super crowded I could not find any seat so I had to stand for the whole 3 hr journey to Kandy. I paid only 80 SL rupees ( $ 0.70 ) for this 70-km journey. We passed thru several major towns like Kegalle where many passengers got on the bus and it became so packed that I could hardly breathe! Again, the journey was completely rural with almost no signs of anything " Urban".. hmm



Inside the bus, together with passengers, the driver and the conductor , occassionally there were some salesmen getting in to sell their lottery cards and I noticed many of such lotterymen during my stay in SL. And another noticeable things in SL are the posters pasted on sideroads promoting tuition classes for English and Science subjects to students. Driving is pretty aggressive in SL...I think almost the same with the standard in BD with the frequent honking and tailgating among all bus and 3-wheeler drivers that I knew of .


Finally.. I arrived at my destination which is Mawanella. ( not Kandy ). It's around 25 km before Kandy. There I met a local Tamil family and they allowed me to stay in their house. I chose Mawanella because I wanted to see something typical of Sri Lankan life and experience the daily routines of local people instead of "big places" like Colombo or Kandy which are flocked by many tourists. Mawanella overall, is a rural town in th midst of jungle and it's the start of steep climb into Kandy if you're coming from Colombo. It's around 150 metres above sea level.... while Kandy is at 450-500.


As I walked thru Mawanella with some local friends, I found that most locals there spoke very good English and they know alot about current world issues and different cultures/places around the world. A big surprise, really. What a contradiction to Malaysia where many cannot grasp even simple English in urban centres, pretty ignorant about different cultures and nations ( this, despite being a multi-cultural country with huge presence of foreign tourists and investors ) and most people do not have anything to say when it comes to critical discussions. I think East Asian people in general share this same trait. I think that if not because of this war coupled with good leadership, SL could have become far more developed than Malaysia backed up by its smart and dynamic people with highly outstanding personalities. Wasn't SL an idol nation and being looked up by Malaysia and Singapore during 70's to achieve the same high level of living standard of SL during that time ?


Mawanella's main industry is services/business, with few serving the public sector. After resting for 2-3 hours in Mawanella, me and 3 local friends got on a 3-wheeler driven by one of them and went for a day trip to Kandy. Our first stop was Kadugannawa with its breathtaking panoramic view of Srilankan central highlands ( Though it's not that high.. around 300 metres a.s.l ) and later we climbed up the hill towards Kandy. Ah.. from now on let the pics sum it up..

arriving at KL's LCCT terminal. very packed even though its still 4 am
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4628/img0005m.jpg

Lining up at Check-in counter, most passengers seen are Sri Lankans with ahandful of Malaysians, Vietnamese and Australians on board
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/1637/img0009jpo.jpg


Flight display board. ah so messed up
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2140/img0012ncd.jpg

at departure gate
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/5245/img0016s.jpg


with Sri lankan persons I met at the departure gate whom provided some infos about travel into SL
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/8679/img0017oob.jpg (http://img198.imageshack.us/i/img0017oob.jpg/)

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5674/img0018h.jpg

Me :cheers:

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/790/img0019uum.jpg


This is the Airbus 320 thats going to take us to Colombo
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/878/img0021ezo.jpg

My boarding pass
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1359/img0036gim.jpg


Enering Sri Lankan soil... so green!! :cheers:
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4109/img0039z.jpg

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/3168/img0041tkq.jpg

That's me :cheers:
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8356/img0042t.jpg

Disembarking
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/3826/img0045o.jpg

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3959/img0047mzb.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/4820/img0048otz.jpg

Apart from Air Asia, I also saw Sri Lankan airlines and Air India Express birds
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/6033/img0049ybm.jpg

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1295/img0050b.jpg

Inside BIA

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/9601/img0054e.jpg (http://img504.imageshack.us/i/img0054e.jpg/)

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9349/img0053i.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/img0053i.jpg/)

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/4061/img0052z.jpg (http://img504.imageshack.us/i/img0052z.jpg/)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/600/img0056q.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/img0056q.jpg/)

AT the baggage reclaim area
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7029/img0057pft.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/img0057pft.jpg/)

Just outside BIA.

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/8863/img0059g.jpg

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/9638/img0060w.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/i/img0060w.jpg/)

Skyprince, thanks for sharing your trip report and pics with us!! :cheers:

The journey from Airport to COlombo-Kandy road with Waruna's car

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1381/img0061r.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/img0061r.jpg/)

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2797/img0062jpo.jpg (http://img140.imageshack.us/i/img0062jpo.jpg/)

A pretty rural town in between
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/3866/img0063x.jpg

Then we had a stop in a friend's house because they wanna see Waruna after 6months of separation. Waruna is studying in Singapore and now returning for a couple of weeks.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8924/img0066ppr.jpg

A narrow path
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1430/img0067s.jpg

Having breakfast somewhere in between Katunayake and A1 junction
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4200/img0070j.jpg

Some paratha + tosai + fish curry.... same taste as in Malaysia.. but without sugar. I think SUbcontinent people never use sugar in their main course. :eat: Food price is almost the same for SL and Malaysia in the same category of restaurants.
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2248/img0071p.jpg


Me, Waruna and his sister :cheers:
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6244/img0072jtc.jpg

great, looking forward to more pictures. Just wondering, how much did it all cost excluding the air tickets.

EDIT : AHA ! 1000 posts... in 4 years

^^ I spent just $ 20-30 on the ground for the whole 4N stay ( food, transpo etc. )

Add it up to $ 58 airfare, the whole trip was less than $ 90 :lol:

The roadside restaurant where I had the breakfast
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/706/img0073q.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2863/img0074v.jpg

The road in between Airport and Kandy road... Car plate numbers in SL sound cool. I know that WP stands for Western Province ..

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/5475/img0077dir.jpg


http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8145/img0075wbu.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4952/img0078fcb.jpg

Finally... we arrived at the junction for Kandy.... I said goodbye to the family and boarded the bus after just 2 mins of waiting at the halt... WOw Sinhalese script is very rounded ( more than Tamil ) :cheers:

http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/415/img0079p.jpg

I took this bus . Taken during the lunch stop
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/104/img0081i.jpg


This is the restaurant where we had the lunch stop.
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/7982/img0082b.jpg



Wow 62.5 This is the first country I've seen the pointers on distance boards:cheers:
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4263/img0083uih.jpg

A1 road connecting Colombo and Kandy
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/5404/img0085z.jpg


http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/994/img0084usn.jpg

great stuff. btw did u stay to colombo? or did u go through it and go down south? and the A1 is "apparently" going to be made into a proper expressway...there's been a lot of talk about it but dont know when its gonna really happen.

I just passed thru Pettah for 2 times and went out for 2-3 hours each before moving down and northwards.

Hmm I heard about the new expressway on A2 Colombo-Galle I think that route seriously needs expansion from the current 2-lane road It takes 3-4 hours to reach Galle which is just 120 km away. And many big towns like Moratuwa, Kalutara, Bentota etc are located along the southern belt therefore faster and high-capasity road infrastructure is seriously needed. Hmm honestly I expected a higher level of infrastructure in SL due to its economic level which is the richest country in South Asia ( after "very small" Bhutan and Maldives ) but then two Indian friends of mine cited that SriLanka is far more advanced than Maharastra the richest state where they originated from, when it comes to infra.

I hope you guys dont mind with my remarks, since they are just my honest observation. Things will surely change rapidly from now on since the war has ended and Sri Lanka had solid foundation of social and economic developments- with its glorious past during 70's when countries like Malaysia and Singapore looking up into great achievements of SriLanka, and even if you look up statistics today life expectancy in SL is higher than Malaysia! :cheers: I'd prefer to live with 1k in Sri Lanka with its dynamic open-minded friendly people, warm weather, and multicultural society rather than 5 k in some highly-advanced countries in East Asia that I had stayed before with their depressing ( and rather boring ) one-race society, cold weather and people there are generally very closed-minded about whatever happening in the world :cheers:

lol...dont mind at all! actually the southern expressway (120kmph) is already under construction...i think half of it is already done and it runs all the way till matara (passing Galle and all those towns u mentioned), the four lane dual carriageway highway is scheduled to be completed in 2010-11 and it will take only one hour to reach Galle.

^^ I spent just $ 20-30 on the ground for the whole 4N stay ( food, transpo etc. )

Add it up to $ 58 airfare, the whole trip was less than $ 90 :lol:

Nice. Also, yeah, we need better infrastructure. But,the A3 which connects the airport to colombo is pretty good for and non-expressway. Looking forward to more pics. :)

Thats kewl to hear. The Galle expressway must be far from the sea isnt it
Yes A3 from Colombo to Negombo is nice looking and there are many fancy shops all along.

Video taken just after leaving the airport

xkWkVe2nt1s

Thats me with A1 -Colombo-Kandy road :cheers:
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4880/img0086c.jpg

The 2 persons who took the photo I think they are workers in that restaurant
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/4027/img0087yyh.jpg

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8011/img0088pvz.jpg

Footage inside the bus .. I was standing at the front part of the bus for 2 hours and a half until reaching Mawanella

BL4rDKy7RSQ

Mawanella
a small town where I had overnight stay.... it's not a touristy place but rather a typical rural town in Sri Lanka with very friendly people ; ethnic Singhalese, Tamils, Moors all living side by side and respecting one another. It's just 25 km/40min before Kandy on A1 Colombo-Kandy road

Mawanella is a crowded small town
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/5307/img0090fvg.jpg

Me in front of a bakery shop . I stayed in the house of the bakery's owner ( ethnic Tamil )
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5761/img0091tym.jpg

Pics in Mawanella- this town of around 30,000 ( according to a friend there ) is very service-based and I cannot think of any other significant industries.

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/1107/img0097krr.jpg


http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/2489/img0096tax.jpg


http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8645/img0095g.jpg



http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/8959/img0092jvw.jpg

Me in Mawanella
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/3278/img0099xrc.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/i/img0099xrc.jpg/)

Aha that's my favourite shop in Sri Lanka ( esp. to get juices) . Food city rocks :banana: ALmost every smaller town in Sri Lanka has Food city shop. This is the first time I heard of this brand!
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5461/img0098zws.jpg (http://img27.imageshack.us/i/img0098zws.jpg/)

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8985/img0094wus.jpg

What the zigzag yellow lines mean?
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9886/img0093czc.jpg

The room of a local friend
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/9562/img0101dpx.jpg

Then we ( 4 of us ) took a 3-wheeler for a short visit uphill to Kandy . In terms of altitude:

Colombo- sea level
Mawanella - 150 m
Kandy- 450-500m

So basically, Mawanella is the starting point of steep rise into Kandy if youre coming from Colombo
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/8973/img0102q.jpg

On our way we reached Kadugannawa area with its spectacular vista over SriLankan central highlands :cheers:

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1166/img0103axs.jpg


http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6082/img0104s.jpg


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/662/img0105g.jpg

Thats me having a stop in Kadugannawa... It feels exactly like in Malaysia with the same greenery and weather!! Monkeys too!!

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5521/srilanka1.png

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/2581/img0107d.jpg

Me & a friend Nafee ... I stayed in his house in Mawanella that night!
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7845/img0109qhj.jpg

With another local friend that I made in Mawanella.. Mr *Huzni*

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6848/img0110ncu.jpg


Me & A1 Colombo-Kandy road , in Kadugannawa... note at the steep rise into Kandy
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1283/img0112v.jpg



http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/2972/img0113fuv.jpg

Once again, Great Pictures and narration. Did you arrange accommodation in mawanella beforehand or plan-as-you go type adventure ?

What the zigzag yellow lines mean?

Means no overtaking or parking near the pedestrian crossing I think.

PAYG type :D

Ohh. I thought its a stoppable zone for buses

In the rock of Kadugannawa and the downward direction of A1

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/9167/img0117o.jpg


http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/1989/img0116tex.jpg


http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4291/img0115z.jpg


http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/8140/img0114uqk.jpg

After Kadugannawa we made a stop on a bridge of Mahaweli which is the longest river in Sri Lanka ( 300 km+ ) . The river originates from the Central Province


http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3066/img0119c.jpg

On the bridge of Mahaweli with Mawanella friends!!

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/6645/img0125f.jpg


http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3370/img0124enz.jpg



http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/4733/img0122k.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8162/img0123n.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9581/img0118u.jpg

Then we stopped at Peradeniya University which is the largest university in entire Sri Lanka :cheers: Its pretty huge and surrounded bu natural greenery. Only 5 km towards Kandy and very close to the opular Kandy Botanical Garden

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6447/img0128kje.jpg


http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/3139/img0127s.jpg


http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4042/img0126ahb.jpg

^^ I spent just $ 20-30 on the ground for the whole 4N stay ( food, transpo etc. )

Add it up to $ 58 airfare, the whole trip was less than $ 90 :lol:


Damn...thats dirt cheap. Your sure know how to find cheap/free accommodation. :lol:

I met a family in Mawanella and when they knew that I was planning to visit Galle they immediately contacted their relatives in Galle to let me in ;) . But alternatively, there are many excellent rooms available in every Sri Lankan town at only 1200-1500 SL rupees ( $11- $14 ) with comfy bed and sophisticated bathroom .

Sri Lanka is the cheapest country I've ever been :cheers: - food , transpo ( $ 1 to travel half the country by ordinary buses ) , groceries ( chepest price levels i've seen ) . Though fuel is very pricey ( $ 1.20 per litre ).. but this is compensated by very frequent and incredibly cheap public transpo system.

Mr Huzni shows his college to me which is in the outskirt of Kandy
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/5521/srilanka1.png


Me@Kandy
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/8017/img0130m.jpg


http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1324/img0133kqy.jpg


http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/9021/img0132dla.jpg


http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/8496/img0131wxi.jpg

Inside Kandy Commercial ( KCC ) Mall... iI think its still new because 30-40% or so of the shops were empty

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1064/img0134rzu.jpg

Walking along the famous Kandy lake

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/2985/img0136u.jpg


http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3362/img0135j.jpg

walking along Kandy lake.. approaching the famous Temple of the Tooth, which is the prominent landmark of Kandy.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8891/img0140b.jpg


http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/8310/img0139nxj.jpg


http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4141/img0138m.jpg

around Kandy lake

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7001/img0141eev.jpg


http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4100/img0143ejq.jpg

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/9312/img0145cqr.jpg

Kandy lake.

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2994/img0146knz.jpg

Taking a bus from the end of Kandy lake back to where we parked our 3-wheeler
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3300/img0149hjf.jpg

After 2 hours or so in Kandy, we returned back to Mawanella.. again we had acouple of stops

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9590/img0150e.jpg

Inside our 3-wheeler.
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/6006/img0151f.jpg

That night we had gathering in a friend's house....Chatting for about an hour.
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/742/img0152w.jpg

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2200/img0153j.jpg

That's my room for sleeping that night in Mawanella ( thanks to Nafee )

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/7320/img0154n.jpg


He got this PC as well inside his room
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7076/img0155g.jpg

i couldnt see the pics in this thread.......by the way good work sky prince

terimah kasih untuk pictures nya... :)

Skyprince, very nice pictures, many thanks for sharing the great stuff with us, keep posting. :okay:

Day 2 in Sri Lanka
Mawanella--> Colombo--> Galle

So I woke up around 8 and had breakfast, then preparing for a long journey to Galle in southern tip of SL. I thought that there was another road connecting Kandy/Central province and Galle in the south, but this was not the case. I got to go back all again to Colombo before heading southwards. So Nafee escorted me to Kadugannawa train station ( the nearest from Mawanella town ) to take train to Colombo. We paid 50 Rupees ( $0.50) for Mawanella-Kadugannawa bus ride and rushed to the train station, to be informed that the next train to Colombo would leave in an hour. So we decided to stroll around Kadugannawa town and the scenic places that we went on the day before.

I bought the Second-class ticket for Kadugannawa-Colombo journey which costs 175 Rupees ( $ 1.60 ); a First class ticket would be 250 rupees and third class is available at 80. The train actually originates from Kandy. Sri Lankans always regard train as the best way to travel between Colombo and Kandy because the track is built on high cliffs and terrains, thus providing the panoramic view of SriLankan highlands. This is in contrary to journey by A1 road which goes beneath the lush jungle.

The train was very crowded and all seats had been taken. So I gotta stand for the whole 3 hr journey to Colombo. The train looks pretty tired and it runs pretty slow , probably at 60km/h max on the way down then raised to 80-90 when it approaches Colombo. The train passes through many tunnels where some passengers, especially ladies, yell aloud.

Colombo Fort is the central train terminal for entire SL. Next to it there is a central bus terminus where buses to all other parts of SL originates. ANd they are running at very high frequency ! Buses to Moratuwa ( a Colombo suburb town 30 km away ) for example, leaves every 5-10 mins. I lined up to get on the bus to Galle ( medium-haul ) which leaves on 30 mins-1hr frequency and managed to get a seat. The journey from Colombo to Galle was very breathtaking- for the first leg into Moratuwa the bus went though most parts of Colombo city and the beautiful stylish-looking suburbs of Dehiwala/Mt.Lavinia until we reached Moratuwa and on another leg the journey was entirely rural with rural towns, villages and most importantly- the sea- came into sight. Most segments of Colombo-Galle road, known as A2, is built along the seaside so it offers a pleasant and spectacular jouney to travellers.

Galle.... is a pleasant small town and it made world headlines as it was one of the most terribly hit towns during 2004's tsunami. Around 6,000 people were estimated to be dead in Galle area alone ( a town of 100,000 ) . I stayed with a local Tamil-speaking family ( I was handed over to them by the family in Mawanella ) . I went to a local communication shop and dialed the number of Mr. Simtaj and he picked me up somewhere near Galle bus terminal. He is working in a local telecommunication company . Again, let the pics sum things up :cheers:

i couldnt see the pics in this thread.......by the way good work sky prince

terimah kasih untuk pictures nya... :)

Skyprince, very nice pictures, many thanks for sharing the great stuff with us, keep posting. :okay:

Oh great nice lol, hmm I'm using imageshack uploader this time.. probably you can switch to another PC to view the pics..

Wow terima kasih too Amal & Banu !!

This is the house where I stayed in Mawanella.. it has 4 rooms and comfortable

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7966/img0158bok.jpg


http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6888/img0157wpl.jpg


http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1504/img0156yny.jpg

another side of the house

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/5184/img0159hrs.jpg

Walking from home to Mawanella bus halt to get to Kadunannawa station for train ride to Colombo


http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2653/img0160scy.jpg

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2647/img0161ybs.jpg

Me & the homeowner... he was manning his shop that day
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/5521/srilanka1.png

The back street of Mawanella
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3503/img0162lyp.jpg

Mawanella town

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/9341/img0166krd.jpg


http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8560/img0165.jpg

Mawanella Town

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/6755/img0168tvu.jpg



http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7915/img0169p.jpg


http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2570/img0170k.jpg

There we go.. we took this bus to reach Kadugannawa railway station. :cheers:
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7458/img0167k.jpg

Inside the bus

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/925/img0172aeg.jpg


My ticket
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6696/img0177c.jpg



http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/8753/img0180o.jpg

After 25 mins, we arrived at Kadugannawa

Kadugannawa Town

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2196/img0181u.jpg

Me @ Kadugannawa Railway station... still 1 hour till the next train arrives

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/6522/img0182c.jpg


http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/5521/srilanka1.png

View from the railway overbridge towards Kadugannawa
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5521/srilanka1.png

Thanx Nafee for holding ma bag
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2757/img0185ofu.jpg

Fuel prices is incredibly high in SL - $1.2 for a litre of petrol
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/204/img0187l.jpg


Towards Kadugannawa town
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5521/srilanka1.png

With an ad board

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/9682/img0190lfe.jpg

Walking downhill
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7028/srilanka3.png

Kadugannawa police station board

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1332/srilanka2.png

The largest umbrella factory in Sri Lanka is in Kadugannawa :cheers:.. owned by Rainco Co.

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/7459/img0194c.jpg

The lighthouse of Kadugannawa

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5521/srilanka1.png

WIth the Welcome Board to Central Province of SL
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/1569/srilanka4.png


A local restaurant
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8977/img0197awt.jpg

So many pics and spaces taken for this page

So.. one

two

Don;t drink and drive..

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/3286/img0198z.jpg


A1- cars coming from Colombo direction into the rock

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/8721/img0199nvl.jpg

if anyone is wondering wht the hell a lightouse is doing in central sri lanka where there is no sea/ocean...it's actually a lightouse like tower constructed by the British.
here's proof:

The British colonist who is reputed for designing and constructing the road, Captain, W.F. Dawson of the Royal Engineers is commemorated at this place by means of a light house like tower which soars fifty-eight metres into the sky from a rock where the railway line runs parallel to the main road. There are 1110 wooden steps to climb to reach the top of the tower.

From the top of the tower one can see the surrounding environment including Sri Pada or the Adams Peak on one side, and the city of Kandy surrounded by the Mahaweli Ganga on the other side. An inscription in English at the base praises Captain Dawson whose knowledge of science and skills in road construction had helped to plan and execute the construction of this road and other public utility works. Captain Dawson died of dysentery in 1829 while surveying the Mannar Channel in the north of the island

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=39245

Then back to Kadugannawa Train Station...
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/2307/img0201cga.jpg (http://img2.imageshack.us/i/img0201cga.jpg/)

if anyone is wondering wht the hell a lightouse is doing in central sri lanka where there is no sea/ocean...it's actually a lightouse like tower constructed by the British.
here's proof:

The British colonist who is reputed for designing and constructing the road, Captain, W.F. Dawson of the Royal Engineers is commemorated at this place by means of a light house like tower which soars fifty-eight metres into the sky from a rock where the railway line runs parallel to the main road. There are 1110 wooden steps to climb to reach the top of the tower.

From the top of the tower one can see the surrounding environment including Sri Pada or the Adams Peak on one side, and the city of Kandy surrounded by the Mahaweli Ganga on the other side. An inscription in English at the base praises Captain Dawson whose knowledge of science and skills in road construction had helped to plan and execute the construction of this road and other public utility works. Captain Dawson died of dysentery in 1829 while surveying the Mannar Channel in the north of the island

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=39245


Wow I wish I could climbed up the tower to enjoy those views ( Adams Peak, the city of Kandy etc. ) . I think Kadugannawa can reap massive tourism income by restoring the lighthouse and open it to tourists and public who wanna enjoy some good vistas.

Three

The train timetable @ Kadugannawa Station in Sinhalese..
The next train to Colombo Pettah would depart at 11:16 am, which means in 7-8 mins time :cheers:

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/6721/srilanka6.png (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/srilanka6.png/)

Waiting at the platform

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/6937/srilanka8.png (http://img4.imageshack.us/i/srilanka8.png/)

The train finally comes... and its sooooo crowded

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9759/img0205m.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/i/img0205m.jpg/)

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3268/img0206sjy.jpg (http://img8.imageshack.us/i/img0206sjy.jpg/)

The train.. and there are many salesmen selling prducts like wade, snacks, drinks, etc. Some even got permission to get inside train and travel altogether to Colombo.

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8231/img0207i.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/i/img0207i.jpg/)

I got no choice but to stand in the crowded train

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/5913/img0208wpp.jpg (http://img2.imageshack.us/i/img0208wpp.jpg/)

Wow some breathtaking view of mountains from the train

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/280/img0211jmc.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/img0211jmc.jpg/)


http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/5940/img0213pjb.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/i/img0213pjb.jpg/)

This is the two videos I took on the train... it was too crowded, but very exciting ride!!
Enjoy!! :cheers:

Video1
cV8AYXUE_oo


Video2 ( inside tunnel then exiting)
Iz7FP5kNNAU

Very nice scenery :cheers:

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9828/img0214i.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/img0214i.jpg/)


A train coming from Colombo direction
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3910/img0215n.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/i/img0215n.jpg/)

Another video.. must watch !! :cheers:

YMVZU2v75TA

A train station in between ( forgot its name )

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3621/img0217knl.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/i/img0217knl.jpg/)

Some green views as the train approaches Colombo
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3049/img0218q.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/img0218q.jpg/)

four

Approaching Colombo

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7259/img0219puc.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/i/img0219puc.jpg/)

So you didn't get time to go higher than kandy ? Railway line runs through some amazingly pretty areas there. Like always, looking forward to more pics

Hmm I didnt get enuf time, sjina. But no worries, I have a firm plan to be in SL again this December , and I will explore Nuwra Eliya, Haputale etc. which was not covered by this visit ! Airfares are damn cheap !! :cheers:

Five

Another video taken as the train passes thru Colombo suburbs :cheers:

B0Czcal2SJE

Colombo Fort train station

Crowded with many trains departing to other cities & Colombo outskirts.


http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6031/img0221m.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/i/img0221m.jpg/)


http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6358/img0222p.jpg (http://img186.imageshack.us/i/img0222p.jpg/)

Colombo fort

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/782/img0224m.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/img0224m.jpg/)


http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3953/img0223fwy.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/i/img0223fwy.jpg/)

Colombo FOrt

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9697/img0225s.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/img0225s.jpg/)

Colombo Fort

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/9807/img0226uqv.jpg

I think those white trains go mostly to Colombo outskirts while the red ones usually run long-distance is that correct ?

The train timeable @ Colombo Fort ..as I said It's veryyyy easy country to move around Sri Lanka as trains go into all directions

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/130/img0227a.jpg

Colombo Fort

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7306/img0228uou.jpg

Display board@ Colombo Fort station... the train is going to Panadura at 15:20

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1323/img0229t.jpg

imagehack.us is ban site in china...nothing to do....

seriously ? they banned even imageshack there ? Anyway skyprince, you should get a flickr account ;)

China has already blocked Flickr as well. May be try on Websites like Panoramio (http://www.panoramio.com/signin/), Rival4rver (http://rivals4ever.com/Upload-image-for-China-462-1-.htm)
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China has already blocked Flickr as well. May be try on Websites like Panoramio (http://www.panoramio.com/signin/), Rival4rver (http://rivals4ever.com/Upload-image-for-China-462-1-.htm)
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yes guys,tinypic also fine

Many many thanks for sharing all those things bro..

Really enjoyed.

Many more to come :cheers:

I think Imageshack is the best image uploader...... I haaaaate Photobucket and about flickr, isnt it just a photo storing site ?

The train display for Kandy

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1848/img0230o.jpg

Before catching a bus to Galle I had my lunch first and this is what I had .. I found that Sri Lankan meal portion is damn huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge :eek2: :eek2: Not just in this restaurant but in all other reataurants that I went to !!

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/6159/img0232ydk.jpg


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/8655/img0231x.jpg

I found that Sri Lankan food pretty similar to Malaysian Indian ones... in terms of spices used etc. But Sri Lankans never put sugar into their main courses. Prices are cheap like in KL, just the portion is very big !

Wow. That looks incredibly superbly wonderfully delicious.

The restaurant where I had lunch from outside

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9622/img0233efb.jpg

Wow. That looks incredibly superbly wonderfully delicious.

Indeed... I ordered 3 different servings of chicken- curry, deep fried and with chilli paste/sambol . Was too hungry after 3 hours standing inside the train.

Then the rice came with that green vegetables ( I dont know what it is, but very tasty ), chilli prawn and some local sauce

Sri Lanka's main transportation hub- Colombo Fort Train Station ( + the nearby bus terminal )

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7634/img0234p.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/img0234p.jpg/)

The main street in front of Colombo Fort station

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7221/img0235p.jpg



Some shops nearby in Pettah
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/4595/img0236h.jpg

I just booked return flights to Colombo for February. I really want to return again and again to this exciting country and stay longer in each part of the island ! Probably I will visit this December too, now wating for my company to release the off dates ! :cheers:

Streetshops in Colombo Pettah. I really really love looking at those Sinhalese scripts ! :cheers:

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7982/img0237f.jpg

Then I took a bus to Galle. Again, very crowded but I paid only $1 for this 3:30 hr jounry via beautiful Colombo suburbs and the beach road !!

Colombo is beautiful, well-ordered and modern in many parts, quite peaceful , and the buildings are very colourful, especially in its suburbs. I was amazed as the bus went along its city centre and its beautiful suburbs Mt Lavinia and the neighborhoods of Moratuwa. I love Colombo and if given opportnity to live in any South Asian countries, my first choice would be Colombo ! :cheers:



http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4231/img0240s.jpg

My Colombo-Galle bus ticket.. 100 Rupees means just below $ 1 for this 120 km journey :eek2:

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1474/img0365gl.jpg

Colombo
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2471/img0238agg.jpg

Beautiful Colombo at Street level

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4012/img0242h.jpg



http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4218/img0241aew.jpg

Colombo

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3149/img0244t.jpg


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1787/img0243h.jpg

Colombo


http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/5457/img0246x.jpg

Indeed... I ordered 3 different servings of chicken- curry, deep fried and with chilli paste/sambol . Was too hungry after 3 hours standing inside the train.

Then the rice came with that green vegetables ( I dont know what it is, but very tasty ), chilli prawn and some local sauce

And you managed to finish them all ? That's heroic !

Nice to see you loving SL. More pics please :)

Colombo

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9719/img0248xyt.jpg

Colombo

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7826/img0249p.jpg

Colombo

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4052/img0251w.jpg

In COlombo ( or its southern suburb )

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2324/img0252d.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/img0252d.jpg/)

Colombo's suburb ( in the south )

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5065/img0253tqn.jpg (http://img7.imageshack.us/i/img0253tqn.jpg/)


http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7013/img0254r.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/img0254r.jpg/)

petrol station in southern Colombo

Never heard of this brand . Laugfs ??

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8589/img0255s.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/i/img0255s.jpg/)

Colombo's southern suburb

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/5412/img0257kxx.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/img0257kxx.jpg/)

Sorry for the quality of recent pics since they were shot from a moving bus ! :cheers:


Somewhere in Mt. Lavinia

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/1811/img0258r.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/i/img0258r.jpg/)

Aha. the beach view started ! :banana:

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6856/img0259b.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/img0259b.jpg/)

Colombo's suburb ( in the south )
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7013/img0254r.jpg

Hehe, near where I live :)

Also Laugfs is a local company.

Moratuwa, a huge suburb town south of Colombo

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7241/img0261w.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/img0261w.jpg/)

And you managed to finish them all ? That's heroic !

Nice to see you loving SL. More pics please :)

They tasted so nice.. though I ended up paying 400 rupees ( still cheap!)


Hehe, near where I live :)

Also Laugfs is a local company.

Hmm probably we can meet up next time. Nobody guided me in Colombo, so maybe you or PCK can assist.

I like the design of Laughs stands

Beautiful coast ( Gulf of Mannar ? )

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5053/img0262m.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/i/img0262m.jpg/)

Colombo-Galle stretch seems pretty crowded and bustling with people, activities, even some Buddhism ceremonies in some temples with thousands gathering, and I noticed that most passengers in the bus put their palms together when the bus approaches a busy temple .

And.. I really enjoyed the Sinhalese pop music turned on inside the bus :banana:

Around Beruwala or Kalutara, I forgot

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8099/img0264f.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/i/img0264f.jpg/)

Finally... we reached Galle around 19:00

And my first stop was... Food City !! Getting some drinks

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/9360/img0267hcc.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/img0267hcc.jpg/)

im sure il be able to help you out next time(if im in the country!), was kinda busy these last few weeks so couldnt offer my help! :D and that wasnt the Gulf of Mannar, Mannar is north from Colombo, you were heading South so that's just the Southern Coast. btw did you stop at hikkaduwa? they have a turtle hatchery's there, really nice place!:)

lol, you seem to love food city. Also, technically you can call that piece of the ocean Gulf of Mannar right ? Also you should get down to Matara next time ? Really nice town ;)

im sure il be able to help you out next time(if im in the country!), was kinda busy these last few weeks so couldnt offer my help! :D and that wasnt the Gulf of Mannar, Mannar is north from Colombo, you were heading South so that's just the Southern Coast. btw did you stop at hikkaduwa? they have a turtle hatchery's there, really nice place!:)

Unfortunately... no. I knew about Hikkaduwa but I gotta travel straight into Galle. I always expected tehre is a road linking Kandy and Galle without the need to overcross Colombo . Btw, are you settling in Colombo ? Which part ?



lol, you seem to love food city. Also, technically you can call that piece of the ocean Gulf of Mannar right ? Also you should get down to Matara next time ? Really nice town ;)

Matara is a must visit this December or/and next February. I would love to swim in Mirissa beach. But Unawatuna was already very nice ! Well not that I fell in love with it but just I like the Food City brand which I never heard of previously.

So that night in Galle I stayed with a Tamil-speaking family and these are pics taken in the house during the morning of 3rd day

Very nice SriLankan biryani

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6730/img0268zcy.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/i/img0268zcy.jpg/)

This is my room for that night.... very comfortable house indeed. And that's a standard middle-income Sri Lankan home with average local salary, I think. Mr. Simtaj works in a local telecommunication company in Galle and he is the breadwinner of the family while his parents running a small grocery shop if i've not mistaken. :cheers:

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2131/img0269avd.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/img0269avd.jpg/)

My room that night

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6277/img0271x.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/i/img0271x.jpg/)


http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7/img0270czg.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/i/img0270czg.jpg/)

Nice room. Just I forgot to install the mosquito net

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4576/img0272.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/img0272.jpg/)

I think one of the girls took these 2 photos

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/1486/img0274nyj.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/img0274nyj.jpg/)


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4119/img0273t.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/i/img0273t.jpg/)

Skyprince is a foodie :eat:


My breakfast. The same biryani but with dal, green vegetable curry, salads and newly-made Chicken leg spiced up with chilli paste
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/4325/img0275a.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/i/img0275a.jpg/)


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1724/img0277o.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/i/img0277o.jpg/)

Really love your great report Fawaz. It gives an inside look into the culture and the life of the ppl in Sri Lanka.

The super delicious Chicken leg with chilli paste !! :eat: Very Crispy!!! Its the best briyani I ever had in my life !! :banana:

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3201/img0278smh.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/img0278smh.jpg/)


The green vegetable ( forgot its English name :doh: ) with yellow curry

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6196/img0279d.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/i/img0279d.jpg/)

Skyprince is a foodie :eat:


My breakfast. The same biryani but with dal, green vegetable curry, salads and newly-made Chicken leg spiced up with chilli paste
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/4325/img0275a.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/i/img0275a.jpg/)


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1724/img0277o.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/i/img0277o.jpg/)

Skyprince , you look handsome in the photo .:)

Really love your great report Fawaz. It gives an inside look into the culture and the life of the ppl in Sri Lanka.

Wow thats great uncle!! Sri Lanka is my most favourite country in South Asia , its very tourist-friendly I didn't need visa, beautiful cities like Colombo ( esp. the suburbs ) , warm weather, a melting pot , very easy to get around, and what I like the most about Sri Lanka is that Sri Lankans in general are very humble and polite East Asian-style and in the same time very outspoken and critical thinking Subcontinent-style ! :cheers: SL is just over 3 hrs flying time from here and I can visit there every month ! And I was really surprised that there are very very few smokers in Sri Lanka. Despite SL's relatively old infrastructure there are many ongoing giant projects e.g. new highways connecting Colombo and Galle, Kandy ( correct me ? ) and to its northern suburbs. The war has ended and who knows, this would bring SL back into its towering position as in the 50's and 60's in the next decade ? The foundation is already there with very healthy population ( its life expectancy even higher than Malaysia! ), very high literacy rate and low incidence of poverty :cheers:

Awesome stuff SkyPrince!!!!

Wonderful TR as always, Skyprince. Fun to read and informative. Hope you are back in BD some day soon :)

Great. And Tanzir, I really hope to return again to BD ... Both SL and BD are very enjoyable with very nice people ,just SL has the extremely wise advantage of free visa on arrival.

This is the salad for my breakfast

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/9235/img0280o.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/img0280o.jpg/)

And finally. the green syrup jelly as dessert. :eat:

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/295/img0281s.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/img0281s.jpg/)

Day 3 in Sri Lanka

Woke up around 9 and spent the whole daytime in Galle... The house where I stayed in was like 500 metres from the beach, and is located in the city of Galle itself. I simply couldn;t believe that I was finally in Galle i mean the town is quite popular with its fort and the headlines it made during tsunami back in 2004. Simtaj informed ,e that around 600 people died in his neighborhood alone and he knew few dozens of his close friends and close neighbours who were swept away by the tsunami.

Galle is Sri Lanka's 4th or 5th largest city in terms of population but I think its the 2nd most important city in Sri Lanka after Colombo in terms of popularity and tourism. We ( me & Simtaj by his motorbike ) visited the Galle fort with its breathtaking scenery ( I seriously didn't do any research about the fort, even until now ) but basically it has many beautiful remnants built by Europeans ( again I forgot whether Dutch or Portuguese ) which are rere sights in Sri Lanka. There are many beautiful cliffs with superb view towards the Indian Ocean . Then Simtaj left me on a beach inside the Fort for about 2 hours as he had something to do in a bank. I saw loads of local crowds swimming there ( though the beach looks murky ) so it seems attractive at the beginning.........later when I got into the water I found it very rocky and not swimmable. A bit of disappointment, but when Simtaj returned to pick me up he agreed to take me to Unawatuna beach which is 10-15 km away from Galle city.

Unawatuna was really superb- the water was very pristine, not rocky at all, great views of surrounding green mountains and there are loads of Sri Lankans and European tourists having fun there. The water was pristine despite the very cloudy weather. I had great time swimming there ( alone... )

Later we returned to SImtaj's home, picked up my bag and said goodbye to the family.... Simtaj dropped me off at Galle train station since I decided to take train to Colombo. I never had the experince of travelling by inter-city trains in Malaysia because train is very unpopular in Malaysia with very low frequency .. So I would take the chance to travel by train as much as I could while I was in Sri Lanka with its smooth, frequent and reliable train service. The journey by train from Galle to Colombo Pettah took more than 3 hours and it was alot better way to travel compared to bus since the track goes right on the seaside for almost 70% of the journey. The train only started to leave the shore 2-3 minutes before arriving at Colombo Fort station. During the 2004 tsunami, a crowded train which run on that exact track was swept away by the tsunami, derailed and almost 1000 passengers ( some argued its 800+ ) died on the spot

Again, lets the pics speak the rest..:cheers:

good going Skyprince, looking forward to the rest of the pics too :)

Nice travelogue Skyprince

hope thats not the end? ....you have more pictures skyprince?... i love the way you describe every single details with amazing pictures of sri lanka...you are just like ibn battuta for 21st century...lol

Before catching a bus to Galle I had my lunch first and this is what I had .. I found that Sri Lankan meal portion is damn huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge :eek2: :eek2: Not just in this restaurant but in all other reataurants that I went to !!

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/6159/img0232ydk.jpg (http://img4.imageshack.us/i/img0232ydk.jpg/)


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/8655/img0231x.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/img0231x.jpg/)



i wonder if they use lots of chilli in the food....because some of the dishes look really spicy....... man you love food ..lol..you gotto have lots of pictures of the delicious food anywhere you go.....you read my mind :-)

Wow great! I've been busy for the past 2 days :doh: but I will post more pics tonight.

@aladdin- Hmm I think SL cuisine is alot similar to Malaysian Indian ones but they never put sugar into their main course. And SLankans eat alot of rice- its a stark contradiction to Indonesia where rice portion is very little if you go to their restaurants. Am a foodie and cannot live without thinking of food most of the time! :doh:

^^
Nice! Thanks for the travel report Skyprince. Looking forward to your other pics. :)

^^ Great! Let's continue!!

This is the neighborhood of Galle where I stayed at. Just 1km from downtown Galle itself. :cheers:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/3387/img0283x.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/img0283x.jpg/)


http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2720/img0282k.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/i/img0282k.jpg/)

Me with helmet gazing at that famous Galle's corniche

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/1478/img0285ozs.jpg


http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2295/img0284mti.jpg

Me @ downtown Galle

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8641/img0286m.jpg

Bustling Galle town

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7813/img0287o.jpg

This is Mr. Simtaj with the bike... the bike has Colombo plate number instead of Southern one

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3046/img0288c.jpg

Typical mileage board in Sri Lanka..... Seriously I feel that Galle is around 250 km from Colombo ( instead of 117 km ) because the jopurney by bus and train were long with so many towns, natural sights, crowds etc. between the 2 cities

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/720/img0289l.jpg

Galle town

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/3861/img0291t.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9462/img0290o.jpg

Then we went to the famous Galle Fort

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/7091/img0292l.jpg


http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/9650/img0293s.jpg

Me @ Galle Fort :cheers:


This is the view towards Galle harbour and Unawatuna
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/3131/img0295h.jpg


http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5157/img0294z.jpg

Me@ Galle Fort


Thsi is the view towards Galle city
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5771/img0298b.jpg

...another view
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/7843/img0296x.jpg

Me@ Galle Fort

http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/7483/img0300m.jpg


http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/2170/img0299gqp.jpg

Me @ Galle Fort

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4624/img0302t.jpg

View towards Indian Ocean
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6020/img0301k.jpg

Galle Fort

http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/3161/img0305a.jpg (http://img382.imageshack.us/i/img0305a.jpg/)


http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8215/img0304y.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/i/img0304y.jpg/)

That was picturesque. When was Galle Fort built?

Hmm it was built in 17th century by the Poutuguese and later modified by Dutch. I checked on Wiki but couldn't find its main purpose. Probably for defence ?

Galle fort

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1166/img0308k.jpg


http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/7671/img0307p.jpg

Handicraft

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/2244/img0309u.jpg

The beach inside the fort

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3223/img0310y.jpg

Th beach inside Galle fort


http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1821/img0312w.jpg (http://img259.imageshack.us/i/img0312w.jpg/)

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/8706/img0311m.jpg (http://img2.imageshack.us/i/img0311m.jpg/)

A pump station in Galle

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4056/img0313g.jpg

$ 1.20/litre... very costly.

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/7360/img0314s.jpg

From Galle town we headed to another main tourist attraction in Galle : Unawatuna beach. It's around 5km from Galle Town via Galle-Matara road.

This is the bustling Galle downtown :cheers:

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6840/img0315v.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/i/img0315v.jpg/)

Location of Galle & Unawatuna

http://www.schulphysik.de/asoka/map4.jpg

Galle town

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/2083/img0317z.jpg (http://img2.imageshack.us/i/img0317z.jpg/)

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/1240/img0316r.jpg (http://img385.imageshack.us/i/img0316r.jpg/)

Galle town

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/9011/img0318jfo.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/i/img0318jfo.jpg/)

Great travelogue skyprince. Galle is one of my most favourite places in SL. Takes me right back to being there. Your right about the distance from Colombo is does feel a lot further than the actual distance. Roll on the opening of the Southern Expressway!!

^ Great to hear. I heard that Matara is alot more charming ( from SriLankan friends ) and the beaches are alot more superb.

Galle- Unawatuna road....

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/6076/img0321.jpg (http://img385.imageshack.us/i/img0321.jpg/)


http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/3450/img0320j.jpg (http://img259.imageshack.us/i/img0320j.jpg/)

Unawatuna beach
What a superrrrrb beach with prstine water. Though it started to rain when we reached there :cheers:

http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/9181/img0323g.jpg (http://img382.imageshack.us/i/img0323g.jpg/)


http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/5760/img0322.jpg (http://img382.imageshack.us/i/img0322.jpg/)

Beautiful Unawatuna beach, despite the rainy weather the water is still clear and transparent

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/3684/img0326k.jpg (http://img385.imageshack.us/i/img0326k.jpg/)


http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/2076/img0325s.jpg (http://img2.imageshack.us/i/img0325s.jpg/)


http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/2677/img0324a.jpg (http://img212.imageshack.us/i/img0324a.jpg/)

Me@ Unawatuna beach.... I always swim topless and I did so in Unawatuna but I didnt want to do so in front of camera for public viewing via net :laugh:


http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/6366/img0327v.jpg (http://img212.imageshack.us/i/img0327v.jpg/)

Enjoyable time @ Unawatuna :cheers:

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/5300/img0329uat.jpg (http://img2.imageshack.us/i/img0329uat.jpg/)


http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/634/img0332s.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/img0332s.jpg/)

A temple nearby

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/2790/img0336v.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/img0336v.jpg/)


http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/3941/img0340e.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/i/img0340e.jpg/)

Me@Unawatuna

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/303/img0341s.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/img0341s.jpg/)



http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/5507/img0346mtw.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/i/img0346mtw.jpg/)

Me@ Unawatuna beach

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9839/img0334o.jpg (http://img90.imageshack.us/i/img0334o.jpg/)

Unawatuna beach

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/4944/img0352.jpg (http://img377.imageshack.us/i/img0352.jpg/)


http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5498/img0356u.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/i/img0356u.jpg/)

It's goodbye time for Galle and I decided to travel by train to Colombo. The train leaves at 15:45 for 3 hr journey to Colombo Fort.


http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5369/img0357r.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/i/img0357r.jpg/)

Me in front of Galle train station :cheers:

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/528/img0358s.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/i/img0358s.jpg/)

at the platform @ Galle station

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1335/img0359ymh.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/i/img0359ymh.jpg/)

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4291/img0360q.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/img0360q.jpg/)

Embarking the train to Colombo Fort @ Galle station

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1448/img0361w.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/img0361w.jpg/)


My ticket to Colombo :cheers: 110 Rupees....... thats less than $1 ! :eek:

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/9620/img0364p.jpg (http://img524.imageshack.us/i/img0364p.jpg/)

Inside the train from Galle to Colombo fort.... I booked on Third class. Around 70% of the journey was right on the shore ! Much better than trip by bus.

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/5933/img0367gp.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/img0367gp.jpg/)


http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7633/img0366kl.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/img0366kl.jpg/)

The breathtaking scenery of Sri Lankan southern coast from the train

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3828/img0369l.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/img0369l.jpg/)


http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/995/img0368o.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/img0368o.jpg/)

Inside the train Galle-Colombo Fort

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3453/img0370z.jpg (http://img300.imageshack.us/i/img0370z.jpg/)


Thats me :cheers: I asked a local lady to snap it

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/2792/img0371i.jpg (http://img524.imageshack.us/i/img0371i.jpg/)

The track and Panadura station

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/8406/img0373a.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/img0373a.jpg/)


http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4463/img0372v.jpg (http://img513.imageshack.us/i/img0372v.jpg/)

Approaching Colombo.... and its already dark

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6786/img0375z.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/i/img0375z.jpg/)


http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/8434/img0374yl.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/img0374yl.jpg/)

On arrival in Colombo, I was approached by a 3-wheeler driver who offered a 2-hour tour around Colombo for a bargain.

Our first stop was this Hindu temple ( I dont remember its name, but its like 15 mins from Colombo Fort )


http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1874/img0380ve.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/i/img0380ve.jpg/)


These are whats inside... I asked the driver many details but he did not know anything about the temple and the Hindu faiths

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/4123/img0386e.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/i/img0386e.jpg/)

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2609/img0384oq.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/img0384oq.jpg/)

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/9550/img0383g.jpg (http://img524.imageshack.us/i/img0383g.jpg/)

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/4696/img0382s.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/img0382s.jpg/)

Then the next stop, we went to a Buddhist temple nearby. Sri Lankans are largely Buddhists by faith but again, the driver didnt have more details that I needed for the temple :laugh: But there is a huge elephant inside that temple and I was offered to feed bamboo to that elephant

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4632/img0395l.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img0395l.jpg/)


http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3633/img0398b.jpg (http://img300.imageshack.us/i/img0398b.jpg/)

Me feeding the elephant :runaway: I put my hand into her mouth but she only grabbed the bamboo/fruit

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/7014/img0399p.jpg (http://img513.imageshack.us/i/img0399p.jpg/)



http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1061/img0402w.jpg (http://img140.imageshack.us/i/img0402w.jpg/)

It was very enjoyable night in Colombo but unfortunately I didn;t have time to explore the shopping malls and having shots of modern buildings and residential neighborhoods of Colombo ( I did that for Dhaka ). I will certainly do it on my next visit ( this December hopefully )

Then in the midnight.... I decided to get to Negombo... Negombo is very close to the airport and my flight would leave in 6-7 hours time. It's basically a fishing town with nice beaches but I was only hoping to get a cheap hotel to sleep there for a couple of hours before catching the return flight.

I took bus No.4 from Pettah heading towards Vavuniya and asked the bus driver to drop me down in Negombo.

Nothing much actually and I didn't find any hotels in Negombo, but one passenger ( on the below pic ) helped me out to find a restaurant ( since I was very hungry at that time ) .... It was a nice restaurant and I decided to sleep in that restaurant for 4-5 hours before leaving to the airport

This is me and the passenger.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2107/img0406d.jpg (http://img405.imageshack.us/i/img0406d.jpg/)

And my Sri Lankan fried rice :cheers:

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3189/img0405x.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/img0405x.jpg/)

The Sri Lankan rupees

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8137/img0407w.jpg (http://img223.imageshack.us/i/img0407w.jpg/)

The end of the trip....

Shots inside Bandaranaike International Airport

The usual Food city..... I couldnt find any suitable souvenirs to be brought back home. I knew that Sri Lanka is famous for its tea but all Ceylon tea products sold in that shop are made not in SriLanka but in New Zealand.... hmm

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8582/img0408o.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/i/img0408o.jpg/)

Bandaranaike International Airport

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/9413/img0410et.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img0410et.jpg/)


http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/925/img0409f.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img0409f.jpg/)

Bandaranaike International Airport- Check-in Hall........ only passengers are allowed into the terminal :eek: Like Dhaka.


http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3307/img0414t.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/i/img0414t.jpg/)

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/6169/img0413gg.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/img0413gg.jpg/)

Check-in for my flight back to KL... around 80% full
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4043/img0412i.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img0412i.jpg/)


http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/6481/img0411hu.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/img0411hu.jpg/)

Another budget carrier Mihin leaving for Trichy

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3307/img0414t.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/i/img0414t.jpg/)

Flight display... Chennai is the busiest line in/out of Colombo
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1323/img0415b.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img0415b.jpg/)

Modern and spacious

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5035/img0419qk.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/img0419qk.jpg/)

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5419/img0418p.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/img0418p.jpg/)

Still at check-in hall

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3508/img0422.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img0422.jpg/)

Gotta fill up this form before departure
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/118/img0420.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img0420.jpg/)

Modern shops inside the airport

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/5051/img0424o.jpg (http://img405.imageshack.us/i/img0424o.jpg/)

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2565/img0423b.jpg (http://img405.imageshack.us/i/img0423b.jpg/)

Departure gate for Chennai and Trichy flights

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2691/img0425g.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/i/img0425g.jpg/)


View outside with 2 UL birds with an Air Indian Express

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8326/img0426y.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/img0426y.jpg/)

Shops and smoking lounge inside Departure Hall.. theres even free internet access at the airport ( near boarding gates ). So advanced ! :eek:

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/6378/img0431hl.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/img0431hl.jpg/)

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/729/img0430g.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/img0430g.jpg/)

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3416/img0429pi.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img0429pi.jpg/)

The incoming Air Asia flight finally arrives from KL

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/5989/img0428jq.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/img0428jq.jpg/)

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/156/img0427z.jpg (http://img140.imageshack.us/i/img0427z.jpg/)

The flight that I'm taking.... now ready for boarding

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5789/img0433w.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/i/img0433w.jpg/)


http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3851/img0432e.jpg (http://img530.imageshack.us/i/img0432e.jpg/)

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/291/img0434a.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/i/img0434a.jpg/)

Very interesting thread! Sri Lanka is nice.






:horse:

It was extremely sad that I had to leave Sri Lanka, its gorgeous nature, smooth public transport and its very nice hospitable people after the very enjoyable 4 days I spent there. Really I left Sri Lanka with heavy heart that day.........The exact same feeling at the end of my stay in another 3 or 4 countries. But looking forward, I can always visit Sri Lanka ( am planning for every 2 months ) with ultra-cheap Air Asia tickets :cheers: I already booked for next February and probably this December once I know the off-days.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/684/img0435t.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/i/img0435t.jpg/)


http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7913/img0436q.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/i/img0436q.jpg/)

Beautiful Katunayake and probably Negombo area ( with the beautiful lagoon ) can be seen
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/1529/img0437e.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/i/img0437e.jpg/)



==========================================THE END ==============================================

I hope everybody enjoys it ( and share with your friends too ) :cheers:

OK SkyPrince, I must say that they have given you really weird stuff for breakfast. Usually you would have string hoppers,hoppers,kiribath or even bread and curry for breakfast. The things you had sounds more like what you would have for dinner.


Skyprince is a foodie :eat:


My breakfast. The same biryani but with dal, green vegetable curry, salads and newly-made Chicken leg spiced up with chilli paste
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/4325/img0275a.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/i/img0275a.jpg/)


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1724/img0277o.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/i/img0277o.jpg/)

^^ Probably they prepared something special to me as a guest. It's very rare for that Galle neighborhood to welcome any foreign guests, I think ( Though Galle town, fort and the beaches receive quite a number of foreign tourists ). I cannot distinguish between different cuisines owned by each ethnicity in SL, though- would be interesting to know.

Probably they prepared something special to me as a guest.

^^ or left over from last night's dinner ;)

^^ The rice is the same but the side dishes are totally different and newly-made that morning :D

Anyway, I have days off for December, but due to year's end the ticket price for Air Asia to Colombo is quite costly :( ..4 times what I paid last time. Though Feb's flights are already confirmed.

Just a quick question, I see an opportunity to visit SL again next week ( Oct 10th ) :cheers: but this time will be just 2 nights. Is it possible to do Nuwra Eliya and how about meetup ? Sjinadasa ? PCK ?

As for me, I'd have to see about that. It would have been possible in December or so, but this month I'm not so sure. Also you would want to take the train to nuwara eliya, its magnificent.

Oh and its pouring out here.

As for me, I'd have to see about that. It would have been possible in December or so, but this month I'm not so sure. Also you would want to take the train to nuwara eliya, its magnificent.

Oh and its pouring out here.

I am going this Oct 10th ( this Saturday ) :banana: but only for 2 nights

Just send me a PM if interested about meetup/