Day 161 and 162: Safari and Pushy People

Day 161

Today is the morning of the Safari and I'm so excited! We have to be up and down stairs by 5.30am and I bounce down! Luckily this truck is a little bit more sophisticated than last nights. It takes around 45 minutes to get to the park, we wait for a little to check in and then we start. 

We haven't been going for 5 minutes before we spot a huge crocodile just lounging on the side of a water hole :D Our driver is keen to move us on though as there has been a sighting of a leopard up ahead. We drive in for about another 5 minutes when we approach a crowd of trucks, we nudge our way in and then in the distance, we spot a huge leopard just lounging on a rock. He was so cool, reminding me of a huge cat just swinging his tail. The pictures aren't great as we were so far away but it was amazing.

We move on and the rest of the morning is spent whizzing around the park looking for more animals. We see several crocodile, a couple of mongoose, peacocks, loads of cool birds and water buffalo. We still haven't seen any elephants and I was beginning to think we wouldn't when suddenly we turn a corner and there's s huge one eating on the side of a lake. He's so beautiful, we watch him for ages and he wanders it no the lake and start to eat the lily pads. After this lovely chap. We spot 2 more, one just wandering through the trees and the last near a family of Gray Langur monkeys who look very cheeky..

We spot some more crocodile and water buffalo and then start to make our way out when we see some pretty Spotted Deer in the trees. We are all snapping away with our pictures when suddenly, about 50 metres in front of our truck, a leopard wanders across the road. It was just incredible but too fast to get any pictures. We search for him for a bit but he's long gone and you can hear the panic calls of the monkeys getting further away into the distance. We head back now, with me still buzzing but Ben's seem to have developed an odd headache so we don't do much this afternoon.

Day 162 

We have a breakfast of kings this morning. We have fried eggs with a mountain of toast and the biggest plate of fruit, it's delicious if you ignore the papaya which I think tastes like sick. We grab our bags after this and they lovely hotel gives us a lift to the bus stop which is really nice of them. 

The first bus drives by us but luckily the next one stops and we wedge ourselves into the back seat with our bags. It takes us about 3 hours to get to Matara and then we change and get the bus to Colombo which will stop at Ambalongoda beach which is our next stop. I love this mode of transport as you see so much and it's great for people watching. They also play the cheesiest of tunes which makes me feel like I've got a sound track. 

As we zoom around corners and stay squished in our seats, I try and keep up to date with all the towns we are going through to spot our stop but we are just moving too fast. We pass Ambalangoda Town and the conductor still hasn't waved for us to get off so Ben asks a neighbour and it turns our we pass it 7km ago! Not cool, Mr Bus Conductor. Luckily there is some Tuk-Tuks where we stop and it takes us back to our homestay for a not too extortionate amount. Once we arrive the chap who owns it Karu and his son keep telling us off for going to far and I feel like saying "Well yes, durr" but they are making our dinner tonight and I don't want dust. 

Other than that, everyone seems really nice and we get a pot of tea to welcome us and then Karu takes us to his favourite swimming spot. The sea here is incredible rough, I swear the waves are taller than Ben. We also have the company of two dogs which are quite cute as they try to eat whole coconuts. We head back after about an hour as it looks like the heavens are about to open and they do. Karl's wife makes us a delicious Sri Lankan dinner and it's so good and there's so much of it! 

Sadly after dinner Karu goes down in both of our estimations as he tries to push tours on us. I know it's part of the territory but we haven't had it in so long and it just pisses us both off. We can't even check if they are actually any good as we don't have any wifi and  can only get a super slow one when we go and sit in his neighbours living room. We manage to get him to only take us to the Turtle Sanctuary which is all we want to do anyway. Karu's still a bit pushy but we both stand first and he gives in. We got after breakfast in the morning.

159 and 160: Our First Experience of Sri Lanka Buses and Falling in Love (Again)

Day 159

Today we are leaving Indonesia, which makes coming home feel even closer and we are both a bit sad to be leaving somewhere so lovely. It's such a beautiful country and everyone so friendly that it's flown to our favourite place we've been the whole trip. We grab a yummy fried rice breakfast before jumping on a bus to the airport. We can't check in straight away and it's standing in the departures area waiting that I realise just how alien I look to everyone here which my bright vintage style clothes and fluorescent hair.

The flight is easy enough to Jakarta and we gets free snack which is always good. We rearrange this flight as AirAsia changed our original one to a later flight that would have meant we would have only had 50 minutes to get across Jakarta Airport, which timing ourselves today, we would never have done. The flight we picked meant we had 4 hours and we got check in with loads of time to spare. We use up our Indonesian rupiah on a Starbucks and I fill my sandwich craving with a tuna panini which has never tasted so good before grabbing a flight to Singapore as our transit aiport.

We manage to cash our remaining stray bits of currency in for £15 which helps with our now dwindling pile. I also managed to use some Singapore dollar for a fish finger sandwich and I think my brain might die of happiness with two sandwiches in one day. I miss bread :( we then catch our last flight of the day on Sri Lankan airlines which have become my favourite people to fly with. The food was out of this world delicious and I got to watch some good/bad films until we touch down in a damp Colombo. We breeze through customs and the strange duty free which is full of washing machines and microwaves and grab a taxi into the city. The driver gives us some rambutan which are some delicious and we are both chuffed he doesn't kill us (your brain does weird things when you've been on 3 flights in one day)

Day 160

We are awake, packed and grabbing a tuk-tuk to the bus station before 8.30. Today we are leaving Colombo to head east to Tissamaharama which is the nearest town to Ayala National Park which has leopards. Our metered driver takes us the long way to the bus station so we can get a extra bit of cash but he is quite helpful at the bus station, getting is on a highway bus and carrying my bag so I can forgive him the 50p. I do something at this point which is quite amazing for me on this trip and even Ben's impressed. I go off, on my own and buy us some delicious fruit and snacks for this journey. In the UK, this wouldn't be that impressive but here I've been avoiding going out on my own like the plague since my set back in Cambodia and it's the first time in a long time that I feel confident enough to do it. I get back on the bus with peanuts, grapes, oranges and these odd crisp things and Bens beaming. 

The bus sets off, but not for long and we are soon transferred over to another bus which would be okay if our bags weren't wedged in the seats so we couldn't get out till last. This mean when we get in the next bus, we get in last and the only seats are two far away from each other. But the lovely Sri Lankans come through again and they mood themselves around so we can sit next to each other. There's a bit of a translation issue here where we think the bus is going all the way to Tissa but it's actually only going to Matara, a sea side town half way. Here we have to chance to a proper local bus, leaving the air conned coach to get on a plastic seat, windows and door opened, crammed full tin can. It's boiling and squashed but brilliant, the ride only costs us £1 and the scenery we pass is amazing, Sri Lanka is starting to take over Indonesia in my heart.

3 hours later and a lot sweatier, we arrive. We take a tuk-tuk to our hotel which is lovely and quickly wash off the days dirt. The place offers a free tour around the tow  in the evening and we go down at 5pm to join, it's with 2 other couples and in the best mode of transport we taken all trip. It's essentially a flat bed truck with 6 plastic garden chairs loosely thrown in the back, it's brilliant. We set of nattering about all our trips and becoming a bit of a parade for the locals when we turn down a dirt track and arrive St our first stop and I'm struck dumb by it. In front of me is a huge lake, full of bright green lily pads, flanked around its side by huge trees with mountains in the distance, I don't think I've ever seen anywhere so beautiful. Most people I knew say paradise is a beach with lapping waves but for me it's the lapping of water and the rustle of trees with warm sun on my face and an incredible view in front of me, I'm currently in heaven.

We move on after a bit to another lake which has trees full of huge bats like Siem Reap and then we go to a Stupa. There isn't much to Tissa and we are back by 6, ready to be filled with Sri Lankan curries.

Day 157 and 158: Yogie and Borobudur

Day 157

Urg it is a painful early start this morning and I don't want to leave this comfy bed. 5.15am the alarm goes off and we dress and check out by 5.30am to get to the airport on time. Check in is easy and we don't have to do the strange liquid thing that we had to last time. We have a quick breakfast and then our flight is called, it's easy and quick and we land in Yogyakarta the same time we left, 8am, due to the time difference. I've done a bit of research and found we can get a bus from the airport to right near our hotel so we grab one from outside for the stupidly cheap cost of 30p for 2.

The bus drops us off and head in the direction I think we are meant to go but after 10 minutes walking we are back on the main road as we as have definitely gone the wrong way. Turns out the bus didn't drop us where Google maps thought it would and we miss out road by about 10 steps, whoops. We start down the correct road and it's meant to take 8 minutes but after 10, we still haven't seen our left turn and I'm despairing a bit. Luckily a shop keeper sees us looking panicked and points us in the right direction, turns out we have completely over shot our road. I find where we are on the map and after a little more walking our guesthouse with the smallest sign possible comes appears. It is run by 2 sisters and they are so friendly that the long walk is soon forgotten. The reason we have come to Yogyakarta is to go and see the Borobudur temple and we waste no time in getting a sun rise tour booked for the morning, I can't wait.

We drop out bags after this, have a quick shower and grabs a bus into town. Everyone is a bit intrigued by us on the bus and a lady next to me asks loads of questions but I don't mind as she's really helpful in telling us where to get off to see the Palace. We take a short walk from the bus stop towards what we think is the Palace, pay to go inside but it turns out to be the gardens. Nice enough but a bit boring. We realise we needed to walk a little further down the road and then the right building comes into sight. Man this place is a jumble, we wander round the grounds and buildings trying to do it in some order but you can't. We don't really learn anything and our stomachs are rumbling so we had out. 

It's Ramadan at the moment so most of the restaurants are closed but we manage to find a local food court and through hand signals get us a plate of scrummy vegetarian food with 2 drinks for under £1! Our early start and the heat are starting to kill us now so we head back and spend the rest of the day chilling with a nice and early 7pm bedtime for tomorrow.

Day 158

It's a 3.30am start but we are both awake at 2.30am due to the Call for Prayer. The driver picks us up at 3.30 and we head off for an hour and a bit drive to Borobudur. The park doesn't open till 6am but if you pay the only hotel on sight a little extra you can go in from 4.30. We pay up and grab our free torches before making our way to the temple. It's pitch black so we don't really see anything till it's right in front of us and wow, Borobudur is big! 

We hand our tickets to the security and then make our way up to the top to find a good spot for sunrise. The sky has started to lighten not long after we arrive and once we have snaffled our breakfast made for us by the hotel, we set out to take shots.

I also start to see what's around me and I'm in awe of the stupas that surround me. Ben goes off to take some different shots after a while but I stay, a bit taken a back by it all, when I was about 8 or 9, just after my parents split up my Dad when travelling by himself across Indonesia and I remember being so transfixed by the postcard he sent back and the descriptions he told me of a temple full of Buddha's under bells and I suddenly realised that I was in the place my 8 year old self dreamed about seeing. Very cool.

The sun continued to rise and Ben came back just as the sun rays became trapped by the mountains either side of it and made a wedge in the sky.

We made our way down to the lower levels at this point to start our assent to enlightenment. Well that's what is suppose to happen. Each level has a set of reliefs going round it and they are incredible, and so much better than the Angkor ones.

We wandered around taking them all in but sadly we couldn't reach enlightenment as one of the levels is having work done to it but I was still taken aback by the beauty of it all. The only problem was that when we reached the top and started to look around the Stupas, I managed to trap what we thing was a bee between my shirt and my arm and I got stung. I've never been stung before and I didn't react well, I didn't have an allergic reaction but my body decided to do what it always does when it gets a shock and it tried to faint. Not so cool on top of a ten tiered temple, but I sat on the floor, blocking the way of all the other tourists until it passed. But man, the pain stayed for ages :(

We made our way down now and go and check out the hidden foot which they think got hidden as the design of the temple changed half way through building as a new architect came in. Our ticket includes tea and a little snack so we head back to the hotel to grab that. There are a couple of museums included in the price so we go in search of them. They are okay but a bit boring so we head back to the car now. The drive takes a little longer on the way back and we have to keep telling the driver no as he "recommends" good tourist things we could do/he can get commission from. We lunge when we get back as we feel so tired from our early start, but we pop out for a road side dinner of soup and noodles before coming back to pack for leaving Indonesia tomorrow.