i ain’t sari…

sri lanka is a very small country on the southern tip of asia. in fact, it’s so small, that on my world map it’s only labeled as #23. (i had to refer to the key to make sure it was the right country lol)

where the leading religion is buddhism (70%) sri lanka has so much crammed into such a small space. within my 4 day stay, i was able to see an elephant orphanage, many temples, and eat good food. i stayed in colombo, sri lanka, while this is the capital, it was still quite far from the other tourist sites. the first full day i took a personal car to kandy and pinnewala. this was a 2 hour road trip. (the roads were TINY two lanes, and the speed limit was about 55mph)

although i wanted nothing more than to walk up and touch the elephants, i can appreciate how they have not been trained and still remain and act in their most natural state. in both kandy and pinnewala are a number of places to buy souvenirs to commemorate your visit. i bought this leather duffle bag that i’m absoutely in LOVE with! all prices are negotiable! (don’t ever take the first price!)

kandy- temple of the tooth

the curb appeal of this temple does not do the size of the inside any justice! this temple was HUGE and seemed to go on forever. once you go in, you walk up a flight of stairs where you’re welcomed by a long line of worshipers waiting their turn to see the buddha and say their prayers. before entering flowers are available to purchase to offer as a gift to buddha. some people brought food to feed the monks of the temple. fun fact: whenever you enter a temple you have to remove your shoes (and socks if you have them)

tuk tuk

these cute little cars are a common form of transportation. there are plenty on the road and frequently stop more than welcome to take you wherever you want to go. they’re also fairly reasonable, but be warned that the base price goes up when the sun goes down.

ooo the food was so good!

the first picture is of this noodle dish. after picking me up from the airport, i asked my driver if he could take me to a local restaurant for something to eat. because it was roughly 2 in the morning selection was limited, but he took me to this hole in the wall with yummy food. i asked what this dish is called and he just said “macaroni” haha on the right is a traditional sri lankan dish called deviled fish. it was SOOOO good i can’t even explain! and spicy! it came with (not pictured) steamed rice

 

do yourself a favor and add sri lanka to your list of places to go! you won’t regret it! 🙂