A quick post from Sri Lanka
 

We arrived just after midnight this morning and have already done so much it feels like we've been here a week! I will write a long and detailed trip report when I get home, but just wanted to give you a bit "live." We spent the night close to the airport, then drove (ok, our driver drove us) to Dambulla. We're settled in the Kandalama (gorgeous!) and Aslam (our driver) took us to the Cave temples this afternoon. We are happily tired from all the steps, and full of new experiences and information.

We're loving being in Sri Lanka. We booked hotels and our excellent driver through Botique Sri Lanka - reall a first-rate operation.

Oh, yes, there is a warning sign at the entrance to our hotel that wild elephants roam the grounds at night...

Keep away from the wild Pandas. Hope you have a great time and tell us all about it.

Sounds like a great start. Sri Lanka is a place I really want to get to soon so am anxious to hear your report.

Kathie,

Have a good time. If you're seeing wild Pandas I'm afraid you're not in Sri Lanka!

Kathie, you can guess that I'll have a thousand questions. Here's a start:

1. How long was the drive to Dambulla - did you stop at the elephant orphanage along the way or are you going to visit it later or skip it? How much time did you spend at the cave temples?

2. At Kandalama, the standard dinner fare (included in BSL's price) is a buffet. Can you find out if you can upgrade to the a la carte restaurant for a meal or two?

3. How was Villa Araliya? I assume that is where you stayed near the airport.

Thanks in advance if you have time to answer "live".

Watch out for those elephants (and the monkeys and the bats).

I'm glad you arrived safely. Have a great time and can't wait to read more bits and pieces and the trip report. Happy Travels!

Kathie,
Staying at the Kandalama is an excellent choice of hotels and locations. We stayed there this past June for a couple of days. We loved the pools, grounds, food, seeing the elephants from the lobby of the hotel, enjoyed the wild monkees on the balcony while we were in the shower and bed, and so much more during our stay. We met people from Great Britain who have been to Sri Lanka several times and have never wanted to experience the Kandalama. Too bad for them missing this wonderful experience. Before you leave the Kandalama, please take time to chill and enjoy the grounds.
We did Dambulla in the morning before the strong sun. It was great getting to the 1,202nd step.
Enjoy Sri Lanka. We did.
Regards,
Doc

Hmmmmmm monkeys in the shower and in the bed- now thats what I call bonding with the locals!

Just a quick check-in. I don't have the time or energy to answer questions now, but I promise a complete trip report later. Long day today - 12 hours - including trip to Polonnaruwa (fantastic ruined city) and an hour on elephants plus an evening game drive during which we saw lots of elephants up close. I'll sleep well tonight! The Sri Lankan people have been uniformly warm and welcoming.

it all sounds wonderful....how many sticks has cheryl used up already??

don't know if i can wait for the trip report....

bob

Wow, long day...

I'm getting more excited our own SL trip with every one of your posts.

Bob, Cheryl has only taken 918 photos so far, but we're just at the beginning of our trip. She bought a 4 gig compact flash card, so it holds about 1,100 photos on "fine." She brought along a laptop and the portable hard drive, so she has transferred all the photos and reformated the card today.

We're taking a day to rest and relax at the Kandalama today. After yesterday, we need it... especially because we're scheduled to climb to the rock temple at Sigiriya tomorrow morning.

Craig, some answers to your questions:

1. It took us about 3 hours to Dambulla, where we ate lunch and then about 30 minutes more to the Kandalama. We spent a couple of hours at the cave temples, including the climb.

2. Yes, the included dinner is a buffet (quite nice, and I don't like buffets). You can eat at the a la carte restaurant and get 20% off the prices instead. We ate there the first night - very good food.

3. The Villa Araliya is lovely, beautifully designed, very pleasant. Our complaint there is that the bath towels are hard and rough, there are no hand towels and no wash cloths. There is no shampoo, etc, though I always bring my own, so I don't care. My only complaint is with the bathroom supplies.

Dr Ralph, the Kandalama is really lovely. We are enjoying our day of relaxation here. Yes, the monkeys are everywhere, and BillT, they are there right outside the windows morning and evening so you see them (and they see you) from the bath and the bed. If you opened the sliding doors, no doubt they would be in your bath and your bed!

Only 918 pics so far? Cheryl must just be getting warmed up . Knowing her half of them are not up to par. :)

Glad to hear you are having a good time and am anxiously awaiting your full report.

Kathie,your on an island in the middle of the Indian ocean you are supposed to rough it, no soap, shampoo, etc., lol

How are the spas there?

Aloha!

Craig, I realize I didn't answer your question about the elephant orphanage. We will be visiting it from Kandy, as our driver says that's more convenient. He wants to get us there for the morning feeding.

HT - Cheryl is truly just getting warmed up. I have to keep her from deleting photos that are "not good enough." The screen on the laptop we brought isn't fabulous, the photos always look better on her laptop at home and even better on my Mac!

And I forgot we are supposed to be "roughing it" here - never mind about the towels - lol. Truly, the towels at the Villa A. are the only thing I could call a "complaint" (and obviously, it's a pretty minor complaint). There are some "quibbles" elsewhere, but they are REALLY minor.

We haven't done any spa yet. We plan on massages in Kandy.

Thanks for your responses, Kathie. How is your driver? Seems like he's been helpful so far. I know you a not a big fan of having a guide so did you pretty much do Polonnaruwa on your own? If I wanted to have a guide, could I hire one there? The same questions apply to the ancient city Anuradhapura (which I assume you are visiting after Sigiriya).

Kathie-what's the time difference between SL and Seattle? How is the food? Inquiring Pandas want to know.

Since we are taking the day off from touring and we have free WiFi at teh Kandalama, I'm checking in and answering questions. Who knows if/when we'll have WiFi again.

Craig, Our driver has been fabulous. I'd recommend him highly. And while we opted not to have a guide at Angkor since we'd done lots of study on it, we really wanted a guide at the Cave Temples and Polonnaruwa. While we read extensively before this trip, there is not not that much info readily available to us on the ancient cities. Our driver knew the "best" guides and even pre-arranged the one at Polonnaruwa. Both guides were exceptionally knowledgable.

We're actually not going to Anuradhapura (alas) because of the recent bombing of the airforce base there. Our driver (as well as other sources) felt it was not wise at this time. The situation may well be different by the time you are here. Not going to Anuradhapura is the reason we have a full day of leisure here at the Kandalama.

Andy, Sri Lanka is 13.5 hours later than Seattle, 1.5 hours earlier than Bangkok. The food has been excellent. You can get western food everywhere, but we've been eating Sri Lanka food, which is very similar to Indian food, a favorite of ours.

its all so exciting...can't wait for the full report and of course the pics...