Sri Lanka (I)

Sri Lanka (I)

Am avut de curand o discutie in familie si s-a votat in unanimitate ca cel mai bine de pana acum, din toate vacantele petrecute impreuna, ne-a fost in Sri Lanka. Pur si simplu ne-am indragostit de privelisti, de atmosfera prietenoasa a localnicilor, de tuktuk, de plaje, de plantatiile de ceai… de tot. Pregatiti-va pentru multe serii de fotografii…

 

EN: During a recent family talk, it was unanimously decided that, out of all the vacations we have spent together so far, we had the best time in Sri Lanka. We just fell in love with the views, the friendly atmosphere of the locals, the Tuktuk, the beaches, the tea plantations…everything. Prepare to see many sets of pictures….

Am plecat din tara chiar pe 25 dec, cand aeroportul era pustiu. Am aterizat in Colombo pe la 19:30, dupa un drum cu escala lunga in Doha. Inainte de a iesi din aeroport, am pasit toti trei cu dreptul, deodata, si ne-am urat unul altuia: “Hai sa avem o vacanta grozava in Sri Lanka” – “Si chiar grozava a fost!” a completat Vlad acum cateva secunde, de langa mine.

Fotografiile de mai sus sunt doar din primele 2 zile petrecute in Sri Lanka, mai precis din Colombo, din Kandy si din timpul drumului cu trenul dintre cele doua orase importante. Ne rezervasem bilete de tren pentru acest segment inca din tara.

Ca sa ne deplasam cat mai usor dintr-un mijloc de transport in altul si de la o cazare la alta (am avut in total 12 cazari diferite!), am avut cu noi doar bagajele pe care le vedeti in imagini: un rucsac negru pe care il caram eu cu hainele pentru toti 3 si un rucsac in care il cara Radu pe Vlad cand nu mai putea merge (sau cand voia sa doarma), pe care il stiti si din calatoriile in Thailanda sau Vietnam (este un Thule Elite Sapling – momentan nu am gasit o varianta mai buna decat acest rucasc pentru copiii de varsta lui Vlad, care nu mai sunt de carucior, dar care nu au inca nici rezistenta de a merge ore pe jos). Asadar, consider bagajele reduse o performanta a noastra, pentru care am primit felicitari pe drum de la mai multe familii, de diverse nationalitati. Cand nu mai aveam haine curate, le spalam la hotel (de uscat, se uscau mai greu, la ce umezeala era acolo…). La capitolul medicamente, iarasi, am redus odata cu trecerea anilor trusa. Nu de alta, dar la inceput cred ca avea 5 kile! Acum am luat cu noi, pentru urgente, un antibiotic potrivit pentru varsta lui Vlad (Augmentin), Nurofen, Efferalgan (tot pentru el), Euthyrox-ul meu si niste pansamente. Eu am mai avut nevoie si de alte medicamente pe durata vacantei, dar mi le-am cumparat foarte usor de acolo. Dar sa ajungem noi cu povestea pana la vizita mea de la spitalul regional din Unawatuna….

Si daca tot suntem la capitolul boli, pentru Sri Lanka nu sunt necesare alte vaccinuri in acest moment (nu e malarie de exemplu), dar Vlad le are pe toate cele obligatorii la zi. Acesta e oricum un criteriu de selectie al destinatiei pentru noi, de cand s-a nascut Vlad. Caci, iata, sunt multe tari pe care le poti vizita si fara sa fi nevoit sa il vaccinezi suplimentar.

Sri Lanka este o destinatie ideala pentru familii cu copii, recomandata de Lonely Planet si nu numai. Ai o multime de locuri de vizitat impreuna cu ei, de la rezervatii naturale in care va traverseaza calea elefantii, la temple “pazite” de mainute, si plaje cat vezi cu ochii. Iar daca va ganditi la mancarea prea iute, exista zeci de feluri de fructe pe care le pot manca, iar orezul simplu si pastele cu sos de rosii erau prezente in orice meniu. Ba chiar si cate o pizza, pentru cei mai mofturosi.

Mersul cu trenul a fost o experinta minunta. De altfel, s-a nimerit ca prima calatorie cu trenul din viata lui Vlad (exceptand drumurile scurte cu trenul de la aeroport pana la metropole) sa fie in Sri Lanka. Si a fost mult mai usor decat tot ce citisem inainte pe net. Dar o sa vedeti mai clar in primul episod de vlog Brambura prin Lume din Sri Lanka.

De altfel, cred ca cel mai bine ar fi ca dupa fiecare set de poze de pe blog, sa urc pe canalul de youtube si episodul de vlog corespunzator. Drept urmare, puteti sa imi lasati aici orice curiozitate aveti legata de Sri Lanka si de imaginile de mai sus, si voi raspunde pe larg in vlog. E bine asa?

O sa mi se faca foarte dor selectand fotografii, videouri si scriind despre aceste locuri minunate!!!! SIGUR ne vom intoarce!

EN: We left the country on December 25th, when the airport was deserted. We landed in Colombo at 19:30, after a long layover in Doha. Upon exiting the airport, all three of us put our right foot in and wished each other: “Let’s have a great vacation in Sri Lanka” – “And it really was great!” Vlad added a few seconds ago, while sitting next to me.

The photos above were taken on the first 2 days spent in Sri Lanka, more precisely in Colombo, Kandy and during our train ride between the two important cities. We had reserved train tickets for this segment before leaving the country.

In order to get around easier from one means of transportation to another and from accommodation to another (we had 12 different accommodations in total!), we only carried the bags you can see in the pictures: a black backpack I was carrying with clothes for all 3 of us and another backpack in which Radu was carrying Vlad when he couldn’t walk anymore (or when he wanted to sleep), which you already know from our trips to Thailand or Vietnam (it’s a Thule Elite Sapling – up until now we haven’t found a better alternative for kids of Vlad’s age, who don’t use the stroller anymore, but who don’t have the endurance to walk around too much yet). So, I consider that the light baggage is a performance of ours, which we were congratulated for by many families, of various nationalities. When we ran out of clean clothes, we washed them at the hotel (they were hard to dry, because of the humidity there…). As far as medicine goes, we reduced the  bag over the years. In the beginning it weighed about 5 kg! This time we only took some for emergencies, an antibiotic for Vlad’s age (Augmentin), Nurofen, Efferalgan (also), Euthyrox for me and some band aids. I needed some other drugs throughout the vacation, but I got them from there. But let’s get to the story about my visit to regional hospital in Unawatuna….

And since we are talking about diseases, there’s no need for any special vaccines for Sri Lanka for the moment, but Vlad has already done all the mandatory ones. This is an important selection criteria for us, ever since Vlad was born. Because, as you can see, there are many countries you can visit without taking any other extra vaccines.  

Sri Lanka is an ideal destination for families with children, recommended by Lonely Planet and not only. There are lots of places to visit with them, from natural habitats where elephants cross your path, to temples “guarded” by monkeys, and beaches as far as the eye can see. And if you’re thinking the food is too spicy, there are tens of different fruit varieties they can eat, and plain rice or pasta with tomato sauce were present in every menu. Even a pizza or two, for the picky eaters.  

Taking the trains was a wonderful experience. It just so happened that Vlad’s first train ride ever (except the short ones from an airport to a city) was in Sri Lanka. And it was much easier than I had read before on the internet. But you’ll see more clearly in the first vlog episode Brambura prin Lume in Sri Lanka.

I think it’s best if I upload the according vlog episode, after each set of pictures on the blog. Therefore, you can leave me questions about anything you want to know about Sri Lanka and the pictures above, and I will answer them for you in the vlog. Is that all right?

I will miss those wonderful places while selecting photos, videos and writing about them!!!! We will DEFINETELY go back someday!