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Mr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXL
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Mr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXL

An open-ended adventure by Hanna Will Read more
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  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    2Breast MountainsMoon stone fieldVietnamese Sandwich (Bánh mì)Trying to ride uphill

    Ha Giang Loop Day 1 & 2

    Jan 8–9 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Day 1
    We packed up our bikes, grabbed some breakfast, and withdrew cash while generously donating an outrageous fee to the local bank. About fifteen minutes into the ride, our confidence was shattered by our first police stop of the trip. Annika and Nils were fined for not having international driving licenses, which we all knew were required but collectively decided to ignore. In the end we were stopped three times on the very first day, so if you ever want to do the Ha Giang Loop make sure you have your paperwork in order. The fine was painful, but at least it acts as sort of a flatrate payment and they'll be ok to ride for the next few days (please don't question the logic behind that).
    Aside from our frequent interactions with law enforcement, the ride was absolutely stunning. Will was clearly living his best life. Uphill sections were occasionally a test though, with uphill sections pushing the limits of our little 125 cc bike. For little Ny (with no passenger on her bike) they weren't a struggle at all of cause so she just casually zoomed past us, laughing more than once.
    We ended the day with roasted duck, and the girls treated themselves to have their hair washed.

    Day 2
    It was a cold but sunny morning and after fueling up with some nice hot Pho, we rode to the Moon Stone Field and had coffee. The day was mostly about riding and going off-road, and we are proud to report zero crashes.
    However, we did stop for an epic boat tour, finally tried a Vietnamese sandwich that absolutely lived up to the hype, and stumbled upon a mysterious cave that looked like an abandoned tourist attraction.
    After our butts were sufficiently in pain from all the off-road riding, we decided to spend the night in a beautiful homestay in the middle of nowhere. Whilst sitting around the bonfire, our very friendly host pointed out that we could see the Chinese border from where we were sitting.
    To end the night we had some nice warm
    Vietnamese hot pot and then snuggled up in our beds with heated blankets.    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    Ho Chi Minh’s Cave: Hang Pác Bó2Duck Pho 🦆

    Pac Bó & Traveling to Ha Giang

    January 7 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    After sharing another cosy family room at our second homestay we drove to the nearby Pac Bó historical site where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked).

    Thinking it would only be a quick stop we decided to postpone breakfast until after visiting the site for efficiency reasons. After first driving to the wrong place we arrived at the entrance gate and realised it was actually a massive area with many different sights to explore. Under caffeinated and hangry we started our hike up to the first memorial sight which offered a beautiful panoramic view but was sadly under construction. Further up the road we finally managed to find some grilled potatoes, boiled eggs and COFFEE that gave us the energy to climb the endless stairs up to the caves.
    Despite the bumpy start, we'd highly recommend checking out the place if you ever happen to be near the Chinese border.

    Before driving for almost 6 hours to Ha Giang we tried the famous local duck pho which I don't think we'll be having again. When we finally got to Ha Giang, Ny arranged our motorbike hire for the following days and then it was bed time because we needed all the sleep we could get for the 3-4 days of adventure ahead of us.    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler

    Road trip through North Vietnam

    Jan 5–6 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    On Monday we set off on our road trip through the mountains. After driving for most of the day (taking turns so that we can all say that we have driven a car in Vietnam) we arrived at our first accommodation which was a beautiful little homestay in the middle of nowhere.

    Day two (Tuesday) started bright and early with some rather interesting looking but very tasty breakfast.
    After Will had finished everyone's food, we drove to a majestic waterfall right at the border to China (Ban Gioc Waterfall, 4th largest waterfall at an international border). Because it was drisling with rain, we decided to go full on Vietnamese style and borrow some leaf hats (Nón lá). Well actually we thought we were buying them for an insanely cheap price until the lady asked us to return them on our way out. Anyway, definitely worth the 30 cents.
    Next on our agenda was a hike. However, after a local advised us not to do the hike that Ny had selected because we'd definitely get lost, we opted for a safer buy equally as beautiful walk.    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    Sea plane ready for take offOn the speed boat 🚢On the bamboo boat to explore Luon CaveSurprising CaveInside surprising cave1View from Tiptop IslandSunset "party" on our way back to port

    Day trip to Ha Long Bay 🏝️

    January 4 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    After a week in Hanoi it was past time we left the city for some adventure. So Nils, Annika, Will & I drove to the famous Hay Long Bay. The previously night we'd last minute booked a day tour on a boat to go around the many small islands Ha Long Bay is famous for.

    The drive there went much more smoothly than anticipated and we arrived with plenty of time to walk around the rather underwhelming shoreline and see a sea plane get ready for take off.

    Once the rest of our tour group arrived (they all went buy bus from Hanoi) we boarded our ship (the sunlight grand cruise) and made our way to the first of three stops.

    1st Stop: Luon Cave - a beautiful cave/ bay area that is entered by bamboo boat or kayak.
    Will and I chose to pay extra to go on an amazing speed boat trip to go around the area. The boat ride was awesome although, as expected, health and safety regulations weren't taken overly seriouly.

    2nd Stop: Surprising Cave (Sung Sot Cave) - a very large cave, unfortunately unbelievably crowded with people as well or to quote our lovely guide: you'll be surprised by the crowds not the cave.

    3rd and final Stop: Tiptop Island - a very high island with a stunning panoramic view if you manage to climb up the 400+ stairs.

    All in all we had a great day although we all agreed that we prefer slightly less overcrowded areas but who are we to judge (4 tourists visiting one of the main attractions in Vietnam shortly after new Year's).    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    Coffee & dessert at Ny's uncle's café
    Little huts at the farm 🛖2Enjoying the massage chair at the farmPicking pomelos

    Farm visit & meeting more family

    January 3 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    The day started with a long lie in which was followed by a delicious brunch.
    All fuelled up for the day we picked up the car that Ny's uncle is kindly letting us borrow for the upcoming days and drove to Ny's uncle's farm (approx 1,5 hours outside Hanoi). It's a beautiful estate with loads of different fruit trees, a lotus pond and even three ostriches. Ny suggested to go for a run around the area, so we did and even got stopped by some locals who kindly asked to take a picture with us (two sweaty foreigners). Annoyingly the run was only 4,7 km so we'll have to go for another one at some point. 🙃

    For dinner we were invited to Ny's mum's side of the family. We enjoyed some yummy food and met her super sweet tiny grandma (she's only 1,40m)

    To finish off the evening we finally got around to going to Ny's uncle's café which is a stunning, fairly newly built multi story building just around the corner from her aunt's café.    Read more

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    12

    Meeting Ny's family & sightseeing

    Jan 1–2 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    The first day of the year started with some homemade brunch (which also included some bacon to keep Will happy).
    Next we went for a walk around the lake and stopped for some super creamy egg coffee. Highly recommend trying one!
    Shortly after Annika spotted the perfect addition to Will's and my little family and that's when we adopted gorgeous little Hennry the duck chicken.

    For the evening we had very special plans: dinner with Ny's family. It was a fantastic evening with lovely people and loads of delicious food.
    To end the night we went to a photo booth to take some questionable pictures.

    The morning of day number two was all about relaxation (for most of us). We booked ourselves into a VIP 2 hour spa treatment. First we got to spend 30mins in a private room with a herbal bath, herbal jacuzzi bath tub and sauna before enjoying a 1h30mins massage. It was a nice experience but also slightly discomforting to sit naked in a bath tub filled with tea and have a random Vietnamese person give you a body scrub.
    After a quick stop at Ny's family's café for some well needed coffee we started our sightseeing tour around Hanoi. Our wonderful guide Ny took us to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, the one pillar pagoda, the famous train street (we even saw a train go past) and St. Joseph Cathedral.
    For dinner we had some very tasty dry pho and then went to the night market again to get some dessert, shop around and buy some beautiful accessories for Ny's flat. 🐖    Read more

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    Happy New Year 🎊

    December 31, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The last day of 2025 started with a rather unusual breakfast that certainly pushed our limits and will join the half hatched egg on the very short list of things we do not need to try again. Next on our agenda was some second hand shopping, which Will chose to not partake in and instead explored the local market area including some very questionable stalls.
    After recovering from brunch for a while we got ready for the evening. Our first stop was karaoke, not necessarily Will and my strong side but still fun. 🎤
    Next we wanted to do an all you can eat hot pot buffet but sadly they had already closed for the day when we arrived. Instead we settled for some rather spicy ramen noodles. Finished with dinner we (and half of Hanoi) made our way to the area where one of the main firework displays would take place. It was super crowded but thankfully we found a quiet bench. At around 11:40pm we heard some very load bangs and that is when the fireworks started. 20mins and a significant amount of air pollution later, the fireworks finished at exactly 00:00.
    After some Happy New Year hugs and kisses, the first challenge of 2026 began: getting back to Ny's apartment. It was CHAOS but somehow By managed to get us all home safe and sound in the end.

    Happy New Year to everyone! ♥️🎉🍀    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    Tasting half hatched eggs 🤢

    Happy Birthday Will 🥳

    December 30, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Celebrating Wills 32st birthday, we started the day with some delicious beef pho, followed by some coffee (and a croissant in Will's case).
    Next on our agenda was coffee roasting at Ny's family's café. As a little surprise we ordered a birthday cake for Will (mango and chocolate) which turned out to be a absolutely delicious.
    After cake, we wanted to reveal our creative spirits one last time in 2025 and went to a pottery village for some DIY pottery making. On the taxi journey there we made plans about the amazing things we were about to create with our talented hands.
    However, shortly after we tried to shape lumps of clay in some remotely bowl like items we all realised none of our pottery visions would be released that afternoon.
    It was hilarious and in the end only Ny managed to produce a small junky bowl whereas the rest of us had to have bowls made for us. While we waited for the clay to dry and be ready for us to paint, we had a stroll around the pottery village which offers a wast variety of anything and everything pottery related at very low prices.
    We ended the very fun day with loads of different tasty foods (none of which I remember the name off, but we usually let Ny order whatever she thinks will be nice and it always turns out to taste amazing) and had a few drinks at a roof top bar to celebrate Will's birthday. 🍹🎈    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler

    Exploring Hanoi #1

    December 29, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Our first day in Hanoi started rather unusual. Annoyingly a few days before a filling in my front tooth fell out when we were having dinner.
    Thankfully Ny knows Hanoi very well and kindly took me to the dentist who sorted everything out immediately and for a very reasonable price. Equipped with shiny and fully functioning teeth we continued our food journey through Vietnam and of course ended up back at Ny's family's café.
    In the evening, we enjoyed some extra crispy pork belly.    Read more

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    Meeting one of Nys aunts who runs one of their cafės

    Byebye Srilanka, Hello Vietnam 😎

    December 28, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After another delicious breakfast and a full day of hanging out by the pool (thankfully the hotel let us use all the facilities until the evening) it was time to say goodbye to SriLanka! So we made our way to the airport to catch our early morning flight at 02:45 am. Foolishly we thought we could rest and get some sleep on the plane but they kept the cabin light on for the entire duration of the flight to Bangkok and it was quite shocking to witness people arguing about airplane omelette at 03:30am because clearly they forgot to pre-order.
    After a restless 3,5 hour flight we arrived in Bangkok. Since we didn't have any airplane omelette we thought I'd be a good idea to get some breakfast. Unfortunately, our first Thai food experience ended up to be an insanely spicy noodle soup. With our mouths on fire we made our way to the gate to catch our flight to Hanoi. The journey was equally as uncomfortable but at least only took less than a couple of hours.

    When we finally arrived in Hanoi, where we were welcomed by our friend Ny, it was past lunch time so we went for some delicious Pho noodle soup. After that we had some amazing coffee at one of Nys families cafés. All caffeinated up, we spent the remaining evening walking around the streets and picking up numerous snacks on the way.    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler

    Relaxing in Colombo

    Dec 26–27, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Boxing day was all about relaxing by the pool - or to quote my favourite husband: "we did nothing, it was wonderful".

    Of course we started the day with a fantastic breakfast. Unfortunately it was completely rammed but still the buffet offered endless choices with anything one could possibly want for breakfast plus curries, fish and chicken dishes.
    Whilst finishing our breakfast, a wedding started outside which felt very strange because as the wedding party queued up to walk outside people were still juggling their breakfast plates around the area. Obviously there were loads of people starring as the wedding ceremony took place and even some swimming in the pool behind them which must have ruined the atmosphere for them. So a sincere recommendation from us: don't have your wedding at the Cinnamon Lakeside in Colombo if you want any privacy!

    After having spent most of the day by the pool we decided that it was time for coffee and a little walk around the area. As predicted, Colombo is just another big city so we didn't feel like we'd missed out on much during our lazy pool day. Thankfully we found a very nice art gallery nearby that also happened to serve amazing coffee.

    Finished with our little excursion we arrived back at our favourite pool bar, coincidentally just in time for happy hour. 🍻    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    Christmas breakfastChristmas lunch - SriLanken Rice & CurryHappy Hour 🍻Byebye Rusty Nose 👋🏼Testing out the gym 🥵4

    Merry Christmas 🎄

    Dec 24–25, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    After being all templed out by the ancient city of Polonnaruwa we decided that we'd rather spend Christmas Eve with a bunch of elephants. Will remembered that he went to see elephant orphanage in Pinnawela as a child so we had to go and check it out.
    In principle it's awesome to see the elephants bath in the river but we do have our doubts about how much of an orphanage it really is as it did have some zoo like features and we were told that the elephants do not get released into the wild after their treatment is completed. 🐘

    When we had seen sufficient elephant action we made our way to our accommodation which turned out to be a lovely hideaway in the middle of the "jungle" (well not really a jungle but we were surrounded by coconut palm trees, banana, mango, passion fruit and coffee plants, we even saw a cashew tree!). Our outdoor shower did raise some spider concerns which were soon washed away by some cold beer and cheesy chicken kottu with deliciously spicy curry sauce.

    On Christmas morning it was time for us to drive to Negombo, return the Tuktuk and check into our very fancy hotel (Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo). Thank you so much again @Victoria/ mum for the vouchers! We'll spend the next two days relaxing by our lakeside pool before flying out to Vietnam on the morning of the 28th.    Read more

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    Exploring Polonnaruwa

    December 22, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Yesterday was mostly a travel day, where we first collected our laundry before stopping for some coffee and driving from Sigirya to Polonnaruwa.
    We spent the evening driving along the lake, enjoying some ice cream from the ice cream TukTuk and even spotted some elephants having a bath in the distance. Later we went for an overdue run (Will has set the challenge to run 5 km in every country we visit) and got rewarded with a beautiful sunset. 😍

    Today was all about exploring the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. Since it is so enormous we were recommended to hide some bicycles to ride between the monuments. It was very humid and hot today so we very much regretted that choice straight away, especially after we realised that we could have just gone by TukTuk. Well at least we can now tick ride a bicycle in Srilanak of list. The ancient city is an seemingly endless congregation of ancient temples, palaces and monuments. Definitely a must when in the area but also very trying after some time.

    After our long excursion through the ancient city it was time for us to drive to Dambulla. The previous day, when we drove from Sigirya to Polonnaruwa, we had already noticed loads of "elefants crossing" signs but didn't think too much of it. Even more exciting was it to see two wild elephants on the road today! 🐘 🐘
    We captured the first one using Wills 360 degree camera (footage will follow) but the second one came by surprise so unfortunately there only the terrible video I took on my phone (please ignore the finger).

    When we arrived in Dambulla we were welcomed by the very friendly owners and given the honey moon room which apparently includes a very special view. 😂    Read more

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    Climbing rocks in Sigirya

    December 21, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Our day started bright and early at 04:45 am. In the attempt to see a beautiful sunrise we made our way to Pidurangala Rock and hiked up the steep and dark way. The hike only took about 25-30 mins but involved some climbing especially towards the top. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and positioned ourselves nicely. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side and we didn't end up seeing a romantic sunrise as such. However, the view up there in the early morning hours was still magical.
    When we got back to the bottom, it was time for some coffee before we returned to our homestay to enjoy some well needed breakfast.

    After breakfast it was time to say goodbye to Jiggle Bells. 😭💔
    As heartbreaking as it was to part with him, we now have a "new" TukTuk that mechanically is in a far better condition. So please welcome (Rudolph the) Rusty Nose.
    To get us a little more in the festive spirit, we decided to put some Christmas decorations up that we inherited from some other tourists when we picked up Jiggle Bells in Negombo two weeks ago. 🎄

    In the afternoon we decided that we hadn't climbed enough rocks yet so we drove over to the famous Sigirya Rock (Lions Rock) and began our summit. Again the hike involved countless stairs but somehow felt way less strenuous, probably because it wasn't 5 am in the morning. The views on the surrounding area were stunning but overall it's probably a little too touristy for our taste.    Read more

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    Kandy to Sigirya

    December 20, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Another eventful day has come to an end.

    To put it in a nutshell: we went to prison and took Jiggle Bells to the hospital. 🤕

    After breakfast, we set off to explore the nearby prison which Will had discovered from the viewpoint the previous day.
    Shockingly the dilapidated building was an operating prison until 2014.

    Finished with our little prison excursion, it was time to once more take Jiggle Bells for a checkup. He's been exceptionally thirsty for oil and after having poured almost two litres of oil in his little engine over the last two weeks we decided it was time to see a specialist. After a swift consultation with the garage team we got the devastating diagnosis that Jiggle Bells engine was well past its best days and needed major work doing to it. After consulting with the TukTuk rental team we decided to drive him to our next destination (Sigirya) where he'll be collected and replaced by one of his fitter colleagues. 🥲

    We spent most of the remaining afternoon driving to Sigirya, before checking into our next home stay and opting for an early night in preparation for our busy day ahead.    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler

    Nuwara Eliya to Kandy & Exploring Kandy

    Dec 18–19, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    The journey from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy was rainy but scenic when the fog cleared up a little. Unfortunately, the roads were in even worse conditions than the previous day but at least I got to enjoy another three hours long geology lesson.

    When we arrived in Kandy, the extent of damage the recent cyclone caused became very apparent. Since a rather large river runs through the mountainous city, we not only saw landslides but also houses that were halfway washed away or completely collapsed into the river. 😥

    Our full day in Kandy was all about exploring the city. We decided to be full on tourists for once and left Jiggle Bells parked up at the hotel.
    First stop: Royal Botanical Gardens. Not entirely sure it was worth the excessive entrance fee but we certainly had a very good time strolling through the park admiring giant bamboo plants and walking through coconut alleys.
    Second stop: a gorgeous view point temple. We overheard a staff member recommend it to someone at breakfast so of course we had to try it. Only a short but steep walk up a hill lays Sri Maha Bodhi Viharaya (a giant white Buddha statue). The view is beautiful from up there and it's definitely the best place for a panoramic view of the city.
    Third and final stop of the day: Sacred City of Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa). Eager to see Buddhas tooth, we wanted to join the evening ceremony. Unsurprisingly, loads of other people had the same plan so together with a large crowd of people we waited around for ages listening to the drummers drum and play music and waited for them to open the doors to the shrine so that we could see the famous tooth. After a while we realised that we were on the wrong floor and followed the less confused crowd upstairs. When it was our turn to have a glimpse at Buddhas tooth we saw a large pile of valuable relics but no Tooth 🦷.
    As we learned later, they only show the actual tooth every 5 years. That was a little bit of a let down but still the temple is 100% worth a visit!
    We ended the night in a little side street restaurant where we enjoyed some ramen noodles that took a staggering 1,5 hours to be prepared. Although we have gotten used to drinks and food taking forever this experience really tested out patience.    Read more

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    Ella to Nuwara Eliya

    December 17, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Unfortunately today was our first full non-stop rainy day.
    We enjoyed another nice (and different) SriLanken breakfast and packed our bags.
    It was already hammering it down with rain at this point.
    Our first stop was a very modern looking Buddhist monastery that had only been built around 10 years ago. We then continued to a Buddhist ancient rock temple which was a bit of a let down to be honest. Done with our cultural experiences for the day, we began the looooong journey to Nuwara Eliya.

    This was also the first time, we came across some of the damage the recent cyclone has caused. Luckily the roads were open again, but we saw countless landslides, landslips and rockfalls everywhere. Thanks to the rain there wasn't much of a view so my main source of entertainment was the free structural analysis of the surrounding areas that was produced by my favourite Geologist. MANY pictures were taken. 🪨

    When we finally made it to Nuwara Eliya (also called little England, and very appropriately it was cold ~15 degrees and still raining) we went for a little walk into town and, like any good Englishman would, sought shelter in the first pub we saw. We ordered two pints, one of which was so terrible that we couldn't finish it. Having had enough disappointments for one day, we decided to swim back to our accommodation and spend the remaining afternoon & evening making some travel arrangements.    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    Will snacking on Jackfruit

    Exploring Ella

    December 16, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After a great nights sleep (the climate here is a lot cooler than down south, especially during the night) we enjoyed a typical SriLanken breakfast before heading to our first stop of the day: little Adams peak - a short hike (approx. 30-40 mins) with a very rewarding view on top.
    The weak go at around 5:00 am in the morning to see a presumably beautiful sunset, but we chose to go when the sun was up and ready to burn us to the ground.
    After a very sweaty ascent, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the surrounding tea plantations and mountains.

    Next on our agenda was the nine arches bridge, where we arrived after another short hike of about 15-20 mins. Definitely worth a visit but obviously extremely touristy as well. We took a few selfies and snacked on some very juicy jackfruit (for those of you who haven't tried it and live in the UK: it tastes like starburst sweets).

    On our hike back to Jiggle Bells we heard a train go past from the distance, must have been going South or so because sadly the famous Ella to Kandy train route is currently not operating due to massive landslides destroying parts of it recently.

    Our afternoon was all about tea. However, getting to the tea plantation was more adventurous than expected but brave little Jiggle Bells handled the off-roading like a pro. We chose to do our tea plantation tour at a nice family owned tea plantation named Organic Tea Queen Ella and certainly didn't regret it. We got to pick some tea leaves, learnt all about how white, green and black tea is made and finished it all off with an extensive tasting session that also included some very tasty snacks.    Read more

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    Udawalawe to Ella

    December 15, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After a little bit of a lie-in we had a delicious SriLanken style breakfast before packing up Jiggle Bells and hitting the road.
    Our first stop of the day was the nearby elephant orphanage, where we arrived just in time for the 10:30 feeding session.

    After watching the adorable little elephants have their breakfast for a while it was time for us to start our long drive to Ella. Since we hadn't quite had enough elephant action yet we decided to take a detour and try our luck on the infamous elephant road (notorious for having wild elephants). I am not gonna lie: we where absolutely terrified driving little Jiggle Bells down that road.
    After not seeing much for a while we decided to set up Will 's fancy camera on a stick anyway and just as we started recording a massive elephant appeared at the side of the road. Whilst absolutely shitting ourselves and mentally composing our wills, Will managed to drive around the elephant who appeared to be most disinterested in our existence (footage will follow at a later point). Sadly (or probably for the best) this remained the only elephant encounter.

    On our way to Ella we drove through the rather ordinary town of Buttala but Will for some reason insisted to take a picture with the sign. 👀

    As the landscape got more and more hilly, we came across a café with a stunning view. After the long drive we couldn't resist the urge to treat ourselves to an overpriced yet fairly tasty flat white with a beautiful view. ☕

    Just before arriving at our accommodation in Ella, we stumbled across a waterfall that was guarded by monkeys.

    After eating curry for over a week we decided it was time for a western style meal, a mistake we shan't we making again too soon. What was supposed to be a spicy chicken burger with crispy bacon turned out to be a tower of green-blueisch buns with the most disgraceful imitation of bacon we have ever seen in our lifes. It was so disturbing that we didn't even bother taking a picture of the "bacon" 🥓.    Read more

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    Safari in Udawalawe

    December 14, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    At 05:00 am we are up for some tea before starting our half day safari tour that our accommodation kindly organised for us.
    The view when driving to the national park was already breathtaking at dawn and we couldn't wait to start our next little advantage. Little side note: if you ever do an early morning safari make sure to bring a light jacket because it was shockingly cold on the jeep until the sun finally rose.

    We instantly spotted the first of many peacocks and water buffalo and it wasn't long until we had our first meet and greet with an adorable elephant family of three. Amongst them was the cutest little elephant baby (1,5-2 months old) and still super fluffy. Definitely the highlight of the day. 😍 During our tour we saw loads of other elephants, small and big, a few eagles, small crocodiles, lizards and countless species of birds.
    Will also spotted a mysterious safari chicken (allegedly it was ginger and crossed the road in front of us before disappearing and never to be seen again). 🐔🤭

    The afternoon was all about relaxation although we did take Jiggle Bells out to get some coffee and a desperately needed haircut for Will.

    In the evening we took part in cooking class together with a nice girl from Switzerland (Christina). We prepared delicious daahl and jackfruit curry alongside potatoes and a cucumber and carrot salad. To add a bit of unhealthiness we also fried some extra crispy papadams.

    The otherwise perfect day was unfortunately concluded by our first (serious) spider encounter. Obviously we have seen smaller fellows around but that one ginormous. Poor Will had to discover it whilst having an innocent pee. Thankfully our hosts came to our rescue and removed it quickly.

    ✅ First elephant 🐘
    ✅ First spider encounter 🤢    Read more

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    Rekawa to Udawalawe

    December 13, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After waking up to Jiggle Bells being covered in banana (left a banana in there overnight and a monkey came to annihilate it) we enjoyed a very nice breakfast. 🍌 🐒

    All fueled up, we drove to Udawalawe, checked in and secured a half day safari tour for tomorrow. Other than that we had a relaxing afternoon by the pool and walked into town for a very authentic and spicy rice and curry dinner.
    On the way home, we walked past the Sri Lankas got talent tent, briefly debated whether we should enter spontaneously but decided against it in favour of an early night.    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    2

    Mirissa to Rekawa

    December 12, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Another bright and early start (I know very unusual for us), but we wanted to make sure to actually have a chance to spot a turtle this time. Luckily we were rewarded and got to watch an Olive Ridley Turtle have their breakfast right in front of us. 🤿 🐢
    Satisfied with our snorkeling success, we returned to the hotel for a below average breakfast before packing our bags and once again headed to Weligama to rent surfboards and test out our newly acquired skills. It was good fun but soon we appreciated the value of having an instructor with us the previous day.

    After about an hour or so of "surfing" we returned the boards and explored the area for a little while (mainly hunting for an ATM).

    Whilst walking through the streets Will spotted a little bakery shed and decided it was snack time. And that's how we discovered the EGG ROLL, a delicious croquette looking something. Slightly spicy filled with curry and egg of course. Obviously, we weren't satisfied with just one so we did a few emergency stops down the road to our next location (the most southern point of Sri Lanka.
    Three eggs roll down, something incredibly rare happened and Will suggested we have some fruit to counter the fried egg rolls. Since we couldn't find any freshly cut fruit we opted for a mango juice (more like a smoothie) and lassi instead and got a beautiful view on top.

    After passing some rice paddies and water buffalo we arrived at our next accommodation (Turtle Paradise in Rekawa, highly recommend! ) where we were greeted by our lovely host and a banana milkshake which was enhalled rather rapidly.

    After a quick freshen up, walked to the nearby beach and arrived in paradise (see pictures). Of course the romantic scenery could only be improved by a cold beer. We would have stayed for a few more but needed to head back to our hotel for some dinner to get ready for a night time turtle walk along the beach (Turtle Beach).

    Our turtle walk was a great success, not only did we see a turtle lay eggs but we also got to watch freshly hatched baby turtles crawl across the beach. 😍    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    1

    Mirissa: Beach day & surfing

    December 11, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Once again our day started bright and early. Sacrificing our included hotel breakfast we made our way to the nearest decent coffee shop before heading to the beach to meet up with the surfing guys.

    A short TukTuk ride later we arrived at the beautiful beach of Weligama. After a very brief warm up and some stretching on the beach, it was time to hit the water. The waves were perfect but our capabilities limited. After about thirty minutes of flopping around on our surfboards like over caffeinated seals—where even baby waves tried their best to assassinate us—we finally started to look slightly less like a drowning hazard. In the end we managed to stand up on a few waves and left with a smile on our face. 😎 [Sadly we do not have any pictures or videos of our surfing lesson, one of our instructors took some and we are currently hoping for him to post them on their Instagram channel]

    Slightly exhausted from our morning activities, we decided to spend the day in the area to give us and Jiggle Bells a well deserved rest.

    After brunch and a bit of relaxation time, we walked up to coconut tree hill and rewarded ourselves with a delicious fruit plate at a nearby fruit shop. Mango, papaya, watermelon, avocado, passion fruit, pineapple, red bananas (not red inside), star fruit and lycees all beautifully prepared for less than 3€. 🤤🍍🥭🥑🍌

    In the late afternoon, when it started raining, we had the ingenious idea to go snorkeling at the off chance of finding a turtle. Obviously that didn't work out and snorkeling in the rain is also not advisable but at least we had the beach almost to ourselves.

    To conclude the day we settled for a nice vegetarian Srilanka curry all you can eat, after which Will realised he has actually managed to have a vegetarian day for once and proudly requested this information to be included in our daily blog. 😄    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    1

    Hikkaduwa to Mirissa

    December 10, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Today's journey took us from Hikkaduwa to Mirissa with a long stopover in Galle where we explored the very impressive Galle fort which is a World Heritage Site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers [thank you Wikipedia].

    We walked around the fortress walls, stopped for a beautiful flat white (sadly no picture was taken) and tested out the infamous Isle of Gelato (overrated in our opinion).

    On our way to Mirissa, just outside of Galle, we purchased our first nicely cut pineapple from a street stall and blinded by our excitement almost went the wrong way down a one way street. Fortunately, Will managed to manoeuvre Jiggle Bells around just in time.

    When we eventually made it to Mirissa we finished the evening at the beach, went for a swim in the very wavy sea and successfully signed up for a surfing lesson for tomorrow morning. 🌊

    ✅First road side fruit purchased and consumed at a beautiful beach
    ✅ Tested Jiggle Bells for rain proofness (video)    Read more

  • Hanna Will BowlesMr & Mrs Bowles Adventures XXLTraveler
    221

    Bentota to Hikkaduwa

    December 9, 2025 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Our second day filled with adventure started bright and early with a River Safari at 07:00am.
    It was well worth the early rise and we saw one medium sized crocodile, lizards, giant bats, a chameleon (let's see who'll be able to spot it on the picture) and monkeys!
    Will made sure to taste test the papaya before feeding it to the monkeys. Maybe next time we'll consider having breakfast first before we start exploring.
    Thankfully, back at our homestay, we were served a delicious breakfast!
    Next we were ready to hit the road. Believe it or not, we even found a stretch of road that was straight and quiet enough for the less competent driver amongst us to drive the TukTuk on.
    As previously mentioned, our horn broke yesterday (which in SriLanka is almost as bad as not having brakes) so we took Jiggle Bells to the doctor where he underwent major horn surgery. Thanks to the nice Edeka man he's up an running again with an extra loud horn!
    Next on our agenda was a turtle sanctuary where we completed the big touristy no no of the day and picked up a little baby turtle.

    Finally we arrived at our destination for the day the Scenery River Star Hotel near Hikkaduwa. Beautiful located next to a lake, Will couldn't help himself but pick up a fishing rod. Catch of the day: one plastic bag and a palm tree. 😂    Read more

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