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.
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