The Best Month

Hello everyone!

I'm really sorry about the lack of recent updates. We spent all of December travelling and on our return my laptop decided to give up on me, so I've only just managed to get something sorted. We're back in the classroom again, and it's safe to say the holiday bubble has officially been burst. We had an month of incredible travel around this little island - eight locations, but countless stories.  So if you're interested, here are my top 10 highlights.

1. Learning to surf in Weligama. We started the holiday only 50 mins from where we live, but Weligama is a haven for surfers of all abilities, no prize for guessing where we fit in on that spectrum, and cool yoga people, which we are not. Still, it was nice to spend all day on a board getting sunburnt and doing the tourist thing for the first time.

Breakfast and dinner with a not-too-shabby view

2. Being the only people in Arugam Bay. The famous tourist destination on the East coast was a ghost town when we arrived due to it being off season (who knew?). After sharing our room with a massive rat and millions of mozzies on the first night, without an intact net between us (what you get for £2 a night), I used my impressive bartering skills to wangle us a cheap stay in a different hostel, and because we were the only guests we had a great time. We did one day of surfing but the waves were so huge and the currents so strong that Megan broke her board, and I was wiped out so badly by one particular wave that a standby tuk tuk driver ripped off his sarong like a Sri Lankan Super Man and swam in to save me. I swear it looked worse than it was. Convinced our 2 hours of surfing were a brush with death, we spent the next couple of days chilling in our private hostel.

Hammock views

3. Being surrounded by mountains again in Ella. Sun and sand gets old after a while, and I couldn't wait to get into the hill country and enjoy a cool 25 degrees. We hiked up Mini Adam's Peak, got lost on the way to Ella Rock and spent hours reading, perched in a hammock with the most incredible views on our doorstep. Our hostel was a trek from the main Ella town but the view made it all worth it, as did the interesting bunch of people we met there. Would recommend Tomorrowland Hostel to anyone looking for something… different. I really enjoyed it.

Luxury

4. Our last night in Ella resulted in Megan and Natalie getting their first tattoos and, due to losing a game of odds, me hijacking the mic and guitar in a crowded restaurant and dedicating a few tunes to my Sri Lankan sisters. I got some requests (resisted playing Wonderwall as that's a bit too gap yah) and my set went on and on, but the paid musician was grateful for a break. Or so I keep telling myself to make it less embarrassing. 

5. World's End in Nuwara Eliya. I feel I can only let the pictures speak for themselves - this was one the most incredible routes I've ever walked, a 9km trail in Sri Lanka's highest district with crazy views. Was a 'pinch yourself' moment.

In the clouds

1, 2, 3 JUMP

6. White water rafting in Kitulgala. After our first trip down the rapids which was the most fun any of us had had in a long time, we managed to convince the instructor that we were experienced rafters, if he would be so kind as to take us on an advanced route the next day. What a hilarious mistake this was. We knew something was up when to get to the start point we had to trek through the jungle, raft held above our heads. By some miracle I managed to stay in the raft, but the sight of all the girls and the instructors flying out on one occasion is something I'll never forget. Our bonkers instructor even convinced us to try 'body rafting', which literally meant launching yourself down the rapids without a raft! I ended up going down backwards and thought that was the end. We finished the afternoon having a completely random and pretty intense water fight with our instructors, which even resulted in Jenny and the main instructor wrestling in the raft after tipping everyone else out. I don’t think I've ever laughed as hard as I did whilst witnessing Clash of the Titans unfolding above me. So so funny.

7. Reaching the top of Adam's Peak in time for sunrise on Christmas Morning. Adam's Peak is twice the size of Ben Nevis, and you have to tackle thousands of steps to reach the top. I had got some pretty serious food poisoning a couple of days before and hadn't eaten properly in almost 48 hours, so the climb wasn't easy. After setting off at 2.30am, Megan and I joined the pilgrimage. I tried not to think about my jelly legs too much because there were ladies all the way up about fifty years older than me climbing in flip flops. We reached the top for sunrise, rang the big bell and bowed to the Buddha's footprint like the devout Buddhists we are.

Ring a ding ding 

Representin'

A rare Maggie in her natural habitat

8. Being reunited with my family on Christmas Day. Fresh off the mountain I took the bus from hell all the way to Colombo and met them after months apart. It was so special to be reunited, and we spent the next few days in Colombo catching up and recovering from my dose of Delhi belly. Despite this, I loved every minute. 
    

9. Introducing my family to the girls in Kandy. Kandy was a bit of a flying visit, but we stayed long enough for our travels to overlap with the other girls in this historical capital. The chat was good and I found it so strange to see everyone in the same room at last.

10. Getting back to Unawatuna just in time to welcome in 2018 with my family and friends. Here's to an even greater year.

Happy New Year!

A definite lowlight was saying goodbye after such a nice time spent together. I am so glad I got to share my life here with my family, and even managed to bring them into school with me when the term started which meant a lot to me. 

Thanks for reading! Speak soon.

Hannah