One of the highlights of the Sri Lankan trip was a daylong safari into Yala national park. Yala is located on the southeastern corner of Sri Lanka and is home to the most dense population of leopards in the world (according to a Sri Lankan published guide book).
The safari was a little surreal in the way that it's ran. Basically, the town of Tissa has become a mecca for touts running "safaris" into Yala national park, so anyone and everyone who can afford a massive jeep has one and rounds up tourists for daily runs into the park.
The park itself has an intricate network of poorly maintained dirt tracks that make for an off roading adventure in and of itself. Add some wild elephants, leopards, crocodiles, etc. and you have a pretty amazing experience, nothing to compare with an African safari but a good time all the same. The problem is that with so many tourists going on these "safaris" and such a network of touts, you end up with traffic jams of jeeps anywhere a leopard is spotted. One tout spots the leopard, spreads the word via cell phone and about 30 jeeps take off at break neck speeds driving like manics to get their spot in the traffic jam to see the leopard. All together an odd experience but one that did afford us a couple glimpses of wild leopards and even a photo or two.
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| Sunrise |
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| Kingfisher |
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| Iguana |
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| Add caption |
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| Mongoose wrestling...or something like that |
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| Baby monkey....now if he were only riding on a pig! |
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| Baby elephant |
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| Jeep traffic jam. |
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| Curd....or buffalo yogurt.....not too bad. |
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| Tea plantations. |
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| Temple of the tooth.....supposedly Buddha's tooth lives inside....in a giant metal box that is never opened. |
From Tissa and Yala national park, we headed up into the hill country. We had intentions of climbing Adam's peak, a mountain that houses a temple and amazing views after a 5000 step climb, but never made it due to the rain. Instead we spent some days visiting tea plantations then went to Kandy, the spiritual/cultural centre and second largest city in Sri Lanka.
There is apparently a lovely train ride in the hill country with beautiful views but unfortunately, we managed to choose a national holiday to travel and the train was fully book. So instead we spent four long hours on windy roads in the hills trying not to get car sick. The scenery was beautiful but we were both happy to arrive in Kandy and get out of the minivan.
Kandy is a lovely city with a large lake, some beautiful temples and heaps of people. We managed to do some shopping while there, as many American brands are manufactured in Sri Lanka and sold at dirt cheap prices.
We also had the opportunity to meet up with a friend's mom and brother who live in Kandy. It was great to have a nice home cooked meal and spend a couple evenings having good conversation with locals.
After Kandy, we caught the train back to Colombo to fly out the following day. All in all a great adventure and I plan to return in January to see other parts of Sri Lanka and attend a meditation retreat.
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We spent day one sorting out accommodations, lounging on the beach and catching a lovely sunset. We enjoyed massages on the beach, tasty Thai food, and some amazing views of rock climbers.
Sadly, at the end of day two I came down with violent food poisoning and would spend most of the rest of trip recovering. We still managed a snorkeling trip and boat ride to some nearby islands before ringing in the New Year with good friends, Miles and Karen who arrived on New Year's Eve.
The next day, both the friends I was sharing a room with, suffered from similar food poisoning. The ironic part is that we all can pinpoint the culprit and all at one point or another suggested NOT eating there. Alas, if their bathroom sanitation strikes fear in your heart, it's probably best not to ingest the food they are serving.
That said, the holiday was still a wonderful success and one last little get away before I leave Laos and my friends goodbye. 
