Sri Lanka

We arrived in Colombo on Thanksgiving Day and went to a cute sports restaurant to watch cricket...I guess I'll have to get used to not having turkey day. The next day we took a train to Kandy, were we strolled through a beautiful botanic garden and visited an elephant orphanage. Then we drove to Adam's Peak. We started the hike at 2:30 am so that we could be at the top in time for sunrise. I was surprised at how cold it was, but it was gorgeous! We visited a tea garden in Nuwara Eiya before heading to the southern coast. We stayed at Unawatuna for a few days, a small but lovely beach town. We walked into Galle one day to see the fort area. Their cricket ground was completely destroyed by the tsunami. In fact, most of the area is still rebuilding and recovering. It was quite sad to hear some of the stories from the people who live there. We biked around the nearby towns one day and visited a turtle sanctuary. Dylan spent an afternoon trying to teach me how to play cricket...I think I have a long way to go! We wanted to stay at the beach longer, but the weather was really bad so we decided to fly out a few days early...I think we're both quite anxious to get to Australia now!
Sri Lanka is cleaner than India (fewer cows may have something to do with it). The people seem to be friendlier...We didn't get hassled as much when we walked around to explore cities. It has gorgeous mountains, beaches, and loads of palm trees! Dylan thinks it's paradise, but I'm still sticking with Ko Phi Phi as the most beautiful place on earth.

So, I'm back in Bangkok for the 5th time! I definitely know my way around Thailand at this point. I'm leaving tomorrow for Australia...I can't wait!! I can't believe it's December already...Where has all the time gone?! I'm so excited to start setting up my life in Melbourne. I'll be sure to post an update on my holidays "down under"!