Thailand was nicer than Bangladesh. I may have given Bangladesh a hard time (I am sure there are some beautiful areas), but our flight out of the country was delayed by 2 hours, so we ended up leaving at 3 am… the curse of Bangladesh strikes again!! We arrived in Bangkok at 6 am local time feeling a bit broken. After breezing through airport security we travelled to our Airbnb for a nap and shower, before our next adventure (the guy at the Airbnb was very weird and talked A LOT, which is great under normal circumstances, but less great at 7 am when you’ve had one hour sleep).

It’s also a weird thought that Christmas is only a few days away as the temperatures are well into the 30’s and there are only a splattering of shops with decorations. It’s certainly going to be a strange one this year!! As a special edition blog post I’ve tried my best to integrate a few Christmas puns… you know… as a kind of mistle-toast to the holiday season. Oh deer…

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16^th December-17^th December (Khao Yai National Park)

After being reliant on public transport on our trip so far, we decided to rent a car for our week in Thailand and explore the countryside around Bangkok. We picked up the car at noon, sorted a Thai SIM card for Helen’s phone (to give us access to maps) and bought camping gas as we plan to cook a few meals whilst here. A productive morning for two zombies! An interesting point was when the Avis staff member thought that we only had Helen’s UK driving license with us and not an international one (which we did also have), they informed us that this would not be sufficient. Yule never guess what happened next… Instead of just refusing us the car rental, they casually advised us to carry around 2000 Thai Baht (~£50) in cash for handy bribes to any police officers. Hmmmm…

As it snow happens, driving in Thailand was surprisingly easy. Getting out of Bangkok was difficult from a navigation point of view and we ended up going in circles around the airport (my bad). After that we cruised for 2 hours to a little homestay outside of Khao Yai National Park. We also stopped off at a Tesco Lotus (cool name I know) for some lunch and dinner provisions including cooked chicken (YAY). The evening was spent relaxing, cooking by a lake and watching a TV series called Lovesick. 

On our second day we were treated to a Spanish omelette by our Spanish host. We then headed into the National Park, very excited to explore after a travel heavy few days. We spent all day walking around forest trails, tiptoeing across tree trunks that spanned rivers, visiting viewpoints and generally having a wonderful time. But wait… there’s myrrh. On the way out of the park we also saw two elephants casually grazing by the side of the road. A surreal experience. A second stove-cooked dinner, chocolate milk and a relaxing evening capped off a top day. 

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18^th December – 19^th December (Ayutthaya)

The next stop on our Thai adventure was Ayutthaya (Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya). At the centre of the city is Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The former Siamese capital still has imposing Buddha statues set within a landscape of ~70 temples and ruins throughout the city (dating from 1350-1500), ancient trees and blue skies.

After a full English breakfast provided by our host in Khao Yai, we set off for the 2 hour drive. The drive was unspectacular and because Thai radio is a bit rubbish (at least compared to Iceland) DJ Rob was invited to the stage. His epic playlist included bangers from Tarzan, Shrek, Zootopia and a few Christmas specials. Walking around Ayutthaya for a few hours before lunch then brought back memories from Pompeii and Ostia. The afternoon was spent relaxing and recharging. We also had a first proper Thai dinner, rice and stir fry vegetables for Rob and a spicy coconut milk and mushroom soup for Helen.

5.30 am. Blaring music from the neighbouring Buddhist temple to mark the Uposatha (a Buddhist day of observance, which occurs every full moon). So much for our lie in… although breakfast was banana porridge (YAY)!! We then had a full day at Ayutthaya and it was tree-mendous. We had a hot morning plodding around in search of somewhere to exchange money, before a mixed berry smoothie to take the edge of the scorching day (a tad over 35 degrees). The afternoon was spent at Wat Ratchaburana (one of the tallest temples) before a siesta and a few litres of iced coffee. We finished the day with a setting sun at Wat Chaiwatthanaram, taking some wonderful photos. A home cooked dinner and a chat with Rob’s Nan and Granddad finished the evening. WAT a day.

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20^th December – 21^st December (Kanchanaburi & Erawan National Park)

After another delicious porridge breakfast (great job Rob) we set off for Kanchanaburi. The town is best known for the Death Railway or the Thai-Burma (now Myanmar) Railway, which was built during WWII by the Japanese. The line crosses the River Kwai over the Death Railway Bridge, which is located in Kanchanaburi. More than 12,000 Allied prisoners of war and tens of thousands of forced labourers were killed during the construction of the line (more info: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Burma-Railway).  On arrival our first stop was to visit the historic bridge before the Allied prisoner of war cemetery. Both stops were extremely moving but we were particularly impressed with how much care and attention went into maintaining the beautiful cemetery. We then walked back to our accommodation via the vibrant Soi Chuk Don Market (with fruit, veg and a weird and wonderful variety of Thai snacks) before a quick siesta prior to a great gluten-free Thai dinner. Overall, a very interesting and thought-provoking day.

Day 2 was spent at Erawan National Park. Doesn’t that sound like something from Lord of the Rings? We had an amazing morning exploring the seven tiers of waterfalls, climbing for around 1.5 km through jungle landscape. Overall the national park wasn’t as impressive as Khao Yai, but the waterfalls were beautiful. We swam at a great spot just below the seventh tier and had an amazing time splashing around and being nipped by fish that live in the pools. We then drove to Phratat Cave, which was unexpectedly spectacular. Huge stalactites and stalagmites were constant features, along with glittering rocks and thousands of bats. We named it Erawan Cave and deemed it to be built by dwarves. On the way home we passed the site of ‘The Battle of the Nine Armies’, proving once and for all that we were in Lord of the Rings land.

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22^nd December-24^th December (Bangkok)

Bangkok is brilliant. Exceeded expectations by far. We arrived at noon, dropped off the car (although we did our best to get lost in a multi-story car park) and did a last minute swap of accommodation. This proved a huge success as our hostel was in a great location and our hosts were fantastic (Real Sleep Hostel). We then set out to explore the vibrant Khaoson Road, picking up an extremely delicious lunch of banana smoothies, Thai crêpes and Khao Tom Mat (sweet sticky rice served in a banana leaf) en route. We were also feeling a bit Santa-mental about Christmas so took some elfies with our newly-purchased hats (see top picture). After lunch we popped into the Siam Musuem for an exhibition called ‘Decoding Thainess’, which was bizarre. During our time in Thailand we have noticed an emphasis on celebrating the royal family and this was a theme of the museum, along with sections about Thai food, history and culture. We then walked along the river before re-visiting the area near Khaoson road. The markets are so busy at night and the only downside of this is that you end up feeling a bit Claus-trophobic. On our second day in Bangkok we visited the Golden Mount and Wat Saket for amazing panoramic views of the city and beautiful paintings inside the Buddhist temples. We then headed to Lumpini Park before exploring China town, enjoying more smoothies and…getting over first Thai massage.

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So to wrap things up, we wanted to say to all our friends and family back home…

Have your elf a merry little Christmas!! (and sorry again for such elful puns…)

Have you seen the Johnny English films? Specifically Johnny English Reborn? If so, you may recall he has nightmares and develops an eye twitch whenever he thinks about Mozambique (if not, here is the link for an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AuZdUGj1BU). You may be wandering what on earth I am on about? However, this is how we have started to feel about Bangladesh.

When planning our trip I was recommended visiting Bangladesh by an old participant in one of my studies. So rather naively I suggested we just booked some flights and that was that for a few months. Then I started looking into the logistics. A Sundarbans forest tour had been the original plan but these were all booked up and unable to accommodate our dates. The Chittagong area of the country is also meant to be beautiful but the government currently recommends not going there. Balls. We had a week in Bangladesh and not a lot to do. We decided to re-arrange our flights to only give us a weekend in Dhaka, thus allowing us an extra week in Thailand. Then, we had an email saying our flight to Thailand had been re-arranged from a very sociable 6 pm, to a rather horrible 1 am. Finally… to add insult to injury our flight into Dhaka was also delayed by around 2 hours.

So we arrived in Dhaka with (at best) mixed feelings about Bangladesh. Dhaka has been… an experience. I can’t say we’ve enjoyed it, but it’s certainly the type of place that is worth visiting at least once in your lifetime (type 2 fun according to Helen). After arriving at our hotel mid-afternoon on Saturday, we set out on a walk towards Lalbagh Fort, via the pretty Ramna Park. Dhaka is crazy. People everywhere, tuk-tuks/rickshaws beeping and vendors spilling onto the streets. We didn’t see any other tourists the whole time and we were very disconcerted by just how many people stared at us. We finally arrived at Lalbagh Fort… as it closed. See what I mean about Bangladesh? (although I guess we do take the blame for that one with poor planning). We did however have a nice dinner (rice and potato curry) in the Bongo Bazaar, topped off with chocolate, a weird milk drink and a top Bangladesh snack called Bhapa Pitha (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJICSLlNmAc).

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Sunday was more of the same really. To be fair to Dhaka it has some lovely buildings and we visited the beautifully pink Ahsan Manjil museum, the Star Mosque and the (Hindu) Dhakeswari Temple. The downside to these buildings is that they are located in HORRENDOUSLY busy areas. The amount of people is insane and it was a bit of a battle (exaggeration of the century) trying to get around. After a fairly draining morning, the afternoon picked up. We had a lovely lunch of vegetable tikka and spicy wedges and a few Bangladeshi coffees (much tastier than Sri Lanka). We then located ourselves in the Dhanmondi area of the city, which was SO much nicer. The paths were more spacious and there were less people staring at us (although we were still the only tourists around). We would definitely recommend this area over other parts of the city. We also saw a Nando’s (YAY) although for the first time in my life I wasn’t tempted (see highlights of Dhaka below for an example of why we are sticking to a veggie diet). We are now back at the hotel waiting for our 1 am flight to Thailand and feeling a little drained. It’s been a BAZAR weekend!!

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Some highlights of Dhaka:

1. Having a hotel bathroom with a toilet, shower but no sink (yep super strange…)
2. Being offered a whole uncooked and feathered chicken in a local market as though this was a normal impulse purchase for two tourists
3. Being driven around in a tuk-tuk with metal bars (as though we were prisoners).

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Sri Lanka is one of the best countries I have ever visited. The scenery, people, wildlife and culture are incredible and this month has simply flown by. This final blog post for the country will detail our last week here and provide some overall hints, tips and reflections based on our experiences here.

7^th December-8^th December (Udawalawe National Park)

Aside from elephants (including babies and a HUGE male who meandered down the path towards our jeep), we saw jackals, peacocks (including some amazing feather displays), mongoose, buffalo, a huge variety of birds (including kingfishers, storks and blue bee eaters) as well as red spotted deer (Chital) on the safari. This was all against a backdrop of dense Sri Lankan jungle, stunning blue skies, beautiful lakes and mountains. We were spellbound. After arriving from Ella (on the 7^th) Rob went for a run and saw three elephants en route and later whilst walking we saw two more (all inside the fence boundary). The only downside to the national park area is the fact that there isn’t too much to do (well if I am honest, nothing at all), so we took the opportunity to rest and relax, before a 5.30 am start for the safari on the 8^th. The timings didn’t quite work for us, but for anyone visiting the area we would also recommend the Transit Home (http://www.eth.dwc.gov.lk/). After finishing the morning safari we took the bus to the coast, where we were treated to stunning beaches, an incredible sunset and a whole new side to Sri Lanka. Fair to say we’ve had worse Sundays.

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Travel tip #1. The Sri Lankan people are lovely. However, some of them (especially tuk-tuk drivers and people at bus stations) love trying to rip you off. For example, on arriving in a small town where we needed to change buses from Ella, we were surrounded by people telling us that 1) the buses were cancelled, 2) the buses would all be full, 3) there wouldn’t be any buses until after 3 pm etc. None of this was true. Therefore…always be sceptical on this front as it is normally a porky-pie.

Travel tip #2. Aside from some people trying to rip you off, we would recommend public transport. The buses can be crowded (where possible go for the red buses as these are more official) and the trains can be a tad late (and stop for unexplained periods) but our experiences have generally been positive. The transport is extremely cheap, clean and mostly comfortable and the scenery is out of this world.

9^th December-10^th December (Dickwella)

The natural beauty of Sri Lanka seems to be never ending. After arriving from our few weeks inland, we were treated to outrageous beaches in Dickwella (we laughed at the name) and Hiriketiya. The couple of days we had in this spot on the south coast were spent relaxing on the beach, reading books and swimming in the sea. A highlight was scrambling along the coastline towards a blow hole, which apparently can shoot sea water up to 10 metres in the air. We were treated to a meagre 1 metre spurt, but in fairness monsoon season is the time to come for prime blow hole activity. With the exception of a few bites (including a rather sizeable one on Rob’s leg) and unexpected bus journeys our time was enjoyable. Whilst Hiriketiya beach is quite busy with lots of surfers, Dickwella beach was nearly always empty so we set up camp on the golden sands there, admiring the palm trees and desert island views. We also stayed at the most AMAZING homestay, called the Tharurashmi Holiday Resort. The family we stayed with were so hospitable and helped us out when things went a bit wrong (#bite gate). It was a home away from home. After the stay at Dickwella we jumped back on the bus to Galle, arriving just before lunch for more beach fun.

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Travel tip #3. As mentioned in Travel tip #2, the public transport is normally pretty good, although it can be packed (there doesn’t seem to be a limit to the number of people allowed on a bus or train). However, the Sri Lankan people also don’t quite understand the concept of queuing, so quite often you can be pushed and trampled on when trying to either board or leave trains (we had a fairly eye-opening experience from Galle-Colombo).

11^th December-12^th December (Galle)

In Galle we stayed at a hostel right on the beach front and after a rather sleepless night (thanks surfer guys and gals for having a party all night) we had a fun morning at the beach, eating breakfast and watching the rolling waves. We then walked for 6 km along the coast to the old fort area of Galle and had lunch at an awesome little café, where (for an incredibly cheap price) we were treated to gluten free rotti (a rare treat) and local Sri Lankan curry with rice. Probably the second best meal we had in Sri Lanka (after Matey hut in Ella) and the family who run the café were so friendly (website: http://nationaltearoom.lk/).

The old town area of the city is known as Galle Fort and is (as you can probably guess by the name) a fortified city which was founded by Portuguese colonists in the 16th century. We walked around the huge stone sea walls, (which were expanded by the Dutch) and strolled down the cobbled streets, souvenir shopping and admiring the architecture which reflects the Portuguese, Dutch and British rule. We also met up with Martin and Christina for the third and unfortunately last time in Sri Lanka, but we hope to keep in touch in the future. Another great stop on our Sri Lankan adventure.

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Travel tip #4. Where possible always eat with the locals and avoid western foods. You will not only get a much better price, but the food is normally really tasty. The only downside is that if you are gluten free and have to avoid the wheat-flour based items (like roti, wraps) you typically end up eating LOADS of rice (sometimes three meals a day). Which is a lot, even for an elephant…

Travel tip #5. Coffee in Sri Lankan is fairly awful. The tea is great. With one downside. The Sri Lankan people drink their tea with what must be >100 spoonfuls of sugar. It’s like drinking weird fruit juice. The more touristy places have cottoned onto the fact that not everyone drinks tea like this and usually ask about your sugar preferences. However, this doesn’t always happen so…beware the sweet tea.

13^th-14^th December (Negombo)

The transport from Galle-Colombo-Negombo was fairly horrific (see Travel tip #3). Best not to think about it too much. However, having gone into Negombo with fairly low expectations we were pleasantly surprised. The temperatures are back into the scorching zone but we have had a good day and a half exploring the local fish market, which was huge with hundreds of fisherman drying and salting fish and selling their catches. It was smelly and packed but was a great experience. Negombo also has a beach area which we spent some time exploring and has some beautiful churches, with a much more noticeable Christian presence that other areas of the country we have been. We also found a nice little restaurant in town where we had one final and rather tasty portion of Sri Lankan rice and curry. A fitting end to the month from a food perspective.

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Travel tip #6. Go to Sri Lanka. It’s awesome.

On camping holidays as a wee-lad, I remember the song ‘feeling hot hot hot’ being a family favourite. However, over the last week, a more appropriate title would be ‘feeling wet wet wet’. In Sri Lanka, when it rains… it RAINS hard.

30^th November-1^st December (Kandy)

After stumbling trying to chase my water bottle (that had rolled down a hill) I reached out to steady myself, grasping a handily placed tree. However…that tree had the most humongous spikes, which proceeded to impale my thumb (a slight exaggeration but good for the story). In the meantime, Helen was desperately hopping about on one foot, trying to remove the bloodsucking leeches in her shoe. What was supposed to have been a relaxing walk in Udawatta Kele (a nature reserve in Kandy), had descended into chaos. Luckily, that was the low point of an otherwise enjoyable Sunday morning.

After arriving in Kandy by bus, we checked into our accommodation, dropped off some laundry and sorted our train tickets, before setting out to explore. We walked around Kandy Lake (Kiri Muhuda), past the Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa), famous for having one of the surviving fragments of Budda’s remains following his cremation in 483 BC (a collarbone and four teeth survived). We also had fun exploring the local food market, where we got some Sri Lankan snacks. Another highlight was visiting a colossal white Buddha statue that is visible from miles around. This took us to about 2 pm. Then it started to rain… and rain… and rain… We ended up abandoning the afternoon and even sacrificed dinner as the downpour was so horrendous, choosing instead to eat porridge in bed (much to Rob’s delight). On Sunday, (excluding the leech disaster) we had a great day, wandering around the city and having a very tasty lunch by the lake. The restaurant was packed with locals and you could wander round and pick different dishes, with a huge range of gluten free options (as they use rice flour and gram flour), including some vegetable pasties and wraps. The afternoon was spent playing cards, eating ice cream and reflecting on a very rainy, but enjoyable weekend in Sri Lanka’s cultural capital.

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2^nd December-3^rd December (Adam’s Peak)

Our next adventure was a highlight – climbing Adam’s Peak. The path to the summit is around 6.5 km and includes over 5000 steps and a climb of 1000 metres. To reach the top for sunrise we would have to leave in the middle of the night and climb for around 2-3 hours in complete darkness. So you can see why this appealed to us (well at least to Rob)!! Despite being only the 5^th highest mountain in Sri Lanka, Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada) is a pilgrimage site for Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Christians. In particular, for Buddhists, the site is famous for having Budda’s footprint, which the Buddha is said to have left on one of his three visits to Sri Lanka. It is also extremely beautiful, dominating the surrounding jungle. To reach Adam’s Peak we took a 2 hour train from Kandy to Hatton and two buses which were each about an hour apiece, to finally arrive in the small town of Dalhousie. The journey was a trek, but the train in particular was amazing. We only managed to get 3^rd class tickets and were a bit nervous about this given that reviews suggested we would be crammed into a small carriage, without good seating or air conditioning. However, we had a great experience, with good (basic) seats and a kind gentlemen offered Helen his spot by the window. This was another example of how friendly and welcoming the Sri Lankan people have been.

Getting off the train in Hatton we also had a huge stroke of luck, bumping into Martin and Christina, an Austrian couple who were spending 2-3 weeks in Sri Lanka. We instantly clicked with them and spent the bus rides and dinner getting to know them. A great example of why travelling is so enriching. We set off with our new friends at about 1.45 am, trekking with the aid of our head torches through misty clouds and spitting rain. Fuelled with bananas and our new favourite chocolate (if you are ever in Sri Lanka, make sure you try Rave bars) we reached the summit at around 4 am and then spent some time waiting for the sunrise. It was a truly magical experience and we felt lucky to have shared it with Martin and Christina. On the way back, we stopped off in Hatton for lunch which consisted of yoghurt and bananas, a safe choice, as we were still feeling scarred from a terrible lunch on the way to Dalhousie (comparable only to cold kidney beans and rice that we have previously endured in Norway). We finally finished our travels with a train journey to Nuwara Eliya, another beautiful journey past waterfalls, lush green valleys and beautiful farms.

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4^th December-5^th December (Nuwara Eliya)

Nuwara Eliya is a city in the tea country hills of central Sri Lanka and is often referred to as Little England. This is because, in times gone by, Nuwara Eliya was a favoured settling place for the English and Scottish pioneers of Sri Lanka’s tea industry. The evidence of this is clear today, with colonial-era bungalows and Tudor-style hotels scattered throughout the city. Further evidence of a link to England and Scotland is that it appears to rain ALL the bloody time. Indeed for our two days in Nuwara Eliya, we seemed to permanently exist either inside or under an umbrella. That’s not to say we didn’t have a great time. The highlights including visiting Pedro tea estate for a fascinating tour of a fully-operating factory and tea-tasting, a very soggy stroll up to Lovers Leap waterfall and an even soggier stroll around the beautiful Victoria Park. The surrounding countryside is also stunning, with tea plantations, rolling hills and misty mountains. We also spent a fun 45 minutes in our room drying our shoes with a hair-dryer! On that note, a big shout out to our over-enthusiastic, but extremely accommodating host Dominic.

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6^th December-7^th December (Ella)

Ella has been by far the most touristy-town we have visited: full of cafés, restaurants and hotels and as our new friend Martin stated it was ‘a cool little hipster place’. Unluckily our train from Nuwara Eliya was stopped early due to a landslide so we had to complete the lasts section of the trip by bus. On arrival we set out to see the Nine Arch Bridge (also called the Bridge in the Sky), which is a simply stunning railway bridge. It is one of the best examples of colonial-era railway construction in the country. One thing we loved about Ella is walking on the railway lines and we then had an amazing morning trekking to Ella rock for outrageous panoramic views of the Sri Lankan jungle. After getting a little fed-up of rice over the last few days we also enjoyed a super-tasty lunch of gluten free noodles and Rob had his first (and much needed) haircut of the trip! Also dinner at Matey Hut was WORLD CLASS, very cheap and delicious pumpkin (Rob) and eggplant (Helen) curries. Fair to say there is never a Dhal moment in Sri Lanka!

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Monday 18^th November – Saturday 30^th November

Well… we’ve just about finished an elephantastic fortnight with the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society. But let me take you back to the start…

We took the 7 am train to Kandy, arriving at 9.30 am. The cost? 700 Sri Lankan rupees… about £3. For both of us. The train was a tad bumpy but extremely scenic and as we dozed and read our books, lush tropical landscapes passed us by. The doors to the train were always open and I felt a bit like Indiana Jones, sticking my head outside as the countryside whipped past.

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We were met at Kandy by Chinthaka, the operations manager for the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation scheme (SLWCS; website https://www.slwcs.org/) and were given a history of the project. In the 1970’s the government organised the development of national parks, and as part of this initiative, the human population in the surrounding areas grew (from 3-4 villages to around 40) and the wildlife was moved into designated park areas. This also resulted in the growth of agriculture and growing of crops, including rice, in areas where the elephants used to live. The early solution had been to separate the villages and the national park with a large electric fence, but this was unsuccessful and over the following years human-elephant conflicts developed, with killings on both side. As such, in the 1990’s the SLWCS was developed, a non-profit charity whose aim was to reduce these conflicts. The first issue? Elephants love rice! (Chinthaka described it as being chocolate for them). Fencing was created around the villages to better protect the food stores and provide more security to the local people. The SLWCS also conduct research, through surveys and experiments. One of these was testing foods elephants don’t like and as a consequence, citrus fruits are now grown and used to create a smell to mask the scent of other (tasty) crops. The scheme also provides a free bus service for the local people to schools and outside facilities, to reduce the likelihood of conflicts in areas where elephants migrate. Our meeting with Chinthaka wetted our appetite for things to come and we were both really looking forward to contributing with SLWCS.

Fun Fact #1: An average male adult Sri Lankan elephant may reach 3.5 metres in shoulder height and weigh 5,500 kilograms

On arrival at the camp we met the rest of the volunteers (eight including us), the field scientist (Chatt) and the volunteer co-coordinator (Alicia). The team were very friendly and we felt comfortable from the word go. The field camp was basic but very clean and homely and we thought it was good that SLWCS money wasn’t wasted on unnecessary tourist comforts. Our mornings at the camp were filled with field activities from 8.45 am until 11.00 am. For example, we did pugmark surveys which involved making GPS recordings and written and photographic details of wild cat prints (four species: the jungle cat, fishing cat, leopard and rusty spotted cat). We also did activities such as clearing the butterfly garden at the field house, electric fence monitoring and elephant dung analysis. We then had free time until 3.30 pm, and then did elephant observations until 6.00 pm. We used the free time to design a spreadsheet for helping to identify elephants in camera traps that are located in the surrounding forests. However, due to the rain up north on the island (attracting the elephants) and cattle being (illegally) kept in areas where the elephants roam, we didn’t get much luck with the observations on most days. This proved to be a frustration for us and the conservation team.

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Fun Fact #2: The elephant has a very inefficient digestive system, where almost 45% of its food intake is passed through as undigested matter. Most elephants consume 100-150 kg of food and 80-160 litres of water per day.

We did however have one of the most amazing wildlife experiences we have ever had. Whilst driving our jeep through the national park area, we were SURROUNDED by 50-60 elephants, trumpeting, eating grass and generally have a great time. We have never been so blown away by wild animals in their natural habitat.

We also had some very moving experiences with SLWCS. For example, one day, a local farmer called the team because a leopard had attacked and killed his cow during the night. On arrival we could see how devastated he was by the death of what is considered a family member, and an important source of income. Luckily, the scheme can provide a new cow using the money we have donated. Another highlight was when our jeep broke down and we got a ride to camp on the elephant bus (explained earlier) with the locals.

Fun Fact #3: In Sri Lanka, only 7% of males bear tusks. This is because the ivory trade (hunting for their tusks) has made it evolutionary beneficial to be born without them.

At the weekend.- (separating our two weeks with SLWCS) we took a trip to Dambulla, where we went to the Royal Cave Temple and Golden Temple, which was an amazing experience, featuring hundreds of carved Buddhist statues, frescoes and other artwork, often painted onto the cave walls themselves. To get there, we caught an early bus from the field camp and for the modest cost of about £2, travelled for 3 hours on a very comfortable bus, complete with blaring music, flashing lights and chatty locals!! We also had lunch at a local restaurant in Dambulla (the only tourists in there) and were treated to an amazing vegetable curry and rice dish (two very large portions) for just over £1. Getting in the spirit of things, we even ate with our hands!!

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We then travelled to Sigiriya, famous for the ancient rock fortress (although we didn’t go due to the outrageous price for tourists). We chose instead to go to Pidurangala rock, which is another towering rock with amazing views of Sigiriya and home to an ancient cave temple. The hike was amazing, 20-30 minutes through caves, forest and over boulders. We went twice, for sunrise and sunset, and although it was cloudy BOTH TIMES, we were treated to amazing panoramic views of the lush Sri Lankan jungle and would definitely recommend this as a (much, much, much) cheaper version of Sigiriya. In what was becoming a theme for Sri Lanka we also got caught in a thunderstorm!! However, after a (cold) shower at our local home stay, we were soon laughing about this, as we had our dinner in a romantic spot in the town (the only downside was that by the sound of the hammering, they may have been building the restaurant around us).

Our next stop? Somewhere very sweet. If you can find a map of Sri Lanka, I will let you work that one out.

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Let me begin by apologising for that awful pun. I will try to improve as we go…

Friday 15^th November

Smelly. Dirty. Brimming with energy and excitement. Words that describe both the city of Colombo and myself after getting off the plane (sorry about that Helen).

I have to say I don’t particularly enjoy flying. However, it is certainly a means to an end and has allowed my generation to travel more frequently and further than was ever possible before. At this point it is appropriate to give a big thumbs up to Sri Lankan airlines. Salmon and potato for dinner, a great selection of films (Helen smashed through three) and a very efficient and friendly all-round service. Please take note airlines in England.

After flying through airport security (if you’ll pardon another awful pun) we made our way to the city centre, which entailed a 45 minute taxi journey. We then checked into our home for the next three nights, called Bunkyard Hostels (website: http://www.bunkyardhostels.com/). The hostel was absolutely FAB. A friendly vibe, clean, comfortable and in great proximity to all the city has to offer.

We then set out to explore (fuelled up by a tasty garlic/chilly crisp-like snack). Day #1 of about 200. Also lesson #1 of probably many. When it looks REALLY dark and cloudy and is also thundering, it will probably rain quite hard. In this scenario it is probably best to go back to the hostel quickly, or find shelter. We can now confirm that if you instead dilly-dally by the coast and slowly meander back, you will get wet. If you also insist on not getting a taxi/tuk-tuk because you made a decision to start walking and want to honour that decision (however silly that might be) you will get wetter.

Sights of Day #1

Bandaranaike International Airport

Gangaramaya Temple (one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo)

Seema Malaka (a picturesque Buddhist temple on a lake)

A very large rain cloud 

Saturday 16^th November

Turns out Sri Lanka is hot. In the words of Helen…’this is a bit like walking through a steam room…just all day’. The fort area of Colombo is really cool, lots of attractive buildings, with the highlights being Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque and St. Lucia’s Cathedral. It also has much more character in the form of beeping horns, mad traffic and sprawling street stalls than other districts of Colombo. Shameless selfies were taken by Rob, whilst Helen (ever so slightly overheated at this stage in the day) sat in the shade looking embarrassed. Anyway on to lesson no #2 which is; when looking for quick lunch options in Sri Lanka don’t order ‘rice with curry and vegetables’ from a supermarket. Unless you enjoy cold, rather bland and weird looking food. In that case, ignore me and order away.  On a side note – we had dinner at Raheema’s (very tasty and cheap Sri Lankan food with the locals).

Sights of Day #2

Independence Square

Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque

St. Lucia’s Cathedral

Colombo Lighthouse and Clock Tower

A horrible lunch

Sunday 17^th November

The day started with lesson no #3, don’t visit Sri Lanka (or at least Colombo) during a presidential election and expect to do/see anything. Turns out everything will be closed. In our blissful state of ignorance we walked around 1 and ½ hours (and it was also very hot today) to go to the beautiful-looking Beddegana Wetland Park. Upon arrival, we were treated to a 10 minute conversation with a rather unhelpful security guard (who didn’t let us in as you can probably gather from the tone of this post) before then walking 1 and ½ hours back. Lunch was a success though – gluten free hoppers (which is a rice flour based dish with egg and cheese) at a local food market/café. The afternoon was spent drinking chocolate milk and reading books in Viharamahadevi Park. Unemployed? Tick. Homeless? Tick. Enjoying life? Big Tick.

Sights of Day #3

Viharamahadevi Park

The gated entranced to Beddegana Wetland Park (complete with security man)

Tomorrow we catch the 7 am train to Kandy to begin a two-week stint volunteering on a wildlife conservation scheme (website: https://www.slwcs.org/). The adventure continues…