TOP TIPS:
- Obtain your visa before entering Sri Lanka for future delays.
- Exchange currencies at Sri Lanka Airport or any Local Mall (really good rates).
- Take comfortable shoes for hiking and DON'T FORGET your water bottles.
- Use Uber App for long commute purposes.
- Hike Pindrugala Rock to see a stunning view of Sigiriya.
- Get a local Sim Card.
- Try all the fruits, you won't regret it! :)
Our Eid always has to be special because it celebrates our efforts of fasting during the 30 days of Ramadan. Last year we went to Canada, so this year we decided to visit someplace new. B's parents have many friends from Sri Lanka and they've been talking about how beautiful the country is. This was the perfect opportunity to surprise them with an all-inclusive 7 days package with us.
After 12 hours of sitting in the plane, we arrived at Bandranaike International airport. We were all pretty scared as to what we should expect after the Easter incident in Colombo a month ago. Many people advised us to cancel our trip because in some areas of the country, Muslims were being attacked. We put our faith to the test and hoped for the best.
The staff from the very start were very polite. We booked an airport taxi for 2000 rupees and arrived at our first hotel. Our suitcases were opened at the gate and thoroughly checked. We couldn't really make a fuss because this security check was for our safety.
Both the rooms in Colombo City Hotel 02 were very clean.
Day 2: Relaxing at the Resort
Our check-in time in Citrus Waskaduwa was at 2pm. But, we all woke up earlier than expected. There was no food available anywhere at 7am so we got room service for the parents before we left for the resort. We were welcomed with refreshing mint and orange drinks by a friendly waiter.
Although we arrived at 11am, The staff did their level best to give us two suites as early as possible. Both the suites were absolutely lovely and the view was just great.
B was eager to teach M how to swim so we left our things in the room and went straight to the pool area. Although it was quite difficult at first for M to get comfortable in water, within two hours she was crossing the pool on her own. The entire day was dedicated to exploring the area, relaxing in our cozy bed and counting the stars before the rainstorm.
Day 3; Thudugala Ella Waterfall
We got dressed and went out for a walk to catch the sunrise. The weather was warm but once the sun came out, the day got too hot to stay outdoors for more than an hour. We had breakfast with the parents and then called Uber for our activity. Today we met our go-to-guy for all the roadtrips in Sri Lanka. Kaweesh was a very humble man with immense knowledge of his country. We liked him so much, that we booked his time for the next two days.
Thudugala Ella waterfall was deep into the forest. We crossed many locals along the way who gave us curious stares and followed us to the waterfall. One man that lived there became our friend and even gave M a beautiful red flower. We dropped our plan of swimming in the fresh water when we saw the uneven rocks and the intense water flow from the top.
Instead, we soaked our feet in and admired the beauty all around us.
This day was just lucky for us. As we made way to the car, it started to drizzle lightly but as soon as we got to the car, it began to rain quite heavily. B stepped out for two minutes to drink fresh coconut water before we went back to the resort. Because we traveled in Monsoon season, there was on and off rain showers throughout the day.
We came to the room to rest for a little bit and then went to the pool area again for another swimming class. The food at the resort was nothing special, and there were very few vegetarian options as well.
Day 4: Cruise Dinner
The start of this day was pretty fun. We went out for our daily walk but this time, we got a little late. We found a narrow street filled with beautiful trees that lead upto the main road. We knew it would be difficult but we just had to take a chance for the view was too great. It was peak hour which meant every 10 seconds we were interrupted by people to cross the road (Follow our Instagram page to view our story of all the stares we got as we tried to get the perfect shot :p).
We returned to the resort for breakfast with the parents and then head out to our third home in Sri Lanka. We booked an airbnb for three nights at Oceans Apartment.
We arrived to a maid cleaning the house as they didn't expect us to come an hour earlier. We were given a small house tour by the agent as the place got ready.
We ordered lunch from the Uber Eats App. While the parents went out to explore the city life, we both went up on the roof to enjoy the view.
The cruise dinner at Garton's Ark was just wonderful. There were plenty of vegetarian options and the chocolate mousse really ended the night on a good note! haha.
The only suggestion we would give is that the cruise should take place during sunset time because we could hardly see anything around us when we went to the top level of the ship. After two hours of listening to live music and eating yummy food, we went home to catch some shut eye.
Day 5: Roadtrip and Hiking to the Top!
Kaweesh came to pick us from our apartment in Colombo at 7am. Although Sigiriya was only 130kms from our place, the roadtrip was set to last for about 5 hours at a speed of 40km/h. About two hours on the road, we were stopped by Army Officers for some questioning and to show them our passports. We never carry any travel documents when we go out so ofcourse we didn't have them on us but M had a picture of each passport on her phone. After much argument and Kaweesh trying to convince them that we were a good family, they let us go with a warning.
Thankfully we grabbed breakfast from McDonalds before we started the trip because by the time we arrived at Pindrugala Rock to hike, everyone was starving and tired of sitting. We both forgot our water bottles in the car and it was too late to go back down to get it. We first had to buy tickets and then cross a Buddhist Temple before going towards the hiking trail.
M was asked to remove her scarf because it was mandatory that the head of both men and women be exposed as a form of respect. The parents went back to the car after browsing around the temple. We both began our journey in the heat with Kaweesh. At first, it seemed quite easy but as the steps grew longer, our breathes began to deepen. At one point, M almost gave up because she couldn't climb the rocks that were even taller than she was. We took a few breaks of about 3-5 minutes and finally reached the top. There were monkeys just casually walking around and didn't bother us at all. We were just breathless (literally :p) when we saw the view after an hour of pushing ourselves forward.
We spent around 35 minutes admiring the scenery and taking a few pictures before we made our way down again. If only we didn't forget our water bottles, we would've stayed up for a while more but the heat was unbearable.
We ate lunch at a local restaurant before driving home again. We all slept in the car for the most part of the ride but Kaweesh had it really difficult. He kept telling B's dad to speak to him and turned the volume to high but the music wasn't really helping him as we saw his eyes piercing red through the front mirror of the car. He took a break to stretch his legs and drink some coffee but everyone just needed a bed to rest. After a 14 hours adventure, we were happy to be home.
Day 6: Rainstorm and Shopping!
The rain showers lasted approximately the entire day. We took advantage of the time that it didn't rain and went to the mall in a tuktuk.
We wanted to watch movies but we didn't have enough cash on us, We went to the bank inside the mall to exchange currencies but again, we were asked for our passport that we didn't have on us. The parents stayed in the mall while we both hurried outside to grab our documents from the apartment. The weather seemed really nice so we decided to walk because the mall was only 15 minutes walk from our airbnb. Midway through our strolls, it began to rain heavily. The 15 minutes felt like an hour with cold drops hitting our face as the wind blew faster.
We had the currency exchanged two hours later and got in line to buy tickets for Aladdin. Just our luck! due to the weather condition, the system was down and unfortunately the cinema wasn't playing any movies tonight! Again, we walked in the rain towards a halal restaurant we saw earlier. For the first time in 6 days, we ate until our stomachs were full. The food was really delicious and the owner was extremely friendly. The taste of food in his restaurant made our day complete.
Day 7 started off really hectic because all the taxis on the Uber App were about 15-20 minutes away from our apartment and we were already getting late for the airport. The first taxi came but the trunk was too small to fit two suitcases and he cancelled our ride. We waited another 25 minutes for the next taxi to show up and we finally hit the road.
Overall, this trip was very relaxing and also quite special because it was the first country where we traveled with B's parents. Although we were about to cancel our plans, luckily we chose not to and discovered stunning sceneries. Most of the people were very humble and helped us out any chance they got. We suggest that each person should visit Sri Lanka at least once, because you are missing out on all the beautiful landscapes that we reminisce about every day.
