SRI LANKA. - The Tear of India

Did I mention that I don't like choosing accommodations? There's too much choice and in the end, the room looks different from the photos. I don't like dealing with reviews, so I postponed the accommodation selection until my arrival in Colombo.

Once I arrived, I had to take care of it at 4:30 in the morning. I had changed that flight and unfortunately, no other time was available...

The Buddha in the car was replaced by Maria and a rosary, and instead of "Hey", it was "Madame/Mam". Although the Buddha was still present most of the time.

TRAFFIC

Driving here is a little catastrophe, as there are road signs and rules, but in the end, everyone drives wherever they want and as fast as they can.

It's pretty noisy on Sri Lankan roads, as honking twice before overtaking is a common practice. So, you can imagine that I googled the accident risk, and it turns out that there are 10 times more traffic fatalities here than in Germany.

COLOMBO - Capital City

I wasn't particularly impressed with Colombo, probably because I'm not a city person, but with the help of a tuk-tuk driver, I explored the city a bit.

My first stop was the "Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque", which I found incredibly beautiful because of its colors and it looked even more majestic due to the neighboring rundown houses.

I was especially impressed by a palace that you can't even find on maps or in guidebooks, and there were only 4 or 5 residents. There were a few monkeys jumping around in the temple. They happily sat somewhere with a banana, creating the perfect atmosphere.

CURRENCY

Once I arrived, I exchanged my money into rupees, but I'm often quoted in US dollars or euros when paying for something. The currency is theoretically Sri Lankan rupees, but you can practically pay in other currencies as well.

SIGIRIYA (see-gi-ri-yə)

Currently, I'm quite skilled at postponing my plans, but I managed to take a bus to Sigiriya and spent the next 2 nights there.

I found a nice accommodation on Airbnb and met a very nice family. It was then that I finally felt like I had arrived in the real Sri Lanka. There are always dogs around, lots of exotic birds, and even a peacock said hello in the garden, making my day perfect.

On my first day, after a delicious breakfast with the family, I set off to Lion Rock. It's an incredibly impressive rock that is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.

On the way to Lion Rock, you walk through an old garden maintained by many workers.

At the halfway point of Lion Rock, there is the so-called Mirror Wall. When I arrived there, I was a bit confused because it looked like a normal wall. However, during the lifetime of the king, the wall was polished to a high gloss, making it reflective.

There were wooden palace buildings on the rock, of which only the ruins are visible today. There were also several reservoirs for drinking rainwater in case of a siege. I was incredibly impressed, enjoyed the beautiful view, and loved the monkeys freely roaming around.

KANDY

After leaving the Airbnb and the son of the family taking me by tuk-tuk to Habarana (the nearest bus station), I didn't have to wait long before I was on the bus to Kandy.

When I arrived in Kandy, I was a bit unsure whether to stay here or go to Ella. Apparently, my confusion was written all over my face because a tuk-tuk driver approached me immediately and told me that there were no trains to Ella at that time and suggested that I stay in Kandy for one night and then take the train to Ella the next morning.

The train ride from Kandy to Ella is often referred to as the most beautiful train ride in the world, so taking the bus was not an option for me.

So, I checked into a hostel with a stunning location on a hill. As we went up by tuk-tuk, I constantly had the feeling that we were about to roll backward because it was so steep.

I was immediately offered tea (as almost everywhere) and could enjoy the beautiful location amidst the palm trees, overlooking the giant white Buddha sitting on a mountain and watching all the butterflies flying around (there were indeed many, big, and beautiful ones).

ELLA

After a wonderful breakfast (which is amazing in Sri Lanka), I grabbed my backpack and, funny enough, had the same driver for the third time. We went to the train station to go to Ella. It was a 6-hour journey, often described as the most beautiful train ride in the world.

One beautiful moment on the train was when two children washed each other's hands with water.

As always here in Sri Lanka, I didn't bother booking any accommodation. When I arrived at the train station, I met someone who showed me a homestay where I stayed. In the evening, I had the delicious dish Kottu and met Sameera, with whom I was able to communicate really well, compared to many others here in Sri Lanka. There's also a very cute dog in the accommodation that follows me everywhere.

Here in Sri Lanka, there are a lot of stray dogs, and it breaks my heart to see them limping around.

Back in COLOMBO

My time in the beautiful little town of Ella passed quickly, and the next morning I had to make my way back to Colombo because my countdown in Sri Lanka is ending. When I arrived in Colombo, I had a very negative experience with a tuk-tuk driver and learned that you should always negotiate the price in advance. Besides the price, the driver was also getting on my nerves because he couldn't accept a no. So, I was very glad to be back in the accommodation.

I left my big backpack at the accommodation to travel light.

The next morning, I unintentionally woke up at 5 a.m. and had enough time to pack my things and go to the airport.

DOWNSIDES?

Clearly, the tuk-tuk drivers annoyed me.

I hear so many lies, like "All seats on the train are sold out, you'll have to stand for 6 hours, but I can drive you in a taxi." "The palace/temple/... is closed today, but I can take you to another one that is much nicer." "The national park is always closed on Sundays."

(They were actually all lies, as I found out later.)

I don't know what to believe anymore, and it's really getting on my nerves. I just want to explore everything in peace, and sometimes I just want to walk...

In the beginning, I would politely say "No, thank you", but now I just walk past shaking my head or in silence. Sometimes, I listen to music to ignore everything around me.

I want that anonymity back, which I really appreciated in Singapore, New Zealand, and Germany.