In the summer of 2017 I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is an island country south of India in the Indian Ocean. It is often referred to as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, or the Teardrop of India. Getting there wasn’t easy (3 flights, 26 hours), but it was definitely worth the trip!
I flew in and out of the international airport in Colombo. I arrived late at night, so didn’t see much on the way to the hotel. The first night was spent in Negombo, at a hotel on the beach. The view when I woke up on day two was wonderful. I spent about 30 minutes just sitting outside, taking in the view and clicking pictures. Then it was time to get ready for my Sri Lankan adventure to begin.
The adventure began with eating a traditional breakfast. If you know me, you know I am a picky eater and not into seafood. Well, the breakfast was coconut rice and fish. It wasn’t my favorite. After breakfast it was off to my most anticipated destination of the trip – Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
It was about a 3 hour drive, and unfortunately I got sick on the way there. But, seeing the elephants really raised my spirits. In order to pay for the care and well-being of the 88 elephants at the orphanage, all visitors must pay to visit.
At first we looked at elephants in the open area of the orphanage where they are free to roam. There are handlers around, should the animals start to head into the visitor area. One elephant did so while I was there, and it just took a loud noise from a handler to remind the elephant of its correct spot.
Next I headed down to the river, where the elephants have their daily bath. Watching an elephant bath time was an amazing sight. The elephants are brought to the river down the same street the tourists walk down. By the river there are a couple of restaurants on the water, the perfect spot to sit and watch them bathe. While there is certainly money being made off this daily pilgrimage, it was nice to see these orphaned elephants living a good life.
After visiting the orphanage, it was on to Sigiriya. Arriving in Sigiriya, we checked into the Aliya Resort and Spa. This was a wonderful resort, very family friendly, with plenty of activities to take part in on site. If you find yourself in Sigriya, I highly recommend this hotel. It was a long day of driving, and I still wasn’t feeling so great, so I called it an early night. I had to rest up to explore Sigriya in the morning.
