We took a 7 hour train which cost a whopping £1.60 and wasn't actually all too bad! We'd often have the sea right next to us on one side and the jungle on the other, so it was nice to enjoy the scenery! (Look at me getting all mumsy).
Well.. I say it wasn't bad. Until I realised my bag was sat in someone's urine... Delightful. It now all makes sense why the locals sit with their bags on their laps! I do have some sympathy for the guy (I hope not girl) who just had to go... a 7 hour train journey with no toilets... If you've got to go, you've got to go!... All in the name of travelling hey!!
We stayed in what felt like a luxury hotel... Air con, breakfast, swimming pool, amazing views. Although we had to splash out a little as you'd imagine. £7.50 a night. Scraping the barrel!
On our first day we travelled a couple of hours in a tuk tuk to the Millenium elephant sanctuary.
First we washed the elephant with the inside of a coconut.
Then one by one we climbed on the Elephant's (called Saliya) back and it squirted us with water from it's trunk. It was so much fun and felt so weird to be sat on it!
I was the last to sit on Saliya, and so suddenly found myself clinging on for dear life as he got to his feet and started to climb up some stairs!! Obviously I was a complete natural. Call me Tarzan! (Fun fact - part of Tarzan was actually filmed there!)
Small lie - I couldn't have looked more awkward! I never knew sitting on an elephant would be so painful!
Then all of us hopped on and went for a little journey around the sanctuary. It was so amazing (and scary)!
On our way home we stopped off at a spice garden. It was really interesting hearing about all of the different health and beauty products that had been made from the natural ingredients growing in the gardens. I even got swept into the moment and ended up buying a slimming tonic that will apparently speed up my metabolism (yeah right). Well... when I'm living on rice and noodles for 4 months I need to try anything!
The next day we met with two other volunteers that we had got to know at the orphanage and headed to Dambulla. It's basically 5 caves which are like temples inside, at the top of a mountain. Of course it involved steps. Sri Lankan's just love steps!
On the way back down, I was a victim of bullying!... by a monkey. I was happily chomping on my mango when they all swarmed and started to intimidate me. So much so that I felt my only option was to sacrifice my mango and throw it to them! (Better that than rabies).
We then journeyed further on to Sigareya which is one of the '8th' wonders of the world. There is a giant rock that they call the lion rock and at the top are the remains of a King's palace with all of the gardens and pools for his many women at the bottom of the rock.
Of course, getting to the top of the rock meant climbing up some steps... 1,202 to be precise! But thankfully it wasn't a repeat of Adam's Peak so we actually got to see a nice view at the top!
We had a crazy guide who actually added to the fun, and insisted that we took a million photos along the way.
He even managed to pick me up despite him being smaller and skinnier than me.... Not something I'm proud to admit!
The next day, on our way home we went to Kitulgala to go white water rafting. It wasn't quite as rough and thrilling as I would have liked, more like a leisurely boat trip. But the location was so nice so it didnt matter, it was actually down the longest river in Sri Lanka.
Having set of at 10am, we finally made it home at 9pm (with an hour and a half out for white water rafting). So we were happy to be back where we call home, at Janaka's!
Ciao for now x
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