Day 5 - Paradise

Day 5

We managed to sleep for 12 hours straight! I was woken up only once at dawn when the peacocks started crowing. It made me feel right at home because that's when the kittens wake us up!

Breakfast was a watermelon and some deliciously sweet mini bananas. We read our books on the balcony, enjoying the sounds if the lake and trees around us. Bliss.

We were picked up at 11 by a man who spoke no English in an ancient mini van with no air con! The drive took about 3 and a half hours and he made us buy the petrol, road toll and even his lunch! He also stopped to pick up some hitch hikers. Needless to say we were pretty hot and grumpy by the time we arrived in Bentota, only to have another half an hour driving around trying to find the Shangri Lanka villa hotel. We must have asked 10 people, who all pointed in the same direction. Why he kept asking I will never know. We managed to argue the cost of the petrol off our fee and leave our driver to his ( probably much quicker) drive back. He is the only unfriendly person we have come across so far. Everyone else is wonderfully friendly.

Our hotel was worth the drive. It is simply stunning. We have a huge first floor room with balcony and porch overlooking forest. We can breakfast on the porch. The bathroom is bigger than our entire flat in China! It us so luxurious and peaceful. Matt went straight to the pool while I unpacked. What a wonderful place to call home for the next 7 nights. Maybe we appreciate it more after our tree house.

We didn't do much this afternoon, just lazed by the pool for a bit, then had a delicious dinner at the hotel. I had tuna curry, veg pakora and banana frittas. Matt had fish skewers, veg pajoea and chocolate cake. We chatted with a retired couple (another one!) For a bit, then headed back to our beautiful room for bed.