Ah the Maldives...

We made the decision to travel to the Maldives for our honeymoon as we knew we would not be visiting such a location again....and it turned out to be a really good choice!

To start with the flight was only one hour 20 minutes ( though there was no in-flight entertainment) with a light snack ( though ONLY vegetarian much to many passengers disappointment). Flying into Male airport we were surrounded by the most majestic looking sea line and many islands of different sizes - the sea was an unusual blue merging into the blue sky and at some points we couldn't say where the sea ended and the sky started!

Much to our surprise the very small yet clean Male airport was a breeze to go through - and once we got on our speed boat to the resort (which was about 20 mins) we were on our way to our little piece of heaven. Vadoo part of the Adaaran group of hotels was absolutely breathtaking - and the many Srilankan staff employees made it a pleasant stay for us. The water bungalow's were surrounded with beautiful coral and fish and in the night you are treated to a Tuna and Shark feeding frenzy....that was a definite highlight for us both, though we were happy to stand far away on the deck to watch it.

We then moved to Rannalhi, again by speed boat and this journey was about 30 minutes - again an Aitken Spence hotel, though quite different to Vadoo which was more up market - the welcome by the Srilankan front office manager was very warm. Again here too though a little more on the lower price, the water bungalows were surrounded by coral and amazingly colored fish which we could view from our little glass window on the floor. We also had the occasional Shark and Manta ray swim by which was awesome. The white sandy beach and the beautiful blue ocean was indeed a great get away and the Balinese spa added a little touch of relaxation.

There were many activities at Rannalhi you could do (of course at a price) like diving lessons and snorkeling, island hopping, romantic sunset get away's and Manta ray swimming as well as on request private dinner arrangements - there was also a bar that was well located and served some delicious cocktails to cool you down while you bask in the sun.

The only down side of being on a Maldivian island for more than 2 days is that ....well, unless your into snorkeling, diving or the beach you can get bored fast. So fair warning to those city dwellers...don't forget to pack your ipod and a book oh and lots of sun screen....and another note to keep in mind, you are not allowed to carry any alcohol into Maldives or bring back any coral from the Maldives -its important to acknowledge and respect these laws and regulations in any country. 

Before you travel out of your own country, I'm a firm believer that you must make the effort to see what lies admits your own beautiful island....there is nothing like finding a little hotel, nestled among the coconut trees and blue sandy beaches filled with sea shells. And if you see a "room rush" offer, check it out! its worth clicking online and checking the hotels, you get some great deals.  We took a deal at a hotel in Thalpe (Era beach) about a 2 1/2 hour drive from CMB (now thanks to the highway). The food and location was quite nice, however we did have some issues with the room we had booked, due to all the rooms being booked. That being the only hiccup in the location, the food was yum and the night was beautiful and we were able to have a quite dinner by the beach - nice location with great company, what more can you ask for on a weekend away holiday.....

Yapahuwa - hiding away

I never realized how close I lived to history - that only 2 hours away there lay a hidden kingdom. Taking the route I would normally take to Kurunegala, Yapahuwa lies between Kurunegala and Anuradhapura in the Wayamba province.

When we reached the place (on a Saturday), it was full of people - of all ages - but the crowds could not steal the beauty of the palace that stood in front of us. It reminded me a little of Sigiriya. The style and shape of this hidden Kingdom takes you away to a different era and the appreciation of the great kings and engineers of our little island only grew stronger in my mind. Climbing the great stairway which was almost a vertical climb up - was indeed a challenge, but once at the top it was worth the climb. The pillars still stood tall, endowed with art chiseled into the stone pillars and I can only imagine what it must have looked like back in the day.If you dare to climb further upwards, through a narrow path covered in bush, you would meet a clearing and the view is simply amazing.

Yapahuwa served as the capital of Sri Lanka in the latter part of the 13th century (1273–1284).  and was a palace and military stronghold against foreign invaders. The palace and fortress were built by King Buvanekabahu I (1272–1284) in the year 1273.

Unfortunately as always, not everyone there seemed to appreciate the grandeur around them as they stood / ran and threw garbage around the relics.

Im back......

It's been quite some time since I got on my blog and well many things have changed since then....
But looking foward to being back on the road with more adventures and updating my blog with some of the advetures I've had, places I've seen and people I've met.....