IT'S LYNNY KANSAS
DON'T LET THE RUBY SLIPPERS,
OR THE DOROTHY INSPIRED NICKNAME
FOOL YOU., THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME,
BUT TRAVELING IS FUN.
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Well they do say better late than never. This post is long, long overdue, as we visited Sri Lanka way back in February 2014, but only now am I getting around to completing my post. Life got a little hectic, and somehow it just did not get done.  Sri Lanka had long been on my bucket list of places to visit. It also appears to be high on the bucket lists of most people, as trying to book accommodation even five months before our trip was challenging. So there is your first tip - book early!! For most of our trips, I like to research and book accommodations myself. However, Sri Lanka had me a little bit stumped. We wanted to travel around the Country, there is so much to see - the Tea Country was high on my agenda - but I knew that there were long drives between each place, and I was struggling to figure the accommodation logistics. I also realized the need for a car and driver, the roads (and signs) for the most part are not good in Sri Lanka, so the thought driving ourselves was a little scary. I did not feel confident in finding a trustworthy driver on my own.  Luckily, I did not have to. I turned to SRI Journeys who made the whole process very easy. Cecilia is an Aussie gal living in Sri Lanka's South coast with her partner Sashika. I told Cecilia my ideas for our 8 day trip and she came up with some great options for itineraries and accommodations. She was also able to provide us with a fantastic driver, "Uncle", who safely drove us from Colombo to Kandy, through the Tea Country to Yala and on to Galle.
 OUR TRUSTY STEED FOR OUR SRI LANKA TRAVELS Upon arrival in Colombo, we were met by our wonderful driver "Uncle". Given that there was so much to see on this trip, we elected to skip Colombo, so we hit the road straight away to drive to our first stop, Kandy. It's approximately a four hour drive, obviously depending on how much you stop along the way. There is an elephant orphanage called Pinnawala along the route, it was a suggested stop, but I did not want to go there, as I am not, in general, a fan of these kinds of places. I always worry about whether the animals are being exploited to get cash from tourists, so I just chose not to go. On my return, I read some distressing reviews on Tripadvisor, and also this blog post sheds more light about how the elephants were treated, which made me glad I did not go. That said, you are of course free to make your own choice. We did however stop at The Geragama Tea factory just on the outskirts of Kandy. They have a tasting room where you can enjoy a really great cup of tea before doing a factory tour, it was very interesting, certainly eye opening too. For a little more on the tea factory, check out this blog post I found from Travel Shus.
The bustling UNESCO Heritage City of Kandy, is centered around the Temple of The Sacred Tooth Relic, a magnificent Buddhist Temple which overlooks a very pretty little lake, called Bogambara Lake, or simply Kandy Lake. There is a road which goes all the way around the lake, unfortunately, due to a terror threat a number of years ago, the section of road in front of the Temple is closed to traffic. This means you have to drive around the Lake to get from one side of Lake to the other, which obviously takes a little while longer than it would have done.  KANDY LAKE We arrived in time to be able to check into our Hotel, The Earls Regency, and then head to the Temple to experience it as the sun was going down, which was beautiful.
 CUTE SCHOOL CHILDREN LINING UP TO VISIT THE TEMPLE Our second day in Kandy allowed for a quick stroll around the lake, passing the temple from a different view point and also passing lines of cute school children. We then headed to The Botanical Gardens and spent a pleasant couple of hours walking the grounds.
 THE BOTANICAL GARDENS From the Botanical Gardens, it was a short drive to the Peradeniya train station to catch our train to the Nuwara Eliya area. The train actually takes longer than to drive by car, but we really wanted to experience the train and see the hill country from a different perspective. Our train tickets were all organised and pre purchased by Cecilia at SRI Journeys, so we did not have to do anything but turn up which was great. The tickets were roughly around $25 US each and we were in the first class observation carriage. We had assigned seats, but you could walk forward to an area between the carriages which had open windows, a good spot for photo taking. We even got a meal, which was quite a surprise. 
We arrived in Nanu Oya train station to find Uncle and the car waiting for us. From there it was a very interesting drive to our next Hotel, The Jetwing, Warwick Gardens. This was our base for exploring the Nuwara Eliya area. We drove through some lovely countryside, covered in tea plantations. As we neared the Hotel, the roads got narrower, with lots of bends and curves thrown in for added interest. It became very clear that we were headed a little off the beaten track. The roads approaching this Hotel are definitely not for the feint of heart, especially the last few yards up the steep driveway, but once you arrive, it is totally worth it.  THE TRAIN STATION AT NANU OYA
 JETWING WARWICK GARDENS HOTEL This beautiful old house, that had been restored and converted, used to be a Plantation Managers home. Surrounded by tranquil gardens and high up amongst the fields of tea, the views were breathtaking and the air crisp and cool.  Staying at Warwick Gardens was liking going back in time a little. There is no wifi here and rooms do not have TV's, although there is a TV in a small lounge downstairs, handy to catch up with the cricket scores. There are only five rooms in the house, all of which are lovely. In the evening we gathered with other guests in the living room to enjoy a cocktail, then we dined together in the lovely red dining room. The Hotel will accommodate most food requests, you should book full board, mainly because venturing out in an evening to find other dining options would be a lengthy and slightly nerve wracking under taking. . My husband and I sat outside on the verandah one evening before dinner with a gin and tonic, (it's a little chilly in the mountains, so a sweater is needed), but it was beautiful to see the stars and feel the peace and tranquility. We even saw a shooting star.  PERFECT SPOT FOR STARGAZING ANDAN EVENING G & T  ALL MEALS TAKEN IN THE LOVELY DINING ROOM
 VIEW FROM THE GARDENS From our base at Warwick Gardens, we took day trips out. The small town of Nuwara Eliya is about a thirty minute drive away with a few bustling streets. Or driver took us to the Holy Trinity Catholic Church on the outskirts of town, which was quite interesting. The approach to town takes you past Lake Gregory which is actually a reservoir. Seeing the beautiful fields of tea on the rolling hills which surround the town is what really stuns.                  
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