Tina & Barry's Sri Lankan Adventure

Back in Kandy after an amazing week driving around Sri Lanka. Mandy and I had so much fun - just what I needed after the stress of breaking up with Dhanushka and the continuing saga that is the DELTA.

The first part of our trip we spent in the hill country. The drive up to Nuwara Eliya through the hills is amazing and although Nuwara Eliya itself is nothing special, where we stayed was something else - a converted tea factory with stunning views of the surrounding tea estate. On the drive up from Kandy we also made sure we stopped off at Labookellie Tea Estate for tea and chocolate cake - all very civilized!

From Nuwara Eliya we drove further into the hill country for a couple of days before heading down to Galle on the coast. The day we drove to Galle was a long day and I'm not sure how we managed to avoid having an accident on a number of occasions, but somehow we made it to the coast in one piece.

Mandy left yesterday morning, so we stayed at a beach resort about 60km south of Colombo on Sunday night. I wouldn't stay at fancy places by myself, but with someone else it's a lot of fun - Mandy and I couldn't stop laughing at all the German tourists baking in the sun around the pool. The place we stayed at on Sunday actually ended up costing very little as I got a 20% discount on resident rates with my credit card - a veritable bargain.

A British Council teacher from Colombo is staying with me for a couple of days - we picked her up in Colombo on the way to the airport yesteray - as she's thinking about transferring to Kandy in July. She's gone out for the day, so as well as catching up on e-mails I'm trying to get started on my next assignment. I don't start teaching until next Tuesday, but am examing tomorrow and have training on Sunday. Unfortunately yesterday afternoon on the way back from town my car started playing up and I'm afraid to drive it at the moment as it's making a terrible noise. Most places are still closed for the New Year, so I'll have to wait until the end of the week before I can have it looked at. Hope it's not a major problem - that'd be just what I need!!!