It's not all bad....

I have just re-read my last post and realised I was being maybe a little harsh on Sri Lanka (and sounding like a grumpy b'stard)...so here are the things I like about it:

• The beer. Lion Lager as it's called. It's 4.8% and blows India's gassy Kingfisher out of the water. I didn't try it but they do an 8.8% 'Lion Strong' version. Maybe next time?
• The tea. Ok, it's not masala chai and they don't put any spices in, but they don't need to. The tea itself is so good. I could drink it all day.
• It's a lot cleaner than India and they actually have road markings and a highway code that people follow. Plus there aren't cows wandering around all over the place. The dogs seem to look a bit healthier too.
• The nature. On our first full day in Kandy we saw: two massive water monitor lizards - each one must have been two metres long, and we initially thought they were crocs; a massive ugly pelican that powered its way round the lake like a speedboat; colonies of huge bats hanging on trees over the roads. These things are big their wingspans must be six-foot, and the locals call them flying foxes (!!!) ; hordes of monkeys outside our guesthouse; turtles/terrapins in the lake; loads of huge fish; and a suicidal dog - it was sleeping in the middle of the road. In all, in 20 minutes we saw more than a full-day at the Periyar Tiger Sanctuary.

So it's not all bad!!!