Leaving Matara was difficult. We’d both really enjoyed the relaxation of the sea, the yoga and I forgot to mention, on our last night, the best massage we’d experienced so far. It’s a type of massage called Ayurvedic and was available at our resort. Rob and I would have liked it to last forever but although it was the usual hour it felt like our masseurs had honestly found every single muscle in our bodies and relaxed them. I particularly could have stayed here longer but our flights home were now booked, we just had three more nights before our journey home.

After enjoying our last breakfast of fruit salad and curd we packed quickly and made our way to our waiting tuk tuk for our hour journey down the coast. Having been slightly nervous in tuk tuks to start with I now think they are the best form of transport ever. You’re under cover from the bright sun but still get to feel the warm breeze plus they’re small enough to still nip through the traffic but much more stable and roomy than a moped. I’d love to bring one home with me but am not sure whether they’d be so attractive in cold and rainy England?

Our next two nights were spent at The Waves in Unawatuna, my favourite place name since Luang Prabang.🤣 Rob’s favourite thing here was that it was the first bed, since our arrival in Sri Lanka, to have a quilt. Even though we arrived just after midday he wasted no time at all in luxuriating under his preferred bed coveringI had to drag him out or he could well have stayed there all afternoon.

The Waves was a lovely room above an ice cream shop just a quiet lane back from the beach with a little sun filled balcony overlooking the lane and the sea.

We spent that first afternoon exploring the little town, walking the length of the beach and enjoying the sun and sea as we knew our sunshine days were numbered. The main reason we had come to Unawatuna was due to its proximity to Galle. On our final Saturday morning we got up early and took a tuk tuk for the twenty minute ride to Galle fort. Our selection of an unusual purple one confirmed that we are definitely not the best at choosing appropriate tuk tuks. We probably should have found another when the driver struggled to start ours but as it spluttered to life we sat tight. All seemed fairly well until an extremely loud bang alerted us to a definite problem. With just enough momentum to carry us to the kerb we pulled over and the driver jumped out. We closely followed and were soon hurriedly bundled into an alternative tuk tuk for the remainder of our journey. Galle was undoubtedly my favourite town in Sri Lanka. Walking around the fairly peaceful ramparts in the gorgeous sunshine with the sea below us was beautiful. It reminded me slightly of Dubrovnik but without the same sense of order or cost.We were able to watch another wedding photo shoot, our first on the beach.

It feels like weddings are never ending in Sri Lanka as we also saw this bride alighting from her glamorous carriageAs we completed our circuit of the ramparts we were able to sit in our elevated position and watch some cricket at Galle international cricket ground.Apparently, during internationals, these ramparts are extremely popular for local people to get an excellent view of the game without any financial outlay. As it was only a local clash there were just a handful of others enjoying the competition and due to the extreme heat no tourist spectator seemed to last very long. We were soon drawn to a nearby cafe for some shade, air conditioning, a very cold drink and a relaxed and leisurely lunch.

The whole of Galle Fort had an unhurried, relaxing vibe with a strong sense of history. It’s position overlooking the Indian Ocean is spectacular and although we only had a day here we passed numerous museums, churches and little shops that, had we had more time, we could have explored further. As we enjoyed a post lunch stroll we became aware that the interesting array of vehicles did not punctuate their journeys quite so heavily with constant beeping. This was a mighty relief and further added to our feelings of calm and delight that we had included this beautiful, historical wonder in the final days of our busy itinerary.

The next morning we left by tuk tuk straight after breakfast to go to Galle train station. The train we were hoping to catch to Colombo was due at ten thirty but as we had no ticket we arrived early to try to secure a place. No reserved tickets were available but we were very happy with our 75p unreserved tickets, especially as we had so enjoyed our last train journey and this one was only a couple of hours long. When the train arrived it was already fairly full, we all squashed onand Rob was absolutely delighted when he secured the best seat in the house.For a large part of the journey Rob and I sat side by side in the open doorway watching the coast line, more beautiful countryside and some fleeting glimpses of remaining Tsunami damage pass by.

It was a really interesting and lovely journey but our moods were definitely subdued. We spoke very little and only moved when stopping at train stations necessitated it. Our imminent departure from our holiday heaven was uppermost on my mind and although I was very excited about going home it felt a little like the end of a fantasy.

Once we arrived at Mount Lavinia it was just a short tuk tuk ride to Penthouse above sea to be reunited with our abandoned luggage before a taxi ride to Negombo for our final hotel.

Natasha’s boutique resort was a little disappointing but was probably always going to be. Neither of us were feeling particularly positive after the day’s travels so after walking to Negombo beach to find a restaurant for dinner and saying a final goodbye to the Indian Ocean we were in bed, back to just a sheet for our cover, by 8pm.

The next morning after a really good, though slightly unusual breakfastwe set off for our final airport and our final flight. Bandaranaike international airport was very busy and fairly inefficient, consequently it took us a large proportion of our two and a half hours at the airport to get through various security checks and customs.At last we were through all the checks and settled on our eleven hour flight with Sri Lankan airways. As soon as the safety instructions were over and the aircraft began its ascent all of my misgivings about finishing our travels slightly early disappeared. All I could focus on was arriving home, whom we would see and when and what we needed to do back in the real world. Rob seemed totally relaxed and happy with our decision and after some discussion of the most pressing jobs needing doing on our return we sat back to enjoy the in flight entertainment, starting with Christopher Robin.

Between a couple of films, regular meals and drinks, finishing reading my book and chatting to my lovely neighbour Jess the flight flew by.🤣 In no time at all we were arriving at Heathrow and being met by the gorgeous trio of Noelle, Ruby and MabelAfter lots of cuddles and buying some much missed chocolates and sweets for the journey home we were driven safely back to Blunsdon amid plenty of chatter.

The main reason I was particularly vague about our return date was because I wanted to surprise my sisters. These were four of the people I was most looking forward to seeing and as I knew that they were gathering Monday evening for Anna’s birthday we decided to drop in and surprise them at the Blunsdon house. This worked wonderfully, it was unbelievably great to see them and although we’d only planned on staying five minutes, this was impossible when there was so much to say. After over an hour, having been up for at least eighteen hours we admitted defeat and headed home at last to bed.

Nearly a week has passed since we arrived home and it almost feels like we’ve never been away. It is amazing being back in the bosom of our family and friends, reunited with our dogs and Rob with his bikes. Everyone asks, ‘How does it feel to be back?’ but words are slightly inadequate in conveying the immense love and sense of truly belonging somewhere that we’ve felt in this one week. Despite this very special feeling, my sense of adventure and wanderlust has definitely not been truly satiated. I know for definite that there are still a million places that I want, maybe need, to visit and explore so, in the slightly adjusted words of the Terminator, ‘We’ll be back.’

We have learnt our lesson! We don’t have to put up with dangerous driving at all!After our breakfast and wedding watching at Tissa we got in the car to move to the coast and again, after an initial steady start, our driver turned into a crazy man. As soon as this happened I politely asked if he could slow down as I was a nervous passenger and he did with immediate effect. 😊I felt quite empowered and apart from a few situations such as dogs, chickens and children crossing the minor roads and cows on the central reservation of the dual carriageway I generally enjoyed the rest of our trip along the south coast.

Arriving at Malee Villas and being right back on the beach was so lovely. Although both Rob and I really enjoy the mountains, for me, being by the sea definitely makes me feel most relaxed.

We were placed in the only room on the top floor, the rest of the area was dedicated to an open air yoga studio. Every morning at 7 and evening at 5.30 yoga was offered at under £5 per person. After having a walk around the town, checking out the beach and snorkelling area and spending a little time by the poolWe climbed the four flights of stairs to our room, changed quickly and took part in our first restorative yoga session with a very lovely, young Slovakian yogi who was standing in for Eliza, the regular teacher. Rob and I were delighted to be the only members of the class as we bent and flowed our way slowly through various poses and prolonged stretches. We also did some alternate nostril breathing (it may have had a catchier name but if it did I can’t remember it) which was the most effective tool I have ever experienced for clearing my mind. Our lovely yogi told us it was extremely effective to prepare for meditation and to aid sleep. I am pretty sure I will be using it again as I’m not very good at either of these things.😴

Although we had originally felt slightly aggrieved by our placement, yet again, on the top floor with no lifts, this feeling was soon replaced by delight as from our balcony we could see the sun both rise and set and apart from for one hour in the morning and evening the whole space was our own. On that first evening, in our yoga like trance, we missed most of the sunset but didn’t worry as we knew we would see others.The next day, to Rob’s absolute delight, we had another early morning. As soon as we’d arrived to Malee Villas we had booked with our hotel to go whale watching the following day. We had then, over dinner, done a little research and been horrified by the tales of overcrowding on boats, up to twenty boats, ‘chasing’ whales and getting much too close and stories of how this could disorientate the whales and interrupt their communication. The only positive stories from our google research were of a company called Raja and the Whales who apparently were very aware of this plight, were the only ethical company and also carried out crucial whale research on all of their trips. We finished dinner deciding we would cancel our trip, try to seek out Raja and if we were unable to find him we would reluctantly forego the experience.

Returning to the hotel we realised we needn’t have worried. Our host assured us that Raja was the only company he endorsed because of all of the reasons we’d researched. He reiterated all of our concerns regarding other companies and we went to bed partially reassured that what we were doing was okay.

Rob seemed to be becoming slightly acclimatised to the early mornings. We were both wide awake and ready to leave by 5am and the tuk tuk ride to the boat shook away any lingering sleepiness. We were only the second couple to arrive on the boat and consequently were able to occupy prime whale viewing positions on the top deck on comfortably placed gym mats. We settled down for a short wait for the boat to fill up.We didn’t have to wait long as Raja only allowed forty passengers on his boat. There was a lovely feeling of space and as we headed out to sea we were brought drinks and an amazing plate full of standard and exotic fruits. One of the staff explained that it would take a short while for the boat to reach where the whales were most likely to be, he expressed the need for patience and informed us that we would be served a cooked breakfast at a convenient time in between whale spotting.

As we headed out and the sun rose we were unable to see any other boats apart from the occasional lone fishing boat. It was beautifully peaceful apart from Rob and his new best friend, an ex army man with a loud shirt and a voice to match. I tuned in occasionally to hear snippets of a, ‘seen everything, been everywhere life story’ but mostly just focused on the sound of the birds and the waves. I was very proud, mostly surprised, at how attentive Rob was being, when I questioned him later, despite my impression, Rob said he was really interesting and that he’d enjoyed the prolonged exchange.

Dotted at various points on each deck were staff on lookout, one of them gave a shout to look out at 11o’clock, not the time but the position in relation to the boat, with bow being 12 o’clock and stern being 6, as he’d spotted a whale. The boat turned gently in that direction and we proceeded slowly. It wasn’t until at least fifteen minutes later that I managed to focus on what had been spotted so far back. We were the only boat in the area and a whale was slightly to our left evident only by the plume of air and water intermittently being expelled from its blow hole. As our eyes focused we were able to see the stunning shade of blue depicting the vague outline of the largest mammal on earth and as at first it’s nose to blow hole, followed by blow hole to dorsal fin and finally fin to tail emerged momentarily from the water it was possible to gauge a more accurate understanding of its sheer size.

As we had been watching, oblivious to their approach, several more boats arrived on the scene. As described in our previous evenings research, many of them approached much closer than our boat and we listened to shouts and loud exclamations as the overcrowded vessels gave chase to get their perfect camera shot. As the whale was surrounded, our boat and another boat peeled away from the fracas with our crew explaining that this wasn’t how it was done. Us and our fellow Raja and the whale boat set off to observe other sea life from a comfortable distance without causing undue stress.

On our trip we saw mating turtles, flying fish and two more beautiful whales, fairly briefly before they were again surrounded and hounded. In between sitings we were informatively educated in whale anatomy, statistics and characteristics and encouraged to ask questions if any remained unanswered. It was an amazing morning, I don’t think I’d ever truly appreciated a whales extreme size and majesty until I saw them with my own eyes. I still don’t know if what we did in joining a whale watching trip was okay and know we won’t do it again but we both feel privileged to have had such an experience.

Returning from our whale trip Rob and I decided we would try to extend our two night stay for a couple more nights as we both felt relaxed and happy and sure we could enjoy ourselves here a little longer. A room was available but not our room😩we accepted an inferior and cheaper room deciding to just be grateful for our first two nights in the best room in the house. It really made little difference as so little time was spent there and we could still enjoy the extended fourth floor balcony for yoga and any other time we fancied.We spent the remainder of our time in Matara swimming, snorkelling, trying more yoga, eatingand enjoying more sunrises and sunsets.We also borrowed bikes and cycled around the local area to watch fishermen working individuallyand those working in teams on small vessels hauling their catch straight from their boats to the adjacent fish market where local people and restauranteurs rushed to buy them for their lunch time menu.We also saw timid puppies hiding in a small home behind a garage door and further down the road their exhausted mother basking in the sun enjoying a few minutes peace.

Nearly every local person greeted us with a smile, wave or hello and those with children encouraged them to wave or practice their developing English. As we cycled back towards our resort we were greeted by a family and stood chatting for a while. The family consisted of a baby boy, a little girl, their mother, aunt and great uncle. The uncle was the most talkative with very good understanding and vocabulary. He explained that it was his great nieces 4th birthday that day and that they would love us to attend her birthday party at his house that at 5pm that afternoon. We told them we would try and listened to their simple sounding directions to the uncle’s house before progressing on our way.

Although we had initially decided to do yoga that evening the opportunity to attend a Sri Lankan celebration over ruled and at about 4.30 we headed to the large modern supermarket to buy gifts. Happy with our purchases we cycled to where we were sure we would find the uncle’s house. We thought we’d followed the directions to the letter but having no name apart from that of the four year old Hana or address available we knew it was a fruitless search. Not wanting to deny Hana and her family the gifts, we resolved to return via the house we had seen them at that morning and leave them safely there. We did this a little despondently but were pleased when, through the help of a neighbour, we found the correct house scribbled a message and my email address and left the present safely inside the gate. That evening we were delighted to receive an email with this photo and an invitation to dinner the following night. Unfortunately as we were leaving the following morning we were unable to accept the invitation but assured them we would accept if ever we return.

This was definitely one of our favourite Sri Lankan stays, the position of the villa, the beautiful views, the seas, the pool, the yoga, the local people and the hotelier, his lovely Scottish wife Fiona and their two lovely children all contributed to a wonderful stay. We could have stayed longer but both know that it’s time to come home really soon. There will be other times and other adventures. I know deep down that if I try to prolong this one I run the risk of it losing some of its magic for both of us.

We’re coming home!😊

The journey to our next destination was one of the most terrifying of my life.

It started off okay as we headed towards Ella up climbing, winding roads with beautiful hills valleys and waterfalls to distract us.The terror started when we headed for straighter, flatter roads and our lovely, gentle host, a sensible father of two, turned into an aggressive and scary Lewis Hamilton. Without warning he would speed up to any vehicle ahead, break sharply, loiter inches from their tail before choosing the most inappropriate time to pull out and overtake. I clung to whatever I could, trying to avoid any eye contact with Rob, feeling sure he would just remind me what a ‘Panic pants.’ I was. Closing my eyes and wondering what to do after a particularly harrowing move I sensed movement beside me as Rob leaned forward saying, ‘You’ll have to slow down, your driving is dangerous.’ I sighed with relief as his words took immediate effect and I was able to release my white knuckles and gradually relax. The rest of the journey passed in relative calm but I was still immensely relieved to arrive at Diya Dahara resort and escape the car.

Our main purpose for this stop was to visit Yala national Park to experience an Asian Safari. We arranged this on arrival before exploring our room and lovely balcony overlooking a lake where local people swam and washed their clothes.After our most recent accommodations this was relative luxury and although the WiFi was shocking and there was still no hot water in the sink we revelled in the lovely pool and pretty grounds.As we lay by the pool that afternoon I was thoroughly entertained by a wedding party taking their official and unofficial photos.This was great until torrential rain came and had us all running for shelter.

Sunday morning was an extremely early start with the safari jeep picking us up at 4.45am. Obviously, given Rob’s feelings towards early mornings, he was delighted with this and bounded out of bed raring to go.😴 We were the last to be collected so on departing our hotel we headed straight for Yala and by 5.30am were sat in a long line of jeeps waiting for the gates to open at 6.

With us in our jeep were a mother and daughter from France and a father and daughter from Poland. They were all very friendly and during our wait we got to know a little about them and their travel plans.

As soon as 6am arrived all of the jeeps raced into the park ignoring the 25km per hour speed limit in their haste to please their passengers. It was markedly different to our experience of African Safari as the main priority here appeared to be to satisfy the tourist rather than protect the animals. Our driver and guide was definitely of this ilk, his singular quest appeared to be finding leopards and he drove, ignoring all other animals, with that one aim in mind.

By 7am we appeared to have found what we were looking for as we pulled up alongside several other jeeps jostling for the best view. We were informed that the leopard was in a specific tree and so for the next twenty minutes all eyes, cameras and binoculars were trained in that direction. My attention wandered as I watched the water buffalo trying to get rid of the pesky egrets and eventually giving up to allow it a free ride.I was soon drawn back to the leopard when muffled shouts went between the jeeps as the leopard jumped from the tree and started to stalk a small buffalo grazing slightly away from its mother. We watched in silence as the leopard crept closer through the long grass before suddenly giving chase. My feelings were torn between knowing the leopard needed to eat and not wanting to see the calf die. As the leopard drew closer however the calf turned back towards its elders and we observed how strong a family’s instincts to protect can be. All of the older buffalo turned to face the leopard and as it slowed down they started to move towards it. The hunter became the hunted as it, seemingly casually, retreated up a nearby tree. For the next five minutes several large buffalos circled the tree as the mother led her calf across the river to a small island where other youngsters were grazing with their mothers. Once it was clear the young buffalo was out of danger those circling the tree wandered away confident their work was done.

Despite having felt initially unhappy in our drivers single minded pursuit of the elusive leopard this was undoubtedly one of the best wildlife encounters we had experienced. Although there were other animal sightings throughout the day the leopard chase was the definite highlight.We arrived back from safari at 6pm to another wedding at our hotel. It was great to be able to openly people watch while enjoying our evening meal. It wasn’t long however until our early morning caught up with us and after making a big fuss about the lack of WiFi and finally getting a limited signal we retired to bed ready for more travel the next day.

The following morning at breakfast we observed our third wedding in three days. This was definitely the most elaborate affair with interesting outfits, particularly for the men. The hotel is obviously a very popular wedding venue, it was lovely to see families sharing these celebrations and definitely enhanced our mealtimes.

Despite very poor WiFi, lots of stray dogs barking and fighting late into the night and insufficient bedding, we enjoyed our short stay but not enough to prolong it. Time for coming home is fast approaching and I can’t believe that our adventure is nearly over.😩

Rob assures me there will be more adventures to come but he might just be saying that to appease me and get me on the plane?😊✈️ I hate to admit it but now it is inevitable there is quite a lot I’m looking forward to…… don’t tell Rob.🤣

While in Kandy we considered our next options. Ella was popular until we were told how busy and youthful it was. We then toyed with Ohiya until someone mentioned the quietness and beauty of Haputale and our mind was made up. Having found our last train journey so cheap (less than £2 each) and efficient we decided to embark on a further one to our next destination. Unfortunately, when we had made enquiries about this journey back in Colombo, we had been informed that the reserved seats were all booked for at least the next two months. Therefore, if we wanted to experience, ‘One of the most picturesque train journeys in the world,’ we would have to turn up on the morning and take a chance that there would be a spare seat in the unreserved second class carriage.

Our Kandy host had explained that, if we arrived early at the station before the very busy Kandy one, we would already be in situ when lots of people disembarked at Kandy and therefore in the best position to get seats. The theory was sound in normal circumstances but with lots of young police recruits travelling to their college near Haputale the carriage seemed full to capacity and only further filled up at Kandy. We found a space on the luggage rack for our large backpacks and just enough personal space to stand fairly comfortably and settled in for the estimated seven hour journey. Despite the minor discomfort of so many standing in such a small space, with the added complication of a constant stream of hawkers selling their wares, the attitude of many of the passengers was very much, ‘We’re all in this together. ‘

Rob and I were stood close to a lovely couple, a Californian gentleman named Don and his Thai wife Jum. They were great conversationalists and made the first part of the journey fly by. At 71 Don was pretty amazing and who were Rob and I to complain about our lack of seating when he stood strong and true?

Within our carriage there were many young people in their late teens or early twenties sitting comfortably while Don, Jum and others with a greater need were still standing. One young man was standing in his seat to talk to someone behind him, by asking him if he was using the seat I was able to secure one which Jum gratefully occupied. At the next stop a few more seats were vacated allowing others, including Don, to sit and Rob and I to take it in turns in the seat beside him. As we created space in the aisle it was filled with new passengers who were keen to chat and share their travel stories. In this way we met a lovely young Cornish roofer and his girlfriend who helped pass the next couple of hours and so the journey continued with a growing feeling of familiarity and camaraderie. The police cadets who I mentioned earlier took up a lot of space sharing three to a seat and rotating with any of their friends who were standing. I was a little disappointed with their lack of chivalry and their occasional littering of the countryside but they were very young and generous with each other so I tried not to judge them too harshly. That changed after about six hours in to the journey when Don and Jum reached their station and Rob and I finally found ourselves with the luxury of a seat each next to each other. Our relative comfort was extremely short lived.

More new passengers arrived and I watched as a softly spoken, young man leant into the seat in front of us and asked one of the police cadets if he could give up a seat for his pregnant wife. I continued to watch in amazement and horror as the reasonable request was declined. That’s when I judged!

Being on the outside I jumped up and offered my seat, stepping aside to let the weary young lady sit. As she squished up to allow her friend to share her seat Rob also offered to stand. They assured him they were fine plus, trapped as he was, I’m not sure quite how he would have managed to extricate himself had their answer been different. I found myself, yet again, in an upright position and at the centre of new conversation. Both women were in fact pregnant and although their bumps seemed barely discernible were due in March and April. The two couples were all university friends from Singapore, their excellent English and interesting stories made the rest of the journey fly by and before we knew it, just over eight hours after the start of our journey, we arrived at Haputale and a short tuk tuk ride later, Lilly’s guest house.

I can’t believe I have described the whole journey with no mention of the scenery which was indeed spectacular. Due to my position in the centre of the carriage for the majority of the journey I was unable to capture much on camera. By craning over and around willing others I was able to see snippets of the mountains, valleys, waterfalls and endless tea plantations as we slowly and gently climbed and descended.Lilly’s guest house was part of a family home. Our host family were lovely, very helpful and happy to advise and organise anything we showed an interest in. They also, on request, produced lovely home cooked evening meals at very reasonable prices. The two children gave us further insight into the emphasis that is placed on education in Sri Lanka. They would get up at 5am to get ready for their 6am school bus, they would then finish school at 2.30, come home for lunch before going to various personal tutors until about 6pm. Even in the evenings the tv would be tuned to a maths or revision channel and the weekend also included some individual tutorials. I know I couldn’t have kept up this punishing schedule but they were a lovely 13 and 10 year old and seemed very happy. The parents were very proud of them and strongly supported their aims to become a doctor and a lawyer.

We only spent two nights in Haputale most of which was spent walking and sheltering from rain. The hilly countryside was perfect for trekking and we also, in a very short time, got totally blase about the local practice of using the railway track as the most convenient path.iOur favourite walk was up to Lipton’s seat, the most elevated point of Dambatenne Tea Factory, the oldest tea plantation in Sri Lanka. Rob wasn’t happy with the 5am start, he’s not very good in the mornings and was grumpy for a lot of the 7km dark climb. Ignoring his mood I forged ahead (unheard of) and arrived at the pay point ahead of him. I was absolutely astounded when he was so cross at me for going ahead and not waiting for him. In this blog alone I must have mentioned at least three occasions where Rob has abandoned me to climb alone. I’ve got so used to it that I expect it and am generally very happy in my own company therefore his ire was totally unexpected and left me speechless.

We continued separately for the last kilometre but found it hard to stay silent once we reached the top.The sunrise was totally uplifting and made it impossible to hold on to any anger.The little teashop at the top where they provided their very own tea, fresh, warm roti and samosas further revived our spirits and we started the descent, after Rob’s heartfelt apology, as besties again.

On the way down we got to see all that we had missed on our dark ascent.We also met hundreds of workers making their steep, daily commute to pick tea and further down many of them starting workand children starting school.Once back to the tea factory we had a short, interesting tour of how different teas are made right from picking the leaves to boxing for sale, before riding a tuk tuk back to the village. Later that afternoon we took another stroll to Adisham Hall, a nearby Catholic monastery. The building was beautiful but unfortunately only open to the public on weekends. That evening we took our final stroll of the day up to a viewpoint five minutes from our guest house. Having seen the sunrise that morning over the hills at Lipton’s seat it was amazing to see it set over different hills that night.After over twenty five kilometres of walking that day we slept soundly ready for our onward journey to Tissamaharama the next morning.

We left our ‘Penthouse above sea’ at 6am clutching our pre-prepared breakfast kindly organised by our helpful hosts. They had also advised us to travel more lightly and had allowed us to store our large suitcases with them while we became true backpackers for the remains of our travels. We realised what excellent advice this was as we were able to fit comfortably into our hailed tuk tuk as we made our way towards Colombo rail station.

We had heard lots of stories about train travel in Sri Lanka and although excited about experiencing the spectacular countryside we were also slightly worried about delays, break downs and overcrowding. Our fears were totally unfounded. The train, although old, was perfectly on time, we had managed to reserve seats in 2nd class which was comfortable and spacious and we were able to move freely between our seats and the open train doors to watch even more of the countryside fly by.In no time at all, well about three hours of attempts to sell us fresh samosas, bhajis, toasted nuts and several other wares, we arrived to the total chaos that was Kandy train station.

After having sat for so long we decided to have a wander with our backpacks to see what Kandy had to offer and to find Rob coffee and cake. Within about five minutes we, mostly Rob, had decided we didn’t really like what we’d seen, our backpacks were extremely heavy and the coffee shop we’d fallen in to didn’t sell coffee, we hailed a tuk tuk and set off on the short but circuitous route to Muduna Walawwa resort. After struggling up an extremely steep drive which the tuk tuk was unable to navigate, we were pleasantly surprised by our £24 a night hotel. It had no wardrobe, but that seems to be pretty normal in Sri Lanka, no hot water in the sink, another norm and as usual we were on the top floor. Despite these minor inconveniences all in all it was clean and pleasant with amazing views. It was also a lovely and very welcome escape from the noise and madness of Kandy.

We spent three nights exploring the area using Muduna Walawwa as our base. Although we did venture into Kandy once more to give it another chance our opinions didn’t really change. After realising we were unsuitably dressed for the catchily named, ‘Temple of the Sacred tooth relic’, they demanded shoulders and knees to be covered, we decided instead to walk around the large, central lake. which just further confirmed our opinion that Kandy was much too noisy and busy with very little to see. When Rob started to swear at every driver who blared their horn, a roughly one a second occurrence, I knew this wasn’t the place for us and we avoided it thereafter.

We did have an amazing day trip out with a few surprise stops on the way. Our hotelier arranged for us to have a large minivan with a driver for the whole day for around £40. In the back where we were seated there were four seats, two facing front, two facing back allowing Rob and I to travel in exceptional comfort with our feet up and later, on our return journey, with our seats slightly reclined. Our driver chose our route taking us on a five hour tour of the area north of Kandy culminating in the spectacular, historical site of Sigiriya.

Our first stop was a very brief one at a Hindu temple. We walked in, had a brief look aroundbefore we were apprehended by an elderly gentleman gesturing to see our ticket and for us to cover our knees. We were escorted to the exit where he indicated we should purchase a ticket and borrow a scarf to act as a sarong. Having seen enough, with an unspoken agreement, we headed in the general direction of the ticket booth before cutting quickly back to the car and hurriedly escaping to our next surprise stop.

About ten minutes further down the road we were deposited at a spice farm. Not knowing quite what to expect we were greeted by an English speaking guide who led us on a personal tour of the farm showing us a selection of the many spices that they grew and their extremely wide and varied uses. We were amazed by the concoctions that were mixed and what they claimed to do. Rob was chosen as guinea pig and had creams rubbed in to various body parts to heal scars and remove hair. He looked slightly worried when we were shown tinctures for haemorrhoids and a natural alternative to viagra but was visibly relieved when our guide skipped swiftly over these. The miracle diet tea couldn’t help but pique my curiosity but as I looked at our rotund guide as he extolled its virtues I couldn’t help but wonder why he hath not healed thyself? After quick refreshments of a cleansing tea, amazing corn flour chips cooked right in front of us and a demonstration of the perfect mix of spices for curry we were seated for a fifteen minute upper body massage. This was great and consisted of a deep heat like product being alternately used with an aloe Vera product giving a weird sensation of heating up followed by extreme cooling. After this relaxing experience, when we were at our most mellow and vulnerable, we were led to the shop and enticed to buy, ‘must have’ products at largely inflated prices. With Rob’s scars already looking visibly better and a hairless patch of skin on his right shin we considered several options before finding the cheapest, a bottle of miracle, red coconut hair conditioner and escaping back to the car. The tour was brilliant, so interesting and definitely recommended but if you ever go then avoid the red coconut conditioner like the plague, unless you like greasy hair that smells like cigarette smoke?

Our next stop was to a wood carving workshop which produced some amazing ornaments, wall plaques and furniture. Again we were given a really interesting tour showing the ten different types of wood used, their various properties and the beautiful colours and textures that treating them could produce. We watched the intricacy of the carvingby a young lady who looked barely old enough to be in secondary school. Her focus and precision was fascinating but she brushed our compliments away with a reference to the template she used. Even with a template the creativity was astounding and I watched in awe as she carefully tapped and chiselled barely raising her head until she was happy with the end result.

After our guided tour we were left to freely wander around the carvings and furniture. Some of the dining room suites were stunning and there solidity and originality would probably have lasted several lifetimes. Unfortunately, without the eight grand to spare for production, shipping and delivery we left empty handed but very impressed by the exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

The Golden Temple of Dambulla was our next stop with a small pause on the way to grab trousers from a street stall to cover my knees. The pair we chose were the same design as a billion others we have seen all over Asia. All previous ones come in one size and fit all. Unfortunately, in our haste, we had grabbed the only pair designed for a slim twelve year old. Rob had sensibly thrown in his bag his recently acquired, authentic yoga pants so it was only me who needed further covering. As I attempted to pull our new purchase over my ample thighs they became wedged and a slight ripping sound could be heard. After a little persuasion and various bribes Rob agreed to try them. I hastily donned his yoga pants before he changed his mind. I’m still not sure what was most embarrassing?Was it that my husband’s five foot eleven and a half inch frame could fit into trousers that I couldn’t, albeit fairly snugly, or was it wandering around with this as my companion?Either way we probably did one of the quickest tours ever of this unique temple set in and carved from natural caves. The steep, stepped climb up was punctuated by complaints and fear of indecent exposure every time Rob’s leg was lifted but the ascent was worth it for the brief exploration of the beautifully painted caves.Definitely worth a visit but try to think ahead and arrive suitably dressed so you can take your time and enjoy the experience.🤣

By the time we got back in the car and had hastily changed from our long trousers back to our ‘knee revealing’ shorts we had pulled up for a buffet banquet lunch. As well as satisfying our healthy appetites this also meant we were out of the relentless sun for the hottest part of the day. Our sensible driver told us that we definitely didn’t want to be climbing the many steps to Sigiriya before 3pm so happy to heed his advice we sat back and enjoyed our leisurely meal.

Three pm arrived quickly and we set out for what was definitely the highlight of our day. Before we even started the climb we were entranced by the beautifully preserved ruins and grounds.Although the steps were steep and we were very glad to have heeded our drivers sound advice, the views on the way were pretty spectacular and ensured our continued motivation. We’d also paid over £20 to reach the top so were not going to be easily thwarted even when we saw several others, particularly the other English, abandoning the task half way. The two parts of the climb that I (and many others with leanings towards acrophobia) found most difficult were sheer climbs on metal steps. The first one was a spiral staircase that led nowhere apart from a viewpoint where no photography was allowed. It was lovely but probably not worth the extra physical exertion or mental stress. The second one was the route to the top and was held up by some very strange looking scaffolding.I hurried to the top avoiding looking left or right sharing sympathetic glances with other obvious sufferers. Once at the top the ascent was soon forgotten as we enjoyed the 360 degree views and wandered around the various levels of ruins that had once been the summit of a king’s stronghold.

On the descent we were behind the most frightened lady I have ever known. Instead of getting this horrid part of the way down over with as quickly as possible we had to wait after every step while she clung to her husband or the side shaking. Some people are so dramatic.🤣🤔

Eventually we got back down, braved the numerous street sellers and found our driver. We were extremely glad of the comfortable minivan as we dozed our way home and to an early bed.

For our last day we decided to take a stroll the few kilometres away from the centre of Kandy to the botanical gardens. Some of the views of the river on the way were pretty spectacularand when we clambered down for a closer look it was pretty amazing to see how important the river is for personal cleanliness and washing clothes when there is no running water in many of the homes.The walk generally was dirty, dusty and noisy with the constant blowing of horns and scrambling out of the way to avoid oncoming vehicles. It was an enormous relief to reach our stunning destination and leave the stress of the road behind.That evening we chose a beautiful restaurant in the hills to eat dinner and to watch the sun go down. Bella Vista did have an extremely beautiful view of the river and was a great place to finish our time in Kandy.

It was some time during our journey to Sri Lanka, perhaps on the transfer from one Bangkok airport to another or more likely on our six hour wait at the second airport that we decided that Sri Lanka would be our last destination. Originally this was definitely more driven by Rob but as our day of travel continued and we checked in at another desk at another destination I began to understand his thoughts. We’ve had an amazing time but it really feels like it’s very nearly time to come home.

So, as we travelled towards our hotel in Colombo, ‘Penthouse above sea’, we decided on a loose plan. We would spend our three nights in Colombo as planned. While there we could look at what other attractions in Sri Lanka caught our attention and arrange to visit those. If we particularly loved anywhere we would stay a while but when we’d exhausted all possibilities we’d come back to Colombo for a direct and reasonable flight home. Thus decided we relaxed and enjoyed the taxi ride to our next place of rest.

First impressions were not favourable. As the taxi pulled up beside a railway station and tuk tuk parking lot Rob refused to believe this was what he had booked. Telling the taxi driver that it wasn’t the right place Rob sat tight and I followed suit. After disappearing for a few seconds our driver reappeared and we briefly felt vindicated as he executed a three point turn and pulled off. The feeling was extremely brief as he pulled in within twenty metres and indicated the same building from a different angle. It was the same litter strewn street with tuk tuk drivers standing in groups awaiting their next fare and stray dogs sniffing amongst the abandoned food wrappings but strangely enough, from this angle, it did look slightly better. A night guard lifted a barrier to let the car through and we pulled up to be greeted by our lovely hostess Chitra.

After check in, a brief tour and a short discussion about breakfast, we fell in to bed exhausted. We had left Laos at 9am, it was now approaching midnight and although somewhere along the line we’d gained two and a half hours it had been a long and tiring day. As we adjusted our bodies to another new bed and our heads fell on to more, ‘not quite right’ pillows, my mind was made up. As soon as we’d sampled all that Sri Lanka had to offer we would definitely be homeward bound.The next morning we woke up fairly refreshed and, on looking more closely at where we were staying, not quite so disheartened. As well as Chitra, our hostess being lovely, so was her husband. Both of them spoke excellent English having travelled extensively and they were able to add some structure to our vaguely formed ideas. After a lovely, late breakfast including rice and dahl, a definite first for me, we discussed the suggestions we’d been given and set off to the train station to book a ticket for Monday to Kandy.

After successfully making our booking, receiving plenty of further advice from a very helpful tourist information officer and with only a day and a half left in the capital city, we headed off to explore.

Although Colombo was slightly crazy and extremely busy we did find plenty of places to walk and enjoy some peace. Despite its weird luminescent colour Beira lake was lovely to walk around and seeing pelicans (hope no nightmares Jen) outside of a zoo is still a novelty. A bridge across the lake took us to a peaceful part of the park which we discovered, on a Saturday afternoon, appeared to be solely for courting couples and on closer inspection, their chaperones. Every single bench was occupied by young couples talking, leaning heads together and holding hands. The more creative amongst them had included an umbrella about their person and would intermittently lower this to conceal a chaste, or not so chaste kiss. As soon as this happened or couples appeared to be getting at all too close, seemingly from nowhere, a family member would appear to intervene under the guise of an urgent enquiry or the need for a casual chat. Some were less subtle, particularly the older females, we saw one march over and remove the umbrella and another place herself between the young, ‘would be’ lovers. It was all extremely endearing, I was fascinated by this old fashioned courting ritual and couldn’t help but feel that we may have lost something in our western world where virtue is no longer deemed so important. Mind you, if this comes at the price of free choice and sexual equality then, despite the perceived romance, I’ll definitely take the latter.

After an ample amount of relaxation and people watching, having said we never needed to see another temple, we found ourselves visiting Seema Malaka, which is set on Beira lake, and also Gangaramaya. In our defence we hadn’t yet visited a Sri Lankan temple and they were both included in the same price so to get our money’s worth we had to visit both.

Seema Malaka contained some of the most unusual figures we’d so far experiencedand the highlight of Gangaramaya was the massive Bodhi Tree which many people were meditating near, praying to and offering a procession of gifts of water to. It was a really impressive tree and is obviously hugely important to Buddhists.

We finished the day with Rob having a little go on a tuk tukThe two wheels at the back give him much more stability and ensure that we don’t have a repeat of his moped incident.

On the Sunday we walked to an early mass at the nearby church watching the local area wake up as we did so.The guy above was pulling his cart, when he was a little distance away we honestly thought we’d gone back to the time of the plague, especially as he was shouting something that easily could have been, ‘bring out your dead’. As we got closer we realised he was selling vegetables, many women came running out to buy them and he was soon doing a brisk trade. Maybe that’s another enterprise I could try?🤣

We also spotted this school which seemed like an ideal place for me to workNot sure the playground is quite as good as Kingfisher’s though.

Once we were back from church and had eaten breakfast we intended to visit the National Museum as we had heard very good things about it. After choosing the only tuk tuk driver in Colombo who had no idea of his way around Colombo we eventually arrived to a beautiful building that was evidently closed. Several other people had also arrived to visit and between us and a few helpful locals we were able to work out that it was closed for a public holiday. The Sri Lankan’s have one for every full moon, an extra twelve a year, a great idea I think. 🌕

Luckily, very close to the museum was the beautiful Viharamahadevi park. We spent a couple of very happy hours here trying out the outdoor gym,watching the monitor lizard stealing the Muscovy ducks foodand generally doing plenty more people watching. We also discovered flying foxes which are actually very large bats that hang from the trees making the most horrendous noise. When they took flight they looked enormous and appeared like something from a bad Halloween film.

Once we’d exhausted the park’s possibilities we returned to our hotel for an hour by the roof top pool, a walk along the local beach to watch many, many games of cricket and families at leisure.We also experienced an amazing sunsetbefore dinner at a beachside restaurant with more live music and an early night before our train ride to Kandy the following morning.

Just before I go we have missed so many birthdays so…….

Happy Birthday to James, Guy, Paddy, Georges, Rachel, Grace and last but not least, on her very first birthday, Effie.🎂Oh and Pat’s whose is today, have a good one in Kuala Lumpur Patsy.😊

We arrived in Laos on Monday 14th, late afternoon to fairly cloudy and comparatively chilly temperatures. When I say chilly it had probably dipped just below 20, for us that was the first time we had experienced such a chill since Kilimanjaro. It was an excuse to pull out a thin jumper, I’ve been carrying four around with me for the whole trip just in case of such an eventuality.

After receiving lots of information and a lovely welcome from our Laos hostess and being shown to our room in Le Bang Vua Villawe dropped off our luggage, got ready for the evening and set out to explore.

Most of Luang Prabang is situated around South East Asia’s biggest river, the mighty Mekong. Where we were staying was a lovely little part beside the Nam Khan river, a tributary of the Mekong. In order to reach the main area of Luang Prabang you had to cross the Nam Khan. Our quickest and easiest way was across a rickety , bamboo bridge that is erected for six months of the year before being dismantled for the rainy season. It costs 5,000kip (50p) to cross there and back and was an extremely novel experience, especially in the dark with lots of others crossing.Once across we were straight into the busy Main Street and night market where we settled down to enjoy our first Laos meal.Rob and I are now hooked on our sit up and beg bikes complete with shopping baskets. When we realised that Le Vang Bua Villas also loaned them out free of charge we spent the rest of our time in Laos exploring Luang Prabang, the banks of the Mekong River and the surrounding craft villages and coffee shops.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to take our bikes across the bamboo bridge but instead had to travel a short distance further to the old bridge.This is just open to mopeds and cyclists and only gives you a narrow row of boards on which to balance. My coordination is such that, as long as I concentrated fully, I could remain on the allocated planks. If however, I tried to look left or right to admire the view my balance was lost and was a struggle to regain. This crossing also became stressful as the mopeds, loathe to be stuck behind a wobbly, slow cyclist, would, on approach to the bridge, accelerate behind you and cut in close in front. This did nothing to build my confidence and I silently dreaded these crossings while Rob cycled ahead oblivious.

Travelling on our bikes was definitely the best way to explore the area, you get to see so much more, can stop at whatever you fancy and get to experience the greetings of the Laos people as you cycle through their villages. We found another bamboo bridge used almost exclusively for young monks to cross the Nam Khan to a hidden temple to say their prayers.and got to see lots more lovely temples.My favourite cycle didn’t involve us crossing any bridges or deliberately visiting any more temples thankfully. It took us South of Luang Prabang along roads running parallel to the Mekong. As we cycled through villages we passed some beautiful French inspired architecturealongside extremely basic dwellingsand many building sitesWith glimpses of the Mekong riverand children playing in between.The roads were beautifully quiet apart from children travelling to schooland numerous pets, mostly dogs who felt the road was their rightful domain.

Eventually we stopped at a little coffee shop in a craft village. The setting was beautifuland we met a gorgeous, little girl called Purlern (not sure of the spelling) and her Thai parents who were temporarily living and working in Laos.Wandering down the street after our refreshments we passed many small, female led industries including silk spinning, basket weaving and paper making. We were drawn to a particularly productive location where you could observe each stage of the paper making and purchase the end products at crazy, cheap prices.

After pouring various ingredients into a wooden frame the woman above was tapping the mixture, I think from our unclear exchange, to disperse any air bubblesWith the frame still in liquid this lady then placed various leaves and flowers on to the surface of the mixture in a repeating pattern.She then lifted the frame out of the liquid and put it, with many others, to dry in the sun.

There was also a young man busy painting intricate designs on plain paper. His work was fascinating to watch and he seemed quite happy for me to do so until I took out my phone to take a picture. He then stopped painting and turned to his phone. Each time I tried again he left his artwork so I had to take this surreptitiously.🤭Apart from our cycling we spent some time by the poolcrossed the bamboo bridge in the daytimeto attend our first experience of Asian yoga. It was probably the most sweaty and exhausting hour and a half of our lives and was very upsetting when, apart from on flexibility and a headstand, Rob was so much better. 🤨I know yoga is not meant to be competitive but I can’t help it and it’s just made me so determined to improve. 😊

The night market was fascinating, not only for the many different products it sold but also for the way in which family life was conducted around it.While running a stall whole families would share a mealand babies and young children would sleep or play while older children did their homework. The atmosphere of the whole market seemed very laid back and relaxed with none of the tension or pressure to buy that we have experienced at so many others. Whilst in Luang Prabang (sorry for the repetition but I just love the name), we had our most interesting and one of our most delicious meals yet. It was in a restaurant called Dyen Sabai and was right beside the bamboo bridge on our side of the river. Our meal was called a Laos Fondue and involved the middle of our table being removed in order to accommodate a bucket full of red, hot charcoals. On top of this was placed a metal bowl with a peak in the middle. Unsure what we were supposed to do we watched as our waiter demonstrated rubbing fat over the peak before laying very thin pieces of chicken on it to fry. He then poured onion soup in the surrounding bowl and placed vegetables in this to cook.Rob and I spent the next hour or so cooking and eating our meal as and when we were ready for it and adding various flavours to the cooked products including a delicious Tamarind sauce. One of the oddest aspects was the inclusion of two eggs in with the vegetables. We watched as those at surrounding tables cracked the eggs into the onion soup. We followed suit and although it seemed slightly strange, once cooked, they tasted delicious.I’m sure there could be a niche market for a restaurant serving just these in Hannington, I’ll add it to my list of new ventures to try when I get home.🤗

Laos was lovely and a great place for experiencing some new things. Sadly though, it was time to leave South East Asia and head even further south to experience our next destination, Sri Lanka. 🇱🇰

After having felt so unwell in Koh Tao, arriving in Chiang Mai gave both Rob and I a new burst of life and energy. Our little apartment in Gategaa village was lovely and within about ten minutes of us arriving, Ellie and Tom joined us for their final afternoon bringing with them all of their enthusiasm of youth.

We lazed in the rooftop pool for a while with Ellie chatting incessantly and Tom managing to interject occasionally about all they’d discovered in Chiang Mai and what we had to do. It felt like she had months to catch up on rather than just a few days but it was lovely and did even more to revive my flagging spirits. Knowing Joe was happy at home in London with Paris, her mum Dana and her sister Kara, all of whom he adores, also helped.

That evening we’d asked Ellie and Tom to choose, from their four days of experience, where we were having dinner. They picked a small restaurant in the old town where they had eaten previously. Its main attraction, as well as lovely food, was its nightly live music. We sat back and relaxed while an Australian pianist played classical pieces from Beethoven, Bach and his favourite, Schubert, followed by one of the waiters singing various hits from several artists including Elton John, Van Morrison and our favourite Ed.

The highlight was a duet between the singing waiter and the Australian pianist of Ave Maria which gave me goose bumps. I was unfortunately too engrossed to video any of it.😩

The next morning we had decided to take advantage of the free bike loan that Gategaa villas offers. Although we’d desperately tried to shake them off🤣Ellie and Tom decided to join us for their last morning, thankfully they’d exchanged their moped for mobikes, Chiang Mai’s alternative to London’s Boris bikes.

After cycling around with our baskets and rear carriers full of dirty washing we eventually found a lovely lady who promised to have it ready for us by 10am the following morning. Although this may seem a relatively insignificant thing it is fast becoming one of my favourite aspects of Asia. For about 40 baht (£1) a kg, we can drop off all of our soiled garments and a day later arrive to them beautifully clean, sweet smelling and neatly pressed. See why I love it?❤️

Anyway, after dropping this off and consequently feeling unencumbered and more able to steer, we set off to explore the old city. On our way however we found Tom and Ellie’s idea of heaven and Rob’s idea of hell! As it was their last morning Rob was over ruled by the young ones so we hurried in to, ‘The pet friendly cafe’.Rob was slightly appeased to find that it was only dogs, which he quite likes, if it had been full of cats we might not have got him in there. They were also rather cute and very well behaved, apart from the huskies who were banished to a conservatory, so, once handed his coffee, Rob was quite happy to relax while Tom and Ellie took full advantage of their canine company.After giving them sufficient time to satisfy their nurturing instincts and discuss in detail exactly what dogs they would have in the future😱we dragged Tom and Ellie back to the bikes and continued to the city wall. Rob was delighted to be back on a bike albeit not quite what he’s used toand Ellie, whose ideal bike has always been the old fashioned, basket on the front, sit up and beg style bike was in her element.After a brief interlude with some pigeons, or ‘rats from the sky’ as Rob prefers to refer to themwe continued on our way. All too quickly the morning was over, we returned to our accommodation for lunch and for Ellie to make use of the showering facilities before we had to say goodbye to the happy pair as they wended their way to their final stop in Bangkok.

After spending a short time moping in our room we pulled ourselves together and set out to explore a little more of Chiang Mai. After cycling down various roads and paths we came to a cafe I had read about. It specialised in gluten free foods and while Rob ate lunch, he hadn’t been hungry earlier, I had to try large pieces of both of their gluten free cakes. This was also our first, and probably last in Rob’s case, experience of sitting, Asian style, on the floor at low tables. It definitely felt different and rather than sitting up straight we soon found ourselves lounging against the various cushions. After complaining profusely to start with I think Rob actually quite enjoyed this, he certainly looked like he’d be quite happy to settle down for an afternoon nap.

Spoiling Rob’s relaxation we returned to our bikes and our explorations. We found an amazing park where for 10THB (25p) we bought a bag of fish food and saw more fish than I’ve ever seen, so highly concentrated, in one area

As we wandered around experimenting with the various gym equipment and people watching, we began to notice the park filling up. Work had obviously finished for the day and the people of Chiang Mai were congregating for various physical pursuits. As well as hundreds of joggers and lots of users of the outdoor gym equipment there were also yoga and martial arts classes taking place and a game I have never seen or heard of before being practised on a large paved area. It involved people standing in a small circle and passing a ball, about the size of a bowling ball, between each other using any body part. The ball was hollow, hard, interwoven plastic with holes in. To score you had to hit the ball high through some suspended hoops but as there were only one set of these, many of the circles were just training without them. Never have I seen so many people, in such a small space, exercising so vigorously. It was great to see and possibly helps explain why there seems to be so little obesity in Chiang Mai.

On arriving back to our hotel with Rob happily replete from his late lunch and me full of cake (I’d brought some home in a doggy bag) we decided to stay in for the evening. Coming out of the shower and finding Rob happily lying on the bed watching Kylie in concert I saw why he was so quick to agree to an evening in. Knowing I’d get very little from him for the next hour or so I lost myself in my book and so the evening passed.😊

The next few days in Chiang Mai flew by with lots more cycling, numerous more temples, an amazing climb, another massage and lots of eating. I’m touching wood as I’m saying this but since arriving in Asia I have had no issues with gluten at all. As long as I’ve chosen rice dishes or rice noodles and avoided soy sauce in the cooking I’ve been well. It seems they’re much more loath to use wheat flour as a thickening agent which suits me fine. I have eaten an awful lot of rice though and have also discovered some amazing ice cream at the markets. You get to choose what ingredients you want before they chop and mix it all together on a large, freezing cold plate in front of you. They then squash it all down really thinly on to the plate before scraping it off into ice cream rolls. They place about ten of these into a large paper cup, squirt cream and sauce on top and place whole pieces of the initial ingredients around the outside. My chocolate and banana version was delicious, unfortunately Rob, who didn’t initially want one, thought so too!

One historical site we enjoyed in Chiang Mai was Wiang Kum Kam. This was the original city from about the 13th Century and was built around the original path of the Ping river. When flooding became an issue the king moved the main city, the present Chiang Mai, on to higher ground. The old city, consisting of about 22 different sites, mostly temples,was only excavated in fairly recent history. Although the sites are spread out you could visit them on an open sided tour bus or a horse and cart. Rob and I stuck to our trusty bikes, visiting them at our own pace and in a rather haphazard orderat the end of our visit, we should have gone here first, we came across the museum and information centre which placed everything into context and explained what we’d observed. Better late than never!

Chiang Mai is overflowing with temples, every road you walk down has at least one and to my non discerning eye, they all look pretty much the same. After the first few Rob and I did our best to avoid them but half way through our stay we did deliberately set out to visit two, more for the journey than the destination.

We had been looking for something fairly active to do and, in our research, had discovered the Monk’s trail. We had vague instructions of where to go so set off one morning to visit Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. We caught a Grab, Asia’s version of Uber, to Chiang Mai University before following a concrete road up past an entrance to the zoo and on to the start of the hike. We should have caught the grab up to the zoo entrance as that very first part along the road was incredibly steep and exhausting in the rising temperatures. It was however a mere warm up for the actual hike which got steeper and much less even underfoot as we followed remnants of the monks orange robes as markers on our way.Luckily, part of it was in shade and the surrounding beauty of the temples and their settings, particularly the first one, helped distract us from our pain and urged us onwards and upwards.The atmosphere at the first temple, set amidst waterfalls, forest and large rocks, was extremely tranquil. You could see why many people chose it as a place to meditate and pray. Rob and I stopped here for a short while and, making it clear to the Buddha that although he’s a great guy there is only one true God, I practised meditating and said a little prayer. Although there was an option to get transport from here to the temple at the top of the mountain we chose to continue our torture to the topAfter another painful hour we finally reached our reward and although there were many more tourists here it was still pretty impressive. Probably most impressive was that many Monks used to do this daily to practice their faith and to meditate. I think they only went up to the first temple though – lightweights.🤣

The best thing about arriving at the top was removing our shoes. We have practically lived in flip flops for the last four months and wearing trainers on our various hikes has felt so restrictive. Removing our sweaty, sodden socks and footwear and placing our bare feet on the ceramic tiles was heaven. Once we had consumed some liquid energy in the form of a cold coke and Rob had reluctantly prised himself off of his seat we wandered around revelling in the coolness and freedom of our feet.The view from the top, although a little hazy, was still impressive after admiring this for a little while we knew it was time to move on and extremely reluctantly we replaced our soggy socks and trainers and set off for the dangerous descent.

Despite the pain this was probably one of my favourite things we did in Chiang Mai and I would highly recommend it. I would also recommend a massage the next day but probably go for the relaxing one as Rob did rather than the Thai one I chose.🤔

We loved Chiang Mai and could definitely have settled here longer but Laos was calling so time to move on. We’ll be back!

After another lazy morning having breakfast and lying by the poolRob and I left our little hut on stilts and caught the ferry to Koh Tao via Koh Panghan and Koh Samui. It was a really effective service and although quite a long journey of about four hours we arrived to a room which undoubtedly had the very best view we have had so far.Our resort, The Dusit Buncha was built into the cliff which meant an awful lot of steps and slopes to negotiate. Despite this it was amazing and beautifully set out with infinity pools and uninterrupted views of the sea to Ko Nangyuan Island. Although there was no beach, there was easy access to the sea from rocks and a pier to enable swimming and snorkelling. Even from the various decks near the sea you could see more variety of multi coloured fish than I’ve ever seen before. As we sat and made plans, over a complimentary dinner that the hotel had provided to make up for our missed night, it felt like we had landed in paradise.

The next morning we set off to explore our immediate vicinity and find Sairee beach. We walked up to our unusual entrancewhich led to some of the steepest roads I have ever negotiated. By the time we reached fairly level ground we were perspiring profusely and were very glad to grab a drink on the beach. Our walk back to the resort was much more of a descent which was a massive relief. It also afforded more gorgeous views out to sea.Koh Tao really was beautiful and is renowned for its amazing snorkelling, we had made lots of plans to snorkel and visit Ko Nangyuan to reach a beautiful viewpoint and do more snorkelling but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. After feeling flat on that first day I then experienced flu like symptoms of no appetite, no energy and really achey limbs for the rest of the stay resulting in me barely getting out of bed. I have to say that Rob has actually really improved his nursing skills and appeared much more sympathetic than on previous occasions. His discovery of Pina Coladas definitely helped with this.

After a couple of days in bed I did manage to get up to experience the beauty of the sunsetand feel relatively ready for our next day of travel to Chiang Mai.

I know how very closely mental and physical health are linked and without sounding totally crazy I really feel like parting with Joe and Ellie, especially with the uncertainty of flights and ferries, had quite an effect. It was a really strange malady and although it manifested itself as something quite physical I do feel like it’s root cause may have been in my head.🤨Whatever its origin it was very annoying and means I will definitely need to return to the beautiful Koh Tao in the near future. 😊

The promised Pabuk finally arrived with some rain on Thursday night, a little more rain on Friday morning followed by an awful lot of rain and wind from then onwards.

On Friday morning we stayed in bed relatively late and were pleasantly surprised when it was still only light rain by mid morning. We decided to play a game of nomination whist to see who would lose and as their forfeit have to go and swim in the pool in the rain – in all honesty none of us, other than Rob, who was still avoiding contact with all water due to his sustained injuries, were at all alarmed by this forfeit but as nobody likes to lose we still knew the game would be fiercely fought over.

To set the scene – we all, apart from Rob, love cards and as well as our game on Christmas Eve we had played a few other games just between Ellie, Joe and myself. All of us are fairly competitive (maybe a small understatement) but display this differently. Ellie copes best, maybe through practice, by remaining fairly cheerful but looking a little crestfallen, I try hard to pretend I don’t care while bottling up frustration which inevitably has to escape at some point and Joe, probably the worst loser amongst us, he would say from lack of practice, becomes vaguely aggressive and definitely more annoying. There are probably some reflections on our innate characteristics to be made here but I am too far behind on my blogs to dwell on these now.

Where was I? Oh yes, so we’ve played some other games and goodness only knows how it had happened because she is fairly ditsy and usually starts the game with, ‘How do I play this again?’ Even when we’ve played a couple of days before, Ellie was in the lead. The only thing that Joe despises more than losing is losing to Ellie so, on this day in question, the Thursday before the storm, the traits I have described above, were very much in evidence. We played a first game, fairly closely, where, through ignoring various comments from Joe I played well, had some luck and reigned victorious. This put Ellie and I even with Joe one game behind, he wasn’t very happy!😡

In order to offer the opportunity for Joe to equal our superiority, Ellie and I agreed to play another game. After three hands, Ellie was way in the lead with Joe and I both dismally behind. Both of us were behaving as per the characteristics described above with me in denial and Joe directing mildly aggressive and fairly un PC comments towards Ellie about her lack of ability. Although, with years of practice, Ellie has become fairly immune to Joe’s various barbs, water off a duck’s back comes to mind, I still find them hard to cope with so, true to form, my frustration was building.

When I, at five cards each, was dealt the 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of diamonds I saw it as a possible distraction and happened to remark on my amazing hand and how good it would have been for rummy. In my excitement I also showed my hand to the non-playing Rob. Unfortunately this didn’t provide a distraction, apparently it was highly unacceptable and instead only served to divert any negativity from Ellie towards myself. Supposedly, commenting on my cards was tantamount to cheating and would affect how everyone now played their cards (Noel Bennett would probably agree). My defence of my position only heightened the call of cheat so, showing my increased maturity and much better control of my frustration than I may previously have demonstrated (I haven’t tipped a table or stabbed a ball for ages) I said, ‘I’m not playing anymore,’ and stomped to my room slamming the door.

So, with the Friday morning scene finally set, while Tom attempted to revise and Rob did whatever Rob does to avoid playing cards, the three of us agreed to finish the game from the previous night before all of us would play the next game for the swimming in the rain forfeit. On our best behaviour, Joe and I, perhaps realising we hadn’t behaved as well as we should have done and Ellie because she’s mostly well behaved, we conducted a very civilised game in which Joe won. This, in our newly acquired, not overly competitive roles, was very satisfactory as it meant we were all on equal scores. The only distressing thing was that I had come last and Rob had set the forfeit that the loser would have to lick his broken and now, full of pus, big toe. I don’t know why he decided to set this as a forfeit but we are quite an odd family.🤔

Strangely, when it came to the carrying out of said forfeit, despite having set it, it was Rob who objected most strongly. Therefore, as he was refusing to play the new game, we were able to bribe him into playing by agreeing to forego the forfeit. Basically if he didn’t want his toe licked (why would he ever have?) he would have to play. And so he did!

Although Tom had never really played the game before he learnt quickly and was holding his own, at least in the cards. Keeping up with the constant commentary was not so easy and although he is fairly used to us now, he still looks a little shocked by the crueler comments and extreme competitiveness.

Throughout the game positions had changed constantly and although often there is a clear leader after half way, on this occasion, with only the last hand to play, all of us were within ten points meaning anyone could win. The last hand was dealt and skill and experience won through – obviously I was a very gracious winner and didn’t gloat at all. I’m not actually sure who lost but within five minutes, all apart from Rob, were in the pool in the rain sharing the losers forfeit. Ellie and Tom tried some dirty dancing tricks and we played a little volleyball but in the absence of a net we soon reverted to basketball. Improvising with two hoops consisting of the flamingo at one end and a large rubber ring at the other we chose teams and the competition continued. We were joined briefly in the water by two little Italian boys who we had encountered throughout the week. They appeared to want to join in so we tried to include them but weren’t sure of their understanding. Their interpretation of the rules was that they should attack, from under the water, whoever had the ball. Their main means of this, specifically on Joe, was biting the legs and ankles. Luckily they were fairly gentle but we weren’t quite sure of the origins or effectiveness of their tactics and in the absence of their parents had to discourage this as best we could. Partially drowning them proved fairly effective.🤣

After using up plenty of energy the rain began to get much heavier and we retreated to the villa to try to consume any remaining food before our departure the following day. The rain continued throughout the afternoon and through the limited tv, more cards and packing we managed to entertain ourselves indoors.

We also continually checked on various reports for our travel plans. With all ferries off of the island suspended and many flights cancelled or delayed it didn’t look good.

Despite being repeatedly told to remain indoors, after the whole afternoon together in the villa, we felt like the risk of a coconut or tree falling on us was worth taking to avoid the ‘cabin fever’ that was definitely showing signs of developing. We therefore grabbed any form of covering we could and dashed to the car to travel the 100metres up hill to the Grand Hill residence. The rain was such that, even with a goretex jacket, anything exposed was saturated within seconds. Being out did dispel the cabin fever though and although our last evening together wasn’t what we’d hoped for it passed pleasantly.

After another night of noisy, torrential rain and wind we were up early planning Joe’s imminent departure. A taxi had been planned for 11.30 but given the conditions he wanted to get to the airport as soon as possible. His flight from Koh Samui was listed as being delayed by 3 hours, this meant he would miss his onward flight so he hoped, by being early, to try to catch an earlier one. He had left by ten and the rest of us set about getting ready for our onward journey. Ellie and Tom were off to Chiang Mai but had sensibly delayed booking their boat until the following morning so were spending one night near Nathon pier before their very early departure. Rob and I were booked in that night to a place in Koh Tao but knew, with no boats running that we’d have to forego our first night and had booked a place near Maenam pier for the one night.

As the rain continued we were temporarily stranded at our villa as the car that was going to take us to the next accommodation wasn’t able to negotiate the floodsEventually a suitable vehicle was found, the rain eased a little and we left Maenam Hill for Coco Palm beach resort (excuse the change of angle)

The rain had stopped but the wind was still very much in evidence as we ate lunch and had a walk along the beach. Ellie and Tom were still with us for our scintillating company (or free lunch and nicer resort) and while Tom revised, Rob, Ellie and I went to have a massage and we met our first, real life, ‘lady boy’. This was Rob’s first ever experience of massage and I could see him rapidly reevaluating whether he would in fact have a massage after all. Luckily Ellie was allocated the young person Rob was so eager to avoid and Rob and I lay side by side with two lovely older ladies as our masseurs. Rob’s lady did oooh and aaahh a little over his injuries and apologised profusely when she inadvertently brushed them but otherwise the hour passed in relaxation and tranquility – I think Rob is hooked!

Ellie and Tom returned to their hotel, we heard from Joe to say that he’d found a new flight that would get him home Sunday night. It would cost him £1000 which he had little hope of getting back but at least he would be home in time for work on Monday. Rob and I walked a little down the road to a pretty, twinkly restaurant thankful that everybody was at last on the way to where they needed to be.