WE HEART SRI LANKA! (Day 2)

2-18-14

You must know, 

that between all of us,

 we took thousands of pictures on this trip.

On top of that, 

(because we are who we are)

we didn't necessarily stick to the original itinerary.

In addition,

I can't remember what I did yesterday, 

so to recreate each moment as it transpired is way beyond

my capabilities (and desires)!

So here you have it,..our days in SRI LANKA as best as I can recall!!!

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise,

and a funny sign on our hotel window!



When we boarded the bus our main man, 
HARSH,
presented each of us with a beautiful flower! 
(We could sure get used to that!)

Our first stop (I think) was the

GEM MUSEUM,
where several amazing pieces were purchased!
(Not by me!  Not by me!)



We learned about the precious stones,
how they are cut and what each gem represents.
(If only I could remember it all!)

After that,
 we arrived, bright eyed and bushy tailed, at the 

KANDY TRAIN STATION...

...where we boarded the
next train to
NANUOYA.

Look closely and you will get to see 
KATHLEEN and SHERRY'S
"condom fingers!"
(Sorry, it's just something I don't want to forget!)
We enjoyed a great train ride,

and a fun walk about town!

Our dear YOSHITA
purchased some fresh coconuts...

...and we all shared a drink,

...and a bite or two or three!
OH YUM!
(Who knew fresh coconut didn't taste like coconut?)

LUCKY drove our bus to town, 
so we boarded it once again and headed to the 

TEA FACTORY!
It was a scenic ride along the winding roads
through the rolling hills!

We just never knew what we would see
perched on those mountain tops!

We arrived safely,
(thank you, LUCKY!),
and lined up eager for our next tour!

We had a darling young guide who walked us through 
all the steps of how tea is processed.

After taking a tour through the factory,
we enjoyed a fabulous lunch 
overlooking the lush fields of tea plants.
(It felt like we were at a winery -- without the wine!)

It was awesome
riding along the rolling fields after lunch.
It was even more awesome stopping and talking with
one of the workers!
(Oh and, of course, getting yet another photo taken!)

AROSH 
gave us good information along the way 
as we continued our drive.




This was a common sight along the roadsides,
since education is mandatory in
SRI LANKA.
Kids in nice, crisp white uniforms were everywhere!

And the people there were sooooo friendly,
always ready to share a smile!

Soon it was time to travel back to 
KANDY,
and you know what that meant.....
yes, it was time once again for cocktails!

We made it back just
 in the nick of time to attend a
SRI LANKAN CULTURAL EVENT.
And wow, was it ever fun to watch!

We arrived back at the hotel
exhausted after yet another busy day. 
Luckily,
KATHLEEN and WENDY 
(our gracious hostesses for the evening) 
officially declared it to be
"Open Bar Night."

CHEERS to SRI LANKA!

OOPS!

Oh dear,
was it ever a memorable evening!!!
GOOD NIGHT, SRI LANKA!