Sri Lanka was one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever visited. We travelled in 2012 for eight days and went under a tourist package deal which included a stay in two different cities along with attractions to visit.
Colombo
Once we exited the airport, we found our tour guide/driver outside waiting to take us to the hotel. Once we introduced ourselves, he asked us if we wanted breakfast before heading to the hotel which we of course agreed to. Now, in my family, I’m the only one who cannot handle spicy food at all. I knew Sri Lankan food was spicy, I just didn’t know it was THAT spicy, especially if it was a breakfast item. So, you can imagine the shock and pain I was in after trying one of the chicken puffs.
During the first of the four days in Colombo, we decided to explore the area we were staying in on our own. We found the World Trade Centre where we had our second breakfast; we also found the President’s house but we avoided approaching that because the security looked pretty intimidating and we found a restaurant which we went to for dinner. That restaurant was beyond amazing; it was called ‘Ministry of Crab’. We were treated like royalty there and tried at least three food items each from the menu.
The next day our tour guide took us to the Independence Memorial Hall which was a large museum containing different artefacts of the country. Our guide made sure to explain everything and tell us all the interesting stories that came with each artefact.
The next two days were just spent relaxing by the pool, soaking up the sun or continuing the self-tour of the area.
Kandy
On the fifth day, our guide came to pick us up and take us to Kandy but we were going to make a few stops before reaching the mountain area where our hotel was located.
Our first stop was the Luckyland Super Spice Garden; this garden was phenomenal. We got to see vanilla, cocoa and much more, along with trees that have qualities to treat skin diseases. The Spice Garden tour guide asked us if we wanted to try this tree sap that works as a wax for hair removal, I pushed my brother forward as a volunteer who tried to protest but the guide had already put the sap on a tiny part of his leg (F.Y.I.: to this day, my brother is still hairless on that spot).
The next spot was a side-road restaurant where we tried authentic Sri Lankan food such as chicken kottu. At the end of the meal, my face was red and I kept having to blow my nose into a tissue while downing countless bottles of water.
The final stop before we reached the beautiful city was a small town where our guide took us to shop. By then, we were used to the stares we got from others since we experienced it in Colombo, but in this town, the stares were taken to a whole other level; I felt like I was Angelina Jolie. We asked our guide why people kept staring at us and he told us that it’s because they can’t determine whether we were white or black.
Kandy was beyond beautiful; it’s a little chilly though since it was at the top of the mountain but that didn’t stop my brother and I from jumping into the pool (although we regretted it as soon as we surfaced the water).
Featured Image Credit: (Newsin.asia Photo)
EYAS 