Smooth 10 hour overnight flight from Heathrow to Colombo with Sri Lankan airlines, the only airline that flies direct.  Kiran close behind and should arrive tomorrow ready for trek beginning on Tuesday.

Safe taxi journey from Colombo to Kandy with a couple of stop-offs for a king coconut, a mango and chicken curry followed by a mango juice – and now I look like a ? and only been here a few hours! 

Fab driving through Kandy past familiar colonial sites such as the iconic clock tower, the old prison, Kandy lake, Queens and then eventually Hotel Suiss where I’ll be for next 2 nights. 

Day 1

As we’re 5.5 hours ahead of UK time and with at best 2 hours sleep on the plane, I collapsed last night and didn’t wake until gone 10am and nearly missed breakfast. Now UK clocks went forward last eve we’re now only 4.5 hours ahead of the game! UKers are catch up with us.

Looking forward to Kiran arriving on Monday now and not today as she’s had flight dramas but in time to start trekking with me on Tuesday. Sounds like her flight problems will make a blog all by itself – she’s now flying via Chennai and as I’m writing this she should be in the air.

Women’s refuge

I visited the girls’ refuge today – the real reason for coming to Sri Lanka. It all started here. An example below of some sanitary kits the girls have learnt to make which are sold at markets around the country and for schools in the poorer rural communities.  Each set lasts for approximately 2 years and as you can see comes in a discrete bag which the girls can carry in their school bag. 

More pictures of the activity in the refuge in future blogs when wifi working better!

My evening was spent with Koush, Sri Lanka’s well known birder and trekker who we met last year in the Sinharaja rainforest, to finalise our exciting trek plans starting Tuesday.

If you missed the last blog then HERE it is.

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