Hi all

Currently at the airport in Colombo waiting to catch the plane over to Thailand, while im here I thought I'd update you with what i've been up to...

So after a pleasent christmas in Hikkaduwa I decided it was time to leave the beach for a bit and head up into the hills. I caught the train to Colombo and then bought a first class ticket (for a massive Rs300 or 1.30GBP) up to Kandy. The journey was very scenic and from the first class observation car you get a neat 360 degree of the hills. I arrived Kandy just after the sunset and went about finding a guest house, I found a guest house up a hill by the lake with a very friendly owner and decided to stay there.

I spent the next day exploring the city of Kandy and walking around the street markets and the lake. For dinner I had Sri Lankan rice and curry at the guest house and found it to be absolutly fantastic food some of the best in sri lanka.

The next day I joined up with two other people traveling alone staying at the same guest house, Karen, who is a HR manager from Romford in Essex who is enjoying six months travelling between jobs and Luis who has been working for the UN as a monitor in forign lands (recently he's been living in Sudan to monitor the Dafur happenings). We went out of the ciry to the Pinneuela elephant orphanagae and enjoyed 3 hours in a traffic jam on the way back (the efficient Sri Lankan authorities had decided to do road works to the only road from Colombo - Kandy at rush hour on a Friday).

We had new year in Kandy, there was a big party advertised at one of the larger hotels so we bought tickets and went along. The party turned out to be empty and dull so after filling up on food at the included buffet we returned to the guest house where there was somewhat of an impromptu shindig going on and after much Arrack (Sri Lankan coconut liquor) good time was had by all.

Following that we (Karen, Luis and I) decided to hire a car and driver between us to take us around the various places of interest in the hill country for the next few days. So in our battered desiel van with Fazal our driver we set out to investigate the hills. We saw many tea plantations and stopper several times at very scenic cafes for a cuppa. We proceded to the town of Nuera Elyia high up in the hills where we stayed while visiting the Horten Plains national park and worlds end view point- we got there at about 7am too late for the spectacular sunrise but a nice walk all the same (even thuogh it rained). Then we moveed on to the famous Adams Peak pilgrimage- getting up at 2.30am to climb a mountain in the dark- although getting to the monestry at the top and watching the colours over the horizon at the sun came up made the 5200 steps worth while (however my legs still hurt from the walk down!) After that we visited a rainforest and had a pleasent stroll with a friendly guide looking at giand millipedes, jumping lizards plus a few big spiders and even a water snake... all the while picking the leeches of my legs!

After that it was time to spend a couple of days back on the beach so we drove down the south coast town of Unawatuna for a bit of sun, sea and sand (actually just sea and sant as the weather has been rubbish these past few days but nices all the same)

Anyway I should really go now and see if my flight has left without me... if not i'll update you soon from Thailand

jon out