That’s the name of my upcoming tour with G Adventures, Sri Lanka Encompassed, a 14-day itinerary which promises to “discover the vibrant colours, diverse culture, and swaying palm trees of this tropical jewel.” Sounds ideal to me – Sri Lanka has been on my traval radar for a few years as one of those countries that I should see sooner rather than later as its been developing so quickly, and that time is finally now.

But first I have to get there. 3 flights in total, 36 hours of traveling. The first flight most everything went wrong: delayed (80 mins), forced to circle before landing in San Francisco(20 mins), couldn’t get the door open to let us off the plane (20 mins!), had to pickup and recheck the bag (60 mins). I ended up arriving at the gate for my next flight with just 5 minutes to spare!

Flight #2 was from San Fran to Dubai, a mere 16 hours. Flying on Emirates in coach, but I’m pleased with the legroom! It was one of those jumbo planes with 2 complete levels, all economy downstairs which made for some nice long aisles to walk for exercise. Every seat was filled so it was not a quiet flight but I still managed to sleep, in batches, which is remarkable for me.

Flight #3 was on to Sri Lanka, after a 4 hour layover in Dubai. We landed just before dawn, but the sun was well risen by the time I got through Immigration, money exchange, buying a SIM card, storing my extra luggage, and finding a cab for the 45 minute drive to Colombo.

My tour doesn’t actually start until tomorrow but I figured I would be suffering massive jetlag so I arrived a day early, booking this extra night in a nice hotel to collapse in and collect myself before joining everyone tomorrow. I think I should be comfortable here….