Friday 11th November to Thursday 24th November 2022

My brother and his family usually take their holiday each year in Croatia, in a villa by the lake or sea with a few other families.  They drive from the Czech Republic and self-cater.  With us being in Sri Lanka though and the pandemic behind us, they braved themselves to leave Europe and travel to Asia on their first long haul flights. 

A large amount of planning from both ends resulted in a successful journey when my brother George, his wife Jana and their son Jakob landed at Colombo airport via Dubai in the morning of Friday, 11th November.  They were overwhelmed and absolutely exhausted after nearly 24 hours of travel (a 6 hour train journey from Opava to Prague, a 1 hour journey to the airport, 5.5 hours on the first flight, 3 hours transfer in Dubai, 4.5 hours on the second flight and then the journey to our home).

My mummy was on the journey with them too, she agreeing to come and stay with us for 4 months to be in the warmth and sun, instead of drab,  cold and depressing winter spending it all alone.  We love having her with us so we can look after her and repay all she did for me when I was small.

The Hon family spent a few days with us and loved the warmth, the balcony, the view, the train, the sea, the tuk tuk tour of the heart of real Colombo, high tea in the Shangri-La Hotel, the curries, the fruits, the king coconuts and gin & tonic watching the sunset.  Steve and I spent one night at our friend Pavel’s place to give them space, and another at the Cinnamon Grand hotel; a nice little staycation!

They set off with our usual driver, Ishar, heading South to do some fishing, a safari, whale watching (although they saw only one fish in a 6 hour long boat trip), a turtle factory and gem mining.  After all this they ended up on the East coast in the luxury Uga Bay resort that we have twice enjoyed, simply to relax.  The weather was overcast most of the time, so they were not suffering in the usual heat. 

They came back to Colombo for their last night with suitcases full of fruits and carved elephants, and with a head full of unforgettable memories.  They left for the airport on Wednesday 23rd November to endure the long journey home. They have hundreds photos to keep as memories of a very special holiday they never thought they would experience.  We re very happy for them and much enjoyed sharing the island that is our home.

Rennie