A dream

the most beautiful trip of my still short life, I made it here: in Sri Lanka. a land rich in colours, smells, smiles. here the children you meet on the street, walking towards a temple, greet you, start chatting, and when you hold out a sweet to them, they smile. They just smile. not a thank you or any other word. just a smile, which is enough to fill the emptiness of all words, which melts you as soon as it breaks into your heart. I learned what peace is, what altruism is. I will never forget this trip. from the small and a bit smelly Negombo, to the "luxurious" Mirissa, where I highly recommend staying at the Club Lanka hotel, from the silent and romantic Galle, to the peaceful and magnificent Unawatuna (ideal for writing a book, where you can stay at the spartan Kadolana). magnificent the Tissa nature park, a bit less so the hotel where we stayed 2 nights.

little Ella, with its Adam's Peak, and its sweet mist, will manage to win you over, as will the chaotic and sleepwalking Kandy, where not to be missed are: the elephant orphanage, the traditional dance show and the shops. last stop the ancient and touristy Sigiriya, where if I were you I wouldn't miss the chance of a sweet ayurvedic massage. what struck me most? the speed of the buses and the tuc tucs. I'll tell you a short story: our idea of travel until the first 10 minutes in Sri Lanka was "backpack and train/bus". luckily though, as soon as we arrived we managed to find a man who led us to a small hotel in Negombo. we still held our idea about the trip. unfortunately though this man gave us no other choice than to entrust ourselves to him.

he called one of his employees, the most reliable, caring and charismatic man I've ever met, and told him that we were the newcomers, which translated means: they'll stay in Sri Lanka 15 days. you'll be their guide and driver. we weren't very enthusiastic to be honest, and we thought we'd made a big mistake the day of arrival. but after the 15 days ended, we understood what luck had befallen us. my father always travelled backpacking and away, but alone, not with a family. so if you have children, I recommend entrusting yourselves to a certain Randiya, which though I think isn't the correct name, as I didn't write it down. anyway he's from Negombo. p.s. the hotels mentioned aren't real hotels. they're better described as guest houses, where hospitality and friendliness are not lacking. p.p.s. English will be very useful to you. indeed, it will be indispensably useful to you.