The tour changes perspective from today, gone are the archeological sites and we are headed to tea country! You will remember PG Tips boxes that had a tea picker on them? The countryside is completely different, you could be touring the Alps as you are surrounded by peaks, deep ravines and waterfalls. The tea plants are thick and deep routed which helps them cling to the gradient and stabilise the soil from heavy rains. Around each village are cultivated steppe...

We are heading inland from Colombo, which sits on the south western coast. This is to be a six day trip and we've been warned about the roads! I know its early doors, but, the warning appears pessimistic as its new roads, tarmac etc and as we sit in our guide's, "Khan", short for Kantana Pathirage, new motor, progress is serene, if not a little slow! This part of the trip is to visit, what is known as, "The Cultural Triangle", presumably to recreate the success o...

It is incredible that a hours flight takes you to a different climate, prosperity, structure and culture. You are immediately struck that Sri Lanka is better developed, monied, organised, cleaner and commercialised than India. I hadn't expected the baby cousin to India, called India's "teardrop" to be so much more sophisticated. The climate is humid, 60F+ thru the night, the hotel, Casa Columbo is stunning, one of the best rooms I've ever had, the streets wide ...