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J'AIME DECEMBER 2019

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PREPARING A SRI

LANKAN FEAST

we climbed to a nearby temple, our guide surprised

us with a kite – a gift for the children – which they

flew from the top over the magnificent views.

On our final day here, as I stood at the rustic

afternoon tea pagoda looking out over the lake, an

eagle circling above and a stillness in the air, I felt

that The Mudhouse not only feeds your mind and

body, its feeds your soul, with all that it is and all that

it achieves for everyone that visits it and works there.

In short, I LOVED it – can you tell?!

Then came my first negative surprise of the trip.

Of course, you know in theory that Sri Lanka is a

tropical country, and that monsoon-level rains can

happen at any time – but you don’t really expect it

to happen on your holiday! As it bucketed down on

our journey to Kandy, I couldn’t help but feel a little

bit disappointed. But little did I know that some of

my favourite moments of the trip were yet to come –

despite the rain, and sometimes because of it!

I have long been a fan of The Jungle Book (the

original, of course), and on arrival at Ellerton, our

fabulous hotel in Kandy, I felt like I had stepped

right into it: glorious exotic plants and lush green

landscapes – which, surprisingly, against the

backdrop of the tropical rain, were all the

more beautiful. So, on our first day, the boys

and I challenged ourselves to a bit of an

adventure climb, known for its views. We

couldn’t help but laugh at the weather – and

the image of our lovely guide walking down

the hill, with his multi coloured golfing

umbrella, that had blown inside out too

many times to stay up, wrapped around

his head, will cause us to fondly chuckle

for many a year (I only wish I had taken a

photo)! But all was not lost, that evening

our British stoicism was reward by our

lovely hosts at Ellerton, when after dinner

a movie under the stars had been set up for

us, playing none other than… The Jungle

Book!

Another example was our visit to a local

tea plantation. The tea-pickers showed

us their daily duties, some in bare feet,

telling us that they were going to get wet

anyway! We were the only tourists there,

we really felt privileged to be able to get

a glimpse into their world, which was

enhanced by an unscheduled stop at the

tea pickers’ houses on the way home. It

was an eye-opening experience.

The following day, it was time to move

on to our final stop, some well-deserved

R&R at the beach! As some of us can’t

sit still for too long, we decided to take

a local train down to Galle for the day.

We thoroughly enjoyed weaving our way

through Galle Fort, browsing in the shops, grabbing

a bite to eat and enjoying some rather delicious ice

cream. However, it was the train journeys that I

enjoyed the most. It was hot and overcrowded but

packed with all walks of life, and we felt immersed in

the local community – and all for the price of £1.75

for a family of five. What’s not to love?!

So, did Sri Lanka live up to my expectations? I think

you can guess my answer: absolutely! Before going,

I understood that the country had amazing things

to offer “on paper” – wildlife, scenery, beaches and

more – but experiencing these things in person felt

even more magical than I could have imagined. Even

when the weather meant that days didn’t go quite as

planned, we were still able to make memories that

will last a lifetime.

To plan and book your holiday to Sri

Lanka, contact RB Collection’s Sri Lanka

specialist Samuel Cooper on 01543 258631,

or email vip@rbcollection.com. Visit RB

Collection, just 1.5 miles outside of Lichfield

next door to the Co-Op with free parking

(appointments recommended).

CRICKET ON THE BEACH IN

SRI LANKA

47

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