Sri Lanka

Sue and Todd took a flight to Sri Lanka because we'd never been there before. Amazing landscape similar to Bali in some ways but ended up lookig quite a bit like Wales in parts and Vancouver Island in others. The stay in Ella and the visit to Sigiriya were the highlights of the trip - Ella relaxed with lots of walking and hiking and Sigiriya quite possibly the best single ancient site we've been too (both enhanced by a wandering around during the very low tourist hours). The food throughout was fantastic and usually was served in amounts more than ample. For the pix, you know the drill, click away.

Sights

In addition to Sigiriya and Ella, there were some other fab places to visit on this island of 20 million people:

National Museum, Colombo - A touch run down but with an excellent collection of regional artifacts and art.
The beach, Unawatuna - It was sandy and warm and very relaxing.
Old city, Galle - Made a nice wander for an afternoon, with an excellent hole in the wall lunch with the local professionals and lawyers.
Ella Rock, Ella - A nice morning hike up to the top of Ella Rock gives a view that stretches almost to the ocean 100+ km away.
The train, Ella to Kandy - Right out of the guide book, this train ride of 7 hours was full of gorgeous scenery and friendly people.
Rock Temples, Dambulla - Went on a holiday weekend when hundreds of other locals were there. Stunning location and caves with very friendly families.
Sigiriya Palace, Sigiriya - Wow. Built 1500 years ago, this palace on top of a 200 meter high rock is one of the most stunning places we've been. Going at 6:30 AM before anyone else was around was the best decision we made the whole trip.
Polonnaruwa, Polonnaruwa - One of the ancient capitals, this made for a great day of wandering and exploring with the help of our guise/tuktuk driver.

Stays

A number of decent and comfortable places, one stood out. Decent lodging could be had for as little as 300 Rupees ($5):

Beauty Mount Rest House, Ella - Out of the guise book, this one was also recommended by a couple we met in Colombo. Bungalow cost 650 Rupees and was very comfortable.

Off the main road by the bus stop

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