We are back!

We are back at home now.  And everyone else is asleep, and I am to join them soon.

The kids slept better than I did on the plane, by son initially stating that he would not be able to sleep (but he did so later), but I kept waking up due to the cough I have had in the last few days.  And because I had some sleep, I was too rested to fall asleep again.  So I watched some films instead.

The first film was In Time which had a great story, but while the film had lots of potential, it failed to meet up to it with lots of holes being present in the plot.  This may had been to edits being made due to it being on a plane, but I doubt it.  It is a shame, but if this film is ever remade, it could be so much better with some changes. Saying that, it was an enjoyable film, but I would have hated to have had to pay to watch it.

Lucy on the other hand was much better, a film full of twists and surprises, though some were predictable, this was what sci-fi should be.  Excellent acting, a plot line to match and lots of action, this was a film I would have been glad to have paid to watch.

Red Riding Hood is a film I have wanted to watch in ages, and I loved this take on a tale that has been told so often.  A who did it film set in a fantasy setting, my only annoyance was the clothing being worn in the snow.

Finally, in this film marathon, I watched Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and I loved it.  A bit corny in that this film fell into stereotypes, it was still put together well.  I would have loved to have paid to watch this on the big screen.

But today has been eventful with the loss (temporary we hope) of an item of value in the home, as well as fatigue.  We have been to the shops where my daughter made the mistake of buying Coco Pops and Crunchy Nut Cornflakes when I was around which means that I know what I will be eating for the next two mornings.  And with that, it is time for me to sleep as well.  Enjoy the music video, sung by someone who I saw on The Voice UK and felt should have gone far.

Day 17 in Sri Lanka

Just a quick and hurried post.  We checked out of that amazing hotel today to journey to Hotel Janaki where we collected our other luggage, packed, talked to friends and got ready for our flight.  However our taxi did not arrive on time or at all, which meant another taxi had to be called and our trip to the airport has not been as relaxing as we would have liked.  But we have finished shopping and are waiting for the call to board.

The kids during the day had fun as they were taken shopping by their grandmother.  She had been advised to order a car to take them about town, but did not, and found it hard to get a taxi, so they ended up taking a Tuk-Tuk, otherwise known as a mobile tin can of death, not once, but twice.  Other than my daughter being on the part with no door, they loved it.

Day 16 in Sri Lanka

Today was meant to be a day spent relaxing. But the children made me swim and swim and swim. 

The morning involved a buffet breakfast where I accidentally fed the fish below us.  We saw a crab eat bits of the best bread rolls in Sri Lanka and after swimming in the morning I may have accidentally done the same at lunch.  However, in the morning we also saw a bird try to eat the fishes who were trying to eat the bread roll.

It was swimming again with the children in the afternoon until it was time for bed, and this post. My son, still thinks that he is not that good at swimming, but he is brilliant, improving throughout the day.  And much to my annoyance, my daughter was able to swim faster than me.

Day 15 in Sri Lanka

Our tour of the island is over and we now have two nights in a beach resort.  We had an early morning trip to see if we could spot a leopard, but sadly we did not. I think the comments of a friend are right for she said that they probably hide the leopards to encourage people to return to Yala.

After this, we checked out and went to our beach stay, stopping on the journey for curd and honey.  

And we love it here.  And we got to see an elephant close up, twice!

Day 14 in Sri Lanka

We left for a safari today.  We went on the way after an early morning departure, to Ella and took in the magnificent views from there.  Then it was a drive to our hotel, and then our off road trek into the wilderness where we saw an elephant, loads of buffalo, a wild boar, amazing birds and the kids loved the 4x4 pickup going through the mud!

When there, we learned about how the Tsunami of 2004 affected people in the park looking at a bungalow that was washed away with the deaths of those within. 

Day 13 in Sri Lanka

Well that was an interesting Christmas Day.  I went out for a walk when everyone had started to wake.  I was hoping to go for a walk with others, but I felt that would not work out (I was later proved wrong).

 After a morning stroll around Nuwara Eliya, (where I saw this transformer,) I returned for breakfast and then handing out the presents.  Lunch was served afterwards and after the afternoon walk which I thought might not happen we went out about town.

We got to see a market, try the worst Espresso I have tasted and later return (for my wife and I) to the Grand Hotel.  We had stayed here for our honeymoon and the place is smarter than before.  And the Thai restaurant we went to looked amazing.  But we did not think so during all the 75 minutes that we waited for our food.  And the order was wrong.  But we did get a free meal and the hotel manager was very apologetic.

Maybe we should have remembered that it was our 13th day!

Day 12 in Sri Lanka

Today was much more relaxing compared to others in a way.  There was a lot less driving and in the morning I had gone for a walk, a nice long one to make up for all the time that I had not been able to swim as much as I would like.  It was not as long as I would have liked ideally, but this break is not just about me, but it is also about the family.

After lunch we went to look at the St Clairs Falls.  We had considered other options including the scenic railway trip, but decided on one that took us down memory lane.  Before, when we had visited Sri Lanka in the past, my wife and I had chocolate cake and tea over looking the falls.  Since then, a dam has been built upstream of them and the place that we ate, has moved.

But it is still beautiful there.  And while we did not visit the location from the past to eat and drink, we went to were it has moved to.  We were not able to watch a film about the history of tea there, but it still was a place that the kids loved.

We bit of late night shopping and pizza and now it is time for bed while the children wait for Christmas day tomorrow.