Pit Stop #2 Sri Lanka

After we left the Maldives we decided we wanted to spend a few days in Sri Lanka. It is very close from the Maldives, around a 2 hour plane ride. It was much different than I expected. We flew into Colombo, Sri Lanka which is the largest city and also the capital. We then took a cab about an  hour to our hotel called "The Mount Lavinia". We chose this hotel because it is recognized to be one of the oldest and most famous hotels in the country. It has been a hotel since 1947, but was the Governors Residence since the 1800. It was really neat to stay in a place that was so old, but was turned into a hotel. It was really nice and the location was right on the Mount Lavinia beach. We stayed there for a few days and laid on the beach, went walking around the city, and continued to stay lazy. Obviously, we needed to relax after our really hard and strenuous vacation from the Maldives. 

When we boarded the plane we saw that right next to us was a gurney. We were laughing cause it was just so random, but next thing we knew they were wheeling Grandma in to take her to Sri Lanka. It was definitely a production. They eventually put up curtains around her so she wasn't looked at the whole flight. She had her Son with her, a flight attendant, and a special Doctor. Luckily, the flight was very short, but he did need to administer an IV in that amount of time. Poor girl, I bet they didn't even offer her peanuts. 

Here is our hotel, "The Mount Lavinia". We loved saying the name of it whenever we could because it sounded so royal and grand. I believe we walked around talking to each other in accents for a good portion of the stay, as well. We got there on New Years eve day, so it was still decorated in all the Christmas decorations. We loved Colombos beachy Christmas feel. 

The hotel had its own private beach that was really nice. We laid in lounge chairs and read our books and Peyton braved the water. It was pretty warm but the waves were a little rough. It was also really hot! We had just received some fresh sunburns the day before so I avoided the sun like the plague. I kept telling Peyton while we were in the Maldives, "I don't sunburn. I have a natural olive complexion." The Maldivian sun was not amused by this statement and decided to humor my Husband. I was so burnt! I don't think I have been that sunburned since I was a little kid at the lake. Lesson learned. Thank you, Mr. sunshine. 

Another great thing about this hotel was that we prepaid for 3 meals to be included in our stay. They had huge buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner that we cashed in on. They had so many types of fish, curries, kebabs, soups, fruits, desserts and anything else you can imagine. We were in heaven. Speaking of heaven...

One night they had this dessert called Heaven Slice. We decided that it definitely needed to be experienced, and we were not disappointed. It truly felt like we flew up above for a few moments. Peyton went back to experience heaven about 3 times. I had a few extra slices (for the baby, of course). 

Our last day in Sri Lanka was my 2nd absolute favorite day of the whole trip. We sat on the beach during the day, took a nap, had a buffet breakfast and lunch and then treated ourselves to a couples massage. I am not a huge massage person, but this was so divine. We have been having trouble finding people who would massage me because of the pregnancy, but the resort had a prenatal massage option. All the plane traveling and walking was making my feet swell and I would have paid the homeless man on the corner to just rub them. Luckily, a lovely Sri Lankan lady did it, and it was amazing! (I need to insert here that Peyton offers and gives great foot massages, also. I am totally milking this pregnancy thing until this babe comes.) 

We are trying to collect at least one souvenir from all the places that we visit. In Sri Lanka we found this great authentic cultural mask. We were told that the Sri Lankans display it in your house and it  provides "protection" over your family. It is the perfect souvenir, however I asked Peyton to put it in his office because its a little frightening. 

That night we randomly found this cafe that was having an open mic night on their rooftop and we needed to grab dinner before heading to the airport. They had some yummy milkshakes, hamburgers and even potato chips. The open mic night was fun because it was about three 15 year old boys who had some great talent. Sadly, there was only one other couple there to hear them. It was kinda nice to have our own private rooftop concert, and we made sure to clap and shout for them really loud. It was really surreal to think that we were in Sri Lanka listening to a teenager play Green Day on an acoustic guitar. 

Sri Lanka was such a pleasant surprise and we loved every minute of it. We would definitely recommend Colombo as a destination and of course, Mount Lavinia Hotel. Make sure you talk in an accent while you are there!