“Did you know that Arab traders once called the island of Sri Lanka ‘Serendib,’ a word that is best known to English speakers as serendipity, the phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things by chance?! Well that is exactly what has happened to me in Sri Lanka. I had zero expectations for my trip, and in truth, I wasn’t even that keen to go. I had found a good flight and the timing worked well, so I thought I would go check it out.  But I had already made 5 or 6 trips to Asia and had previously worked in India for 6 months, so I wasn’t expecting to find anything new.

Boy was I wrong. Sri Lanka is a serious hidden gem and completely unique to any place I have seen before.  Wild elephants roam the countryside, some of the world’s oldest buddhist shrines remain perfectly intact, and the people are welcoming and friendly.  Not to mention the embarrassment of gorgeous luxury resorts and wellness retreats throughout the country, like the Anantara Peace Haven pictured here.