Ella, oil and the little place along the road from Matara

A little tired and exhausted, we arrive in Ella after our trek up Sri Pada and a four hour train journey from Hatton, during which we stood the entire way.

The skies had opened and it was torrential rain by the time we arrived and due to the exhaustion of constant travel and the random hours our bodies were functioning, we just wanted to move on to sunnier climates. So we decided during our early-bird dinner (a whopping 5.30pm) we were going to catch another crazy bus to Matara, the home of beaches and sunshine.

Unfortunately it was just our luck that is was the biggest Poya of the season and all schools and work were on holiday which meant everyone, including the locals, were hoping to get the same bus.

By this point, unsurprisingly we just wanted to sleep and found ourselves a cheap little hostel under a restaurant where we effectively went to sleep at 7pm and woke at 7am just in time for our bus to the next location.

The bus journey was at least five hours, or there abouts. Do not let Google maps tell you otherwise. Sri Lanka takes longer to get around than one would expect.

I managed to get a seat at the back of the bus with an open window to feel the breeze on my face... It wasn't until two hours later Lew mentioned I had a black eyebrow and how odd that was, that I scraped my finger along the left of my face peeling off a layer of oil slick from my skin did I realise why I felt 'radiant'.... epic. I have never before experienced such pollution directly to my face. I guess it serves me right for trying to stay reasonably cool while travelling.

As we flew past stunning scenery and national parks we enjoyed chatting to the locals and some fellow travellers who were looking for the sun that we all had missed the previous day.

Instead of staying in Matara, we moved to a little place which is just a 200 LKR tuk-tuk ride out of town, which is a delightful, out-of-the-way nook in the coast that you can just completely chill out in.

We absolutely loved this little place, so much so I cannot remember the name of it....

Sri Pada Pilgrimage

The bus journey alone to get here was an adventure with gangster hip-hop music playing the entire way. The buses are all 'self-styled' by their owners to make them, what I can only assume, more appealing to get on. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing and so much better what you get in the UK.

We arrived in Dalhousie after being blasted by many passing fumes and realise there is very little to do other than climb a 2,500m mountain. So at 2am (yes in the morning) we set off to conquer this climb. This may be business as usual for my winter/rock exploring partner but for me it was all new territory.

With a bulky torch in hand we set off, all the while Lew is whispering "I hope we don't get mugged." Nice. Really puts my mind at ease.
Anyway, off I trot and start humming to sooth my worries and we make it to the base of the never ending stairs. If you do this climb you will know exactly what I mean.
Buddha bless the monks who actually built the stairs all the way to the top, as there is not a slope in sight. Stair Master 2000 has a competitor.

I have no idea if it was a mix between the random time of night by body was being exerted, lack of food or water, or the torch swinging with every step but my giddy-aunt did I get nauseous. Luckily for me, my partner in life is a moment-entrepreneur and decided to utilise my 'still dark moments' to do some night photography.

Two hours, two water bottles, a torch battery and many pit-stops later, we arrive at the peak of Sri Pada - the great Buddha's footprint. As it was 4am by this point there was very little to see other than a few twinkling house lights but by 5.45 the sun was starting to come up and WOW was it stunning. We got every colour of the rainbow in the sky and it only kept changing.

We were above the clouds, the sun, the forest and it was just so... simple? Is this peace?

We stayed for over two hours at the top as every minute we looked at the horizon the colours and clouds had changed and it was a new image to imprint in our memories or for the sake of good documentation our SD cards.

Gangster Lewis and myself admiring the sunrise

It was phenomenal, and what is surprising is my legs maintained their strength all the way to the bottom. Thank you Pilates.

Instead of staying in this little town for another night we got onto another hip-hop bus (there are Sri Lankan national buses and general pop too from our experience) to take us to Ella.

And that is when the rain began.

Sri Lanka - Paradise is real

What can I say, we have become pro jet-setters in the past few months!

A mere ten days after our Vancouver trip Lew and I were back on the plane - thankfully this one with much better leg room, thank you Emirates - to Colombo, Sri Lanka.


By our first accoster

Firstly, can I just say that my rucksack was smaller than Lew's. This is a phenomenal feat on my part, as I have been known in the past to over-pack. Shocking I know.

We arrived in Colombo at 8 in the morning after travelling for over 28 hours. I managed to prioritise movies over sleep on the flight and so arrived looking like a startled baby owl wondering why on earth the sun was shining and where the heat was coming from.
We were staying our first day in Mt Lavinia, about 30 minutes from the centre of Colombo and right next to the beach which worked very much in my startled-state's favour. Stumbling upon the beach to try and stay awake we were accosted by an Australian-Sri Lankan, our first of many friendly accosters, that offered to take a picture of both of us.

We then made our way - via a super train journey - to Kandy. What a stunning place filled with crazy tuk-tuk drivers and the Scared Tooth Relic. We had a delightful two days here, wandering the streets and meeting the self-named 'dream team' that had all been on our flight to Colombo from Dubai. Unfortunately our accommodation was atrocious but never dwell on the negatives huh?

After Kandy we went to Nawalapitya, the central location for growing tea. We stayed on Greenwoods tea plantation in their luxury villa and were the only ones there for several days, which I certainly will not complain about. We were pampered and well looked after by Rowan and the team, from private walking tours around the hills where we got leeches, Lewis more so than me, to taking the bosses car to visit the stunning local waterfall. The food was amazing and the smoothies were even better, the part we loved most was them telling us the watermelon wouldn't be ripe for another week. Everything was so fresh we were in heaven!

From here we moved on to Dalhousie, the base for Sri Pada and what would be an epic walk for me and an easy going morning stroll for Lew.

Our next challenge: reach the summit of Sri Pada.

Vrooming Through Vancouver

Holy cow it has been a crazy few months!! I guess the fun and the surprises are just beginning!

Towards the end of November, Lew and I set out on the very first jet-set of our adventures. We flew into Vancouver for a long weekend... from London...
It is safe to say the flight was almost as long as our stay but my goodness it was worth it!

We landed in the chilly land of maple syrup and maple leaves and just about fell in love (as was hoped) from the get go. From the waterfall to the jellyfish floating past us in the airport we were welcomed by all - even the immigration officers who we had been told to fear.

Hop, skip and a sky train later we arrived in Downtown Vancouver. Oooft. Hello big glass buildings and Gucci store! We tottered for ten minutes and arrived on the doorstep of our hotel - The Empire Landmark Hotel and we were in luck, as we got a gorgeous balcony room on the 32nd floor with stunning views over Stanley Park and the west coast.

Over the three short, but glorious sunshine days, we managed to cram a lot in and tried our hardest not to let jetlag set in- although I did attempt to get Lew to have meaningful conversations at 4.30 in the morning with me as I was failing to keep jetlag at bay. Seems his sleep talking is really coming on leaps and bounds as he doesn't remember a thing about it.

Downtown is fantastic and we strolled around Stanley Park while there was a half marathon going on. We were thrilled with how sporty and outgoing everyone was, we cannot wait to get super fit and take to their lifestyle!

Of course we did the tourist thing and did a lovely hop-on hop-off tour with the Vancouver Trolley Company with two of the funniest guys we have heard. Not only did they tell us some fascinating details about the history of Vancouver we also got an insight into the hilarious gossip we may become interested in.

As with all trips they are over too quickly, but we can be very thankful that this was just a little teaser session... we are returning in February for the first 5 month stint.

I am so excited, I know Lew is too, but I am almost bursting with anticipation and cannot wait to just get up and go.

In the meantime we must sort health insurance, pack our belongings, give old stuff to charity, cancel direct debits, set up Canadian bank accounts, buy a car, apply for an international driving permit, sort flights..... and the list goes on.

But my goodness, am I raring to go.