Saturday 18 th

If you thought that driving a tuktuk was a bit of a cop out and an easy life, think again. It's far more demanding than riding a motorcycle. Today was the first day of the tour setting of at 8 am, and getting to the destination about 3:30 pm. Part of the tour is completing some challenges along the way, I decided that just driving was challenge enough. I got lost and seemed to be driving in circles on some very Bushy tracks for about 30 mins before getting back on the right road. Then nearly running out of fuel, luckily another person from the group showed me the reserve and gave me a bottle of fuel. Saw my first elephant but disappointingly it was rummaging through the garbage dump. So off for a swim and a beer to cool off.

Friday pm

Briefing and tuktuk training this morning all went well, driving is fairly straightforward but manoeuvring is not so, as the rear tends to cut the corner and you have to allow for that.

Had a swim and now relaxing by the pool with a cold beer. Back massage booked for this afternoon then group dinner tonight, it's good to just sit back for a while as it will be full on tomorrow.

Friday 17th

I'm having breakfast in the luxurious Aila resort, not the sort of places I usually stay at. The temp is not too high yet the humidity is and I'm sweating just sitting here and relaxing after my dramas yesterday.

Thursday 16th travel to Sigiriya

 This morning I visited the Petah market, the Dutch museum and the maritime museum, I thought they would be interesting, but I was disappointed in all of them, It filled in the morning before I caught the train to Habarana.

Well as you have probably gathered my day didn't start too well. It didn't get any better as I missed the stop at Habarana and had to go to the next stop and wait for the next train back 90 mins later. 

As I writing this I'm on the train and hoping to get to my hotel by 11pm.

I got to the station and the hotel had arranged a tuktuk to pick me up and a meal when I get there. Hotel check-in, shower, meal & a beer by 11:20.

All's well that ends well 🙂😵‍💫🙂 no photos tonight though.

Day tour to Galle

 The hotel is old and not flash, but everything is functional and the food and service is good, a lot better than you would expect for a cheap hotel. Breakfast was spicy omelet and a spicy fish roll unusual but tasty.

After a couple of days touring in both a tuktuk and car I realise that driving a tuktuk is not going to be a simple matter. Like India the roads are madness with vehicles moving in all directions,  but I'm up for the challenge.

Today's tour to Galle was good. Excellent driver, spoke good english and did the things that we wanted to do. There was the almost mandatory temple visit. But after that we traveled down the coast visiting various attractions turtle sanctuary, a herb farm where when asked if I had any pain he took some balm (sandalwood and 22 other ingredients) off the shelf and massaged my sore back. Moonstone mine, beachside restaurant.

We then visit a memorial for the victims of the boxing day tsunami, I didn't realise that it had hit the West coast as well, very sad. there are many houses along the road that are just left from the tsunami as there is no one left to claim them.

Further south we visit the beach where the Stilt fishermen fish, and stay here for the sunset, then one more stop at a scenic lookout and then hit the highway for Colombo, where my driver also offered to take me to a Sri Lankan takeaway to get some dinner as it was past 9pm before we got back.

evening 14th April

Good evening out touring colombo, taking in the sights and tasting the different food. I tried to remeber all of the names of the food, but failed. the thing I enjoyed most was the tea tasting, with a good description of all the differnt types. getting late and being 2.5 hrs behind Perth, Ive had a long day.

 Arrived ok but my back is quite sore, hopefully it will ease up as I get going. 

Got through airport ok, new SIM, change money and got on the airport to Colombo bus. 1 hr, I Think they ripped me off a little by charging an extra fare for my bag. Total 650 r = $3.25, so not too worried about that, taxis were asking US$20. Bus isn't too flash but what do you expect for $3.25.

Checked in to the Columbo Grand Oriental Hotel, which isnt as grand as it sounds, built in 1875 and modified a few times since, but the room is ok for a couple of nights, resting up a bit before my evening out for my Sri Lankan food tour.

Sri Lanka Tour

 Next week I'm off again, my Sri Lanka adventure will start with a Local Food Tour tasting many of the local dishes in Colombo, then a Day tour south to Galle. Next will be a train trip to Sigiriya, where I will be joining a 9 day tour driving my own Tuk-Tuk. It starts with an afternoon of training in Sigiriya before heading out east to Arugam Bay, looping back west through the hill country "The Best of Central Sri Lanka" before heading towards the end of the tour on the western coast in Kammala, with new experiences, cultural immersion and hopefully a lot of fun.

Update After Trip

Well my ankle is actually broken... I was lucky that it was a clean break of my fibula and that I was able to walk on it, (it was a bit more like a hobble), and was able to see Victoria Falls.

It was still a great trip on which I covered over 5000 km much of which was on sandy dirt roads, admittedly I would not have taken on this trip had I known beforehand that there was so much sand, but I was not the only rider who hadn't ridden on these types of roads before, and the guide gave us much assistance and instruction on how to tackle these roads, we were eased into this sort of riding and by the end were confidently travelling hundreds of km each day on these crappy roads.

here are a few additional photos from the trips last day