Our stay in Sri Lanka didn't really follow one distinct route - and I've been abit sloppy on updating the blog with a full month worth of exploring to chronicle.
So, to hopefully make it less of a slog to read, I've dipped into a skill honed at Schools Week to tell the story via a listicle ...
Trekking in picture-perfect Ella (and make sure to take the train)
After a short flight across the Indian sea we arrived at Colombo, the bustling capital of Sri Lanka. Our stay was short-lived, as we were due to head back here to meet Freya's family in a few weeks, but we were lucky enough to bag a seat on the overnight train to Ella. It's said to be one of the most scenic train journeys in the world.
We could see why as our train meandered through deep-green hills, revealed as the rising sun swept away the clinging mist.
After ten or so hours (we had a sleeper carriage in first class, but the rickety train meant most our time was spent clinging on from being thrown out of the bed) we arrived at the tiny, quaint station of Ella. So tiny, in fact, we had to leap down from the train straight onto the tracks because it had run past the platform..
We unpacked our hiking shoes for the first time and spent most of the three days trekking around the hill country village.
First was Little Adam's Peak (more on 'big' Adam's Peak later). While the walk was pretty simple, stairs dug into the rock led most of the way, the views were breathtaking.
The peak also gazes across to Ella Rock - a much harder trek, which we took on the following day.
We also stopped by the picturesque Nine Arch Bridge on the way back to our guesthouse.
Excited after our warm up, we got up early doors to take on Ella Rock. The trek didn’t have such a clear route but, after wandering into some tea plantations and wading through a sea of head-height reeds, we made it around two hours later.
2. Munching through every type of rotti on the menu
Also in Ella we got our first taste of the famous Sri Lankan rotti.
It's basically a type of bread which comes in lots of different tasty, and super cheap, combinations - rolled up with coconut and honey, chopped up with veg and meat, rolled into a samosa shape stuffed with goodness (the best ones are brought round by sellers while you're on buses or trains for like 20p each) .. The list goes on, but we sampled pretty much all of them.
The below picture shows kattu rotti (top), and a honey and coconut rotti (bottom)
3. The beaches are Amazing, and there are so many hidden beauties
Having travelled (or, maybe better described as survived) two months in India, we couldn't wait to wind down on the sandy havens of Sri Lanka's many beaches. They didn't disappoint.
From Ella we bused our way to the east coast, and the surfer's paradise of Arugam Bay.
We arrived out-of-season (November to April) and the town had pretty much fully wound down. Nonetheless, we lazed on the near abandoned U-shaped beach in the mornings and tried out a few beach-side restaurants in the evening.
Three days was enough, and we headed to sands-a-new on the south coast. Having rocked up without anything planned, we booked a cracking room on the beach road in Tangalle overlooking Marakolliya beach.
The endless stretch of sparkling sand was the prettiest we found in Sri Lanka. The high season was just kicking in on the south coast, but we were still among only a handful of people on the beach.
The sea was mesmerising - with the crashing waves shimmering between bright blue, turquoise and a murky brown.
There were plenty of beach restaurants, all selling fresh seafood, and a busy town - making it a good spot for a longer stay. I also found a local barbers for an overdue hair and beard trim, which also included a head massage where I believe the aim was to rip my few remaining hairs out.
It sounds like there a lots of pretty, hidden beaches along this stretch of coast. From April to September you can also spot turtles from Rekawa Beach, a few kilometres up the coast.
Skipping forward to the end of our trip - we also spent three nights on the south east coast beach of Hikkaduwa. Similar to the stretching sands of Tangalle, but with a little more going on.
The town also had a busy stretch of shops, eateries and hotels along the beach road, and lots of bars perfect for chilling with a cheap beer (£2) for sunset.
4. The colonial architecture of Colombo
After ten days, we excitedly made our way back to Colombo to meet up with Freya's mum, dad and brother who were joining our adventure for two weeks. They also came bearing a full bag of essentials to keep us going on the road.
Freya's mum had booked in for two nights of luxury in a stylish apartment in the upmarket area of Cambridge Place (it even had a pool!!)
Colombo is busy, polluted and noisy - but if you can put up with that backdrop, there's lots to see.
We enjoyed the hundreds of buddhas inside Gangaramaya temple, the mighty impressive banyan trees perched next to the shining-white National Museum (pictured below), and sipping posh tea in the swanky T Lounge, in the historic Fort area of town.
5. The sprawling ancient ruins of Polonnaruwa
We set up camp for five days in the lovely Disna Guest House (the friendliest owner who cooked up some amazing Sri Lankan dinners) in Habarana. The town is a bus ride away from most of the 'ancient cities'.
Eight hundred years ago Polonnnaruwa was the royal capital of the Chola and Sinhalese dynasties. Now the riches of days-gone-past are remembered with sprawling ruins - including the royal palace, shrines and, yes, more massive buddhas.
We spent most the day wandering around the sites, many of which require you to cover up shoulders and below the knees, and take your shoes off before entering.
*top tip* if you do visit the area, make sure you put back on the right shoes on your way out. While taking a gentle stroll to the next ruins, we were hailed down by fellow tourists who had passed by us in a tuk-tuk. Turns out Freya's dad Ed was actually wearing some other bloke's not-that-similar sandals. Cue lots of laughter as the pair exchanged their unintentionally borrowed shoes to the rightful owners.
Entry for the site is £23 each - which is probably fine for holidayers, but is super pricey for backpackers (our daily budget was £30 between us). It's one of the rare expensive things in Sri Lanka (bus and train tickets are unbelievably cheap, meals in restaurants also so, ranging from £2 to £5 in normal places). But I'd still say it's worth a visit to one of the ancient cities.
There are lots of water monitor lizards knocking around the country, but we saw a bloody massive one strolling along the pavement on our way to the ruins, which looked more like a crocodile-sized komodo dragon.
6. Getting your Buddha fix in hidden rock temples
Another bus journey from Habarana is the cave temples of Dambula. Trudge up steep steps, along pathways lined with monkeys, and you'll find the gleaming white complex that leads to seven cave temples - each stuffed with Buddha statues and walls adourned with religious art of sinners being cast into eternal torture.
*top tip* it's bloody hot climbing those steps, so worth doing in T-shirt and shorts. However, you will need to cover up your knees/shoulders in the temples - so make sure you bring your own shawl, or you could end up with a fancy pink number as sported by Leif >>
We also visited the Rock Temples of Murkirigala, earlier in our trip, about a 30 minute tuk-tuk drive from Tangalle. The temples are set across five different levels, with a stupa at the peak.
7. Gazing across half of Sri Lanka from iconic Sigiriya Rock
The imposing Sigiriya Rock - with its near vertical walls towering way above nearby mountainous challengers - is one of the country's most jaw-dropping sights.
A series of steps attached to the sheer walls snake around the rock - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - starting at the royal gardens, before leading you past cave shelters, and dangerous wasp hives.
The final ascent is marked by two huge stone lion's paws (Sigiriya is translated as Lion Rock), before you arrive at the flat summit which contains the remains of an ancient civilization.
The views are also spectacular - with greenery as far as the eye can see.
The site is another of the more expensive ones - but it's worth it. However if price is an issue, you can climb a nearby smaller rock, which has great views of Sigiriya, for much cheaper.
8. Get up close and personal with elephants in the wild
There are lots of national parks spread across Sri Lanka. They mostly all have similar animals - with elephants, leopards and crocodiles the highlights.
We chose to visit Kadulla and, while we didn't see any of the latter two, we got up super close with near 200 elephants.
Other notable spots were vultures, eagles and funky-coloured pelicans.
9. Tea tasting in the hill country
After a dose of culture in the ancient cities, we moved south to the hill country capital of Kandy. From here we took a day trip to Nuwara Eliya.
On the way we stopped at the stunning Ramboda Falls before a behind-the-scenes tour showing how tea is made at one of the many plantations - where Ed could also buy his prized single-estate tea.
The drive to and from Kandy is also stunning - with the road climbing 1,400m through sparkling-green mountains lined with tea plants.
10. Whale watching in Mirissa
For our last day with Freya's family before they headed back to the UK we organised an extra special treat - spotting blue whales off the south coast of Sri Lanka.
There are only around 150 blues whales off the coast, and you're not guaranteed to find any. After around five hours on the sea we had spotted nada, but our failing hopes were thrown overboard after one of the guides spotted the blowhole spray of ocean in the distance.
While the blue whale had dived down for food, we had the scent and made out way to where the whale was spotted.
Anticipation grew over ten minutes before the world's largest creature re-emerged just metres from our boat. We could hear the spray from its blowhole, and watched in awe as the true size of the whale came into focus - despite only a tiny part of it being above the water.
But just as we had focused the camera lens, the whale prepared to dive back under water, showing us its magnificent tail, and was gone.
After a few more close-up views, we headed back to harbour content. The sight of near 200 dolphins weaving in and out of the water alongside our boat for ten minutes was an added bonus!
11. Conquer the 5,000 step climb for sunrise at Adam's Peak
We got up at 2.30am to set off on the marathon trek up Adam's Peak - supposedly the place where Adam first stepped onto earth after being thrown out of heaven. Others believe it's where Buddha left his footprint on his way to paradise.
There are more than 5,000 steps on the 7km trek from Dalhousie, with an unrelenting stretch of continuous, steep stairs for a large chunk of the walk. It's hard work.
Armed with our torches, and a few stops along the way for tea and sweets, we made the top at 5.30am, with plenty of time to see the orange glow of the sun burst through the clouds from what looked like the other side of the world.
The view was spectacular. While the sky was lit up by dark orange, the mountains tops underneath us were still shrouded with blankets of clouds.
Our trip down felt much harder on the body, and we arrived back at the guest house around 8.30am - a solid six-hour round trip. But it's definitely worth it.
We climbed the mountain out of season. But from December the climb is taken on by thousands of pilgrims, with the path even lit up through the night. Young and old alike take on the climb - although we heard it can get busy at the top, with queues of nine hours just to visit the temple!
And here's our travel map:
