Georgia – Telavi

Some observations after a week in Georgia:

Black is by far the most popular colour of clothing;

Both sexes have great hair but with a weird practice of dying it very black.  There was a smattering of bright red heads in Tbilisi mind;

It’s rare to see a smile, that’s what being under the yoke of Russian imperialism for 200 years will do to you. However, they really are the loveliest people.  

Very limp handshakes mind  

We headed away straight after breakfast again as we intended to stop at Mtskheta, another one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the and is located at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi rivers. 

We parked at the outskirts of the town – thankfully as closer into town the place we packed with tourist busses.  First stop was the Samtavro Monastery, a UNESCO world heritage site.  It was here that the Cappadocian maiden Nino, took refuge who bought Christianity to Georgia.  With her cross of twigs bound with her hair. 

From there it was a wander around the very touristy but beautiful town.  The main Cathedral in the town was the oddly named Svetitskhoveli Cahtedral another UNESCO world heritage site finished in 1029. The grounds were lovely with the roses in bloom.  We then wandered down to the river – nothing to see except the Jvari Monastery up on the hill. Our next destination. 


The Monastery was built in the 6th Century utop the hill with commanding views across the valley. And you guessed it, another world heritage site.  As with other religious sites we visited, the monastery was active with priests chanting mournful hymns.  The site was beautiful, contrasting with the dark thunderclouds storming in from the north. 

We drove to our home for the next 3 nights in the cute wine town of Telavi.  Dits preferred it over the main town of Sighnaghi which was a good call.  Our room was on the first floor of a century old, character filled house. We headed into town for dinner and to a 5 star rated restaurant picked by Dits.  I was getting more and more sceptical as we walked deeper and deeper into the industrial part of town.  The ‘restaurant’ was closed.  I checked the rating – 2 reviews.   Probably the mum and her sister. Back into main part of town with a bit of hangry brewing we found a place and after a salad and pizza plus a couple of games of cards; all was good.  Dits was also enjoying her nightly 2 glasses of wine.  I still wasn’t drinking.  I wasn’t missing it and being so busy during the day meant it made life easier.  

The next day the plan was to explore the museum and then do a wine tour in the afternoon. The lodging came with a lovely breakfast which was an unexpected bonus.  Fresh bread; tomatoes and cucumbers; frie eggs and some lovely coffee. Perfect start to the day. We walked into town – again noticing the large number of dogs.  We started off at the information centre but the three ladies in the stifling room were not a lot of help.  From there we walked across the road into the impressive Telavi History Museum. The walled complex contains the palace of the King (17th-18th centuries), which is the only royal palace that has been perfectly preserved in Georgia; the residence of King Archil II; the church built for Erekle’s son, Levan; a royal church (9th-10th centuries), the king’s bath, an underground tunnel, a wall, and the Ketevan Iashvili Art Gallery.  The art gallery was controversial when it was built – they basically dug it into the hill of the complex.  It contained part of the collection of a famous Georgian artist named Ketevan Iashvili.  She must have had a huge home or kept a lot of the art in storage.  It certain was an impressive collection. 

The palace was relatively spartan – it must have been freezing in winter when the temperatures in the area can get well into the negatives. There was also a school off to the side of the complex – nice to hear the sounds of kids playing which hasn’t really been a noise we have heard a lot of in Georgia. After spending an hour or so in the complex we wondered off to see the famous Giant Plane tree – a 900 year old Oriental plane tree. Not that impressive compared to the trees we saw in North America. 

We had booked a wine tour at 4 at a local winery called Sesikeli Winery.  We thought it was best to get some food in use before getting stuck into the wine so grabbed a feed before walking the 30 mins to the venue. Thankfully we did because it absolutely bucketed down during our meal.  It was still lightly drizzling for our walk but nothing we couldn’t handle.   The winery was a house – the grapes were grown a little way out of town on a 1 hectare block.  Our host Simeon produced the wine; and chacha in his house.  There was a Canadian couple there for the tour as well.  Simeon followed the traditional Kakhetian method, which has been used for over 8,000 years centred on the qvevri—a large, beeswax-lined clay vessel called buried underground. The process relies on natural fermentation and extended skin contact to create deep, tannin-rich amber and red wines, free from artificial additives.   The skins are kept on the grapes in the qvevri for 6 months giving the wine the orange colour and distinct flavour. 

The process is mostly manual – even heating of the skin over the corks to seal them.  Simeon produces about 6000 litres of wine and 500 litres of chacha (made from the grape skins, seeds and stems).  We went into a little room for the tasting and spend a lovely 45 minutes chatting and trying the wines and chacha.  Simon has spent 6 years in the UK in the mid 2000’s – there was no work in Georgia – driving a fork lift.  He could not gather the $10k to buy his way into the US, only managing $5k which got him into the UK.  The French couple, Valerie and Julien, were on a similar itinerary to ourselves.  We bought a bottle of the orange white (30 GEL) and combined with the 80 GEL for the tour,  great value for some lovely time with a local. We had a busy day of travel ahead of for our return journey back to Tbilisi the next day so headed home and watched a couple of episode of Widow’s Bay (great) we were in bed early. 

Another lovely breakfast in our BnB before heading off to the very cool Gremi Monastery perched on top of a hill.  As we were there early we had the place to ourselves apart from the monks who were chanting in the chapel.  After that it was a relatively short drive to our next Monastery – this time atop a lot more substantial hill with an incredibly steep road to get to it.  I have no idea how anyone could use the road in winter when I imagine it’ll be pretty slippery.  The Nekresi monastery was a functioning monastery with monks living onsite.   Again they were in the middle of morning prayer so we privileged to watch and listen.  The monks did not seem that enamoured with visitors though.   The monastery had a very old wine making area with at least a dozen qvevris so at full capacity they would be producing a lot of wine.  

After tha it was off to the tourist hotspot in the Kahketi region, namely Sighnaghi.  A beautiful town enclosed by a 5km wall with records showing it bing inhabited from the mid 18th century.  We grabbed some lunch and then wandered around the town trying to avoid the tourist throngs. We noticed once again the large number of Asian – Japanese and Chinese – tourist in Gerogia.  On the way out of town we took a slight diversion to visit the highly lauded St George’s Monastery of St Nino.  While we thought Sighnaghi was busy, this was a whole new level of busy.  I guess being a Saturday there were a lot of day trippers from Tbilisi. Certainly seemed that way given the huge number of large busses. The monastery was originally built in the 9th century but has a lot of remodelling done.  It is famous because of the many St Nino relics there.   Nuns are obviously much better gardeners than monks given the quality of the gardens. A really beautiful place and one that we would love to visit in a quiet time.

It was then a 2 hour drive back to our hotel in Tbilisi for our early pick up by our driver to Yerevan the next morning

Georgia – Kutaisi

We got up early to get out of Stepantsminda before the avalanche of trucks from Russia arrived. We’d already decided to give the Juta track a miss as the weather had completely closed in. 

The drive was a relative doodle compared to the journey up.   We still had to be very mindful of all the potholes and still encounted the holes odd truck but we did the journey in half the time of the journey up. 

We stopped at the same roadside cafe for a cup of strong Turkish  coffee ($3) and then back on the road.  Getting into this.  We stopped at a very Soviet styled city called Gori to check out the famous Stalin Museum.  He was born in the town as Joseph Dzhugashvili but changed his name to Stalin which means Man of Steel!!  Sums him up.  The museum was ok – a bit odd that the man was memorialised but hey I guess it’s a tourist attraction so brings the tourists. 

We had lunch in a local cafe and then got back on the road and off to our fancy room in Hotel Memoire in Kutaisi, one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It was pretty miserable when we go there but thankfully found a park right outside the hotel.   A slight hitch in that we had booked for the next 3 nights and not that night.  They found a triple single room for us and agreed we would move into our grand room the following night.  The room was lovely with views across the river to the town’s famous Bagrati Cathedral. 

We decided to head out into the miserable weather and find a cafe to grab a coffee. The main square was shut off due to the due to the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. We walked down to the very fast flowing Rioni River.  We found a cafe on the banks and sat and watched the turbulent water.  While there we noticed a cable car heading up the hill overlooking the city. 

So 3 GEL each later we were cabling our way up the hill admiring the views of Kutaisi.  From the top it was a 15 minute walk through some lovely old houses to the Cathedral.   The Cathedral was pretty busy – the front door was guarded by a couple of elderly female bull terriers shaking a begging plate at all those entering.  The Cathedral’s here in Georgia, while beautiful, are not as opulent inside as the South American ones. Thank the Russians looters for that.  

We decided to walk back the 30 minutes back to tue hotel as the weather had fined up.  Poor Deryn went bottom up on a slippery bit of road and was really lucky not to do some real damage. We managed to find a cafe nearby for another lovely Georgian meal. 

The weather was terrible the next day so after an amazing breakfast in the hotel we decided to stay close with any excursions.  We managed to dodge the weather to find a local museum that had a few interesting nicks and nacks.  It was then back to the hotel and our new double bedroom hotel suite to chill for the rest of the day. 

Breakfasts in Georgia are rarely before 830 so any early departures are difficult.  We got away at 9 and headed to the Prometheus Caves first which opened at 10.  The drive there was lovely although this is where we first encountered the Georgian habit of letting their livestock (except sheep as they are too dumb) roam the streets.  Numerous times we had to stop or drive slowly to get round a cow or dog that was sleeping in the middle of the street.  The grass verges were often full of horses, pigs and the odd goats.  Later in the trip we saw cows grazing on the grass growing on elevated barriers between the motorway!!

The caves were impressive although the tour group at about 30 odd was a bit too large to really get the best out of the caves. And for some reason the 300m boat ride wasn’t on – perhaps the water was too high from the rain. We were followed through the entire 1.4km underground walk by a trio of dogs. 

After the cave it was off to the Okatse waterfall and canyon. Google Maps wanted to take us cross country so after a couple of false attempts we decided to go old school and follow the street signs.   The waterfall was OK – the landscape reminded us of the Blue Mountains in Sydney.  There was a zip line offer which looked great but unfortunately we didn’t have the time. 

Next it was off to Okatse Canyon. It was a 2.3km  walk from the entrance to the canyon and then a 2km walk along the canyon.  Taxis were on offer -15 GEL each but we decided, somewhat unenthusiastically, to walk. It was a pleasant downhill walk (will be up hill back!!) to the canyon.  They had built a steel walkway long the cliff of the canyon so you could see the river 70 or so metres below your feet.  I know a few people that would struggle on the walk.  It was beautiful and definitely worth it. We thought about a return taxi but unfortunately we had forgotten our cash.  Good for the step count!

Driving back into Kutaisi, we passed huge, hulking ruins of legacy Soviet factories and decrepit housing blocks obviously built to house the workers. Must have been awful back in those dark days. 

It was close to 5 by the time we made it back to our hotel.  We were both starving so getting some food was urgent – basically breakfast and a bag of crisps was the intake for the day.   The great thing about Kutaisi, and our experience in Georgia, is that’s it’s never hard to find a decent meal.  Off to Telavi and the wine region tomorrow. 

Georgia – Stepantsminda

Dits had arranged the car rental to be dropped off at our apartment at 9am so we were up nice and early to pack up and be ready.   We waited curbside for about 10 minutes before the car arrived.  When we went to pay, we had a problem – he wanted $600 when we were expecting half the amount.  Turns out it was the car rental that Deryn had cancelled a month earlier.  The guy took it very well.  We then had to grab a Bolt to the car rental place that was expecting us at 10 (and whom Deryn thought was dropping off the rental).  When we got to the address, we could not find the rental.   We got a different location every time we put the address into Google Maps.  Very odd.  Finally, we got hold of someone from the rental who sent us a gps link – the rental was literally 100m around a corner. We went and grabbed some breakfast from the café chain Paul’s before heading off at 10am.  Interestingly the car was nearly empty – much like all the scooters in Sri Lanka that we rented.  We filled up (similar to Aus) and off we went.

The roads were OK although the drivers were very aggressive in their passing.  We drove to the outskirts of Tbilisi before stopping at a Carrefour to grab some essentials.  Then it was into the worlds.  We stopped at Ananuri Fortress which was a bit of a tourist trap – a Saturday outing for the locals me thinks. The fortress was OK but a bit too busy to enjoy so it was back on the road.  The road we were travelling on is called the Georgian Russian Highway, the only road link between Russia and Georgia.   We were warned that the traffic could be really bad and that the roads were full of potholes.  So far it hadn’t been that bad. There were a lot of restaurants on the side of the roads – certainly a lot more than petrol stations.  We stopped at a lovely café overlooking a river for a feed.  Some beans and the local favourite of mushroom Khinkali.  Quite delicious.  While sitting on the deck, a convoy of massive trucks passed us heading in our direction.  Damn. 

Damn indeed.  We were now locked into a nightmare.   It took us nearly 2.5 hours to travel the 65km to Stepantsminda.  The convoy of trucks was endless – thankfully only coming in 1 direction.  This wasn’t coincidental – trucks are only allowed to travel one way during set times to prevent gridlock at the many hairpin turns.  The state of the road was unbelievable – potholes big enough to destroy any car unfortunate to drive into it.  I have no idea how they are going to repair or upgrade the road.  Then there were the overtaking locals in cars who had the view that they had the right of way over anyone including oncoming traffic.  I was driving so would duck behind an overtaking car and hope like hell that we didn’t meet anyone coming the other way.  Some of the tunnels – used only winter – looked even more damaged than the summer roads.  Passing through the ski resort of Gudauri was interesting.  Loads of new hotels etc so it looked like it would have been busy in winter.   How the hell did people get there thought??  The hairpins bends were a nightmare for the big trucks. We finally made it to Stepantsminda, exhausted.  We pledged to do the return journey early to avoid the trucks.

Stepantsminda was a cute alpine village at 1800m.  There was a mix of run-down buildings and new builds.  The highest peak was Mount Kazbek (5033m) and Mount Shani (4,451m) so there was plenty of snow around which made it a chilly 6 deg in the village.  Our AirBnb was a cute little place – once again looked better inside than out.  We unpacked and then set off for a wonder around the village. The peace of the village was destroyed by the endless stream of trucks.  The Gergeti Trinity Church silhouetted by the setting sun looked amazing and something that we looked forward climbing to tomorrow – weather permitted. We had a lovely meal at the most popular restaurant in the village – Samani. 

Thankfully the weather was fine when we go up at 630.  The early starts are the benefit of our early nights. We grabbed a quick brekkie at home – not before I burnt all the hair of my left arm trying to light the gas heating stove.  We walked through the village of Gergeti to get the the start of the hike.  There was 2 ways up – we decided to take the steep way up and the less so down.  First stop was the Gergeti Tower (2100m) halfway up.  The views were stunning including spotting what looked like Griffon vultures ring the thermals.  We met a group of Japanese ladies on the path – have noticed a lot of younger Japanese tourists; and to a lesser extent older Chinese tourists, in Georgia. 

The views from the Church (2250m) were amazing. The church itself was beautiful.  Inside a monk was chanting – virtually all the churches we have visited have monk chanting continuously.  Must be hard work.  The journey down was less impressive than the walk up – we should have gone down the same way – but we were escorted by a couple of local dogs.  The dogs in Georgia are mostly wild, or cared for by the community, tagged with yellow tags and also castrated / neutered.  They are all big dogs and look pretty healthy.

We headed home for a snooze and then it was back to Samani for several hours to play som cribbage and have an early dinner.  We decided to see what the weather was like in the am to see if it was worth doing the hike to Juta as if it was raining there was no point.  When we woke at 6am it was miserable to that made the decision easy.  Off to Kutaisi.  We left at 730 am to clear pothole ridden roads.  Fingers crossed it remained that way!!

Georgia – Tbilisi

Day 1

This trip was a bit of a weird one because we really didn’t know until the last moment whether the trip would happen – thanks to the temperament of the US president. Thankfully the heads of the other Gulf states talked him out of it. So, after a short sleep due to an amazing Split Enz concert at the Tik Tok centre, we flew out to Dubai at 6am on the 19th of May. 

We had a 12 hour stop over in Dubai so headed to a hotel for some sleep before getting a taxi back to terminal 2 for our budget (Dubai Air) flight to Tbilisi. The airport obviously served the Middle East and Sth Asia as the crowd matched the destinations. Our flight got called so Dits and joined the queue. I asked Dits about the religion of Georgia – Orthodox Christian was the reply. We both wondered why so many of our fellow passengers wore turbans and veils.   Something wasn’t right.  I checked the board again – the queue we were in was a flight to Amman, Jordan.  Wrong gate!  By the time we got to our gate (thankfully only one over) they were calling our names.  Well, the easier one of the two – Bliss!!   Dodged a camel there.

The flight to Tbilisi was just under 5 hours.  Looking out the window, we could see a lot of snow in the highland of Georgia, but it was very green in the valleys neat Tbilisi.  It’s not mandatory to prove that you have travel insurance before entering the country – we were a bit nervous whether our bland Amex note would suffice but the very friendly customs girl just waived us though after the obligatory photo. Dits had pre-sorted the Bolt app, so we did not have to haggle with the dodgy locals trying to sell their cheap taxi rides.  The ride into the old town and our AirBnB took 30 minutes with Liam Lawson behind the wheel. It’s going to be fun driving around this country later in our trip. 

We had a bit of trouble finding our apartment – insert url.  We had a photo of the entrance however upon eventually finding it, it looked like it had aged 20 years.   While the building was decrepit – like a lot of buildings in the old town – the apartment itself was lovely.

From the inside!

We decided to try walk off some of the jet lag by getting our SIM cards and some cash. We headed into Liberation Square, a mere 100m from our apartment to sort. There was a lot of activity in the square – flashing lights on cop cars and a whole lot of building going on.  Preparation for Independence Day on 26 May when Georgia became independent from the Russian Federation in 1917.  It was ‘retaken’ by the Soviet Republic in 1922 and then reestablished independence in 1991.  They had another stoush in 2008.   Interestingly there were quite a bit of “Fuck Russia’ graffiti around the place.   We grabbed a couple of MAGTIC sims (about $30 for unlimited data over 1 month) but could not find an ATM. Every Bank of Georgia ATM on google maps didn’t exist. It was fine though as eftpos was everywhere.   I eventually found one while Deryn was browsing a local market.

We walked for about 14km exploring the old town. We were amazed at how many of the buildings appeared as is if they we about to topple over and yet people were still living in them. I would hate to think what would happen to the old town if an earthquake hit.  Fingers crossed.  There was also quite a few old, mostly tagged dogs sleeping everywhere, cared for by the local communities.  The highlights of the afternoon were the leaning clock tower in Shavteli Street; the Anchiskhati Basilica – Tbilisi’s oldest church built in the 6th century and the Bridge of Peace.  We stopped for a coffee in the very cool vegan called Café Leila.  It was so good we returned there for dinner.   

On the return home from dinner, we encountered a lot of soldiers preparing for the upcoming celebrations.  What struck us was how young they appeared and how all the tall soldiers were in front and the short arses at the back.  Interestingly they were all in camouflage fatigues.    

Day 2

Had a better night sleep so were eager to go but unfortunately nothing opens in Tbilisi until 9 am.  We had breakfast at Paul’s – a recommendation from the AirBnB host. Great omelettes and coffee. It was then up the famous Betlemi Street Stairs and 340 steps to the aluminium (formerly wooden) statue of the Mother of Georgia – she holds a bowl of wine to welcome friends and a sword to defend her homeland.  You realise that defending the homeland is a constant theme given the yoke of the nation to the north.  It was a relatively leisurely walk and was great for enjoying the view across Tbilisi.  Unfortunately, the famous Narakila Fortress was closed for renovations.  So, we grabbed the cable car down ($3.50 for 2) and after wandering around the very touristy Metekhi Church we decided to hike up the hill to check out the impressive Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi.  Also known as the Semeba Cathedral

The cathedral certainly was impressive.  It was constructed between 1998 and 2004.  The grounds are impressive although I hate that walking into the Cathedral you run a gauntlet of beggars.  On that note we have come across very few beggars in the Old Town.  Apparently, it’s a policy to move them on in areas where there are plenty of tourists.   We headed back to our apartment for a well-earned rest before heading down to the famous sulphur baths. We grabbed a couple of chicken Lobiani (pasties) for lunch.  Cheap and cheerful.


We tried to find the cheap public baths but decided to spoil ourselves with the private version.  For 150GEL (about $80) you got a private bath plus showers and an adjoining room for an hour. Also meant you could do away with togs. It was lovely although spending an hour took a little bit of effort.  Dits grabbed a 30 min massage after ($30).  We had a lovely early dinner at Makmani afterwards.  Eating out in restaurants here is a fair bit cheaper than Sydney if you keep away from the touristy areas. For example, our meal at Makmani – a shared starter, a couple of mains and 2 glasses of wine for Dits was GEL107 ($55). The food was particularly good.

We headed away early the next morning to walk to a famous backpackers called Fabrika which had been a conversion from a warehouse.  It was certainly very funky and looked like a fun place to stay. $30 for unlimited wine and shots for party games night.  We then took the scenic route to the Georgian National Museum.   

The museum was interesting – Georgian fauna was once remarkably diverse and included hyenas, wild cats and some massive boars.  The degree to which the country had been dominated by the Russians was confronting.  Since the 2008 exchange, 20% of Georgian territory is still occupied by Russia.  Russia is supporting the separatists in both South Ossetia and Abkhazia and has a lot of military bases there.  We head up to Stepantsminda tomorrow morning which is close to South Ossetia.  Let us hope the Ruskies behave. 

Sri Lanka (A.C) – Galle

We arrived at Galle just after 1 after a leisurely 1 hour drive along the coast from Mirissa.  The water got dirtier the closer we got to Galle. We drove past the fort and the Galle cricket ground on the way to our hotel Taavitti which got us all excited at the exploring to come.  Our hotel was lovely – it had been recommended by a friend of Deryn’s so we were expecting good thing.  Once again they put us all on the same floor so Taylor got upgraded to a nice double room.

We decided to get a local bus into town (probably about 2 km) so appease Deryn who had been wanting to get a local bus the entire trip.  You basically just flag a coloured one (not red as they are the intercity buses) and pay when you get off.  The bus was packed so we had to stand but we all enjoyed the experience.  Rp150 (75 cents) for the 5 of us. 

We wandered around the outside wall of the fort – every gun rampart on the wall seemed to be occupied by local lovers sheltering under umbrellas. We then wandered the lovely streets that were littered with lots of old colonial building that were now cafes or shops.   It had a lovely vibe and reminded Deryn and I of the old part of Macau when we visits there in 1996.  It was bloody hot in the sun though so we thought visiting one of the museums  would be a good way to get out of the heat.   We made our to the Maritime Museum (Rp350 each) and spent 20 minutes or so wandering around a rather dank and hot couple of rooms that were not being kept very cool by the 3 of 4 overworked fans.  So much for avoiding the heat – it felt cooler when we got back outside

It was nice seeing the famous Galle Cricket Ground which the legend Shane Warne rated as one of his favourites. So much so, the legend goes, that he contributed a substantial part of the rebuild costs post the 2004 tsunami.

We decided to head back to the beachside of the fort to an upstairs pizza restaurant where we could watch the sun set over the ocean while being cooled by the breeze.  We enjoyed a few beers and the usual game of 10&1 before ordering a couple of pizzas to share. It was lovely watching the sun setting and the literally hundreds of school kids – all dressed in pristine white uniforms – wander up and down the wall.  We noticed quite a few schools within the sort that appear to have 2 shifts a day.  We grabbed a couple of tuk tuks back to our hotel – we were told Rp1000 each which seemed reasonable until a day later we paid Rp300!!

The hotel offered to do us breakfast at Rp3000 a piece; a bit more than we usually spent but given the convenience we thought why not.  The breakfast was actually very good – not as bulky as others but certainly very tasty dal and chicken and fish curries.  We headed into town around 9 for a couple of hours before retuning to the hotel to chill by the pool and in our rooms to avoid the midday heat.  We headed back into town around 5 and found a bar with happy hour (not as cheap as the beach bars at Rp800 for a can of beer) and played cards again.   

We decided to splash out a bit for dinner so had a lovely meal at 1710; a lovely courtyard cafe / hotel that had an expensive gem counter on the way to the toilet.  The girls spent a fair bit of time exploring the stones without actually buying anything.   We grabbed some gelato’s on the way home to cap off an evening of culinary delights. 

Our flight out of Colombo was at 20 past midnight so we organised a taxi to pick myself, Dits and Taylor up at 7.  Conor and Amanda were staying another night was they were not fly in out until Sunday am.  We spent the morning chilling at the hotel before leaving all our bags in C & A’s room and then headed into town to explore the fort once again.  We were all struggling with the heat so after a couple of air-conditioned stops  – fruit juices and then balms before grabbing a small meal at a wind swept cafe. 

We decided to grab an early dinner at the hotel as we couldn’t face the great again so the hotel agreed to provide a seafood meal for Rp6000 each.  They sent someone down to the fish market to grab some fish, crab and prawns.  We had out last game of 10&1 – a double ton from yours truely and the our seafood dinner at 5.  The dinner was lovely but unfortunately it was spoiled by the plague of flies.  They were unbelievable. 

Our taxi arrived a bit early so it was a quick pack up; the usual challenges of using a credit card to pay the bill before a very sad farewell to Conor and Amanda.  Although the farewell to Conor was tempered by the fact he was coming to Aus in 3 weeks for Taylor and my party.  It was a 2 hour drive to the airport followed by various queues to get onto the plane.  Taylor was thankfully allowed into the lounge with Dits and I which was a bonus.   We then popped a Valium acquired earlier in the day from a chemist (Rp250 for 4) which knocked us all out for a good 8 hours.

My key takeaways from the trip were:

 – travel with your kids. It makes it so much more fun

– curries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

 – amazingly friendly people. 

 – preferred the hinterland to the beaches but that’s probably because of the summer heat

 – its not a place to go if everything needs to be tidy and organised 

 – the more you challenge yourself; the more you will get out of it. 

Sri Lanka (A.C.) Arugam Bay and Merrisa

It was a 3 hour drive from Ella to Aragum Bay.  You could feel the heat intensifying as we left the mountains to by the time we got to AB it was a steamy 33.  AB was in the same touristy mould as Ella just with that real beachy vibe – ie no shirts or shoes. AB was nearly wiped out by the 2002 tsunami so it was good to see it fully recovered – although there were still a fee half built hotels around the place – monuments to covid. 

As always it took a few wrong turns before we found our hotel, Beach Way.  Unfortunately it was not near the water and was pretty drank and dingy in the kids downstairs rooms – Taylor’s room did not have AC so we upgraded to another with AC for $A15 per night.  Dits and my room was on top with a bit of a sea view and a decent breeze but with no internet.  

We grabbed our beach gear – Conor also sorted a board – and headed to the beach.  The set up was like a lot of Asian beaches where hotels/ cafes have recliners in front of their property that pundits can use if they buy food and drink.    It seems the ‘German principle’ applied where people would leave a towel draped across a couple of recliners and then wander off for many hours but expected their chairs to remain theirs. I gave it an hour and then removed the towel and made myself comfortable.  I pleaded ignorance when a couple turned up later asking for their towel.  

It was a bit of a drop off from the cafe’s to the beach proper as a result of the strong waves. You had to be careful heading out for a swim as you could very easily get dumped. We spent a lovely couple of hours chilling before heading down to the far end of the beach to see if we could see Conor.    The southern end of the beach was for locals (swimming in jeans!) and surf beginners on foamies.  Conor had gone around the corner so we could not watch him.  

We basically spent the next 2 days just chilling on the beach; doing a bit of shopping, playing cards and trying different spots for eating. Conor was the exception as he surfed most mornings and afternoons.  It was lovely after the very busy time we had had previously and I think everyone enjoyed the relaxation.  On the Saturday night we were all kept awake by a nightclub that went to 6am. It was weird hearing the 5am Muslim prayers clashing with techno.  On our last night there we went cheap at a local buffet – A$20 for 4 of us as Amanda wasn’t hungry. It was Conor’s pick. The fish in the fish curry was so hard it was like burnt Vogels toast. We all survived though.

We all agreed that 2 days was enough and we’re looking forward to our 3 days in a much more relaxed Mirissa Bay and our ‘fancy’ hotel Ballena Regency.

It was a 5 hour drive to Mirissa so decided to get away at 9.  The problem was that first van that arrived to pick us up would not have even managed 5 adults never mind our baggage.  So we upped the cost by Rp5k to Rp35K and sent them off to get a bigger van. We chilled in our favourite cafe, Pono across the road, for about half an hour later before the new van arrived.

We stopped for lunch in a little roadside traveller cafe for a round of rotti’s and a curry for Conor.  Our hotel was down a tiny little dirt road but any sense of foreboding vanished when we saw the place.  It looked amazing with a big 25m pool out front.  We were checked into 3 massive rooms on the second floor – Taylor was upgraded to a double to keep the family together.  We organised bikes for the following day and headed to the beach. 

The beach set up was similar to AB with cafes and recliners all along the waterfront.  The sea was rough but very refreshing.   We found a cafe with a happy hour and proceed to get stuck into the Rp800 beers ($4) and a game of cards.  For dinner we ordered a whole fish off the iced display out front ($60 for 5 of us).  It was delicious!! 

After a great Sri Lankan breakfast in the hotel we grabbed our scooters (pretty iffy lot); filled up with petrol (well Rp500 each) and then headed to a beach known for having turtles about 20 min away. Decidedly average and not a turtle in sight.  There were a few tropical fish but not worth the effort really.  

Then it was off to Weligama snake farm – it seemed like we went via Colombo in miles of pokey little roads.  When we finally got there, it was closed.  Dits rang the owner who turned up 10 minutes later.  We had read it was Rp1000 per person so were a bit meeved when the owner said it was Rp2500 – blamed it on covid??  We agreed on Rp2000 each. 

The farm was founded by the owners dad to rehabilitate injured snakes and then release them back into the nearby national park. The process for the next 45 mins was he bought out a snake; if it was non poisonous we all got to hold it; if not he played with it in front of us.  We got to hold the following non poisonous – green trees name; a young and a 5 year old python and a couple a couple of ‘ can’t remember’.  The poisonous snakes were an adder and a cobra. The owner got the cobra to strike at hi numerous time – the trick is to remember the strike range of the cobra is only the distance that they are elevated!

We then intended to head to Secret Beach but a sudden downpour put paid to that.   We were all drenched by the time we returned to our oasis. We headed out to find some lunch but didn’t have much luck so headed back to the beach cafe’ and grabbed a feed there.  We were all buggered so spent the rest of the afternoon chilling back at the hotel.  We had a lovely meal at Mirissa Garlic for dinner watched over by frogs. 

The next morning I relaxed at the hotel pool while the rest headed off to Secret Beach, a small little beach that didn’t sound very secret. It was then back to the beach for happy hour, cards and some whole fish.  We mistakenly got 2 small fish instead of 1 large and found the meat to bone ratio a bit disappointing.   We organised a van for a midday pickup to Galle the next day, wanting to spend as much time as possible at this lovely hotel.   I for one, am exited at heading to a place with lots of history and things to see rather than beach life. I guess living in Manly spoils you as far as beaches go. 

Sri Lanka (A.C) – Ella

We had arranged for a local taxi to take us to Ella – agreeing on a minivan.  The first car that turned up was a 5 seater with barely enough room for us, never mind the bags.  After a phone call, a decent sized van arrived with a very friendly driver.   First order of the day was to find breakfast (breakfast in the hotel was terrible).  After a couple of false alarms we found an authentic local joint that cost us $A15 for 5 of.  It’s amusing how Sri Lankan’s have the same food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Hoppers / rice; daal, coconut mix and a curry.  And a dollop of very strong black coffee.  

We originally agreed to go via Kandy for a brief stop but after finding out it was going to add 2 hours to our journey we decided not to – thankfully as we heard it took 6 hours to get from Kendy to Ella.  Before arriving at Ella, we stopped briefly at a temple, bought some flowers and wished Buddha the best of luck.  The drive was spectacular once we hit the hills – made us a bit sad that the Kandy to Ella train was fully booked.  Tea plantations as far as the eye could see.  Once again finding our hotel – Misty Villas Ella was a bit of a challenge but we eventually got there.  First impressions were good although somewhat let down by the second bedroom in fact being a thoroughfare into the main bedroom.  So after some negotiations for we found Conor and Amanda a lovely room in a new hotel across the road (at half the normal rate for birthday boy Conor).

As per the new routine, the first thing to organise was the scooters.  Managed to get 3 for 2 days for $A12  per day.  After a quick swim we headed back into Ella and to Little Adam’s Peak.  First thing we needed to do was fill up the bikes with petrol – weird this practice of the bikes being empty.   It was a bit of a ride to the station but made pleasurable by a stop at a local cafe where we all had 2 vegetable rotti’s and a drink (for a total of $A7!!) 

The first thing that stuck us driving through Ella was the number of tourists – the place was swamped!!  Getting to the car park at Little Adam’s Peak was a bit of a mission on very bumpy dirt roads but we all made it successfully.  There was a massive club complex there that would not have been out of place at Ibiza – pools, bars and house music.  There was also a big swing ($25) and a flying fox ($125).  Certainly not the usual Sri Lankan prices. The climb to the peak wasn’t too bad with some pretty amazing views.  Ella is built around quite a decent canyon and its elevation keeps it a bit cooler which was lovely. We finished off the day with a game of cards,  a few beers and a western meal at The Barn to celebrate Conor’s birthday. 

Our plan for the following day was to cover 3 tourist attractions starting with the Nildiya Pokuna caves around 30km from Ella, then pop in to the secret waterfalls just around the corner before we visiting the Ravana Waterfall on the way back to Ella.  We drove past the Ravana Falls on the day to the cave and could see already it was a bit of a tourist trap – it was a nightmare by the time we drove past on our return journey so decided to give them a wide berth. 

We turned off the main road and followed a very windy track to the start of the caves.  It was $15 per person for a guided tour (not possible to do without a guide – we definitely would have got lost). Taylor was a bit ambivalent about entering the cafes when we saw the narrowness of the entrance and requiring to climb down 2 ladders.  We talked her into it but she remained very doubtful for the first 5 minutes as we had to clamber though some very narrow passages before the caves finally opened up.  The chambers were really dark – only our poor headlights providing light so we did not really appreciate their splendour.  The stillness was punctuated by the continual clicking of the bats in flight.  The rocks were slippery and in once instance I nearly slid over a steep drop.  We walked for about 800m before coming to the bottom of the cave which was filled with water up to a depth of 5 metres.  The water was that clear you would not know it was there until you stepped in it.  We all had a very refreshing swim in the cool water – definitely the highlight of the experience.  We passed 2 other groups coming down as we left which was a benefit of getting out early.  

After the caves we headed a couple of kilometres down the road to the Secret Waterfall.  They were a couple of fairly short waterfalls with some decent swimming ponds.  We all enjoyed the swim although there was something in the water that brushed against our feet and sort of nibbled on us – not in a painful way – that made swimming too long uncomfortable.  

 It was then back to the pool and some chilling before heading to the station to grab 4 return tickets (Amanda preferred some chill time) to Bandaraweta – about 20 mins away.  It’s called the Calypso Special train and it has 2 open roofed carriages so you can enjoy the beautiful surrounds. They even had a couple of local musicians entertaining us tourists with old legends like “Country Road”.  It was a lovely trip to Bandaraweta even if it took twice as long to get there – had to wait 20 min for another train to pass. 

Bandaraweta was a bustling town – the busiest we had encountered to date.  We had an hour to kill so went for a bit of a wonder around the town.  It was a hive of activity and we luckily encountered some sort of religious festival with energetic music with a load of woman ‘pulling’ a tractor which in turn was pulling a float.  Not sure exactly what we going on.  We grabbed a round of egg samosas before heading back to the station.  We grabbed some seats on the train but unfortunately we sat in the station for 45 minutes waiting for the non tourist train to depart.  Deryn went and got some drinks – tea for Conor and I and beer for her and Taylor.  The tea was undrinkable – the milk and honey – while the beer was warm. Anyway it was a fun afternoon.  We were all shattered so it was an early night.

We had a chill morning with Conor and I sitting in a cafe in Ella doing some stuff that required wifi (although it was shite) while Taylor and Deryn did some shopping – one small purchase between them.  Conor, Deryn and myself went and checked out the fabled 9 arch bridge.  A bit ho hum I thought – the drive on the windy roads was more interesting.  We had just returned to our scooters (around 200m from the bridge) when we head a train go past.  That may have made it more interesting although probably not!!

We gathered around 3 to head out to climb Ella Rock.  It was reported to be quite a tough climb so we wanted to do it later in the day.  We also thought, given we had scooters, bike to a spot closer to the Ella Rock trailhead to save 45 minutes.  We were all flashing low on petrol so there were a few nerves of running out – although as I pointed out it was 8.4km to the petrol station and a mere 8km return to our destination.  After a bit of going back and forward we found our destination.  It cost Rp100 each to park our bikes and after some initial directions we were off.  10 minutes in a local pointed out that we had ‘missed a turn’ so pointed us in the right direction – seemed he was heading the same way.  He effectively led us to the top via a few ‘short cuts’.   Looks like we had got ourselves a guide. 

The walk was pretty tough but it was beautiful.  Again we were amazed at the vast number of Eucalyptus trees. We literally walked through a forest of them. It cost us Rp930 (A$5) to visit the summit and enjoy the spectacular views. We then walked over to the eastern side of Ella Rock for some more spectacular view up the canyon and across the plains. The walk down was a lot easier – and quicker.  Deryn and I were remiss on the fact that we had not used our poles which would have made the walk a lot easier – and the reason we bought them!!

We all made it back into Ella without running out of petrol but decided not to risk returning to our villa before heading out for dinner. So it was a bit of a sweaty dinner but we were all so hungry it really didn’t matter.    We headed home all pretty satisfied that we had made the most of our time in this beautiful town.  Off to Arugam Bay tomorrow to another tourist hotspot. 

Sri Lanka (A.C.) – Sigiriya

I wondered down after breakfast to meet with Bob to arrange him to tuk tuk us to Sigiriya – I also took the opportunity to pick up some supplies.  Not cheap!!  We chilled around the pool until midday after which Bob took us to Sigiriya (about 11km) via an ATM and a local tourist store to buy a pipe – got one that Sherlock would have been proud of.  

Took as a while to find our accomodation – Cloudz Sigiriya – as it was out in the middle of nowhere.  The place is nice – just needs some more money to bring it up to excellent.  Paying was a bit of a problem as they didn’t accept cards and so had to TT the money using a very average internet.   We then arranged to hire 3 scooters for the 4 days ($14 per scooter per day) as we needed transport to get in and of Sigiria and to visit the Lion Rock and Pidurangal Rock.  Conor and Amanda arrived around 2 so Conor and I grabbed a lift with the ‘resort’s’ owner and went and picked up the scooters.   The scooters were empty so before heading home we had to fill them up with petrol – mine ran out just before the station but I managed to bunny hop the last 1km.  Filling both scooters cost $18.  

The famous Lion Rock

We headed home and picked up Amanda and Deryn and headed back onto Sigiriya for lunch / early dinner.  The food was quite different to that previously eastern – the noodles had a dollop of tomato sauce on the side?  After eating we headed over to Pidurangal Rock for the climb to the summit.  A bus arrived as we arrived so we made a quick beeline for the steps to the summit in the hope of avoiding the crowds.   The going was challenging but OK until we got about 100m from the summit at which point everyone had stopped.  It was a choke point between those wanting to get up and those that wanted to get down – both groups had to funnel through a narrow gap in the rocks.  After a few minutes and no movement I got sick of it and basically barged my way through having to do a few rock climbs; whereas after 10 minutes Conor shimmied up a gap between 2 rock and received applause when he made it to the top.  The girls arrived 10 minutes later.  

It was certainly worth the effort as the summit was huge with magnificent views – including of Lion Rock in the distance.  Getting down was challenging again but less so than on the way up.   Getting home was also a bit of a challenge as by now it was dark and we ended up driving long a very narrow and bumpy dirt road before finally making it back to our accommodation.  

We had a very average breakfast at the hotel – an awful fish curry, mango honey mix and diced onions and tomatoes soaked in lemon juice.  All topped off with a fried egg and loads of coffee.  We then spent the morning waiting for Taylor to arrive.  Poor thing had had a torrid time since arriving in SL.  Firstly there was a mix up in taxis to pick her up from the airport and she ended up paying for 2 cars.  Then the hotel had no air-conditioning and her driver to Sigiriya got lost and they ended taking an hour longer to get here after travelling a long way on dirt roads.  The ultimate insult was having to wait 30 mins for her room to get ready in a hotel that only has 3 rooms in use and about 6 or 7 staff milling around.  You think they would have had the room ready knowing that she was expected at 1.

Anyway she dumped her bag, got changed and then we all headed into Sigiriya for lunch – Taylor’s scooter had been dropped off earlier.  I paid one of the staff $1 to go fill it up – seems the practice here is to return the scooter on empty. We found a chilled restaurant and spend a lovely couple of hours chilling over some curry and beers.  The kids then headed into Dambulla to visit the Cave Temple while Dits and I spent a couple more hours using the restaurant Wifi to do some organising.   Dits thought it was going to cost us $400 to get a van to drive to Ella (unfortunately the train is fully booked) but we managed to negotiate with a company we found in town to take us for $150 including a 1 hour stop in Kandy on the way. 

We headed home around 6.  The kids turned up around 730pm after being forced into a detour because of some wild elephants on the  road.  The next morning we were up at 630 to head into town early to climb Lion Rock. While dawn is meant to be perfect,  the hotel concierge told us it would be very busy because of all the locals attending on a Sunday.  

According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle, the local area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (AD 477–495) for his new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Siṃhagiri, the Lion Rock.  The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king’s death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.  Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.

It was pretty busy when we arrived at Lion Rock but after purchasing our tickets (USD35 each!) we joined the troops making the journey to the summit.  Thankfully there were quite a few 2-way sections which meant the crowds were not too much of a problem.  It took about 30 sweaty minutes (certainly cooled a bit by the occasional wind gusts) to reach the summit.  It reminded Dits and me of a slightly less impressive Machu Picchu.  We spent about 20 minutes on the summit before Taylor’s stomach insisted that we head into town a find a restaurant for breakfast.

We found a lovely restaurant on the main roads back to Cloudz that served western food and had an espresso machine.  6 omelettes and 8 coffees later we headed back to our hotel for some R&R by the pool.  

We were picked up at 610am for our elephant safari in the Minneriya National Park.  When we stopped to fill up with petrol, our guide asked if we had the 62k rupees for the park entrance fee.  Deryn said it wasn’t necessary as we had paid it as part of our tour ticket.  So off we drove.   After a bit more investigation we discovered that we in fact had not paid the park entrance fee.  Thankfully Amanda had a chunk of change plus the guide chipped in 12k which was enough to get us over the line.  

While we only saw elephants over the 2 hours; we got to see a lot and some of them really up close.  There was a bit of debate whether the A$100 per head was value for money but Deryn pointed out it was putting valuable money back into the local economy.  The rest of the day was spent as per usual – eating in Sigiriya and relaxing around the pool at Cloudz. 

There was a bit of drama going on in the background as it was taking a while for the funds I transferred using OzForex to get into the hotel owner’s account.  He could not understand that it wasn’t coming from my account directly but via OzForex (when we checked in they could not accept credit cards – cash only – and we did not have enough cash so he suggested TT).  He wasn’t going to let us leave until the money cleared until the local hotel manager (Leel) agreed to act as guarantor.   What a lovely man. 

There was a bit of drama going on in the background as it was taking a while for the funds I transferred using OzForex to get into the hotel owner’s account.  He could not understand that it wasn’t coming from my account directly but via OzForex (when we checked in they could not accept credit cards – cash only – and we did not have enough cash so he suggested TT).  He wasn’t going to let us leave until the money cleared until the local hotel manager (Leel) agreed to act as guarantor.   What a lovely man. 

Sri Lankan mini-adventure (B.C.)

We decided on a Sri Lankan holiday as it was literally half-way between Aus and Sweden (where Conor now lives).  Like Conor (and Amanda), Taylor is also joining us for the second and third week of our holiday leaving Dits and I some time to travel alone.  

We arrived in Negombo on 24 July midnight (430am NZ time) after a pretty tough 11 & 1/2 hour flight. I’m still getting used to turning right when we get on the plane.  Deryn had thankfully organised a car so after grabbing some E-sims (USD10 for 125G) we headed to Mama’s Boutique Beach Hotel, about 20 mins from the airport.   

The 4.5 hour time difference meant we were up pretty early.  Had a swim and then breakfast in the hotel before walking into town to sort accomodation and our onward travel.  We really struggled with the heat (33 degs), probably made worse by the jet lag. A couple of first impressions was that it was relatively quiet (Sunday?); there were a lot of half finished abandoned hotels / houses – a legacy of the Covid crisis and a fair bit of rubbish.  And did I mention the heat – makes sense that the peak tourist season is November to April. 

We stopped for lunch and had our first authentic Sri-Lankan meal.  Similar to Indian but different – hoppers instead of rice, very hard nan bread (more like biscuits) and the curries are less creamy.  And probably the spice level is a bit higher and daal comes with everything.  We walked home for a swim and an afternoon kip before heading out for an evening walk and a feed. Lovely to be back in the hustle and bustle of an emerging economy.  

Our driver picked us up at 10am for our 3 hour drive to Anuradhapura.  We were both surprised at how long it took for us to get out into the “country”.  Colombo has a population of 650k out of a total country population of 22m – quite amazing how dispersed the population is.  We got a bit nervous an hour out when the driver kept changing gears (it was an automatic) and even one stage slammed it into park so the car stopped suddenly in the middle of the road. We made it eventually. It took us a bit of a mission to find the Emerald Homestay – it was on a dirt lane between a truck tire shop and a timber yard.  The owners were very welcoming and the room comfortable.  They had only opened the homestay earlier in the year, with the husband recently retiring from a successful career in banking.  Our room was lovely although we both agreed that a pool was a future requirement of any accommodation.

We optimistically headed out into the heat to explode the area.  The main street of the new town was a hive of commerce – a lot of banks, mechanics and Singer stores.  We walked around one of the many lakes in the area before trying to find a bike rental shop. Both shops shown on google no longer existed (again a covid casualty?) I was starting to get a bit grumpy so calm Dits took control and found another bike shop and magically a tuk tuk appeared to carry us to our mission.   The bike shop (Sun Cycles) was brilliant.  In no time we had hired bikes for 24 hours (plus a sarong for me) for USD20.  We then rode through the free part of the old town and visited a few of the many stupas in the areas (a sepulchral monument or burial building).  Certainly very impressive.  You are required to remove your shoes (and you have to leave them outside in a designated area and not allowed to carry in your backpack), caps and have your legs covered (hence the sarong).  Some of the religious areas are huge so after 3 weeks here we are going to have toughened soles (and softer souls!)

We spent about 90 minutes cycling around the free area of the old town before deciding to head home and grab some food.  We were returning the next morning to explore the ticketed part of the old town.  We found an air conditioned restaurant on the way home and grabbed some fish curry.  A mistake as the fish tasted way too fishy – a note to ourselves – only eat fish on the coast. Still it was only A$16 for dinner and drinks.  

We started the day with a hearty Sri Lankan breakfast.  Seriously it could have fed 6 of us. We then cycled back to the old town to explore the ticketed part of the site.  Anuradhapura was the capital of Sri Lanka from about 400BC until around 1000AD. Its also a major Buddhist pilgrimage site with many religious sites.  We sent the first hour exploring the ruins on foot before getting on our bikes for the remaining couple of hours.  It was all very chilled and as we were doing it relatively early in the morning, deserted.  We encountered a few tourists – mainly German and Dutch. Locals kept asking if we were German – German Turks perhaps?

We headed back to our room to chill for a few hours at which point decided that there was no point spending another day in  Anuradhapura as we had seen all we wanted to see.   Lovely.  We booked a couple of nights at a ‘luxury’ lodge in Dambulla – USD50 per night but with a POOL!  As a treat we walked into town for a pizza from PizzaHut.  At 4 we headed back to Sun Cycles to drop off the bikes.  We arranged for the hubby to take us to Mihintale – another sacred site on top of a hill with amazing views of the surrounds.  On the way we stopped off at an incredible tree covered in vines – over 1000 years old according to our driver.  

Mihintale was very cool.  I would hate to be there with lots of tourists (a benefit of being here in the hot season) as getting up and down the little peak would be a nightmare. The views were definitely worth the climb. We also had our first up close and personal encounter with the local monkeys (tufted grey langur) when one tried to get into our open bag.  Very cute. 

We got picked up the next morning at 9am. Deryn found that Booking.com had the ability to book taxis. $40 for a 90 minute ride to Dambulla. Things were progressing smoothly until about 20 minutes out when a motorbike turned unexpectedly into the side of our car. It took about 45 mins of quiet talking and some money changing hands before we were on our way.

The Sunduras Resort and Spa was everything we had hoped for with a lovely big pool and plenty of recliners. It even had a bar with seats in the pool. We relaxed for a couple of hours and then around 4 headed to the nearby Dambulla Royal Cave Temple and Golden Temple. The caves and their drawings are another national treasure and when viewed you can completely understand why. We explored the big golden Buddha at the base of the hill (covered in actual gold) before climbing the hill to reach the Cave Temple at the top. On the way we passed the usual assortment of flower sellers (to leave at alters in the temples); mango and drink stalls. We saw a few more tourists than we had encountered previously.

The caves were impressive – although again we were glad we were not there in peak season as some of the caves would have been very claustrophobic (and sweaty) with a lot of people in them. The views were also lovely – as was the cool breeze although Deryn and I both noted that we were becoming a lot more acclimatised to the heat.

On the way to the summit we passed a local who as per standard asked where we were from. As soon as we said NZ, cricket came up. He then told us that the Sri Lankan women’s team were playing Thailand that night at the intentional Dambulla CG. It was free as well. So after making our way down the hill through throngs of monkeys (they have very large incisors when growling!!!) we jumped into a Tuk Tuk and headed to the cricket. It was lovely and really impressive to see so many young girls in the crowd. Sri Lanka smashed Thailand although we left after 10 overs. It was a fun night.

We spent the next day basically chilling by the pool with a brief sortie back up mounting to enjoy the view before heading to The Uprising for a local meal. It was a Rasta themed outdoor restaurant that looked pretty run down but the food was really good. Given the theme of the restaurant it was hardly surprising the owner was named Bob. His family had lived on the property for over 100 years and just recently had to fight off an attempted acquisition by the local monks. We agreed that he would tuktuk us to Sigiria the next day to meet morning to meet up with Conor and Amanda!!

Yukon

The drive from Jasper to Grand Prairie was decidedly unspectacular after recent road trips.  I was still feeling very dodgy so Deryn did a lot of the driving.   Our stay in Grand Prairie was as uneventful as the town itself.  

We were away early the next morning for our drive to our cabin at Peace River, half way between Dawson Creek and Taylor. We arrived at 1.30, thinking it was 2.30 – we had crossed back into BC.  We were met by the German owner Rudi, who pointed us his wife Barb in front of our cabin.  She warned us that the mossies were particularly bad because of the rain – thankfully we did not find them to be much of a problem.  There were 3 cabins on the 240 hectare (which is 2 lots – land can only be sold in whole lots).  Our cabin was cute with the bed in a loft up a very steep ladder – would hate to try navigate it in the middle of the night after a skinful.   The ‘farm’ was lovely but lacked any animals.  We went for a bit of a wander around the farm – Deryn even got to see some baby ducklings braving the water for the first time.  I was still feeling unwell – my hives had all scabbed and were incredibly itchy.  The nerves all around my neck and left ear were really sore and meant I could only sleep on my right side.  Very uncomfortable. 

I wasn’t interested in doing much the next day except to drive the 40 minutes back into Dawson Creek to get myself some takeaways.  Deryn was convinced I was mad.  I found a Burger King and a liquor store to get Deryn some wine.  I was then heading home, eating chips with one hand when I again got pulled over by a cop.   I stopped immediately when I saw the flashing lights!!  He reckoned I was swerving all over the road – turns out it was a 2 lane road but with no lines.  I did wonder.  He then saw Deryn’s bottle of wine on the back seat and said that its a $190 fine for having alcohol in reach. Anyway he left me off with a warning after running my details through his onboard computer.  That’s 2 pull overs in a month.  I got a bit lost trying to find my way home but was saved by the location source in our photos.  We saw a moose walking through the trees but didn’t get close enough for a decent look.  

The next day we drove into Taylor to see if we could play 9 holes at the local golf course called the Lone Wolf Golf Club (an international golf course no less).  Unfortunately they did not rent clubs so we settled for a cup of coffee in the club house before stopping at the local ice cream parlour for a fix.  When asked the girl said the Peace Island Park was the local highlight. Jeez, we didn’t even get out of the car.  When we returned we did what we had been doing for the last few days, chilling and reading in the sun.  I needed it as I recovered from my chemical frying. 

Our plan was to head up to Whitehorse in the Yukon.  We had booked into some cabins on Muncho Lake, 90 minutes from the Yukon border but planned a stop-over in Fort Nelson, just over 4 hours away. We had booked ourselves into one of the many hotels that lined these strip mall towns.   The Lakeview Inns and Suits, was unremarkable but clean and comfortable. As for the view of the lake?  Not a glimpse. We were informed that our restaurant of choice had burnt down a few months earlier (Covid payout?) so we ended up at Boston Pizza – there really wasn’t that many to chose from.  Our drive next day to Muncho Lake was only 3 hours so we didn’t rush away in the morning.  The cooked breakfast was awful, partially saved by the crunchy hash browns. The drive was lovely, turning spectacular when we arrived at the south end of the beautiful green Muncho Lake (around the 485 mile mark on the Alaskan Highway).  An hour before, we had stopped from some well known cinnamon buns at a small campground.  The owner said how they usually sell about 400 buns a day in a normal season but only selling a handful at the moment. At $7 a bun, thats a profitable business!!

Our cabin in the Northern Rockies Lodge was cute, but unfortunately it was next door to a new cabin being built.  Maybe the reason for 3 nights for the price of 2.  The main building of the Lodge was impressive although looking decidedly unused.  It seems the Lodge’s current main business currently was selling take-away meals.  There were a few families in RVs staying for a few days but mostly the guests were Americans (military and coast guard) heading to Alaska and only staying a night.  Interestingly, Americans are allowed 2 days in Alberta, 24 hours in the Yukon and indefinite in BC!!  Not sure I am happy about that given what’s happening in the States and now that cases are flaring up in Alaska for the first time.  The weather was pretty shitty so we didn’t venture much further than the lodge’s ground. 

Next day we hiked the Old Alaskan Highway, a relatively easy hike 5km’s from the Lodge.  The start of the trail was not well marked, the first 100m not really looking like a path. After that it was easy to follow.  It was a relatively flat walk for the first 2km before a steep climb to the summit.  The views were spectacular – the emerald colours of the lake were almost unbelievable. We decided to walk down to the campground across one of the rivers flowing into the lake. We had been advised against it after the recent rain back at the Lodge, but it turns out it was a doddle. We bumped into a family from the Lodge who were heading out from the river side and gave them some encouragement.  The walk back along the road to our car was fine given that only 3 trucks and a car passed us. 

We played some cards on the deck and cooked our dinner for the first time on our portable stove and it was perfect.  That evening we walked a bit around the lake to another campground.  It was certainly busy with every site taken by an RV.  

Next day we decided to hike the Copper Rock canyon.  Before we got there though , Deryn insisted on using the portable stove to make toast inside the cabin.  Of course as the owner wonders down to check out the building work next door, the smoke alarm goes off.  I dashed off to the toilet and closed the door so Deryn could deal with him.  He wasn’t happy and said guests were not to use stoves inside!   The hike was a bit further than yesterday’s but not that far.  The real challenge was not distance but rather finding the path. You basically hiked up the river sometimes walking/hopping along the bank while other times it required climbing up over headlands. I felt like throwing it in a few times but Deryn wouldn’t have it so on we went.  We finally made it to the waterfall and even sat on the bank above it. I was very uncomfortable as the bank looked highly unstable so moved us on pretty quickly.   I stopped on the way back to put my head under the water – I lasted a few seconds and interestingly my gums ached for a while afterwards.   The weather packed in as we headed home so it was a chilled afternoon in the cabin before heading to the Lodge for our luxury 3 course meal.  For $75 each, it had better be.  The meal of the night was venison so Deryn and I had the vege option.  The mushroom entree was amazing, the main terrible and desert amazing. Not worth $75 mind.  The meal felt like someone trying too hard.  I reckon the Swiss owner has visions of grandeur. The BLT I had the day before was far better than our main tonight.

We were planning on entering the Yukon on 30 June, but thankfully someone in the office told me that you could only enter Yukon on 1 July if you were from there, NT and BC.  We were hopeful that our BC plates and insurance papers showing that we live in BC would allow us in. Otherwise it was back to Whistler.  We had booked ourselves into a another lodge that night an hour from the roadblock just south of Lake Watson where you entered Yukon properly.  South of that the Alaskan Highway moved in and out of BC.  

We decided to check out Bolder Canyon on the way.  It was about 5km down the road and basically consisted of a massive stoney, mostly dry riverbed.  We walked about 2km before it narrowed to a point we couldn’t be arsed.  The walk back was better because you could appreciate the scale of the river and what it must be like when in full flow.

We arrived at the Coal River Lodge at around 2.30.  It certainly was basic. The lodge was managed by two elderly women while their husbands managed the grounds and the garage attached to the lodge.  We asked about our bikes, one of the elderly men said that he was the local sheriff and so they were safe!!  We went for a ride until the mossies won so we retreated to the room and chilled before covering ourselves in spray to venture out to a nearby picnic table for dinner.  Again the portable stove was brilliant.   We were told that Leroy, a large male Bison, wondered around the lodge early evening.   Sure enough, around 8.30 Deryn spotted him 200m or so away. He gradually came closer and closer until we decided it was time to head out for a look.  When we got out back he was gone, however as we walked around the house we spotted him 20 metres ahead. He was massive.  What an incredible creature.  He walked onto the road – causing a rig to slow and drive around him without Leroy really noticing.

The next day we saw tens of bison.  The day started with a black bear, then a porcupine followed by bison after bison after bison.  They often grazed right on the side of the road so you could get within 5 or so metres of them.  We nervously approached the roadblock at Lake Watson but thankfully the elderly guard was very pleasant and our BC base was satisfactory.  We drove around Lake Watson (not worth it) and then stopped at a license plate momento. Amazing.  It was then a long drive to Whitehorse where we arrived at the aptly named Midnight Sun Lodge.  It was a large B&B with Anson, the owner and his mother living there.  We were a bit concerned about just having a bedroom but he assured us all the facilities were communal, including the upstairs lounge and kitchen as well as the same on our floor.  There were very few guests so we basically had the upstairs to ourselves – again most guests were Americans passing through. We grabbed our bikes and did a bit of a tour of the city/town which is now the capital of Yukon (took over from Dawson in 1953).  The place had the feel of a small northern Australian town with a poor indigenous population.  However it turns out it was Canada Day so everything was closed.  It certainly felt a lot better in the following days. 

The next day we decided to head out on our bikes and explore some local lake trails.  We stocked up and headed off.  It was a lovely day and very enjoyable riding along the banks of the Yukon river.  The Whitehorse dam was impressive, as was the wooden fish ladder which is the longest in the world at 366m – mostly used by spawning salmon. We then headed up Heartbreak Hill before hitting the trails.  Once again it was beautiful with the trails (being mostly blue) were fine.  We basically just followed trails to see where they would take up but after 90 mins we realised that we were getting tired and should head back.  A bit of help from some edibles and the journey home was a doddle. 24km in 2.15 hours.  A good day!  We ate at the kitchen dining table which was nice – curry chicken pie and salad.  We also got into the alcohol a bit which made for a bit of a late night.  Very weird being somewhere were it doesn’t really get dark.  The sun sets at around 1230 and rises again at 2.  Between then it was basically twilight.  

Next day was a chill day.  We also decided to extend our stay in Whitehorse and then head up to Dawson rather than continuing on the Alaska Highway as the Alaskan border was closed.  We headed down to the local museum for the morning. As much as I hate stuffed animals, they were impressive.  The afternoon was spent washing and writing and reading.   I also grabbed some Macca’ while Deryn had leftovers.  We climbed the hill out the back of the house which had decent views of the town.  Thankfully, again, the mossies were not that bad.

July 4 was spent an hours drive away in the First Nation town of Carcross (was originally names Caribou Crossing until a mistake by the postal service had it chopped to Carcross).  We passed the spectacular Emerald Lake on the way – the colours of the lakes in Canada are amazing.  The town itself was very indigenous.  We originally planned to do the Mountain Hero trail (47km) but after speaking to a couple of cops decided it was probably a bit ambitious – the 15km climb, having to walk through snow and the 19km ride home on the main road all combined to deter.  We decided to do the McDonald Creek trail which still required over 800m of vertical climbing.  As we started out we bumped into a local who informed us that the tracks were closed because of health concerns – arsenic leaking from an old silver mine.  However we continued on and saw no evidence of anything being closed.  It took us an hour to climb the first 5km and another 30 minutes before we reached the start of the McDonald Creek trail (an old bullock track).  We did a quick birthday video for Bex Sinnott, downed some peanuts and chocolate and then headed off down the trail.  It was obvious that the trail hadn’t been ridden for a long time as there were fallen trees and a fair bit for debris on the track. It didn’t detract from the buzz of racing downhill; making plenty of noise to ensure any nearby bears knew we were coming.  The views of the surrounding peaks and Bennett Lake were amazing.  After 7km the trail merge into Wayne’s World for a undulating ride along the lake shore back to Carcross.  25km and 3.5 hours and we were bushed.  We were also covered in little worms that hang from trees by a thin thread to be carried away by passing animals.

We bumped into another grumpy local who told us the trails were closed and it was signposted as such. We assured him there were no signs.  Seems like a bit of tension in the town which is a shame as the Carcross bike trails have been lauded as great collaboration with western capital and First Nation labour.  We grabbed a coffee and a blueberry muffin and headed back to Whitehorse, stopping briefly at the Carcross desert – a very large sand dune caused by retreating glaciers many moons ago.  We were in bed early that night as we were both shattered.  I planned on doing nothing the next day where’s Deryn headed out to Miles Canyon. She got caught in the rain but I think our car copped the worse beating.  It was covered in mud as the access road was dirt. She said it was lovely and I missed out. We were away early the next day as it was over 530km to Dawson City.