Ever since we read about Ramayana in childhood, we have wished to explore Sri Lanka. Since then, many years have passed, and finally, we could make it happen in 2023.
It was the month of July; we were busy with our daily mundane routine. To get out of the routine boredom, we planned for Sri Lanka. It was the best feasible given in terms of the number of days we had, its proximity to India and last but not least, it was one of our dream destinations.
Don’t worry; we will help you with your plans and give you a glimpse of our journey.
As we call ourselves Travel Freaks…………
In this blog series, we will take you all on a delightful trip to Sri Lanka. Just be seated.
1. Why Sri Lanka?
As we started in our blog, this place is closely associated with the epic Ramayana. This was one of the major driving forces for us to choose this destination.
Another feature we loved about Sri Lanka is its varied topography, starting from Beaches, National Parks, Hills, Waterfalls, Tea Plantations, etc.
Of course, others may find something else as their driving force to visit Sri Lanka. You think, what have you heard about this place? Till then, visit this beautiful country through our eyes.
2. How did we reach Sri Lanka?
Capital Colombo has flight connectivity with most countries. We took our flight from Chennai to Colombo. It was approximately one and a half hours flight. Excitement was at its peak while boarding the plane. As it took off, we could notice the coastline of India, and as soon as it entered the Sri Lankan airspace, we spotted the coastline full of coconut trees. We were extremely thrilled to find ourselves finally in this beautiful paradise.
We reached Colombo around one o’clock in the afternoon. The Airport was well-designed, and the immigration was way too smooth to imagine. The immigration official was friendly and welcomed us.
We collected our luggage quickly from the baggage belt and rushed to collect the sim card from the outlet set up at the arrival hall. There were three options available to choose from. You can go with anyone as per your need.
Our driver cum guide was waiting in the same area, displaying our name on a board. His name was Mr Mahesh. He had a smiling face and, at first impression, seemed friendly and helpful. We waited with our luggage, and in the meantime, he brought the car from the parking.
If you don’t have any prior bookings, you can book a cab from the airport counter. Also, you can take public transport service and look for buses heading towards Colombo or Pettah.
Returning to our story, we quickly hopped into the car and departed for our hotel. It was already three o’clock in the afternoon when we stopped for lunch. Initially, we were happy to find Indian cuisine in Colombo City. However, to our utter surprise, it was way too spicy and full of chilli powder that we had to order curd to reduce the effect of spiciness. Although we were hungry, it was still difficult to finish the lunch.
You can find lots of food options in the city. Budget travellers can also find their options readily available.
Finally, we reached our stay at Vajira Road by four o’clock in the evening. The weather was pretty hot and humid, opposite our expectation of rain.
As we reached our stay, you might be curious to know about……
3. How was our stay at Vajira Road?
We booked Hotel Beehive. The room was decent enough for staying overnight. We choose this location as there are multiple restaurants, supermarkets, medical stores, etc. One can choose to stay in this location as you will find many options depending on your budget.
4. Was there any spot we visited on the first day of arrival?
After freshening up, we visited Colombo’s most famous Buddhist temple, Gangaramaya. The temple was brightly decorated with many beautiful lights, Buddhist statues, and Beira Lake nearby.
Stunning temple reflections in water made us stop and admire it. It has lavish hotels, city centre & sky touching buildings nearby. One can spend the evening strolling down the road.
After having a lovely evening, we decided to return to our stay. There was a nearby restaurant where we had our dinner. The menu had varieties of Dosai, Idli, Chutney, Sambhar, etc. With this dinner, we had a great end to our first day. After reaching the hotel, we slept early as we had to start early the next day.
Now before we end this blog, you may want to know………..
5. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for South East Asia too. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of Sri Lanka. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau