Chiasson Family Vacation

Arrived safe & sound in Columbo, Sri Lanka yesterday - December 29th, 2014.
There are eight of us on this Ceylonese adventure...
My lovely Sister-in-Law Suzanne Chiasson is Sri Lankan by birth & decent. She & Michael (Chris' Brother), along with their beautiful daughters Emily & Jillian; invited Chris & I and our Son Christian to join them on this excursion to do some exploring of this beautiful island & attend two of her cousins weddings. (The first of which being tomorrow - NYE day & the second one is January 10th).
Suzanne's Mother Charmaine Keil; also travelled from Calgary (in early December) and joined up with us here in Columbo yesterday afternoon...for what I'm sure will be a trip of a lifetime!!!

Day 1 - arrived into CMB close to 5:30 (am). A few minutes late - but after 22 or 23 hours on a plane, it doesn't really matter much! The flight wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be ...it was terribly cramped, but safe & uneventful!
Of course we had no news while on route regarding the Air Asia flight thats gone missing - we didn't hear anything about it until we turned on the BBC in our hotel room! Terrible, terrible news...
Just when you think you've got it bad - the good Lord sets you straight!!

Our driver & guide met us at the Airport as planned . They both seem very welcoming and patient (thank goodness!). I didn't quite catch their names yesterday...hmm, maybe I was a wee bit tired. I'll fix that situation today !!
They picked us up in a very nice travel van - with ample room for all of us & our bags. Its going to be a great vehicle for touring the island!

After a proper breakfast & a nice hot shower - we all took a well deserved nap!
We regrouped mid afternoon & in good fashion went shopping for a few staples...
Money & water being the priorities!
With that done, we hopped into 3 tuk tuk's (they only carry 3 max) and headed to Gangaramaya Temple - the largest Buddhist Temple in Sri Lanka. This is a spectacular facility with a display of thousands of Buddha's from various cultural heritages (Hindu, Thai, Indonesian, Japanese & of course Ceylonese etc..). Additionally, there is a hall displaying what appeared to be the many foreign gifts bestowed over the years...which included (of all things) a Crystal Moose - sweet!!!

The Cinnamon Red Hotel gets two thumbs-up from these guests! Its very new (opened in Sept) and in a great location! The rooms are very nice & very comfortable...
There's an infinity pool & bar on the roof - which some of us took advantage of late last night!!!

Both the time of the Dutch & British Colonization of Ceylon is prevalent in the architecture & culture of Columbo. One of the lasting effects is use of the term Ministry - everything is the Ministry of something! It's rather Harry Potterish -:) And the British got tea. The rest is History old chap.

Last night we enjoyed a nicely prepared seafood dinner of Baked Crab & Tiger Prawn Buriyani at Don Stanley's a good ole' Ceylonese name hahah!!. Don Stanley's is down along the waterfront & well worth the $7.50 cab ride (750 Rupees) or the $1.60 by metered tuk tuk back to the Hotel ....in record time!!!

Day 2 - The City Markets

We all slept well & don't appear to be suffering to much from the 12 1/2 hour time change.
Unfortunately, we are all suffering in some degree from a nasty cold...
That along wIth the daytime temps hitting the mid-thirties & the humidity index sitting somewhere in the 80's - we're all in low gear!
Regardless, we mustered enough energy to visit a few sites today, such as the commemorative monument to the liberation of Sri Lanka from British rule. It's a very impressive structure in definitely one of the cities loveliest parks.

Columbo has quite an array of open markets throughout the City. Although we only stopped to visit a couple of them ourselves, we drove past several.

The first market was in one of Columbo's older districts & it wasn't for the meek or mild hearted. The open market covered several city blocks; in one of Sri Lanka's poorest areas. Some of what you see there certainly delivers one some humility for all that we have been blessed with in life!!!!

The second Market was a floating market along the Canal. This was a more affluent area, with a lovely Tea House (that looked too busy to attempt a visit). Sue & Charmaine explained that all though this Market was a bustle of activity - just down the waterway was where the water encampments started.

There's roughly 20 Million people living in Sri Lanka. According to Wikipedia less than 5% of its residents live below the poverty line - hmmm I wonder who drew the line???

All that said, The absolute beauty of this City isn't lost on any of us!! We spent a bit of time down at the waterfront (Galle Face) today & visited the Galle Face Hotel which was constructed in 1864. It's in a stunning location & it (the Hotel) is very colonial & absolutely lovely!!

We also stopped by a couple of Hindu Temples - they are so detailed and colourful.
Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil, or simply the "Hindu temple" is the oldest Hindu temple in Sri Lanka. I've attached a picture, which tells a better story than I can tell!!

Hikkaduwa Beach

Happy New Year!!
I wish you all the best of health & good tidings to all my Friends & Family!!

Its been several days since my last post as we've been covering a lot of ground & pulling in late in the evenings & then back on the road early the next day. Wifi's also been a bit hard to get & then the service has been pretty sketchy when it is available..
However....
We're having a wonderful trip!! The weather has been perfect - nothing but sunshine & our accommodations have been very, very nice! The scenery is spectacular & we're all good travellers...so our spirits are all good !!!

We have had a wee bit of misfortune; as Chris, Suzy & Charmaine have been dreadfully sick with a terrible bronchial infection & trust me...it's much worse than just a cold!! It hit Chris on New Years Eve, Suzy New Years Day & Charmaine went down on the 2nd of January. As most of you know, there isn't much downtime in our itinerary; so all three have been recuperating in the travel van as we make our way around the Southern part of the Island.

Here's a brief summary of how we finished off 2014 and started our new year...
We attended the first of the two weddings on NYE. It was a quiet & intimate morning ceremony..without much fanfare.
We met most of Suzy's (maternal) Family & had the opportunity to visit with her gregarious & very personable Uncle Desmond; whom we hadn't seen in a few years. ( this fella is always a treat & he is also visiting SL from Sydney Australia)
Later in the day, we were invited to Sue's Aunt Elinor & Uncle Rodney's place for dinner & to bring in the New Year - with fireworks & all the customary party favours. Unfortunately, our plans changed when Chris darn near dropped with fever..
We brought the doctor in right away & he seemed to get Chris on the right side of things. Although I anticipate that it's going to take several days to clear up the bronchial infection he's picked up;
Needless to say (but I will anyway) - Chris & I didn't make it to Suzy's Aunts with the rest of the Chiasson Clan. The others however had a very nice time, but didn't see midnight at the party either. The combination of jet-lag & their own achey colds brought them back to the hotel early..I think it was 10:30ish when we all called it a night. Wow - not exactly what we had planned, but what can you do??

The next day it was Suzy's turn!! Her cold also turned into an infection & took her completely out of commission!
I saved the prescription for the decongestant & antibiotics the Doctor prescribed for Chris - So we refilled it & got Suzy started on them lickety split ( I know this sounds like a silly thing to do & under normal circumstances I would agree with you...however - we are a little left of centre here & desperate times call for working with whatcha got!!)

Despite Suz & Chris needing some good rest - we headed south towards Hikkaduwa
On the way we stopped and visited a very large Buddhist Temple; where Jillian & Christian were included in a blessing.
We also stopped by a Lakeside Inn for a little tour & visited a Sea Turtle Preserve & Rescue Centre.
Hikkaduwa is a beautiful old fishing village turned seaside resort, that reminds me of some of the old Mayan Riviera haunts we used to visit before it became known as the Riviera 🤭
Once there, we took a stroll down the beach & hopped on a glass bottomed boat for a quick look at the shoreline reef. We saw a few fish & a couple of turtles and then beat it up to the Hotel for sunset - it was a another full day!!!

The Jewel of Asia Boutique Hotel was a last minute change in our Itinerary as the previously booked Hotel suddenly couldn't accommodate all of us. Well, I think we got the better end of that deal!
Suzanne found the Jewel on Bookings.com & The rooms were nice & clean - nothing fancy, but the view, the service & the ambiance was unbelievable!!! Melvin - the Owner of this unique destination was a very gracious host & his staff were very well trained! Melvin's Team provided very polite & well cultured service - without all the ceremony & pretense....We Loved it!!!
(Chris will come back just for the homemade bread!!)

January 2nd, 2015

Charmaine's down now & we stopped to refill the prescription ( for the 3rd time)..

Our first stop is the Old Fort in Galle....

Construction of this fort was initiated by the Portuguese in the late 1500's , it was taken over & completed by the Dutch approximately a hundred years later. The Brits moved in, sometime in the mid 1700 hunreds & stayed until 1972 when Ceylon became self governed & became the Socialistic Republic Independent (SRI) Lanka.

Our next stop was Unahwatuna Beach. This is yet another fishing village recently turned seaside vacation destination & what a destination it is!!!! The beach is lovely white powdered sand & the waters a beautiful soft aqua green - hmmmm - Soooo Nice!!!
Unfortunately, the town itself hasn't had nearly enough time to build itself up to keep up with the demand (or its just been ridden really hard) either way - the seaside corridor is absolutely jammed with cars, trucks, motorcycles, tuk tuk's, mopeds, bicycles, hockers, pedestrians & dozens of dogs ( the four legged ones!!) and that just the first block...
Rather chaotic - but it adds to the attraction (honestly)

On route to the Treehouse (our next overnight crib) we stopped for a quick lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall in one of the smaller seaside Cities that we crept thru on our way towards accommodations & Yala Park. The food & location had nothing special to offer, but as always I fell into something memorable to share..
I came out of the restaurant looking for Chris, when our Driver (Nalin) came by to point out that the travel van next to ours was carrying the top rock band in SL (Stigma)
Well you know me - I had to give'm a little wave and a smile & sure enough the van door opened up & we had a good ole chat about where we're from & what we'd seen & where we're heading next....You know; the usual kindly chit chat stuff. Nalin wasn't sure what to make of my bold outwardness - but later he said " That was good Mrs..it was funny...especially the picture" ( I took a selfie with their Lead Singer)

Unfortunately, we arrived at the Treehouse at dusk. So we didn't get to spend anytime touring the place before it got dark .. But our first impressions left us all a wee bit anxious, but none the less, game to go through with the whole experience...
Our room consisted of 3 platforms; the first was just a staging area where they left our luggage. It was about 12 feet up...
The second platform (Christian's room & living room) was up another 8 feet or so above that and then our bedroom was off to the side and above that yet again by about another 4 feet..
We manoeuvred from ground level & room to room by way of ladders constructed of tree limbs. They felt sturdy enough - but the height thing left me a little wobbly!!!
Add to that : only mosquito netting, no walls & wooden slat floors (that were very uneven) and I think you'll get how giddy and anxious we were!! Anyway! We did it & I'm so glad We did!! I knew I would be okay (or told myself that anyway) and it was better than Okay. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done!! We laid and listened to the animals & the birds (which was very loud) and we all just drifted off to sleep. I woke up briefly through the night & the jungle was as absolutely still ....it was rather surreal.
In case you're wondering - the bathroom was ground level - for this we had walls, but no ceiling & the water came out like a waterfall over carved rocks in the wall - neat eh!!!
We though so :-)

Our wake-up call consisting of one of the staff climbing up to the second level & whispering "Good morning Sir! Good morning Sir!". This event took place at 4:15 - the Safari Jeeps were picking us up at 5:00.
We had time for a quick coffee, grabbed our breaky "to go" & we were off to Yala Nature Reserve for a morning safari.
The safari was kinda what I imagined, except for the unbelievably bad roads..and traffic.
Yala park itself is spectacular & by all standards a wonderfully laid out lair for all its inhabitants. Unfortunately, we didn't see as many of them as we'd hoped; but it wasn't surprising to any of us that they were frightened off by the (honest to God) traffic jam of Jeeps going thru the park - it was ridiculous!!!
We all had fun - but it turned out to be more about the 4X4 ing through the mud and circumventing the 5' ruts in the road than about the animals...
All that said, we did see several exotic wild birds, some Water Buffalo, Boars, Peacocks (tons of Peacocks) and one Elephants ass as he ran into the shrubbery ...so, all & all the morning was rather successful :-)

That afternoon - as planned, we started off for Nuwara Eliya. A very picturesque City located in the Sri Lankan Mountains. It's where many of the British established themselves on the Island ( going back a couple of centuries). As they preferred the cooler climate of the area & they soon took over the Tea Gardens & established the plantations. Many of which are still operational today.
We made just a couple of quick stops along the way; as we had a very long & windy road in front of us that day. It's only about 100k or so from point to point, but its a very narrow road that twists & turns across the mountain pass; plus its partially washed out at points; so the trip took us about 4 hours (or more?)...
Our first stop was at another Buddhist Temple - what made this place so unique was that the 5 or 6 Buddha's that were there were all engraved into the side of a large flat faced bluff.
We also made a pit stop at Rawana Falls - located right along the highway, which made for a nice break to stretch our legs & yet it didn't take us off track.

I'm going to jump straight forward to today (January 6th) and bid you adieu for the time being. We've been on route to the Maldives for most of the day; which gave me an opportunity to script out most of this post & bring you somewhat up to speed.
My plan is to finish this update tomorrow, while catching my breath on the beach:-)
I'm going to leave you with one word describing my first impression of the Maldives - Spectacular!!!

Love to All !!
Cin

Living The Dream

This is the vacation I've told myself I would take "someday" - well my someday has come and I am living my dream!! The Maldives are truly my heaven on earth...

We've been out swimming a couple of times today & the water is as nice as it looks!

I'm really enjoying the downtime here at the Herathera Island Resort - we all are! This is definitely the place to chillax and just soak it all in...and thats exactly what I'm gonna do!

I believe I left off yesterday with us in Nuwara Eliya...
We spent the night there in a couple of rental apartments. $230.00 US bought us 2 apartments (5 bedrooms/4 baths). They were perfect for us & very clean, they also came equipped with everything we needed..

In the Town itself there's a wonderful old hotel known as the Grand Hotel & it really is grand! It reminded me of an old CP hotel - like the old Algonquin or the Digby Pines. It also had a nice golf course adjacent to the property just like the old CP (now Fairmont) establishments have.
We stopped in & ordered breaky (to go - again) and grabbed a good coffee; which is quickly becoming a well sought after treat - as they aren't available on every corner in these parts!!

We were in a bit of a hurry that morning as we were driving partially down the mountain to Bandarawela to hop a 11:30 train back to Nuwara Eliya - purely for the experience of taking one of the oldest train systems still operational & for the scenic pleasure of it all.
Unfortunatley, when we got to the Train Station we found out that the ride would take us the better part of the day. So, we shifted into plan B and only went as far as Hapatule; which was only a two stop ride (30 or 40 minutes). It was a quick trip but the scenery was absolutely priceless and I do mean priceless!! it cost us $0.20 a piece for the ride!! (Gotta love it!!)
We did go back through Nuwara Eliya, as this was the way to Adam's Peak & our next beds (Breeta Garden Resort). While there ( in Nuwara Eliya) we stopped in the Center of town to visit Gregory Lake for a stroll & photo op. This is a popular spot with locals & tourists alike. There are several kiosks both on & off the Park property selling everything from toques (honestly) to fresh grub off of food-trucks. Chris & I decided to buy some fries for the gang as a bit of a treat & to hold everyone over until we reached the hotel for dinner.
Where I'm going with this story is the fries were awesome ( or we were that hungry) - but the lady helping her husband in the food truck was peeling the spuds with a metal bottle cap...
Never saw that done before ...but it was quick & effective!! So if you're ever stuck without a peeler - you know what to do!! Open the rum !!

Christian and Emily, back at the base of Adam's peak after the climb.

Adam's Peak
We didn't get started as early as we'd planned, nor as early as we should have - it took us quite a while just to drive the (another) long windy mountain pass up to the townsite of Adam's Peak (1 1/2 hrs) - so we didn't actually get started up the Mountain until close to 10:00ish...(maybe even a little after).
Before the climb, Nalin (our Driver) took us into the small Temple at the base of the trail for a blessing from the Buddhist Monk..it was another unique experience to treasure. We all felt rather honoured that Nalin would share such a customary tradition of the pilgrimage that not all know about, or would take in...
The Monk finishes prayers by tying a thin string around each of our wrists - which carry the blessings. It was very spiritual and very well received!

Off we went - all eight of us
It took about 30 minutes of climbing through town to reach the actual entrance of the Adam's Peak trail/stairway.
Once there we all agreed that we needed to take our own journey up, at our own pace & then we were off!!
I stayed close to Charmaine, as I was concerned about just leaving her alone on the trail. In the end I was right to stay back with her, as she definitely bit off more than she could chew! We only made it about a kilometre & a bit up the 6km trek when I knew I had to turn back with her. It was a long slow process back to town, but we just took our time...Charmaine became quite lightheaded & wobbly on her legs...and there was nothing to rush back for! Our Guide Gunarutnah, caught up to Charmaine & I just as we arrived at the townsite & helped get us back to the travel van for a little rest...
Chris made it about 3 kilometre or so up the trail before he packed it in - both he & Charmaine were still recovering from a bronchial infection don't forget. So, all in all I think they did brilliantly !!!
Chris, was quite pale when he finally got himself back to town - which I believe was brought on by a bit of dehydration & a lack of oxygen due to the altitude. Whatever it was passed soon after we got him some fluids & a little shade - so that was good!!
I'm happy to report that Christian, Mike, Sue, Emily & Jillian all made the climb successfully!!! I was sooo happy for them!!! It really is a huge achievement...!
Christian arrived first in just under 4 hours, Emily about a half hour later & then the rest of the family shortly after that (according to the climbers)..

My hats off to all of them - it was a very physically demanding adventure!!

Next stop the Maldives - so its a big travel day with a long ride in the travel van, 2 flights and a boat ride ahead of us!

The Climbers are all hurtin good - climbing the stairs in the airport just isn't an option today...

We left the Breetas Garden Resort at 7:00am for the airport in Columbo..
It took us about 3 1/2 hours to get to Suzy's Aunt Elinor's to drop off some of our gear and swap out some of our clothes for beachwear.
The highway was in good condition, but the windiness we experienced going up the east side was pretty much the same experience we had coming down on the west. I dished out a couple of Gravol to help smooth out the journey for a couple of us - but all in all it was a very scenic trip that followed a very rapid (white water) river valley.
Once we finished up at Elinor & Rodney's we were off to the travel guide office to settle up for this leg of the trip (this was the end of the road for the Guide & Driver). We were pretty happy when the bill came in almost exactly as quoted - just over $1100.00 for everything, including their meals & accommodations (whats that a buck a km??) another smoking deal!!!! It almost feels like we ripped them off (especially for the driver - Nalin). These fellas worked 12 to 14 hour day, not only driving us everywhere we went ( on the roads & under conditions none of us would even consider); but they scouted out places for us to eat & even went so far as to inspect that the Washrooms were clean before letting us go in...
Rest assured - we tipped them well!

Now that I've caught you up on that let's get back to where I am now...

Ah!!! - the Maldives..
The flight to the Maldives is quick - just over an hour! The Resort Guide met our flight & quickly transferred us ( by foot...about a block) to the domestic terminal; where we caught a Dash 8 that took us to Gan International Airport - which is where we transferred to a speed boat that shuttled us to our Final destination - Herathera Island Resort..
The resort is on its own 4km long private Island - which appears to be the norm in these parts. (There are 1100 plus islands to choose from...with less than 400,000 residents)
The Resort spans the island from tip to tip - but its less than a city block wide in most places..

What can I say? This is my version of paradise!

The Resort is about a 2nd or 3rd class hotel by Maldivian standards - but its absolutely first class in my books!!
Our Villa was about 1100 sq feet - with a lovely deck (beachside) and another one (roadside) that's enclosed with a 4 person Jacuzzi; a double wide chaise lounge & of course our shower..
Yep, our shower is outside (covered but outdoors) - in fact our whole bathroom was open to the great outdoors....
This is too much fun!!!!

Jacqueline & Avinash on their Big Day!

The pit stop in the Maldives was all we needed to get recharged for the second leg of the SL Tour...
We thoroughly enjoyed the Maldives & I left with a firm conviction to return one day and spend at least a week soaking up the serenity of it all.

We made it back to Columbo just in time for the start of the celebrations for wedding #2.

Once we reached the hotel we met up with Suzy's lovely cousin Karenza & her husband Scott (w/their wee ones Houston & Ridley). They arrived from Australia while we were in the Maldives. It was wonderful to see Karenza again! Chris & I last saw her while visiting her parents (Dolly & Desmond Don Paul) in Hong Hong in 1990 - she was 9 or 10 at the time..
We noticed a huge change in her since our last visit hahaha!!!

We all convened in one of South Asia's award winning Jewels the Kingsbury Hotel..(very posh; yet comfortable). Karenza's Father (Suzy's lively Uncle) Desmond also joined the party the following day - which really rounded out the reunion nicely!

The Wedding wasn't until 4:00 in the afternoon (January 10th) - which gave Suzy, Charmaine & I time to hit one of the more trustworthy gold merchants in Columbo & ODells; ODell's being one of the more popular Department Stores in town.

The gold shopping didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped - the jewellery itself was beautiful! However, the prices were absolutely outrageous! There are two pricing structures here in Sri Lanka and they make no attempt at hiding it. One for Sinhalese & one for Foreigners..
The foreigner rates are averaging out to be around 3 to 4 times higher ( sometimes more) & are applied inconsistently and so it seems rather ad hock by merchants & by the government equally. For instance while in Kandy (which I haven't gotten around to telling you about yet) we visited the Temple of the Tooth - the most spectacular of all the temples we visited in SL. Suzy, her Mom (Charmaine) & the Girls (Em & Jilly) were given free entry based on their Sinhalese heritage; yet her cuz Kirensa (who was also born in SL as well) and her Boys (Houston & Ridley) paid full fare ? Theres no rhyme nor reason - so we just go with it most of the time. That said however, the foreign rates applied to the gold bangles I was contemplating took them completely out of my snack bracket ! the price diffential was actually closer to 6 times the cost of what I anticipated..So - I left them where I found them.

Jacqueline & Avinash's wedding was lovely and probably the day most couples (Brides anyway) dream of having for their special day! The church service was very formal with the Archbishop performing the mass, which included the performance by one of the best choirs I've ever heard. From what I understand, this Choir has performed in the Vatican and several other international venues. I wasn't surprised to hear this as they were truly amazing!
The reception was a little different from how we do things at home & I liked it!!
They didn't head straight into dinner like we would of at home. Instead the Bride & Groom
Kicked-off the party by cutting the cake; which was then promptly sliced by the Hotel caterers and distributed to all the guests. So, we started with dessert - ya gotta love that!!
Then the Happy Couple started the celebratory beverage service by preparing a Champagne fountain. Which was promptly followed up by the formal speeches, the first dance & about an hour of lively dancing & celebrating - I don't think dinner came into play until sometime between 9 & 9:30.
One thing I've learned (many years ago now) is that the Sinhalese like to eat late! The night before the wedding we were invited to Sue's Aunt Anne's for dinner & the plates didn't come out until midnight...

We got started pretty early Sunday morning, well - early considering we were at a wedding the night before...
We were heading north east towards Dambulla Temple by 10:00am. Once there ( a good 3 hour journey) we climbed up to the caves that house the old Buddhas & frescos that date back to 1000 BC. Inside the first cave there's a rather large clay pot strategically placed beneath a water weep that drips from the ceiling of the cave. The peculiar bit here is; the source of the water has never been discovered (the location of the cave is at a very high elevation & there are no other water sources) and the clay pot never overflows - yet its full to the rim? Figure that one out???

Once in the caves - there are dozens of ancient Buddha's; all unique & in varying positions -reclining, sitting, standing; some with ornate headwear & some bald; some praying & some not...all wonderfully done & wonderfully preserved.
Unfortunately, Chris happened to notice one of the monks going across the courtyard and over to the wall - he ( the monk) looked like he was emptying out a garbage bin? We went over to see what that was all about & discovered the entire side of the hill covered several feet deep in garbage ... What are they thinking??? Sometimes the attributes associated with Sri Lanka being a third world nation can't be avoided.
Grrrr Moving right along....
That night we landed ourselves into another five star locale!! This one was called the Aliya Resort & Spa & was by far the Girls favourite location thus far! The infinity pool was (I think) the biggest attraction for Emily & Jillian. However, the place had a lot to offer & the service was top notch!! I don't know exactly how much land of property the resort sat on - but you can take my word that it was spread out over several hectares.

The following day we set off for the old capital of the King's - Kandy. Which I believe to be the second largest city in SL. This place is definitely the destination to put on the list if you're a shopper..! They have a large street market that I would have loved to explore given the time & I noticed several higher end Sri Lankan Department Stores as well.
However, we were here to explore the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic.
Yep! The Tooth - that's not a typo. This an ancient temple that dates back to the early 16th century.
The Sacred Relic of Buddha was originally brought to the Island & presented to King Kirthi Sri Meghavarna by Princess Hemamali and her husband, Prince Dantha on the instructions of her father King Guhasiva sometime between 301 & 328 AD.
The Temple is situated on the ancient Site of the Royal Palace, which both Portuguese & Dutch Dignitaries have documented visiting as far back as the mid 1600's...and now so have the Chiasson's.

That night we reconnected with Karenza & Scott in Kandy, first at the Temple and then later at their hotel (Cinnamon Citadel) where we joined them for dinner. We were hoping to spend a little more time with them while we were here - so this worked out well! They're such a nice couple & we got a real kick out of both they're boys; Houston who's 5 and Ridley who's only 2 1/2. They're on quite the adventure!! Tuk tuk's, Elephants & Monkey's everywhere: its a little boys Mecca adventure!

We checked out of the Tourmaline Hotel in Kandy - Yes another first class rest stop! Unfortunately, our last one on the tour. We didn't let that distasteful point keep us from soaking up the scenery of this hilltop Resort though. However, we couldn't just hangout here ... We had Elephants awaiting & souvenirs to shop for!!!

We arrived a bit later than planned at the Elephant Orphanage, as we inadvertently grabbed one too many bags out of the lobby when we departed the Tourmaline. Much to our chagrin we had to turn around as the guest that it belonged to wanted it back - of course! As such, we lost about an hour & a half out of our day getting the darn bag back to it's rightful owner.
Once we arrived at the Orphanage, more disappointment was in store: the tickets were posted in both Local & Foreigner fares. The variance was about $20.00 (2000 Rupees) per person & none of us had enough passion about seeing another Elephant to pay 20,000 Rupees to see one in a Zoo - so we decided to just move on!
I suppose it was just as well we did, as it took us close to 4 hours to drive the 120km back to Columbo. This is the norm here, but we never seem to give ourselves enough time on these road trips - so, this worked out for the best !
We made a couple of stops & picked up a couple of keepsakes and then headed to Aunt Elinor's to prepare for the long flight home.
Elinor prepared us a really nice curry dinner & then we said our goodbyes. We dropped Charmaine at her sister Gwendolyn's & quickly popped in to see Suzy's Uncle Winslow & Aunt Christine, then we scooted over to her other Auntie Manon's before heading for the airport.

As in all family visits - We are all disappointed that we didn't get to spend more time together - maybe next time!

Well the end of this spectacular trip has arrived & its indeed the low point of the vacation. That said, what a vacation!!!! This is by far - the most active & best tour I've ever taken!
Sri Lanka has it all - beautiful Beaches, beautiful (affordable) hotels, historical & exotic sites, the mountainous tea country (which the locals refer to as Up-Country & it is that!!!)

As with everything - there's always something that could be improved upon and for me it's the flights! I have gotten to a point where I truly despise flying & I'm not at my best come flight time...Chris & Christian took the brunt of that unfortunate grumpyness.
For this I apologize - I'll try to do better next time!!

A very special Thank You is due to my lovely Sister in Law - Suzanne Chiasson. Who planned/scheduled and booked this entire trip for us all. She did an amazing job & we are truly grateful to be the recipients of her efforts!!
Suzanne - Thank You so very much!!!!

Mike, Emily & Jillian please accept our heartfelt thanks to you as well ! What a trip!! We will be joyfully reflecting and repeating these stories for many years to come! We will always treasure spending this time with you!!!

To my Boys - Chris & Christian! I love you & thank you for everything!

I will cherish these memories always!!!

Cindy🙂🙂