Sri Lankan Surprise – February 2025 – Hostess Roundup – Cindy Plant

Sri Lankan Surprise – what a perfect name! We were continually surprised on this tour by the stunning scenery, the new knowledge we gained, the kindness and gratitude of the people and how we were all changed for the better by the experience.

We started our tour in Negombo in the south east near Colombo where we witnessed colourful fishing boats, stunning fish markets and the sun setting over the Indian Ocean.  All this after being pampered by Ayurvedic spa treatments at our first accommodation. We then headed north where we saw rice and vegetables growing prolifically by the roadside and herds of elephants walking through the streets, bathing in the local river and from our jeep whilst on safari. Then, it was up into the hills where we saw slope after slope covered in tea plantations, and surprisingly eucalypt forests. We visited the most amazing buddhist temples, some of which were 2,500 years old and others which were built into caves with incredible statues and paintings. We saw the most amazing vistas from our scenic train ride to Ella and looked out over valleys and peaks from our accommodation as the sun rose on many days.

Whilst the scenery was nothing short of stunning so was the amount we learnt as we travelled around this beautiful island, which is similar in size to Tasmania.  We learnt about how sapphires and moonstones are mined by hand, still to this day, and the many and varied colours they come in. We learnt the names of so many different fruits and vegetables as we wandered the wholesale market in Dambulla with our guide and then later during the trip we had the opportunity to make traditional curries from said vegetables. We stopped numerous times by the roadside to learn the names of yet another bird or monkey which our guide was somehow able to spot from incredible distances. We also learnt a lot about the traditional arts and crafts of Sri Lanka: batik making, silk and fabric weaving, wood carving and mask making.  Some of the sisters purchased hand made items to take home as memories or gifts for loved ones.

Throughout the whole trip the kindness and gratitude and good humour of the Sri Lankan people shone through. Our guide was outstanding, continually going above and beyond to ensure everyone was happy.  His motto – “If you are happy, I am happy” The welcomes we received at most accommodation with beautiful traditional drinks and huge smiles were lovely and the buddhist welcome and blessing we received at Rangiri Resort when arriving and departing was above and beyond anything we had experienced – resulting in lots of hugs. The most incredible welcome of all was from the small impoverished school we visited, where we officially opened their newly refurbished library, funded by a donation from Sisterhood. We were treated to the school band, lots of dancing, thank you speeches, an incredible lunch put together by the mums of the students, the cutest children all dressed in their crisp white outfits and we even appeared on the Sri Lankan news!

Over 70% of Sri Lankans practice Buddhism and as our trip unfolded we continued to learn little by little about this philosophy.  We learnt about the significance of the lamp lighting, flower offerings and incense burnings and how all these things draw parallels to our own lives.  We saw gratitude visibly demonstrated every day and I think as a result we all gained perspective and were changed for the better.

The weather was hot and steamy for our entire trip with not one drop of rain and the sisters enjoyed many a cold Lion Lager with our lunches to quench their thirst.  Interestingly, on our second last day we discovered it says the following on the back of the can;

“It’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. Lion is the perfect companion for wherever your adventures take you. Because every journey has it’s reward”

And rewarded we were, on this Sri Lankan Surprise Tour!