WE HEART SRI LANKA! (Day 4)

2-20-14

 We became a 

GROUP DIVIDED

once again, when a.k.a. the jocks

decided to 

"CLIMB THE ROCK" in SIGIRIYA,

and a.k.a. the smart ones

decided to go relax and get a massage at a spa!

Here's what a.k.a. the jocks saw....

Meanwhile, we 
(a.k.a. the smart ones)
arranged for two tuk tuks to take us to the spa.

On the trip there we passed monkeys,

and elephants along the roadside!

We arrived at the

ATHREYA SPA

having absolutely no idea what to expect!

It was the most serene place we'd ever seen!

We were quietly greeted 
and our spa options were explained.

We left our shoes outside,

entered our little rooms, and received the

best massage and facial 
known to mankind!

(And the oil -- man, did they believe in therapeutic oil!)

I was the first to finish and was led to this

relaxation room which was

filled with sounds of rustling leaves,

birds chirping,

and raindrops falling!

(It was quite the magical setting.)

Before long,
 I was joined by the remaining

a.k.a. the smart ones,

and we shared an OMMMMM moment together.

(I know, I know.  We were each an oily mess, to be sure!)

Our relaxation ended abruptly when we noticed the time.

We were scheduled to leave the hotel at 1:00 PM and 

WE WERE GOING TO BE LATE!

So we jumped into our waiting tuk tuks...

....and joined a.k.a. the jocks back at the hotel.

We packed up the bus,

bid adieu to Sigiriya, and started our journey to

COLOMBO.

But first, we stopped for lunch at a delightful restaurant!

Here's WENDY ringing the bell before entering!

Next on the agenda was a stop at the 

BATIK SHOP.

We learned all the steps taken 
to make batik...

...and then it was time to

SHOP TIL WE DROPPED!

(Which we all did very successfully!)

This was the last stop of the day.

We proceeded to get on the bus for a 

FIVE HOUR BUS TRIP

to 

COLOMBO.

We enjoyed the sights along the way...

...but we actually enjoyed the "along the way" the best!

Our dear YVONNE,

(you know, our resident bartender),

declared it was high time for cocktails!

(If she looks a little blurry it's because she actually was!)

(If we look a little blurry, it's because we actually were!)

For hours

we blared our music

(Thanks, KATHLEEN, for your songs and your speaker!)

and danced in the aisle of our bus!

(Thanks, YVONNE, for your songs as well!)

We even got HARSH to join in the fun!

Can you even imagine

what people thought of us rolling down the streets of 

SRI LANKA? 

(I'm sure they thought we were a bus full of teenagers!)

We made it safely to 

COLOMBO,

(Thank you so much, LUCKY!),

and somehow managed to get dressed 
and gather for dinner!

Oh what a memorable trip it was, it was.

The streets we traveled will never ever be the same!

GOOD NIGHT, SRI LANKA!

WE HEART SRI LANKA! (Day 3)

2-19-14

Back on the bus with our favorite guys,

AROSH, LUCKY and HARSH,
our first stop of the day was at a Hindu temple.

It was big, it was bright, and it was beautiful!
(And perhaps it was a bit on the gaudy side!)

We all stood dutifully in line to get
 a dot placed on our foreheads!

Ahhhh, we were official at last!
(Official what, I'm not really sure!)

Next up was the
GOLDEN BUDDHIST TEMPLE,

where we saw lots and lots of MONKEYS,

and lots and lots of MONKS,



and stood in line for a stinky, stinky bathroom,
(Sorry, but it's a memory!)
and figured out a way to get our picture taken
without turning our backs to the
BUDDHA!
(Which is strictly prohibited!)

Back on the bus...
(Take note of our new fresh flowers, courtesy of HARSH!)

...we enjoyed the sights along the roads.

Suddenly, 
YVONNE, 
(our resident bartender),
noticed that it was after 10:30 AM and
quickly declared it to be
time for
COCKTAILS!

At the next stop, our little group split up.
KATHLEEN, YVONNE, DARLENE, YOSHITA and AMY,
(a.k.a. the jocks),
chose to walk all the way up to the
CAVE TEMPLE DAMBULLA.
Here is what they saw on their journey...

Meanwhile,
SHERRY, CAROLINE, WENDY and I,
(a.k.a. the smart ones),
decided to take the easier route.
We road the bus halfway up the mountain and then
started up the staircase.
After several steep flights, we all agreed to return to the
waiting, air-conditioned bus!
(It was HOT, people!)
Although we have no photos to prove it,
we enjoyed ourselves immensely 
and solved 
many a world problem
while waiting on the return of our friends, the jocks!
And, just like that, it was time for lunch!

This little girl took a liking to our
YOSHITA!

AROSH,
(who had gotten to know us well by now),
made a stop after lunch for us to
SHOP TIL WE DROPPED!

We raced inside the store 
 filled with bright, tantalizing items.

We ascertained immediately that it was way too expensive, 
so we were out in a flash!

And off we went!
We didn't get far when we noticed that 
DARLENE and AMY
weren't on the bus with us!
W.H.A.T.????
OMG, we left them stranded at an
expensive shop in
SRI LANKA!
Don't you worry though -- LUCKY turned that bus around
and we picked them up pronto!
They were laughing; we were laughing;
and we are all 
still laughing about it!
(We love you, DARLENE and AMY!)

You can be sure that, from that moment on,
AROSH, LUCKY and HARSH
counted each one of us 
each time we got on and got off of that bus!

Our next adventure was a surprise!
Let's just say, it involved 
BULLOCKS.
(Thanks, Caroline, for finding out what those animals were!)

We piled into two carts that were 
pulled by BULLOCKS
and went off roading down dirt paths 
to who knows where!

The "who knows where" ended up being
a lake where we were 
given life jackets and helped onto a boat!
(The adventure continued!)

One of the two boat paddlers made
 necklaces for each of us
out of 
beautiful water lilies!
(Needless to say, we were all quite impressed!)

We were all still perplexed....what next?
After walking along a path, 
and crossing over a stream on some mighty slick boards,
we found ourselves under a tree house.
This was the 
SIGIRIYA TRADITIONAL VILLAGE TOUR!

A delightful couple live a
traditional lifestyle
out in those magnificent woods,
where they pull on a cord that initiates a loud banging
to scare away wild elephants!



They invited us into their home
where they showed us how they cook, 
what they eat,
and how they survive!
It was an absolutely awesome afternoon with these folks!

The icing on the cake, however, 
was when a rainstorm swept through
while we sat under the modest, thatched (leaking) roof!
You know you live in Dubai when you swoon when it rains!
(We swooned!)

We were fed some delightful
homemade food,

and savored our last moments with these fine people!



On our way out,
SHERRY
became one with a young papaya tree.

And
YVONNE 
successfully maneuvered her way
across that slick, wet bridge over the water.

Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky!
My slippery shoes deceived me and 
I landed smack dab in the middle of a mud puddle!
Would you believe that little man
came rushing over with a bucket of water to wash me off!
OH MY GAWD!!




Two colorful tuk tuks were waiting to take us back
to our bus in the pouring rain!

We cleaned up, 
enjoyed a drink or two,
and shared a wonderful dinner together!

It was yet another fine day!

GOOD NIGHT, SRI LANKA!