Later, at cocktail hour on our hotel’s rooftop, I met the rest of our group where Bri and our local guide for the trip, Suminda Dodangoda, known as Dodan, shared the diverse itinerary they’d prepared, traveling across the country that included everything from hiking up Sigiriya Lion Rock, the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple in Kandy, home to the sacred Buddha’s Tooth Relic, and the elephant migration in Minneriya National Park in Central Province to book shopping near Galle on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast.
It was clear from the start this was a supportive group of women, where everyone felt comfortable to express their unique interests and talents. As a result, we gain fascinating new perspectives throughout the trip. One woman’s eyes lit up when we looked out at the iconic cricket ground from Galle Fort—it turned out she’s a major cricket fan and I learnt more about the ground’s significance.
Another shared her knowledge on the origins of Buddhism from her studies in religion, as we visited sites like the Buddha rock carvings of Gal Viharaya in the North Central Province. Meanwhile, I was drawn to Sri Lanka’s natural beauty, the deep green forests and warm orange sunrises at Sigiriya Rock and the misty, undulating hills of tea country.