Honeymoon

Well, as announced at the wedding, we zoomed off to the Maldives and then Sri Lanka for our honeymoon. It was, as you might imagine, fantastic.

Here are some photos from the trip, and below the travel diary we kept whilst we were our there...

This is our Honeymoon Diary - at the end of each day we wrote about our exploits so we could look back in the future and remember each day...

Tuesday 21st September
Having spent all day Monday tidying up at the Barn, carting everything back to Hatley and the various different hire locations in and around London, we bid farewell to our shattered helpers, Mum and Graham, and Ian and Barbara. We had just over an hour to pack before we were picked up by Scott, our chauffeur, in his BMW 7 series at 6:15 and transported in gadget-laden luxury around the M25 to Heathrow Terminal 4. Having checked in and been told we were the 5th newly-wed couple to ask for a 1st class upgrade, we made our way to the executive lounge Pete had arranged, where he proceeded to fill his rucksack with packets of free biscuits (“for dunking in my morning tea!”), and Dipti stuff her face with olives. Soon we were boarding our Sri Lankan airlines jet, and no sooner had we taken off, but Dipti was spread out across 3 seats, fast asleep. The views out of the airplane window as we approached the Maldives were fantastic – a splattering of some 1200 islands dotted in a bright blue sea. Once passport control was over, we headed out of the airport to look for our passage to the Angsana Resort, and were immediately greeted outside. The glorious heat hit us as soon as we walked outside. We were immediately whisked away on our own private speedboat, zipping across the waves. Half an hour later we were pulling up to our tiny island where Mussey greeted us, took us to lunch, told us all about the resort and island of Ihuru, and whipped out a camera to take our picture for the “customer recognition program”. As it started to rain, we were escorted to our villa – one of just 45 on the island, and introduced to our neighbours (the very friendly, but nosey local birds who were there to welcome us on our patio). Our superb sea view couldn’t have been better, with our own beach only 20 feet away from our patio. The villa comes with all the usual features – air conditioning, tea/coffee facilities and mini bar, bathroom with outdoor shower and water feature. Having had a kip for a few hours, we unpacked and headed out for dinner. 4 exquisite courses later, and our bed beckoned once again. We returned to find out bed turned down, fruit platter and red wine awaiting. Not knowing if we were likely to see the 9:30 deadline for breakfast, we turned in for some well deserved rest.

Wednesday 22nd September
Although Pete awoke at 5am, we both managed to sleep through to 12:30!! We awoke to find some clear skies and hot sunshine. Got showered and ready for lunch, and as we sat down to eat, the clouds closed in and it began to rain again. Monsoon season is over, apparently, but the forecast is quite gloomy. Never the less, we’ve booked ourselves in for a massage and body scrub tomorrow at the spa, as well as a trip to Male on Sunday, and a snorkeling lesson tomorrow afternoon. We managed to grab a few hours sleep this afternoon (doing very little is very hard work) followed by a short swim in the sea. We felt we deserved the sleep, having walked completely around the island twice today…ok, sit it only takes 10 minutes. Dinner was wonderful again – Asian buffet tonight, with Thai stir-fry’s and hot & sour snapper. We have the same waiter each time we dine, and no matter where we site or go, all the staff seems to know our name! We rounded off a lazy day by walking out on to the jetty to watch and feed the fish and sharks from the coral reef. Time to turn in.

Thursday 23rd September
We got up early today and breakfasted at 9:30 in readiness for our joint spa package at 10am. Lena, the spa manager greeted us in the bamboo reception hut and introduced us to Winnie and Santi, our treatment experts. Soon, we were both naked (except for a small tea towel covering our bits) in an outdoor treatment hut, being first scrubbed with exotic lotions and potions, then massaged all over for an hour. Pure, unadulterated bliss. Now, both on cloud 9, we floated back to our villa for a quick shower and change before heading back to the restaurant for lunch. It had turned into a beautiful day, so we took the opportunity to sunbath and relax in the sun for an hour or two. At 3 o’clock we had a snorkeling class booked with David, the local marine biologist. Neither of us had done snorkeling before so were a little apprehensive. We borrowed our kit from the diving centre (mask, snorkel and fins) and met up with Dave on the beach. Lesson 1 – getting all your kit on – much harder than you might think! Lesson 2 – getting used to breathing through just your mouth whilst underwater, knowing how to expel water from your snorkel whilst underwater, and how to use your flippers. Lesson 3 – snorkeling! Well, we both made it to Lesson 3, but we’ll need a lot more practice before we can both confidently swim with all the gear on for more than 30 seconds. Still, 6 days to practice! At 5 o’clock we attended a marine biology lecture with David, and learnt much about the local environment, the fish, sea cucumbers, starfish and sharks. His hour long talk was interspersed with videos and PowerPoint presentations and was genuinely interesting. Having expended so much energy in the sea, we both felt we needed a rest, so after another quick shower (Dipti’s henna is starting to fade), we changed into something more comfortable and headed to the bar for a cocktail. We’d been invited to a get together with the manager on the beach by the jetty at 6:30. We spent half an hour feeding the fish off the jetty (blue ones, orange ones, white ones and the occasional black-tipped shark prowling around) watching the group of guests grown on the beach, and then decided to be social and joined them. We met the manager – a strange German guy called Horst, who seem to spend most of the time ribbing his staff – but also Jo and Fraser (married on the 18/9/04) also here on their honeymoon, and Shakeil and Shakana who have been married for 4 years but decided to come here for a holiday. We spent a very pleasant evening with them having dinner, more feeding of the fish, then a late night cocktail in the bar before heading off to bed about 11.

Friday 24th September
After such a busy day yesterday we felt we deserved a quiet day to recover. We woke at 12:30, got showered and dressed for lunch, then returned to the villa to read and relax. We toyed with the idea of canoeing, but the weather was very windy so we stayed on the beach. Had an afternoon kip followed by dinner at 9pm. Time to turn in, me thinks.

Saturday 25th September
We got up awfully late again today. It is still quite windy, but no rain. We had lunch and then decided to read for a while on the beachfront bar loungers. Later, we thought we’d have another go at snorkeling so we set off into the calm lagoon to go through lessons 1, 2 and 3 again. Pete had great success and was happily swimming around the coral reef, but Dips was having difficulty remembering to breath solely through her mouth. We had to cut the snorkeling short as 5:30 approached – we were booked in for a trip to go see dolphins! A quick shower and change later we were waiting on the jetty with Steve and Pat (also honeymooning) looking out for our boat. We were picked up and taken to the neighbouring island of Banyan Tree first to meet with Lindsay (from the WWF) and our friendly marine biologist, Dave. For 20 minutes we headed out to sea, then, when apparently in the middle of nowhere, the boat stopped. We all moved out onto the front of the speedboat and were all ears and eyes, looking for the illusive dolphins. The ones we were after were “spinner” dolphins – so called because of the tendency of the males to jump out of the water, spinning as they do so, to impress the females. No sooner had we got settled with glass of champagne in one hand and camcorder in the other, they appeared right before us. For almost an hour we watched them jumping, somersaulting and swimming next to the boat (all the time we were fed canapés and chatted to by Lindsay and Dave). We returned to Ihuru about 8pm, just in time for a wonderful BBQ dinner, followed by a couple of games of ping pong, and then bed.

Sunday 26th September
It was a very, very windy night. We slept very little until the early hours due tot eh rain and wind. We woke around midday again, got dressed and then watched the last 27 laps of the China Grand Prix in the bar before lunch. This made Dipti’s day as Barricello was victorious. After lunch we packed out bag and got set for the trip to Male – just as the clouds drew in and torrential rain started. “It is raining in Male also”, said the guide, “and the crossing will be rough – are you sure you still want to go?” they asked. We were, and 10 minutes later we were being buffeted from side to side with 10 others on the 25 minute speedboat journey. The Chinese couple opposite us in the boat didn’t take too well to the bumpy journey with the girl in particular looking decidedly green around the gills by the time we reached the Male port. Nabeel, our guide, showed around a damp Male capital, pointing out the Kings gardens, presidents’ palace, fish and fruit markets, before unleashing us on a local souvenir shop. Several incense sticks and t-shirts later, we congregated on the pier awaiting our boat for the journey back. Several other staff members from Angsana joined us for the return trip, including the amusing German manager. The Chinese couple had obviously prepared and were laughing all the way, and taught us about a pressure point on the thumb to press to relieve stomach problems. All in all, a non-eventful return journey was made, and after an hour or so to relax back at the villa, we had dinner and turned in, hoping for a quieter, calmer, more peaceful night.

Monday 27th September
After a calm, peaceful night where the only sound we could hear was the sea on the sand (instead of the wind gradually stripping our villa’s roof of thatch), we awoke early and went to breakfast at 9. It was a gloriously sunny day and Dipti was up for some sunbathing, whilst Pete fancied some snorkeling. After an hour or so Dips decided to join Pete underwater, this time with the aid of a life jacket for added buoyancy. It worked a treat and Dips was soon swimming around taking pictures with the waterproof sports camera we got in the local resort shop. It wasn’t long before lunchtime, so we hastily had a shower and got ready. After lunch we both relaxed and had a read, then Pete went off to take some photos. We’d planned to go over to Banyan Tree at 4:30 (no more than a 4-5 minute transfer by speedboat to our sister, and closest island), to see the turtles being looked after there by the marine lab. When we arrived, we were treated to an amazing site! A beach full of Manta Rays being fed by the staff, along with 5 sharks - black tipped some up to 5’ long. Soon after, we hurried round to get our snorkeling gear sorted so we could swim out to the turtle cage in the lagoon. But just as Pete got half way out, he felt his wedding ring slip off his finger into the sea. Despite the sea being only about 4 feet deep and relatively calm, neither he nor the local staff who dived in to help, could find it in the sand. After Dips had finished feeding the turtles, a rather dejected Pete returned to the beach, knowing the chances of the ring being found were very slim. Another short transfer and we were both back on Angsana. We had time for a quick check of the travel insurance details and a read before dinner – a Maldivian extravaganza with live music to accompany. As we both look forward to our last full day on our little island called Ihuru (meaning island of old palm trees) we looked out across the particularly calm sea and clear skies all the way to the city lights of Male, and fed the fish once again from the jetty before retiring.

Tuesday 28th September
Another gloriously quiet night meant we both slept in until 12 again. After getting ready we lunched around 2 and returned to our villa for an extremely lazy, but glorious afternoon reading on the swing on our beachfront. We chilled and dozed, watching the sea-planes fly over the blue-skies and reflecting on the 1st leg of our honeymoon – be pampered silly, and enjoying the sun, sea and … storms! At 5pm we both showered in anticipation of our 2nd spa session of the trip, at 5:30 – a 30 minute body scrub, followed by a 60 minute all-over body massage. We donned our Angsana robes and strolled around the island to the spa to be greeted once again by Lena, and in turn by Nia and Pari, our treatment experts. For the next 2 hours we were both in heaven again, being massaged, scrubbed, pummeled and stroked with expert hands. We left at 7:30 completely chilled and returned to the villa only to change into something more appropriate for the restaurant. Yet again, Hussain, our waiter was there to welcome us and help us choose our 4 course meal, topped off on this occasion, with a green team parfait (Dipti) and avocado ice-cream (Peter)! After a quiet moment feeding the fish, watching a huge jelly fish, and saying goodbye to the black-tipped sharks on the jetty, we headed back to the villa, relaxed, chilled and slightly inebriated.

Wednesday 29th September
Our last day on Ihuru! We made it to breakfast and picked up a letter from reception about the ring (for insurance) on the way. It couldn’t have been a clearer or more perfect day. Pete decided to put all his resentment aside and join Dipti in some snorkeling on the coral reef right outside our villa – with us both managing to finish off the waterproof camera film. Soon it was time to finish packing as our transfer back to the airport was booked for 2. We enjoyed our last lunch, bidding farewell to our loyal and devoted waiter, Hussain, before settling our account. Whilst waiting on the jetty, Horst bode us farewell and invited us back – an invitation we may well take up! The speedboat transfer was amazingly smooth with the sea almost like a lake it was so calm. We stopped briefly at Male to drop off some of the other island residents and was able to glance at a much more colourful - and DRY - Male city centre with its bustling fishermen port. As our boat pulled back out of the port towards the airport island we saw a huge group of bottleneck dolphins, jumping in and out of the water. Truly a fantastic farewell to a beautiful part of the world. Male airport, like many others in the world, had little to offer (other than an electrical shop to enable Pete to buy another memory card for the camera since his iPod gadget had failed miserably) apart from pretty views out of the lounge window. It wasn’t long before we were boarding our Sri Lankan airlines flight to Colombo – only 1 hour 15 minutes away. The captain told us it was 30 degrees in the airport there, and when we arrived, he wasn’t wrong. Hot and humid, but also nearing sundown – it was now about 7pm. We met our driver, Hiran, who took us to his car and drove us out of the airport into a mass of cyclists, motorcycles, puk puks, cars, lorries, pedestrians, cows, dogs and coaches – otherwise known as the Colombo rush-hour. Never have we both heard so many horns being hooted and seen so many lights being flashed! Utter chaos, yet we got to our hotel, the Mount Lavinia, in just over an hour and agreed to meet Hiren the next day at 9:30am. Very grand the hotel is too. Built in 1806 for a British Governor, it is a huge, white and very colonial-styled building. We were lead to our room which has a huge balcony and views over the sea, complete with crashing waves. No sooner had we got settled, but the maps and itinerary were out and Dipti slipped into planning mode! A quick order to room service and a G&T from the mini-bar, we spent a couple of hours reading our Sri Lanka books before slipping into bed for a deserved rest.

Thursday 30th September
At 9:30 we met Hiren in the hotel reception having had a very nice breakfast in the hotel and checking out. We were really able to take in the wonderful views along the coast with the sun up and our eyes wide open. We had a lot of land to cover today as we were heading west into central Sri Lanka. Hiren drove us through the countryside towards our destination – Sigiriya. However, we had several places to stop and see on the way. 1st stop came after about 3 hours of beautiful lush countryside, and was the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage. Here, they rescue elephants whose parents have been killed by poachers or farmers and raise them until they can be sold as trained working animals or to zoos around the world. We saw at least 50 elephants roaming around the massive park, got to watch the under fives being bottle fed, and then ran for cover in a local restaurant when they were lead across the road, down the hill into the local river for a bath. A little lunch later and at about 2pm we set off again, this time heading north. For much of the journey we were on tiny single track roads, avoiding cows, yaks, and dogs (not to mention the ubiquitous rickshaws) passing innumerable rice paddy fields – many now not usable due to global warming – but after an hour or so we did make it onto the main road – a single carriageway tarmac road with speed bumps and police road blocks at random intervals! At about 4pm we made it to our next stop – the Buddhist cave temples at Dumballa. At the foot of the hill is quite the largest and newest Buddha statue we’d seen so far, and up what seemed like a million steps was the cave temple. We were taken around by a local tour guide who told us all there was to know, including many stories and explanations about the Buddhist beliefs and symbols. Truly fascinating! 5 cave-fulls of intricately carved Buddha’s ranging from 2100 years old to 85 years old, we headed back down the steep hill and to a rested Hiren. It was then just a short drive to our hotel in Sigiriya, called “the village” allowing us time to marvel at the flocks of bats flying above us and catch a glimpse of the famous rock we’d be climbing 1st thing in the morning.

Friday 1st October
At the crack of dawn (or 6:30am at least) we set off from the village to go see the lion rock – Sigiriya. Hiren dropped us off at the main entrance inside the outer moat. As we wandered through the huge water gardens with the kingfishers, monkeys and chipmunks, we wondered at the mechanical and engineering works or genius from so many centuries ago. Soon, our guide was showing us all the sites – the elephant stones, the kings swimming pools, and … then the steps started. Sigiriya is some 600ft up, with 1200 steps to reach the summit. We started our journey, stopping frequently at the various terraces to catch our breath and take photos. The route up the mountain is via a mixture of stone steps, metal walkways precariously bolted to the mountain face, and spiral staircases. Even though it was 7am in the morning, it was hard work and we were both sweating like pigs! Some of the steps up the sheer face of the mountain were only 6” wide and after an hour or so we had successfully made it to the summit – affording us views over the Sri Lankan countryside in all directions. No sooner had we made it to the top and admired the breathtaking views (as well as re-capturing our own), we retreated down the stairs and headed back to our hotel for a shower and breakfast. At 10 we met up with Hiren again for the long drive to Polanuwara. We got there about 1pm and started our journey through the extraordinary collection of ruins, temples, image houses and palaces that make up this remarkable area. Despite the rain, we walked around one ruin after another, admiring the numerous Buddha’s and relics. After 2-3 hours strolling around and taking seemingly hundreds of pictures, we were both completely Buddha’d out and rejoined Hiren for the journey towards Kandy. On the way, we stopped off at a herb and spice garden and were shown around by the local Ayurvedic doctor (8 years in the training) and saw vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon, coconut, aloe vera, chilli’s and many many more in their natural environment. Peter was treated to a 15 minute, very hands-on massage, using some of the herbal concoctions before we both splashed out in the shop. An hour or so later down the road we were winding our way through the tine Kandy roads, only to turn off onto even smaller, windy, pitch black roads leading to our hotel for the next two nights – the Tree of Life. Having finally reached our delightful chalet, we quickly dined then turned in for a good nights rest in the jungle.

Saturday 2nd October
After a pleasant lay-in and late breakfast, we drove towards Kandy and visited one of the smaller, local Buddhist temples. Feeling a little like fish out of water, seemingly being the only 2 tourists surrounded by worshippers. Next stop was the Kandy botanical gardens – the biggest in Sri Lanka covering some 147 acres. It boasts wonderful forests as well as a Japanese garden (complete with fountains and streams), a jungle-like fern garden, and, much to Dipti’s delight, a glass-house crammed full of beautiful, healthy and flowering orchids. We must have used up a ¼ of the camera’s memory card in that place alone! We very much enjoyed walking through the lush and varied gardens and kept stumbling across couples locked in intimate embraces behind trees or sitting on benches. Due to the strict Buddhist tradition, couples aren’t allowed to be together until they are married – indeed 80% of marriages in Kandy are still arranged – but this park provides the local lovers with a secret hideout and meeting place. After a quick bite to eat in the garden’s café overlooking the grounds we headed back to meet up with Hiren. Next stop was the temple of the tooth, but on the way we dropped into one of the approved gem houses to see how they mine the precious and semi-precious stones – unbelievable to think that the majority of this is still done by hand! A quick tour of a local arts and crafts store later we arrived in central Kandy at the temple of the tooth. Who’s tooth, you may well ask (as Peter did). Well, Buddha’s, as legend has it. There is a long and very extravagant story behind it, but essentially Kandy, being the last capital of Sri Lanka when ruled by a monarch, is the last and final resting place of Buddha’s tooth, plucked from his ashes after his cremation. It is kept out of view, beneath 7 caskets of gold and silver, and the temple and the relic itself are considered amongst the most important in the Buddhist faith. Whilst culturally and religiously significant, there wasn’t a great deal to actually see – but there was a lovely ancient man-made lake opposite the temple around which we walked, enjoying the views. We strolled around, talking about the wedding, life, the universe and everything, and tried to work out why nearly everyone we saw, walking or driving past, felt the need to stare and Dipti. Was it her enchanting beauty, bewitching the Sri Lankan’s? Was it the fact everyone assumes she is Sri Lankan, but is with a tall white westerner? Or simply that we were holding hands in public? Neither of us were sure, but Dipti found it a little annoying and bemusing after a while. We’d decided to return to the hotel early and got back around 6ish. We took a nice stroll around the grounds overlooking the tea plantation on the opposite side of the valley, before having dinner and relaxing before bed watching a film on TV.

Sunday 3rd October
Traditionally a day of rest, we too decided to take it easy today, especially after a late and noisy night. After we’d gone to bed, we were awoken by the sound of urgent rustling and scratching sounds on the roof. Despite Pete’s investigations in his pajamas, we couldn’t work out what it was. The noises became ever more frantic and louder, ending in a crescendo of squeaks, screeches and shrieks. Finally, the noises subsided and we managed to get some sleep (ignoring the mosquitoes and cockerels – oh the joys of the natural countryside). Over breakfast we discussed our nocturnal visitors and came to the conclusion that it must have been a pair of amorous chip monks (as common here as squirrels are in the UK) making their nest in our villa’s gutters. Having breakfasted and checked out of the Tree of Life, we met with Hiren and started our journey out of Kandy and towards Nuwara Eliya. Although only 68km away, the roads are particularly bad due to a massive road widening scheme currently in operation, as well as the roads elevating us via twisty-turny bends to some 6200ft above sea level. Into tea-plantation territory we proceeded with the landscape becoming even lusher, greener and waterfall laden. We stopped at the Glenloch tea factory for a tour to see how tea is made and to sample their wares. The Scottish name, along with almost all the other plantation names locally are throwbacks from the colonial times when they were all owned by the British. The names remain but the plantations are all Sri Lankan owned now. The tea factory was fascinating, with machinery still in place dating back to 1931 – and this is a working factory! We learnt about the different types of leaves, blends and qualities, and came away with a kilo of their finest (tea, that is). After a few more hair-pin bends we reached Nuwara Eliya and our hotel – the Grand Hotel, and very grand it looked too - over a hundred years old, it is another relic from the British. Nuwara Eliya was built as a “highland retreat” so the British could get away from the heat: as it is so high up in the mountains, the temperature remains a relatively constant 16 degrees all year around. On closer the inspection the hotel provided to be a little tatty in places, but the rooms were large, it was full of character, and despite the rain closing in from the mountains we settled down around 4pm having explored the hotel to play a few games of strip-rummy (Pete won, 8 games to 1) before dinner in the local Indian restaurant.

Monday 4th October
After a blissfully quiet night and about 9 hours of sleep we awoke, got dressed in our shirts and trousers (rather than T-shirts and shorts) and headed down to breaky. We had several sites lined up on the agenda today. First up was the elaborate and colourful Sita Hindu temple, just a few kilometres down the road past Gregorys Lake. Shortly after this was the Hakgala botanical gardens – not as large as those in Kandy but equally beautiful – which provided us with an hour of walking. Next stop was a cluster of attractions, all in and around Ella – about 30km away. Over the next hour of driving we dropped from 6000 odd feet up to just 1200 feet, and first of all we stopped at the Ravanna caves – somewhat of a disappointment really as they, or rather it, was just a hole in the side of the road, probably no more than 30 feet high and deep. We did, however catch a glimpse of a wild chameleon and managed to scare it silly as Pete ran after it for a photo! A few more kilometres down the road we stopped at the Dowa Buddha rock temple where, similar to Sigiriya, a huge 50ft Buddha has been carved out of the sheer rock face. Hiren sopped here and bought some mango with salt and chilli, much to Dipti’s delight and Peter’s disgust! Last stop for the day was the Ravanna falls. In the crease of two mountains these beautiful falls descend some 150ft crashing down next to the roadside. The locals use them as a free shower, and the sight is wonderful even with relatively little water gushing down (apparently) due to the lack of rain. We stopped off at a hotel for some late lunch on the return trip, enjoying some fantastic views over the valleys and mountains surrounding us, before setting off for the 2 hour drive back to Nuwara Eliya. Once back at the hotel we took tea and biscuits in the reading lounge before retiring to our room for a shower, more reading and then dinner in the main restaurant. Tomorrow we set off for the long journey west and then south to Galle.

Tuesday 5th October
After breakfasting in the elegant dining hall of the hotel to the music of Madonna, we checked out and met Hiren for our day of travel. It was misty, wet and raining with visibility only 30ft at times. Treacherous weather to be driving down mountainous roads, but once we’d descended a few thousand feet the clouds cleared and we were treated to some blue skies and ever-increasing temperatures. Not too far down the road towards Colombo, we stopped to gaze at the amazing St Clair and Devon falls. These gracious waterfalls were in full pelt due to the rain, and at about 240ft in height they were amazing sights from across the valley. Past many more tea plantations we drove, stopping only for Pete to take a leak (“my contribution to the falls”) until we reached the outskirts of Colombo around 1pm. Skirting around the city centre to avoid the traffic we drove through town after town with shops and stalls selling innumerable types of fruit and vegetable, wood, concrete prefabricated blocks and mouldings, and car yards. It seems the Sri Lankan’s don’t throw cars away. They keep on repairing them, replacing bits and adding bits on to keep them going. The number of Morris Minors, Ford Capris, Volkswagen Beetles, and of all things, Leyland trucks and coaches on the roads is astonishing. Shortly after 2pm we stopped to pick up some fruit (mangos and bananas) for a hungry Dipti, and soon found ourselves on palm-fringed coastal road heading south towards Galle. By 4 o’clock we were both ravenous and so we stopped at a restaurant in Hikadua for a feast of freshly caught fish. Galle is only a few kilometres away now, so the conversation turned to our hotel – one which Hiren had never been to before, and he’s been doing this for 8 years. It didn’t sound good. Although Pete’s travel agent had recommended the place to him, Hiren had heard bad things. When we arrived we were greeted and shown around a 17th century house called Doorenberg – or Dutch House - built on the top of a hill overlooking Galle port. We were led to our suite – a huge vaulted room with library and sofas at one end and a four poster bed at the other. With only 4 suites in the entire establishment, all of similar style and size we felt truly spoilt, and Hiren had to eat his words! We bode farewell to Hiren for the night, agreeing to meet him tomorrow morning at 10 (we thought we all deserved a lay in given the 7 hours driving today) and relaxed on the wicker day bed on the veranda with a lime and ginger cocktail. Soon, after a bowl of home-made pumpkin soup, toast, and a lovely bottle of Merlot, we could both hear the huge four-poster calling us. Who were we to deny it?

Wednesday 6th October
What a glorious, quiet, comfortable and mosquito-free nights sleep! We awake to the sound of light rain and the table outside our room being set for breakfast. After a nice light continental breakfast we met with Hiren to start our day. The plan was first to drive to Kudawela and to the location of a natural coastal blowhole, followed by lunch and a tour of the Fort at Galle. So, off we set in rain driving along the coast past wonderful beaches and small rocky islands. Where we were right by the sea we could see the wooden posts sticking out of the shallow water in the bays, where fishermen used to sit on them and fish. They were known as “Heron fishermen”, but the posts are all but deserted now as net fishing has all but taken over. When we reached the blowhole the weather was fine, dry and hot as we trekked across rocky landscape until we were right on the coast. In front of us was a mass of rocks with a large crease down the middle. “Wait”, Hiren told us, so we did. After a few minutes a wave crashed against the rocks far below, followed by the sound of air being pushed through a small hole, then a jet of water erupted from the crease into the sky before us. The sea was relatively calm, but even so it managed to spray up to 25ft up in the air. On rough days, Hiren said, it would go as high as 60 or 70ft. Satisfied we’d seen as much of the waterworks as we were going to we went back to the car and headed back to Galle. It was fast approaching lunchtime so we turned into the fort – a huge fortified area of the port encasing many streets, buildings even a school and cricket ground – to have something to eat. As we sat and ate our grilled fish and chips we looked out over the sea and watched a storm approach. Within 15 minutes the restaurateurs were hurriedly pulling down blinds to stop the wind wreaking havoc, and we watched other tourists and locals scarper for cover from the heavy rain. Another 15 minutes passed and all had cleared. Knowing our hotel was only a short distance away, we said goodbye to Hiren, agreed to meet the next day after breakfast, and head off for a walk around the ramparts back to Dutch House. We got back around 4pm both wet with perspiration given the heat and steep walk up the hill to the hotel. Thank goodness for air-conditioning! We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading on the veranda then showered and got ready for dinner across the road at the sister establishment, the Sun House. We proceeded to scoff a great deal of Sri Lankan curry and splodge of exquisite dessert, all washed down with a great bottle of wine in beautiful surroundings (we were one of only 4 couples there) watching the fireflies in the gardens. We went back to Dutch House and had a game of Scrabble in the lobby (Dipti won by 38 points) to the music of Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra. Bed once again, with the prospect tomorrow of the 150km journey to our last location, the beaches of Negombo.

Thursday 7th October
After another blissful nights sleep and fine breakfast, we sadly bid farewell to the Dutch House and started our journey towards Colombo on the East coast. Driving along past the numerous fishing boats and villages we stopped at Bentota to visit a turtle hatchery. Here, along with many other places in the local area they collect turtle eggs and protect them from poachers and natural predators, hatching them in controlled conditions. Once 3 days old, little more than 3 inches long, but importantly strong enough to fend for themselves, the baby turtles are released into the sea at night (to avoid being eaten by birds). As a result the turtles, once hunted to near extinction for their meat and shells, are finally increasing in numbers in the wild – even though only 1 in 10 of the released babies will survive to become a fully grown adult. Having seen and held many different varieties of turtle and tortoise as well as made a donation to the cause, we continued our journey. We stopped once or twice to check out some beautiful wooden carved panels we could visualise hanging in our lounge before attacking the traffic in and around Colombo. It is hard to describe driving in traffic in Sri Lanka, especially in the cities and major towns. It’s a bit like driving in London, but people don’t take any notice of the lane markings (where they exist), or for that matter the speed limit or correct side of the road you’re supposed to be on! Shortly after passing the airport we reached out final destination, the rather disappointing Browns Beach Hotel. If 60’s concrete chic is your thing, then this is your ideal hotel – but not quite our taste. However it does boast a 20ft walk to the beachfront and endless beach at that. We arrived about 3pm, had a bite to eat, and retired to our room for a cool down and read. At about 6pm we went for a sunset walk along the beach, watching the hundreds of crabs scuttling away to their holes as we strolled along taking a few photos and managing to get quite drenched as the sea came in. After a shower and a few games of rummy we went down for dinner with a nice bottle of South African white before retiring. Tomorrow is our last full day on this island!

Friday 8th October
Despite the hotels shabbiness and lack of proper double bed (they only have singles pushed together) we slept well and went down for breakfast at 9. Hiren me us at 10 with an identical replacement car (the last one had developed an annoying knocking sound) and we set off towards Colombo. On the agenda today was some sight-seeing around the capital city and some shopping. At a small town called Seedawella we stopped to have another look at some more of the carved wooden panels, but in the end we decided that it would be far too much hassle to carry them all the way back home. In any case, Hiren said he knew of a craftsman in Kandy who could make them to any size and design we wished that that he’d post them to us if we liked. With this in mind, and Hiren’s mobile number stored in our phone, we continued to Colombo where he dropped us off outside the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. Quite the newest, tallest and most prestigious buildings in the capital, we agreed to go for a wander and give Hiren a call when we were done. We headed off around the town, getting some strange looks, and keeping an eye out for some of the landmarks we’d been reading about in our books. It wasn’t long before we spotted the Lighthouse Clock tower in the middle of a busy road junction – the city has grown such that this old relic of years gone by is a good way from the coastline now, and has been converted into a clock tower instead. Parts of the city are sealed off to anyone except those who work there following bomb attacks by Tamil Tiger terrorists some time ago. It is a stark reminder of Sri Lanka’s political issues and sad to think that even this beautiful little island of jungles and mountains is affected by such violence. We continued our walk along the coastline on what is referred to as “Fort” – not the fort as there is little or nothing of Colombo fort left, just Fort. Having taken in the smells of the sea we wandered into Galle Face Hotel for a drink. It dates back to 1896, is gradually and tastefully being renovated, and has a wonderful oldie worlde feel about it. Shortly afterwards we returned to the financial district and toyed with the idea of venturing forth into the busy street markets, but given the heat we decided against it. A couple of hours had passed so we called our trusty driver so we could return to the air conditioned comfort of his car and go shopping. Barefoot is a shop mentioned in several of the guide books as a place renowned for its colourful textiles and design. Just a few minutes away from the centre of Colombo the bright oranges, blues, yellows and greens of their sarees shawls and sarongs in this amazing shop were a wakeup call for the senses! With a comprehensive book shop and café as well, it kept us occupied for another hour or so. Next was one of the government approved craft shops where we picked up a colourful batik print and then Hiren showed us some of the other sites – the huge conference centre which was a present from China, the elegant Independence Square, Victoria park and the numerous foreign embassy buildings. Soon we were heading back to our hotel where we rested, read and showered before dinner. Our last dinner was, unfortunately, such an unimpressive, lack-lustre affair that we vowed then and there to cook ourselves a fabulous meal at home on Sunday to toast our last day of holiday before returning to work – our true last honeymoon night!

Saturday 9th October
We took our final breakfast under the lovely hot sunshine. We had just enough time to take some last minute photos and enjoy a final stroll along the beach before packing, checking out, and meeting Hiren at 10:30. The airport was just 10km away and as we bid farewell to Hiren for the last time we entered the air-conditioned Colombo airport to await our return flight. As we climbed the stairs up to the airplane entrance, we both reached out to feel the last few rays of Sri Lankan sunshine before finding our seats for the next 11½ hours. The plane to London was fuller that it was coming so Dipti had to make due with just her won seat and Pete’s shoulder. The film line-up was excellent and the time passed quite quickly with the help of The Terminal, Supersize Me, Harry Potter and Spiderman 2. Before long we were being told to reset our watches (we gained 5 hours on our return) and were enjoying the view from the front and downward facing cameras mounted on the plane, enabling us to watch it’s descent into Heathrow. One very smooth landing later and what seemed like an age taxiing down the runway, we collected our luggage and headed out into the cold British weather. Scott, our chauffeur was waiting for us and as we sped back along the M25 we talked about the news, our wonderful trip, and how nice it was to be on straight, smooth roads where people staying in their lane! When we arrived back at home, we were met by a mountain of mail, and even bigger pile of washing to do once we’d unpacked. By the time we got to bed it was midnight, but our body clocks thought it was 6am!

Sunday 10th October
We managed a few hours sleep before waking at about 6am, conveniently on time for the live screening of the Japanese Grand Prix which we snuggled up and watched in bed. Once we’d both had our fix of F1, we rose, had breakfast and continued to load the washing machine. Next we both set about returning Hatley to normal, going through all the boxes of gear returned from the Barn after the wedding. By mid-afternoon the house was strewn with damp but clean clothes, Dipti’s Figaro was back in the garage, and the house looked almost normal again (except for the 10’s of cards proudly on display in the lounge!). We popped out to Tescos to get the grub for our “last dinner” and enjoyed a cuppa with Ian and Barbara who popped around for a chat. Time was catching up with us and the lack of sleep starting to take its toll, so we began preparing our evening meal – determined to make it special on our last official day of honeymoon before returning to work and normality. Dinner was grilled wild sea bass with pak choi, sweet peas and sautéed potatoes, washed down with a chilled bottle of Soave left over from the wedding. This was served in the dining room, cunningly transformed into a lovers grotto by Pete with the aid of the incense from Angsana, about 3 dozen candles including loads of the wedding tea lights, and a CD of dinner jazz playing in the background. We sat facing each other and opposite ends of the table, gazing into each others eyes, our faces lit by candlelight, talking and reminiscing about the wedding, honeymoon and our future together. This, was truly the perfect end to the most amazing and fantastic month of our lives…….so far!!!