After visiting Pinnewala Elephant Orphange, we got on the bus and headed up to Mihintale around 2 hours drive away. This is the birthplace of Sri Lankan Buddhism and to reach it one has to climb 1460 granite stairs, but when one reaches the summit it is well worth it. However the last bit of the climb wasn't without its difficulties as one isn't allowed to wear shoes within religious places, so to climb up scorchingly hot granite stairs which had been worn away o...

Well, it's 4 in the morning, and jet lag has well and truly kicked in. Oh well, at least I can get my thoughts together about the coming fortnight. As you can probably imagine, I am excited at what I am going to see, but also as is common with me at this stage in the holiday, also slightly apprehensive. As I sit and type my thoughts here, am sitting on my hotel balcony listening to the wind run through the palm trees, (I suppose there could be worse ways to endur...

After having tossed and turned for most of the night, finally got myself up at 6.30am and headed down to reception to organise for a taxi and guide to take me into Negombo (a local fishing village 17km from the hotel) at 7.40. Whilst I waited I walked down to the seafront to watch the fishermen venture out in their canoes for the day. After a quick breakfast I was met by my guide Sidney who took me into Negombo where he sent the next couple of hours giving me a g...

Wow, am absolutely knackered. 17 1/2 hours and 2 stops later, I have finally arrived at 7.30pm. The drive here was a little unnerving, as again (as experienced in India) there are no rules of the road, every man for himself on the dusty pot-holed ridden roads. Having dropped off my bags in my room I am having a buffet dinner put on by the hotel, before retiring to bed for a well earned rest. Tomorrow I will start exploring everything that Sri Lanka has to offer.