We Took A Trip...

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India Part Deux

I feel somewhat overdue for a post! It’s so crazy, we only have 9 days (9 days!!!) until we fly back to the UK. As some of you know we are planning some more travels for early 2019 but as this chapter of the trip draws to a close I keep thinking about how much has changed since we left on this trip and what, if anything, we have learned. Maybe first I will let you know what we’ve been up to in the last couple of weeks though!

After we left Nepal we spent a few days in Delhi. I was a bit apprehensive about heading back to India because I had found it a lot to take, at times, when we were there before. So, it was very, very nice that we ended up staying with friends! One of Luke’s old school mates and his wife are living in Delhi now and they took such good care of us. It made me feel a bit less like we were travelling and more like we were just staying with friends, which was a lovely little break. Before we left Delhi we spent one night in a very fancy hotel to spoil ourselves and belatedly celebrate Luke’s birthday. We also had, I think it’s safe to say, the best meal of the whole trip at the hotel’s restaurant, Indian Accent. It was unbelievable so if you ever find yourself in the neighbourhood, do not skip it!

After our luxurious 24hrs it was quite a harsh contrast to head to the Delhi train station where we were back to the world of, “why are there 1 million men around and why are they staring at me in a way I don’t like…even though I’m wearing a fleece half-zip and no makeup?” “Also, why does everything smell SO bad??”. There are a lot of reasons why the train stations smell so bad but I won’t bore you with that now :)

Our next stop was Rishikesh! It’s in a beautiful setting on the Ganges (a holy river) and gave us a bit of a similar feeling to Nepal. It’s also the “yoga capital of the world” so ALL the restaurants were really hippie/healthy, which I loved. We spent a few days there eating and exploring. It’s also the place where India drove me right over the edge of sanity and I essentially elbowed a middle-aged woman after she jostled me too hard (terrible). It all started on one of the pedestrian suspension bridges. There are two and although they are meant for pedestrians, motorbikes also use them. This, along with all the people taking selfies, means the entire bridge is essential one big traffic jam with lots of jostling and sharp honking. We were crossing the bridge one day when, out of nowhere, something clamped onto my arm. I looked up and it was an older Indian lady who had my forearm in her claw-like grip. As I looked at her she didn’t let go so I wrenched my arm out of her grasp. Luke thought maybe I had walked in front of her photo or something (?) but it made me so mad. I have a lot of patience, but not for strangers grabbing or touching me. Anyways, by the time we got to the end of the bridge I was in a rage, people kept jostling me and eventually I jostled back…hard. As the adrenalin slowly left my veins I was like, did I just elbow a lady? Whoa… who am I?

About a week later we were in a café in Varanasi and I was reading an old copy of Lonely Planet India from 2003 that lived in the café. In the introduction, it talks about the beauty and charm of India but also how provoking it is and how even well-seasoned travellers can find themselves sorely tested. I was like, this!! This is what happened to me! I’m a well-seasoned traveller! So it turns out I’m not crazy, India just pushes your buttons, even the Lonely Planet says so.

After Rishikesh was when we went to Varanasi, another city on the Ganges. After about 20hrs on the train to get there I was like, why did we decide to go here again?? But I’m really glad we did! It was so different from any of the other places we’ve been. It’s a very old city with a maze-like warren of tangled streets. It’s also an auspicious place to be cremated because it’s said that if you die there you are released from the cycle of reincarnation and can merge with the divine. There are a couple places along the river called burning Ghats where people are cremated and then sent into the river. All around the ghat there are massive piles of wood towering up the banks, it scared me a bit to even see the area for some reason and I said, Luke, get me outta here.

After Varanasi we went to Agra! We saw the Taj Mahal (obviously) and it is… gorgeous!! It’s just really, really beautiful. It was also a lot calmer than I expected. There was only the usual amount of hassling and they even seem to have cleared most of the cows out of the immediate vicinity of the Taj and put in some sidewalks! We also saw Agra Fort while we were there and had an adorable guide who was in his 70s. During the tour, we very quietly questioned whether we should have talked to some other guides first before deciding since we couldn’t understand him all that well. But we actually did learn a lot and it was priceless to watch him authoritatively swat young selfie takers out of the way and then indicate that we should take their place for the best views :)

And now we’re in Udaipur, with only 9 days left!

Photos below plus bonus video of Varanasi streets x

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

Man of luxury in Delhi

Rishikesh

Rishikesh streets with some kind of tikka explosion (coloured powder for blessings)

Varanasi

Water buffalo on the banks of the Ganges

Taj Mahal!

Crowds at the Taj

More Taj

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Nepal! (finally!)

Well, it has officially been a very long time since I last posted. We didn’t have our computers during the trek in Nepal so I didn’t write and then I think I got used to not using a computer, which I kind of love since my work (when I’m working) involves sitting at a computer all day. Also, I think the Nepal part of the trip felt like a whole other age in itself and hard to condense into a post. But I will try :)

The bulk of our time in Nepal we spent trekking the Annapurna Circuit. As I mentioned in my last little post we had a couple days in Kathmandu before the trek but we were both fighting a cold and spent the time meeting with our trekking guide and then buying or renting any things we hadn’t brought with us. We rented warm sleeping bags, big puffy jackets and trekking poles. I bought a fleece mid-layer and a very warm yak wool toque. All the things it didn’t make sense for us to lug around during the rest of our travels. We brought almost everything else with us though, including our hiking boots and most clothes.

For our trek, we booked a guide and porter quite far ahead of time. Our guide, Norsang, was recommended to us by some friends (Rich and Imogen!) who had done a trek with him years ago and he was very very good. He was very knowledgeable about the route and the effects of altitude, he also never seemed to get tired!. He could walk faster than Luke even though he is shorter than me. We also had a Porter, Bijay, who carried both our big bags (!) so we only had to carry small day packs. For this reason, we lightened our loads as much as possible and left anything we didn’t absolutely need for the trek in Kathmandu.  

On the trek itself we had amazing weather every day and the scenery was stunning. The variety of climate and ecosystems over the trek as we gained altitude and then came down again made it feel like we had passed through a year of seasons within two weeks. During the first few days the plants and the temperatures were subtropical. Banana palms, bamboo and villagers working in the rice fields. Over the days we climbed through deciduous trees turning colour like a Canadian autumn and then into wintery conifers. Eventually we lost the trees entirely and were surrounded by scrubby bushes, heather and the rocky peaks of the Himalayas.

We passed through many many little villages, seeing the changes in the crops the people harvested and the animals they kept. The animals changed from short haired dogs, water buffalo and cows to fluffy dogs, hardy horses and yaks. Every night we stayed in a tea house in a different village. The tea houses were like little inns with a central dining room that was heated, a number of unheated rooms with shared bathrooms. There was usually one large concrete sink for the whole place, it was normally at floor level and that’s where the dishes and laundry were done as well as where we brushed our teeth and washed our hands. The higher we got the icier the water became.

And now to talk about the altitude, dun, dun dunnnn. Neither of us had slept at an altitude higher than about 2,500m but on this trek the highest we would sleep was 4,880m. Luckily our guide prepared us really well and even on days where we got to our destination by early afternoon he would take us out on a short but steep hike to gain more elevation. We also decided to take Diamox in preventative doses, which helps to bring more oxygen to the lungs, and we drank lots and lots of water. We still experienced some shortness of breath and didn’t have much of an appetite at the higher altitudes.

On our highest day we crossed the Thorung La pass (5,416m). We got up at about 4:30am after a fitful night’s sleep, where in the middle of the night my feet were still blocks of ice and I woke Luke up and had him move our little twin beds together so he could help warm me up. He didn’t mind at all. We had a short breakfast and set out in the dark with our headlamps on under a sky full of bright stars. We could see the pin pricks of the other trekkers headlamps winking all along the trail up ahead. We climbed in slow motion as the sky turned purple and then the sun rose. At one point I looked at Luke, his beard covered in white frost, and wondered whether we had been here for a lifetime. There was also a time when I decided that I was going to give up and stay there to die. Which was probably a bit dramatic because in reality, they would have just put me on a horse and taken me over the top, but I was able to keep going on my own steam. And then, all of a sudden, we were at the top! And it wasn’t such a big deal anymore! We had some tea, took some photos and then spent the rest of the day going a knee-crunching 1600m downhill, every so often stopping to peel off our layers.

Needless to say, we were exhausted for most of the trek, but it was an unforgettable experience! We saw so much beauty and learned so much about the local culture. I was also really proud of how strong we were by the end! We were so so glad we had a guide and porter. It took away so much stress and we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted about what we saw around us. If anyone is interested, they have a little family run company called High Camp Trekking, they are very good and took such good care of us!

After our trek, we relaxed for a few days in Pokhara, then went back to Kathmandu for a few more days and then flew to Delhi to begin the last leg of this trip, Northern India! Which I will save for next time as we’ve just started it and this post is quite long.

See below for photos! More than usual but I tried to edit them down. xx

Early morn in Kathmandu

One of approximately 20 million Dal Bhats (a meal that most Nepalese eat for lunch and dinner)

Turning the prayer wheels

Top of the pass!!

A pup on his special day during Diwali (I love this photo SO much)

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Long-time-no-update!

Hello! It’s been ages since I last posted and that’s because ... we’ve been trekking in Nepal!

I meant to write a little post before we left to say we’d be offline but we both caught a cold in Mumbai and the last days before our trek we were just doing our best to get all our gear together in Kathmandu.

The trek was beautiful, stunning, freezing, terrible, amazing. We both agreed it was more challenging than we expected but we’re also really glad we did it. Turns out altitude is no joke! ☺️

We finished the trek in Pokhara (where we’ve been relaxing for a couple days now) but our computers are still in Kathmandu, so I will write a bigger post when we get back to them. We have loads of really beautiful landscape photos, which I’ll share later, but for now, here is my favourite non-landscape photo.

It’s us! In traditional Gurung dress!

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Hampi & Goa

Hello!! Back with another update and almost caught up!

After Mysuru we took an overnight train to Hampi. This time we were in a compartment with a toddler. He was very cute but at 3am, let’s just say, he was not my favourite. The couple was so nice though, it was really nice to chat with them!

We took the bus from Hosapete (where the train stops) into Hampi but to get to the bus station it was a 15 minute walk, or so, with our big packs on. The big packs are a total magnet for tuk-tuk drivers and Luke continued to hone his skills at fending them off. My favourite conversation went something like this:

Tuk-Tuk Driver:  Hello! You need tuk-tuk?!

Luke Harvey:  No thanks! We take the bus!

TTD:  Where you go? You need tuk-tuk?

LH:  We’re taking the bus!

TTD:  What’s your name? (this is where they change tactics to draw you in)

LH:  What’s your name? (highly unusual, expert level response)

TTD:  (replies with his name). What’s your name?

LH:  My name’s... I’m Taking the Bus!

TTD:  Ha! (eventually drives away)

When we got to Hampi it was a bit of a surprise I thought! It’s so gorgeous! It’s the remains of a very large and prosperous town that was destroyed in the 1500s. The ruins are beautiful and the whole area is filled with giant red boulders. At times we thought it looked like a Jurassic Park amusement park, but real!

Leaving Hampi we caught our favourite mode of transportation (not)… another overnight train! This time to Goa. Somehow this seemed like the worst train yet, still totally manageable, but we were exhausted getting off. We decided to get a taxi from the station into Palolem where we were able to leave our bags at our hotel and then walk around until the restaurants started to open for breakfast.

And that’s where we are now!

We’ll have been in Palolem, a little town in South Goa, for almost a week by the time we leave for Mumbai and it’s been so great. It’s a big enough town that there are lots of cute little restaurants but it is sooooo relaxed here. I don’t know what it is. I think for me at least it’s the fact that no one seems to mind if western women wear their normal clothes so I don’t get any stares at all. We also barely get hassled, it’s been so nice.

What I didn’t realize, and I hope I have it right, was that until about 1960 Goa was not officially part of India as it was “owned” by the Portugese for 450 years. Either way, it seems to have very much its own feeling and culture. Very laid back and more open minded than some other areas of India.

It’s been nice to be in one place for a little while. Luke’s been able to catch up on some work and I’ve been drawing more and doing my own yoga practice. We’ve also explored some of the other little towns and beaches along the coast. We are soaking up the chill time now as we understand Mumbai will be pretty full on! We’ll have a couple days there before our flight to Nepal!

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India Catch Up!

Yes, I’ve changed the title from what I mentioned before, but I figured I’d better catch up!! (Don’t worry, I’ll still tell the kayak story).

The Backwaters

After the Ashram we went a bit further north to Allepey and stayed in a guest house in a small village in the Backwaters. It’s a beautiful area that’s mainly water, islands and canals. All the locals seem to get around in canoes and water taxis. It’s very popular in this area for tourists to take a houseboat trip but neither of us was too keen on that so we opted for a guest house and really enjoyed it. As you may imagine, this area was very affected by the monsoon flooding in August. I think it was the most contact we had with people who were so much affected and it made it feel very real. The water was about a meter high in their houses and almost everyone left during the worst of it because there was no clean drinking water etc.

By the time we got there though everything seemed completely returned to normal! If the locals hadn’t have pointed out certain things to us, like the water marks on the walls, or the fact that the man walking by with a sheet of plywood balanced on his head was using it to replace a bed lost in the flood, I would never have known. They did seem very happy to see us though, as we were some of the first “free tourists” they had seen since the floods (other than those part of tour groups) and were bringing some much-needed tourism money to the area.

While we were there we took some nice walks, did a cooking class with the mother of the guest house owner and we attempted a peaceful kayak on the canals. Dun dun dun. Yes, as I’ve spoiled it already, neither of us really knows how to steer a boat. I, as a Canadian, was practically raised in a canoe*, but as a small person was always put in the bow. Luke, as a British person, grew up mainly drinking tea and something to do with soccer I think**. We ended up zig-zagging across the canals trying to play it cool anytime we saw a local staring at us. It WAS really pretty though, and also good exercise! I would do it again!***

* A slight exaggeration

** Clearly a dig at Luke and only partially true

*** Maybe

Canoe taxi - the only way to get to our guesthouse

Lovely views in the Backwaters

Cinnamon from the tree in our host’s yard

Post-kayak faces :)

Kochi

After the Backwaters we took the bus north to Kochi (well, a water ferry, a bus, tuk-tuk, ferry again and tuk-tuk). We stayed in Fort Kochi which is a cute part of town that draws a lot of tourists because of its pretty architecture (including Portuguese, Dutch and British influences). We spent a couple lovely days there strolling the streets and enjoying the cafes.

Pretty streets in Kochi

Lunchtime thali

Mysuru

We left Kochi and took our first overnight train journey, heading for Mysuru (via Bangaluru). The overnight train was good! We booked the sleeper class with AC and only two bunks instead of 3 where they provide sheets and everything. So although neither of us got a ton of sleep, we were living in relative luxury. The distances are so large in India that most overnight train journeys we’re taking are 12hrs or more.

Up until reaching Mysuru (formerly Mysore) we had only been in Kerala, and although Mysore has some really lovely parts, we felt a bit like this was our first taste of the “real” India. On our walk to dinner one of the first things we saw was a cow… being milked on a street corner…surrounded by garbage. Just for context, this is a real urban city, not a small country town. During the rest of our walk we dodged large piles of garbage, cow patties and a dead rat (gross!). By contrast, the street we had dinner on was a lovely residential street! So strange. Although every time I would exclaim, “this is so pretty!” within half a block we would pass a large pile of garbage with a cow rummaging in it.

This has now come to feel (fairly) commonplace to us. Cows, pigs, goats, sheep, monkeys and dogs mix in with the city life. You might even see herds of cows or sheep walking through the middle of the street, or maybe, past the old city palace.

While in Mysuru we visited (the aforementioned) Mysore palace, Devaraja Market and ate many delicious dosas!

Train brekkie - Idli, sambar & vada (it was delicious!)

Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace + cows

Residential streets in Mysuru

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20 Hours in an Indian Ashram

As you can probably tell by the title of this post, after Varkala we went to an ashram!

But only for one night.

We described it as “ashram for beginners” or “ashram for babies”, we just wanted to check it out and get a sense of what it would be like.

And it was really interesting actually! I’ve often had fleeting thoughts of what it would be like to spend some time in an ashram and to have the routine of meditation, yoga and healthy meals set up for me from the outside, and it did not disappoint. People floated about in long layers and scarves, others in what can only be described as a large white bedsheet. In the morning as I blearily stumbled to the bathroom at 6am I looked out the window and saw a woman serenely meditating on a nearby rooftop.

What I didn’t realize, is that it’s like a little commune! They have their own little restaurants, cafés and shops. It’s like a village within the walls of the ashram where they make their own rules and things are done a certain way. Mainly “a certain way” is following Hindu spiritual practices but there’s also a lot of waiting in line. Waiting in line for your meal, waiting in line to wash your dishes, waiting to purchase your personal drinking coconut.

It all feels quite socialist (or communist?), everyone is pitching in. All the shops are run by volunteers from within the ashram so there is this feeling that there’s no rush. The whole community needs to be at prayer or mediation at certain times so the shops are only open for limited hours. Not to focus too much on the shops but I just found it so fascinating that these people don’t have “jobs” per se but everyone volunteers to keep the whole place running. Also, having only experienced living in a capitalist society I couldn’t really imagine it any other way until I saw it! We were given a tour of the place by a man who’s been living there for 8 years, “happy years” he told us. I wonder what it’s like for someone who lives there for a while to go back to the “real world”, I really don’t know.  

While we were there we witnessed a Puja ritual which was a beautiful devotional ceremony involving the elaborate set up and movements of candles, flowers and water. It involved Luke sitting cross-legged for almost two hours, maybe his least favourite way to sit :) We also had the chance to practice our non-attachment to material things and creature comforts by sleeping (or laying for most of the night) on beds as hard as boards.

It was a really cool experience and I’m glad we did it! I think it would have been a bit of a shock to plan to go for a month or something without knowing more about what to expect. Except for the board beds, I would have loved to stay longer! I’m not sure Luke felt the same, there was no wifi and his Indian SIM wasn’t activated so he was quite deprived :)

Alas, no photos were allowed at the ashram but to tide you over, here are some working titles for the next post, “Beautiful Keralan Backwaters” or “Two People in a Double Kayak and Neither Knows How to Steer”. Don’t worry, we are still together ;)  

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India Is No Big D

Or maybe I should say Kerala is no big d… so far :)

Leading up to our arrival in India we read a lot of blog posts to get some information on itineraries and places we may want to go. We also read a lot of blog posts like, “How To Not Get Delhi Belly in India” and “Top 10 Scams in India”, and we would look at each other and wonder, do we really want to do this?

As it turns out, India is great so far! I can already see why people fall in love with it. I will stop gushing now though in case it all goes to shizz and I am forced to eat my words. But to be honest we didn’t feel a very big difference at first leaving Sri Lanka and landing in Kerala. We had even set up a taxi ahead of time that would pick us up at Trivandrum Airport and take us to Varkala (about an hour away) so that we wouldn’t have to deal with the “crazy mob scene stress” upon exciting the airport. Instead we were met with an experience very similar to any in the west. Actually, probably a lot less busy than many European airports I’ve been to! I kept saying to Luke, “I’m tired of being mobbed” as we met our driver and were easily led to our pre-booked car.

We spent 3 nights in a hostel in Varkala, a beach town high up on picturesque red cliffs covered in beautiful green jungle and palms. In our hostel there were only a few other people. It turns out that on top of it being the tail end of low season, tourism took a nose dive because of the flooding. At first it felt like there were only about 10 tourists in Varkala! However, the guy who worked at the front desk is an Indian guy who has travelled through all of India’s 29 states twice! Once on motorbike and once by train and bus. He was THE perfect person to help us sort out the rest of our trip plans. Which was necessary because we’ll be taking several overnight trains throughout the trip and these tend to book up way in advance. I put my trip planner on it though and he’s almost got it all sorted :)

Varkala was also where we found out that you can get a DEE-licious meal for about one pound! You can also get a mediocre meal for about a pound, but still. By the time we come back I think we’re going to be those people who are like, “The tube costs how much?! For that price I could have a night’s accommodation in an ashram with all meals included!!”. Please prepare yourselves. 

So yes, a very chilled out introduction to India so far. Given the places we’re going on this trip I think we did well with the order of them by starting in Sri Lanka and working our way up to the big guns (aka. Northern India).

x

Varkala Beach

Front yard of our hostel

Black Beach at sunset

South Indian Thali at True Thomas

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Galle + Sri Lanka wrap up!

Hello all! I’m a couple places behind in writing this but will try to catch up.

After Unawatuna we had a lengthy journey (20 mins down the road) to Galle Fort. Which is just lovely! I was like, where are we? What’s going on? Where did all these tourists come from? Where are all the bugs?

It’s the old fort so it’s a little walled area of town filled with shops and easy walking streets. It’s a mix of old colonial Dutch architecture and Sri Lankan chaos/charm. It reminded us both a lot of Hoi An in Vietnam.

To be honest all we did was a lot of strolling and a lot of eating, between frequent cool showers because of all the sweating. We also came up with a new routine where we went to fancy hotels/restaurants but just had a beer and sat on the veranda watching the people drift by and feeling fancy. I’m planning to do a wrap up of all our fave places we ate in Sri Lanka so will include any highlights there.

Galle was our last stop in Sri Lanka (sad face) and then we made our way to Negombo by standing for two hours on a train, then bus, then tuk-tuk to our guest house so that we could get up at 5am the next day for our flight to India. Obviously, our lives are very hard ;)

Overall, we had a great time in Sri Lanka! We were there for 6 weeks which gave us loads of time to travel slowly and cover a lot of ground without it being stressful. I think you could really do it in 3 weeks though, either moving more quickly and/or with a more limited itinerary. I think the best thing about being there for so long was that we really got a feel for the whole country, the people and the culture. We talked a couple times about how different it would be if we had just been on a trip where we took air-conditioned shared taxis from place to place and only visited the more touristy spots, it would have been totally different!

The local buses weren’t very comfortable but they were some of my favourite parts actually. Squeezed in with the locals, crazy music on full blast, a sleeping child’s feet on my lap, bracing myself against whatever is available as the driver races along the road honking his horn. Okay maybe they weren’t my faaaavourite part, but definitely memorable!

Some of my other favourite parts were when we would show up at a little Sri Lankan restaurant that had been recommended and be the only people there. The owner would be so happy to see us and bustle off into the kitchen to make us a perfect vegetable rice and curry with various little dishes, all made from scratch with fresh ingredients. At one of the places we ate in Unawatuna, they didn’t have King Coconut on the menu (the ones you can drink) but I asked if there was any chance we could have one. Our 12 year old waitress checked back with her mom and then said yes. We were waiting to see which family member would zip out on their scooter to the corner store to get the coconuts when one of the younger sons started heading out, not towards a scooter, but towards a ladder. He propped it up against one of the trees in the garden and climbed up to get our coconuts!

So yes, we had a great time and would recommend it to anyone.

Next stop! Scary India where you will get sick and everyone’s trying to scam you all the time (not really Mom, don’t worry, I’m just setting the scene for the next post). x

The lighthouse at Galle Fort

Sunset at Galle Fort

The bakery tuk-tuk. (Not pictured: Luke’s face of complete happiness/amusement every time he sees one and hears it’s little song)

Galle train station. Last train trip in Sri Lanka.

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Spider-Gate and Who’s a Better Trip Planner (Spoiler Alert, It’s Luke)

I don’t know how many of your curiosities were piqued the other day by my mentioning the title of this post, but as promised, here it is!

At the end of my last post we were leaving Mirissa for Unawatuna, just a 40 minute drive or so west along the south coast. This was one of the places on our itinerary that I specifically wanted to go to because I had been told about an amazing yoga studio there by multiple yoga teachers and friends. I had looked into it at the beginning of our trip and found out that the yoga studio also had some accommodation about a 20 minute walk (or 5 min tuk-tuk) away from the studio in a lovely shared house.

Well, when we got there it was a lovely shared house but we were put in the small additional house just a stone’s throw from the main house. I assume this was meant to be a good thing because you have more privacy and your own bathroom, instead of sharing. It was very cute, but it also had a lot of open holes for ventilation and in the end, it seemed to be very much a part of the outdoors. Night one involved us removing a very large flying cockroach from inside the mosquito net around the bed (a terrible story in itself) and then being woken at 4am by chanting from the loudspeaker at the nearby temple.

Night two was when we encountered a very large spider in our bathroom. One that logic says is just a fellow creature and probably means you no harm but your brainstem says will jump on your face and kill you if it has half the chance. Since our bathroom was a separate little room outside of our bedroom we decided to leave it there and just close the doors. Later in the evening I went back to get ready for bed and the spider was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’s moved on I thought, the only possible place it could be hiding is maybe underneath this garbage bin. I picked up the bin and to my surprise there was a large dead bug underneath which looked sort of like a crab but completely flat. Then to my horror the flat bug started scuttling away towards the toilet in jerky, nightmare-inducing spurts. It managed to escape behind the toilet and on full adrenaline mode I grabbed the bum gun (spray hose attached to all toilets in Asia) and decided to flush it out. As I sprayed all around what did emerge was not this weird flat bug but the original giant spider, who it turns out was a shape shifter! Uugghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I gathered up my things and decided never to return to the bathroom. At least the bathroom was completely separate and this spider would need to peck through two doors to get to us.

The next day we noticed one of the couples staying in the main house was leaving so when I was at yoga I casually asked the receptionist if there was a chance we would move into the main house because it just seemed so nice etc. She said that would be no problem and so later that day I packed up all our things and moved them into our new room with real walls that didn’t allow in all outdoor fauna and noise. I was just grabbing the last bag from the original room and checking near the night table on my side of the bed to see if I had dropped anything, I moved the mosquito net slightly out of the way and…

THE GIANT SPIDER WAS THERE. He was there!!!! How? You might ask. And Why??? Probably because it is a crazy shape-shifter who can flatten himself under doors and is out for my blood.

Anyways, I’ve put it behind me. Being in the house was great, yoga was great, I am very strong now.

One last note about this accommodation was that although it was relatively close to the yoga studio (good thing!) it was just outside the main town of Unawatuna and we needed to take the bus or a tuk-tuk to go in for meals. Hence, the 2nd part of the title, I should never be allowed to book accommodation again. All the meals we did have were very, very good though. We had some great food in Unawatuna (suggestions, Skinny Tom’s, Bedspace).

After that we moved just another little way to Galle but since this post is already géant I will write another one for Galle and Varkala (our first stop in India!!). x

Ps – Luke just proofread this for me and said, “… It’s a lot about the spider…” :)

I assured him (and you) that the next post will be more about travelling and less about bugs.

Sunset on Wijaya Beach

Pool at the yoga studio

Ganesha, remover of obstacles

Safe bedroom in the house :)

[wetookatrip]

Coming soon...

I’m due for another blog post but it’s late here and we have some travel days coming up. I still hope to write one tomorrow but in the meantime, just to tempt you, I’m thinking the title of the next blogpost should be:

“Spider-gate and Who Is a Better Trip Planner (Spoiler Alert, It’s Luke)” 😂

[wetookatrip]

South Coast

Well, it officially feels like we’ve been away forever. I forgot how travel makes time expand somehow. If I had to guess I’d say it feels like we’ve been away for about 3 months and it’s been a month! :)

It’s really good though, I feel like we are getting into the travelling groove. Getting better at things like guessing how long we’ll want to stay somewhere, knowing when to splurge (or not) and cutting ourselves some slack when we just need to stay out of the heat for a day.

We’re back at the beach and enjoying it! From Ella we took the bus south to a little gem of a beach village called Hiriketiya. A lovely spot which seems just on the cusp of being discovered by tourists. It’s really chill with some nice restaurants and (literally) a homemade shack on the beach where they serve drinks and you can watch the surfers.

We splurged a bit and stayed at a place called Salt House which had a pool and really delicious buffet breakfasts. It was really nice but I think it also made us realize that we are perfectly happy spending less and staying at more basic guest houses. The home cooked food is always amazing and although they tend to be simple, they are comfy and clean.

We left Hiriketiya yesterday and are now in Mirissa, just an hour away along the coast. We’re staying in the cutest guest house where they are so sweet to us and always putting frangipani flowers in my hair when we go out for dinner. Tonight we went swimming in a tiny sheltered bay called Secret Beach and almost saw our first sunset. Hopefully more sunsets to come as we are rounding the corner towards the west side of the island.

Tomorrow we head to Unawatuna!

Hiriketiya

Mirissa

[wetookatrip]

Ella & Nuwara Eliya

Helloooo! Some updates for you from the last week!

We spent a few days in Ella, a town in the hill country with a kind of indie traveller vibe and really good food. We stayed in a really cute guest house with amazing breakfasts. One day we took a walk through tea plantations to Little Adam’s Peak and another day we walked to the 9 Arches Bridge. It was still hot in Ella but much cooler than the coast. It was so nice to go walking without being drenched in sweat and we had some good sleeps with the cooler nights. 

We then took the train to Nuwara Eliya, part of the famous train route from Kandy to Ella. The views are stunning and we got some time in one of the doorways to look out and see the train going around the bends.

We’re now in Nuwara Eliya which has the nickname Little England. It’s another hill town and further up so quite cool here, even cold at night!* Apparently the British colonialists felt at home here because they could have lettuce and strawberries and things. Other than the cooler temp it doesn’t remind us of England at all! Although I keep checking regularly with Luke if he’s feeling very much at home. 

Nuwara Eliya is a major centre for tea production in Sri Lanka so tomorrow we are planning to tour a tea estate and hopefully do a little walk to a waterfall. The town itself is quite small so there’s not very much to do. We booked two days here and I think the timing is quite good. The day after tomorrow we head back to Ella for a night (where we left our big bags) and then head down to the south coast!

* yes - we complain when it’s hot and also when it’s cold. 

Our guest house in Ella

Sri Lankan breakfast!

Tea plantations on the way down from Little Adam’s Peak

A train crossing the 9 Arches Bridge

On the train to Nuwara Eliya

Just outside Nuwara Eliya, near our guest house

[wetookatrip]

Bit of a lengthy journey to Ella today. Every time we switched buses the tuk-tuk drivers tried to convince us the next bus wasn’t going to leave for ages, or it was going to be full and we would have to stand, or it was going to take soooo long to get there. Why don’t we just take a tuk-tuk instead??

We saw right through them. Obviously. Total pros.

Made it to Ella just in time to catch this view! x

[wetookatrip]

Arugam Bay

Well, it feels like it’s been a little while since I last posted. Some of you may have seen my last post on instagram, which looked like this.

Immediately after which I came down with a really bad cold and spent the next couple days in bed. Luckily we had already planned to stay in Arugam Bay for at least 4 days and had splashed out a bit to have a nice place by the sea that’s been very comfortable (Bay Vista, highly recommend!). This was my view from bed.

I felt a bit betrayed that my body would allow me to get sick without even the chance of staying home from work for the day. I read A LOT of my book, Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela, and now I feel the South African government during apartheid was the root of all evil and I love Nelson Mandela (I’m sure this is pretty obvious and everyone else already felt this way). I also re-watched Far From the Madding Crowd and reaffirmed my love for Gabriel Oak. Luckily Luke had some work to do and enjoyed a bit of downtime while also being my caretaker. 

Yesterday I felt well enough to venture out and we rented a scooter and took a little drive down the coast, eventually ending up at Peanut Farm Beach, a very chill place where we had some nice food by the beach and played in the waves while watching the surfers. 

Arugam Bay is the first place we’ve been that feels a bit touristy and although it’s nice to have some more western feeling conveniences, like smoothie bowls and yoga studios, I’m really glad we started off in some of the places that felt more authentic. The people in Sri Lanka have been overwhelmingly lovely and friendly, always responding with a smile and going out of their way to be helpful. I feel a bit like the tourists who’ve come straight here might not understand that and are missing out on that interaction with the locals. Or maybe they’re not, who knows! But yes, we’ve been staying in a few guest houses and home stays and I’m glad we’ve had a mix of both. 

On our way from Trincomalee to Arugam Bay we stayed for a night in Batticaloa at a homestay where we ate our dinner and breakfast the next morning in the house of the family who runs the place. We had homemade rotti and dahl while their children played on the floor and they were very happy to answer all the questions we had gathered up so far about Sri Lankan customs and food etc. The place is called Queen’s Guest, it’s a bit rustic but good for one night and the experience with the family was lovely. 

Tomorrow we are headed to Ella which should be a bit cooler and we plan to get in a bit of hiking!

Some photos below of Arugam Bay and surrounding area. x

[wetookatrip]

Uppuveli & Nilaveli

We took the bus yesterday from Sigiriya to Uppuveli (a small beach town near Trincomalee) on the North East coast. It reminds us both soooo much of being on small islands in Thailand or Indonesia (the chill ones, not the party ones). It’s in an area that was affected by the war and also the tsunami so apparently it has kept it from becoming inundated with tourists. It’s very chilled out, the people are so nice and we’ve had some amazing food.

We also took the bus today to Nilaveli, an even smaller town just to the north of Uppuveli. We’re really enjoying taking the local buses. It’s squished and sweaty and nothing like public transit at home, but the locals are so nice to us and they seem very amused that we’re there :)

Today is a Poya day (every full moon is a public holiday) and we saw lots of people out in beautiful dresses and saris. It also seemed to mean that the entire local population was on the beach at Nilaveli with their families. It was pretty chaotic. A cow tried to eat a bag of fruit right out of Luke’s hand when he wasn’t looking and then wouldn’t leave us alone! All the locals (especially women) swim in all of their clothes so I decided to do the same. It’s pretty convenient actually and your clothes dry really quickly in the heat.

See below photos of the island vibezzzz

[wetookatrip]

Update from the Cultural Triangle

Soooo, a few days behind on posting because we’ve been moving around a bit. Lots of things to update you on. We’ve spent the last few days in the “cultural triangle”, an area in the centre of Sri Lanka that’s known for ancient cities, ruins and temples. In summary, it’s been beautiful but also very hot and sweaty.

We started by taking the train to Anuradhapura where we explored the ancient Sacred City on bikes. It’s a huge area, much of it covered in sort of low brick walls, which are the remains of buildings. Dotted around the area are temples called Stupa, which are domed structures that originally we thought we would be able to go inside... but it turns out you just look at them from the outside, which was also fine :) 

It’s still an active place where locals come to worship or make pilgrimages to the temples. They wear all white and it was really beautiful, especially when we visited at night and they were all lighting candles and incense. 

Next we travelled to Sigiriya. We made it most of the way somewhat (but not too) squished into a mini bus and then took the local bus the rest of the way. To do this we had to refuse approximately a million tuk-tuk drivers who thought it would be much better if we took a tuk-tuk the rest of the way. But anyways, we passed the test and only had to pay about 20 pence each for the bus and I feel that we are the stronger for it. 

In Sigiriya we’re staying in a lovely little guest house where they feed us breakfast and dinner and it is SO GOOD! They also give us fresh juice every day when we come back from whatever adventure we were on. It’s called Sigiriya Regal Residence and we would highly recommend. 

Since being here we’ve walked up Sigiriya Rock, a massive rock formation with the ruins of a monastery or fortress at the top (apparently it’s still up for debate), hiked up Pidurangala Rock, gone on safari and seen elephants (!!), drank many fresh juices, sweated a lot and Luke has argued with several tuk-tuk drivers about their prices. See photos of most of these things below. 

Tomorrow we travel to Trincomalee for some diving! 

Sigiriya Rock

Lion’s paws at the base of the stairs

View from the top

The view of Sigiriya Rock from the top of Pidurangala Rock

Elephant on safari!

Luke on safari!

Elephants in Kaudulla National Park (as the storm rolls in)