Running to Adventures around the World
Given that it’s an island, Sri Lanka has lots of beaches, and we were eager to explore them. Both of us had an image in our heads of a long, deserted beach, with warm clear water. The beach in Colombo was unusable and smelled like sewage, so we waited until we got to the southern coast to swim in the Indian Ocean. The water was very warm and incredibly salty, which allowed us to float without having to tread water.
[Read more…] about In search of the perfect Sri Lankan beach
One of the top items on the agenda was to do a safari in Sri Lanka. We elected to go to Udawalawe National Park, over the more well known Yala Park, as it seemed to be less crowded. We organized a driver through our hotel, and split a jeep with 2 German guys, to lower the already low cost. 
The driver picked us up at 5:30am, and we were the second vehicle in the park, when it opened at 6:00.
As we drove on the dirt paths in our open Jeep, we spotted hundreds of peacocks sitting in trees (they make noises that sound like a loud cat meow), water buffalo, crocodiles, monkeys, and elephants. 
Although there are some leopards in the area, we didn’t see any. The best part was seeing a nursing baby elephant.
Back when the country was called Ceylon, and was a British colony, Sri Lanka became famous for growing tea. The high elevation and moisture in the hill region is ideal for tea production. Many well-known tea companies, including Lipton, have factories here.
We passed through lush forests and bright green, perfectly manicured tea plantations. Merchants came on board at each stop to sell food, then took the next train back.
We were hoping to stay in a quiet little mountain town, and Ella, in the height of tea country sounded perfect. Except that everyone else had the same idea as us, and the town is swarming with tourists.
Since the civil war ended 6.5 years ago, foreigners have flocked to this pretty area. We were still happy to get some hiking time, and we climbed Ella Rock and Little Adam’s Peak. Once we were out of the town itself, we didn’t see many others. To reach the summit of Ella Rock, we had to walk along the railroad for a while, then up steep hillsides.
At one point we took a wrong turn, and a barefoot farmer led us through tea plantations to the trail.
Given our location amidst tea plantations, it seemed appropriate to visit a tea factory. We chose to go to Newburgh green tea factory, as it was closest. Although our tour guide was pathetically uninterested, we saw how fresh leaves are first dried over a wood fire, then ground up, dried again, and separated based on size. The bigger pieces are used for steeping, and the powder is put into teabags. Ella, sitting in the thick of tea plantations, was the perfect place to sit back and enjoy a nice cup of Ceylon tea.
We landed in Colombo Sri Lanka, and decided that after the 5 days we spent partying with my family in Paris, and the jet lag from the overnight flight, we ought to stay in a hotel and rest.
Anyway, there’s not a ton to see in the seaside capital city aside from the Gangaramya temple, which contains a hair from the Buddha.
After two luxurious days swimming and getting acclimated to the heat and humidity, we took a train to Kandy, though this sounds easier than it was.
We spent half the day trying to get tickets, walking between the hotel and train station three times, and between ticket counters at the train station. Eventually we got tickets for second class, but weren’t able to reserve our seats. When we finally boarded our train half an hour early, it was already full.
Fortunately, we got seats, because soon the train was packed. Like sardines in a can, people were squashed into every bit of space, including the few inches between the top of my knees and the seat in front of me.
It was a very basic train – electric fans on the ceiling, open windows and doors, metal floor with holes – but the ride was pretty. We passed coconut trees and banana trees and bright green hills and many shacks.
Several months ago, we signed up for an international petsitting site, with the express purpose of finding a place to stay for free in France over Christmas. This website pairs pet owners with pet sitters. In exchange for watching someone’s pets while the owners are on vacation, the traveler receives a free place to stay.
We were elated when we were finally accepted to dogsit 2 Cocker Spaniels in a small village, set amidst vineyards, in the south of France for 10 days over Christmas. 
However, when we arrived, the owners told us they weren’t going on vacation. The husband had recently been hospitalized, and the wife didn’t want to travel without him. But, she still wanted us to remain at the house to watch the dogs.
We definitely understood, as this is not something anyone can plan for, yet we were a little uncomfortable staying in the house and dog sitting when an owner was there. And we weren’t quite sure what we were actually meant to do, as she fed the dogs and let them out. Aside from taking them for several long walks each day, we felt useless.
The owner was very kind to us, the house was lovely and we loved the area and the dogs, but spending Christmas tiptoeing around a stranger’s home just wasn’t what we were envisioning.
As we mentioned previously, Chefchaouen is a stunning blue town in northern Morocco. 
The only way to reach it is by car or bus. Getting here was definitely an experience. We were the only English speakers on the packed bus, whose suspension and shock absorbers failed about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, the bouncy ride did nothing to help the stomach of the man next to Paul who was vomiting into a plastic bag. The bus basically acted as a mobile souk, with merchants briefly running aboard to sell cookies, watches, wallets, plastic card holders, and chains at every stop.
