I am sure you noticed me being away from my blog for the last two weeks. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I miss you and came back with a series of interesting posts about my trip to Sri Lanka.

Once a year go someplace you’ve never been before – Dalai Lama

A trip for only the three of us as a family, my lovely husband Antoun, my precious son Nady and I. This is what i call quality time for the family. We chose Sri Lanka on purpose to offer to Nady a new enriching journey, full of discoveries, adventures and novelties. It was indeed!

Our trip kicked off in Pinnawala, a village in Kegalle district of Sri Lanka, situated 90 km from the capital Colombo. It is well known for its Elephant orphanage.

Pinnawala elephant orphanage: was started in 1975 to house the abandoned and wounded elephants. The number of elephants has increased now, including baby elephants brought from various parts, as well as the babies born, as a result of the captive breeding programs. The best time to visit is the feeding time from 9:30-10:00 am and 13:30-14:00 pm and the bathing time from 10:00-10:30 am and 14:00-14:30 pm when all the elephants are taken to the river close by.

You can spend time there watching the elephant bathing. Vendors are everywhere selling small bags of bananas to feed them too.

We proceeded then to Kandy to spend the night there, the second largest city after Colombo. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO as it was the last stronghold of the Sinhalese Kings during the Portuguese, Dutch and British rule and finally ceded to the British in 1815 after an agreement. To the Buddhists of Sri Lanka and the World, Kandy is one of the most sacred sites as it is the home of the “Dalada Maligawa” – Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha.

The next morning, walking up fresh and enlivened to go to my favorite place where i can spend hours and days contemplating the beauty of the mother nature in the Royal Botanical garden of Peradeniya, situated about 5.5 km to the west from Kandy.

147 acres in extent; Started in 1374 as a pleasure garden of the Kings of Gampola and Kandy. There are more than 5,000 species of trees, plants and creepers. Some rare and endemic! As well as flora from the tropical world are found in the gardens. Spice Garden and Orchid House are popular with tourists. There are 5 Palm Avenues beautifying the gardens, the earliest and tallest Palm Avenue (Royal Palm Avenue) was planted in 1905. Also Double Coconuts from the Seashells Island, with the largest seed of all plants in the world.

Trust me it was so hard to choose 20 pics out of hundreds. It’s a piece of heaven on earth. I recommend this site big time, as it is not usual wherever you live to find all this beauty in one place. It was a great opportunity to enjoy and reserve a big dosage of green and oxygen…

Stay tuned to Sri Lanka part 2….