when i planned my trip to sri lanka, i originally decided to see colombo, galle, and kandy, spending two nights in each place. i figured that way i would get to see a few different places and explore some different parts of the country.

but then a few things changed.

for one, i ended up enjoying galle and the fort even more than i anticipated. ani had raved about the fort when i asked her for suggestions for my trip, but even after that hype i didn’t expect to fall for it as hard as i did. i loved walking along the walls and watching the tide rush in. i loved meandering the streets and discovering shops and hole-in-the-wall cafes along the way. i loved the calm and the peace and the serenity and how relaxed i felt while i was there.

for another, i didn’t quite grasp until i was in galle just how difficult it would be to get myself to kandy. i knew there was a train, but i discovered said train leaves galle only at 2.30pm and arrives into kandy around 10pm. that would defeat my plan of riding through the hills during the day, and i would end up wasting most of an entire day in transit. buses would also take me 8 hours, and i would have to first travel back to colombo and then on to kandy. neither of those sounded like fun, and i realized i was stressing myself out trying to hammer out the details. stress was exactly what i wanted to avoid during my week away, so that needed to stop.

and finally, all of the travellers i chatted with in galle – and i mean all – told me that i wouldn’t be missing anything if i skipped kandy. many of them had gone there from colombo and then made their way down through the hill-country until they reached galle, and they all said kandy had been their least favourite spot of the trip. after hearing that, i lost my own enthusiasm, especially with how difficult it was to get there.

so in the end, i decided to forgo my visit to kandy and stay on in galle for an additional two days. i’m so glad i did, because i got to spend more time wandering streets and walking on walls and chatting with locals and eating delicious seafood. it was the best decision for me, and it worked out wonderfully.

have you ever changed plans mid-way through a trip because you just didn’t want to leave a place?

xx