Hats off Sartoric. You and Mr. M are truly intrepid travellers.
Loved very step of your journey.Taking everything in your stride.Your agile and light footed style of travel is what made you adapt to all possible situations.Fearless,gutsy and ever willing to experiment.(I wouldn't have dared anyone to try Mayoora .You rolled up your sleeves,really did it and liked it !! WOW )

This is really what makes the experience unique.Some times even words are insufficient to describe.You truly are a master of narrative.Your portrayal of Lanka couldn't have been more accurate.

I literally lived thru your TR,enjoying your protrayal of a culturally embedded Srilanka to your interaction with its remarkable people,the friends you made and enthralling us daily with the details of the awesome cuisine.
Sketching Srilanka in true Sartoric Splendor !!

This certainly will be book-marked by many future travellers.Thank you once again.

I'm happy you came home from Sri Lanka with the many memories and experiences - good, bad, and everything in between. Glad that you enjoyed your meal at the Ministry of Crab - cannot think of a better end to your trip.

Oh, sartoric, this is such a wonderful report on a fascinating trip! I can only echo the words that inquest wrote (so beautifully!) about your attitude toward travel and your openness to truly experiencing down-to-earth, local travel. As inquest says so well, you adapt to whatever comes your way and, more than make the best of it, but truly enjoy whatever comes your way. As the saying goes, making lemonade out of lemons - but I don't even get the sense that you see any experience as lemons!

What I admire most, I think, is how you end up making friends along the way. That says everything about the 2 of you and your approach to travel. And, I forgot to add, your humor and writing style make it a pleasure to travel along with you!

Thank you for your succinct contrast between Sri Lanka and S. India; it is helpful to read those impressions.

Again, many many thanks for allowing us to share your trip with you!

Great TR and thank for its timeliness. That was a big effort.

The Ministry of Crab was featured on that Parts Unknown episode BTW.

There was a PU episode about the Phillipines which featured the same tearful departure at airports of people going away to foreign countries to work, if you have ever been on a cruise ship you note most of the staff are from India, the Phillipines and other under developed countries. It’s a sad fact for many that they must do this to provide for their families.

The PU episode about SL was well done. If you get a chance to watch it do so. It’s not about food though that’s a part of it. The one starts with the long civil war and covers life there then and how it is now.

Again thank you for your TR. I’ll put one in when I can after our trip to OZ and cruise to NZ which begins Dec. 7. And as a coffee lover I’ll try to find some from the region you mentioned. Now it’s my mission. .

G’day. .

Thanks again, Sartoric! I've learned so much!!!
Any photo links?
You never cease to amaze me with your disciplined daily en-routereporting and then, the summary and thoughts soon after you return home. While many of us would be sleeping off jet lag and just starting to get our thoughts together, you are ON it!!!
Enjoy being home!!!

Really enjoyed the report, Sartoric! You do a great job of "rolling with it" and you have to truly love to travel to do that. Thanks for posting.

Thanks all for your kind words, and big thanks to inquest for being so helpful with restaurant recommendations. I will catch Bourdains parts unknown episode when I can, I like his style. CaliNurse, I’ve been mucking around with smug mug, but being naturally tech repellent it’s difficult. Will post a link when (if ever) I can get my act together. CC, you hit the nail on the head, we truly love to travel.

hi Satoric! Just found this -- what a fun, engaging TR. Sri Lanka is on our very long list and reading your TR made it sound so enticing. Thank you for taking the time to write this as you travelled.

I'm just catching up with you again. It sounds like a wonderful trip.Cheryl and I loved Sri Lanka - we felt like we learned so much! Who knew Sri Lanka had over 2000 years of recorded history! Thanks for allowing us to revisit this wonderful country.

Sartoric, thank you so much for letting me relive our holiday in SL with you and M. DH and I spent a fortnight in SL about 5 years ago and it was definitely one of our best trips, if not the best, and we often talked about going back.

So many of the things that you mention echoed our experiences - the weird white goods stores at the airport, the fab food, the lovely people, the occasionally "interesting" accommodation experiences. Our "highlight" was the time a rat ran through our bedroom while we were sleeping - it escaped into the bathroom and DH chased it out through the bathroom window. The first thing I knew about it was when I enquired in the morning why one of his shoes was sitting in the bath. Some how he had managed all that without waking me up so in that , he and you had something in common!

Thanks yestravel, I think you and gotravel would love it.

Kathie go back, if I had to choose I preferred Anuradhapura over Polonnoruwa.

Thanks Annhig, I’m glad I could rekindle some good memories for you. If my drama had been a mouse, I would have woken him for sure !
I am so sorry to read of your loss.

Yes Ann also sorry to hear of your loss. .

I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed reading about your adventures in Sri Lanka. I'm currently in Thailand at the beginning of a world wide adventure of my own and am going to Sri Lanka on 9th December for a month. I will be meeting friends in Matara and Galle but am hoping to explore many other places. You've given me so much to work with, thank you. I'm then off to Australia in January and have friends in Sydney and Brisbane - so any must sees (apart from the obvious) would be greatly appreciated. I'm then off to New Zealand in Feb and South India in March, so will be reading about your India trip too!

Thank you Tinkys, glad I can help.
See if your Brisbane friends can take you to North Stradbroke Island, about one hour away by car ferry. Beautiful beaches, a bit of history and cute cafes. Both north and south of Brisbane are hinterland rainforest areas with some great walks and terrific views.