Sri Lush Lanka

Ayubowan! (Good Morning!)

Sri Lanka you were nothing but incredible and I’m proud to now say I did it, one of my favourite countries ever.

Having just spent 2 months travelling Asia with multiple people, various schedules and plenty of shared rooms, I was keen for some luxury. By luxury, I mean an £8 room per night, but by myself. I basically couldn’t be arsed to make any more friends and wanted to have some personal space back in my life so chose to book double rooms for one instead of hostels, and embrace Sri Lanka solo. It was the best choice.

Because I rarely met an English speaking soul, (I visited in the off-season and avoided hostels where possible), I genuinely navigated my way around the country by travel manuals, TripAdvisor and approaching the locals with a massive smile on my face and lots of hand gestures. It was awesome. I travelled by public bus mainly, but used the local trains too - Sitting on a rickety, very loud train for 7 hours, driving through the mountains, and clouds, being the focus of major excitement and entertainment to school children on a passing train, and plenty of heart warming conversations with locals. Sri Lanka just seemed to get better by the day.

My favourite place by far has to be Unawatuna, along the coast just west of Mirissa (a more popular beach resort with whale watching options), and slightly east of Galle (a beautiful, historical old town). This area was pure bliss after a not so great stay in Tissamaharama… Avoid it like the plague. I can only describe Unawatuna by telling you how it made me feel; I felt content. I would wake up, swing in a hammock on the balcony whilst reading, have a breakfast of Queens, wonder down to the beach, more relaxation and selfish me-time, pop up to my favourite beach bar for afternoon refreshments, mooch around the incredible shops speaking with some beautiful people, inside and out, then have dinner where and whenever I wanted. I learnt so much throughout Sri Lanka; about their culture and way of life, but also about myself. It was as if the prior weeks of travelling had been leading up to this, if you’re considering travelling by yourself, do it. It may be daunting at first but it’s the best thing you’ll ever do.

When travelling with others it’s great to have that sense of comfort, someone to bounce ideas off and share the experience with, but when you’re solo you get an injection of confidence. You’re proud to have taken the plunge and want to make the most of it. You’ll do all of the activities you want to do, see all the sights on your list and take your time to take it all in. With no-one else to accommodate, there are no compromises, your trip is yours and yours alone. 

What to expect:

• Incredible people: The people I met throughout Sri Lanka were simply the best; so kind, generous, genuine and extremely humble. The conversations I had and moments I experienced with local Sri Lankans were some I will always treasure
• Variety - every place has something different to offer
• Public transport like no other

Must sees/dos:

Sigiriya Rock

It was very busy when I went but still awesome. There was even elephants on my walk to it.

Galle

An idyllic old town, both coastal and cultural

Ella

A gorgeously green bubble of great walks, breathtaking hikes (Adam's Peak for example) and waterfalls. I stayed here for 4 days, staying in a lovely homestay, hiking a different trail each day and fully embracing the incredible food cooked by my host.

Public bus! 

Do it. Seriously. Not only is it ridiculously cheap, it’s so entertaining. You jump on, (literally, they don’t stop) pay 30p for a trip you have no idea how long will take, have numerous conversations with Sri Lankan children amazed by your western status, then get told to jump off at your stop (throw your backpack else you will topple upon landing…). 

Avoid:

Kandy, Negombo and Tissamaharama

From my experience, which I admit was limited, these places weren’t anything to write home about. Too busy, not pretty, nothing I enjoyed. In fact these were the places I felt harassed and the least safe, some of which I admit could have been avoided if I were more careful. However, being off-season, and travelling alone, I was quite vulnerable. 

I’d love to head back to Sri Lanka one day, (with more money) and a specific plan. I’d feature more hikes, more beaches and definitely look into specific sights and activities instead of wondering. Aimlessly stumbling across things has its place when travelling, absolutely, but I do wish I’d had more of a plan of action. Coming home, I’ve found so many sights I missed. This could be said for any country I visit actually…  

Hmm where next???

Bohoma Istuti (Thank you) and Ayubowan! (Goodbye!)

#SriLanka #LiveLaughLearnTravel

The Power of People

Throughout my travels I stumbled upon things I'd rather forget and found myself in a few pickles, but what has stuck with me the most is the power, kindness and potential of people. There are far, far more wonderful people out there than there is evil, yet, unfortunately, as our minds our wired toward negativity for survival purposes, we spend considerably more time focusing on the bad than the good.

Millions of people do incredible things every day, change peoples lives, make people's days, or simply put a smile on someone's face but receive no recognition. 

Because of this, I wanted to take the time to thank some of the individuals I owe at least a beer to:

For the first time on my trip, I found myself alone. I was in Bali, LOVING LIFE, when I decided to take my travel book and plan my trip on the beach in Kuta. It wasn't long until a young guy, Nicholas, approached me asking whether I'd like a surf lesson. I declined but he didn't mind, instead he sat with me for two hours and helped plan where I should go, in which order and for how long. With no incentive to help, this gentleman ended up being my friend throughout Bali; taking me to my next destination on his bike (with my massive backpack at his feet the whole way), giving me and my friends tours of the new places including hot spots off the beaten track and arranging further transport for us :)

During my first solo bus journey in Sri Lanka, from Sigiriya to Kandy, I was sat next to a middle-aged man who spoke little English. We exchanged hand signals, smiles and the odd sentence, as well as some sweets. A drunk man then got on the bus, to the annoyance of the driver and his assistant, and sat on the right-hand side of me. He was wobbling around, saying the odd thing but I wasn't particularly bothered, (I've definitely seen worse in my time as a bar maid). My Sri Lankan friend to my left however, was concerned and invited me to swap seats with him so he could protect me. Needless to say I smiled for the rest of the 4 hour journey :)

Well, what can I say about Channy, our CEO of the Cambodia and Vietnam tour? Quite simply he is one of the kindest, and most genuine human beings I've ever met. No problem was too big, nor to much of an issue for him. No matter what you wanted, whether it was an urgent visa, a nightclub, to learn about Buddism or a shoulder to cry on, Channy was there with positivity, kindness and a solution. Chaney 100% made our tour ten times better just from being there and embracing us all like family. People are most definitely his passion, I really hope karma has something wonderful lined up for him :)

Elsewhere in the Philippines (ow Philippines), Laura and I were finding ourselves in one pickle after the next but thanks to a lovely hotel owner by the name of Tomas, we managed to still have a good time and not kill each other! This man did his best to ensure we still had the best time possible, even in a sh**ty situation, organising trips, advising us on the protocol when your money has been stolen from a cashpoint ensuring we got our money back, taking us to reliable ATM's, lent us his phone when wifi was down in order to ring banks, hotels and home, and hailed jimney buses for us whilst translating where we need to go. In general this man looked after us as if we were his daughters, some would say he was a life saver :)

And if they aren't enough to make you smile, just take a look at this beautiful Sri Lankan girl who sat next to me on a bus to practise her English :)

There some hideous and dispicable people in the world, it's true, but there are also some truly wonderful, kind-souled, game changers out there. It gives me the emotional shivers, and tears to my chubby cheeks, thinking about how incredible some people are. Let's hope what goes around really does come around, keep up the good work you legends.

This blog is dedicated to all of those wonderful people, so to you Nicholas, protective Sri Lankan bus passenger friend, Channy, Tomas, and Mr Jimney driver, thank you. It's not much, but I wish you all the love, luck and happiness in the world, you really shaped my trip to be the eye-opening, heart-warming, life-affirming experience I so desperately wanted it to be <3

#LiveLaughLearnTravel