The AirAsia Gypsy Queens spent another four marvelous days in beautiful Sri Lanka once the Lanka Challenge was over last Monday. During that time we managed to squeeze in the obligatory sightseeing, sun bathing by the massive Cinnamon Grand pool and souvenir shopping. Purchases we made included some sensationally beautiful sarongs, brand new books that were extremely cheap, notebooks with paper made out of elephant dung and we found some cute little threewheeler key rings that we could not resist. Again, we proudly contributed to the local economy, put it that way :)

On the 15th of September we were picked up by our newly made friends, Roshan and Hiran, from Colombo Capital City Rotary Club. Roshan told us he had tried to arrange for a threewheeler to be rented for the day so he could be taken around town courtesy of the Gypsy Queens. Unfortunately the idea fell through, even though we would proudly have done so. Roshan and Hiran had arranged for us to visit a newly established organisation named Aawas International in Kalutara, approximately 1 hour south of Colombo. Aruna Samarawickrama, founder and chairman of the organisation, started the company after seeing a close friend to his family loose two fully functional legs in the war. He developed a desire to help his friend, and all other people that have lost limbs in the war or to diabetes for example, by developing, manufacturing and fitting these people with an innovative fully flexible prosthetic limb.

In a couple of years Aruna has designed everything from the factory and its surroundings including a ward where all recipients come to stay until they are 100% happy with the new limb and physically and mentally rehabilitated.

It was a day full of impressions to take in and we are very grateful to Aruna and his team and naturally to Roshan and Hiran for taking their time out of the office to show us around. We got to visit the ward and the limbs recipients currently visiting the ward to get fitted and shared a great moment with these brave people. In showing respect to these people we did not take many photos in the ward.

In the evening we were treated to dinner at Seafood Cove at Mount Livinia Hotel resort by a friend to Em's family. We enjoyed great seafood as we sat right on the beach (no need to be jealous, it started raining after a while). The seafood was of the best quality any of us have ever experienced and we strongly recommend it. In the end of the day, flying AirAsia gives you more whoopee for your rupee and that can easily justify at least one lobster dinner!

Thursday was our last day in this amazing destination and after running around doing last minute errands Supem, another one of our newly made Rotary friends, kindly invited us to visit the local Jaipur limbs factory with an adjoining hostel. Supem picked us up and it turned out the workshop was only around the corner from our hotel. It was an experience that cannot be put down in words. We were greeted by a lady who took us around the factory and introduced us to the workers, some of whom are recipients of limbs themselves. We were introduced to the different varieties of limbs created in the workshop and the usage of these.

We concluded our tour by visiting the people waiting for a limb to be fitted. We came across a family who had lost their two daughters in a bomb blast and they were visiting to have their seventeen year old son fitted with prosthetic limbs for both his lost arms. A girl from the same village was in the same ward as she had just been given back the ability to walk with a prosthetic leg. It is impossible to translate the emotions we felt as we visited these people, and yet again it would not be right of us to post photos of these people online. It is remarkable however, how these people always welcome you with the brightest of smiles and a sparkle of hope in their eyes. Needless to say, we left that afternoon with an even stronger need to be able to assist. We have taken the memories and the photos back to Australia and we cannot wait to meet with the Mermaid Beach Rotary Club here on the Gold Coast to get this project off the ground. Hopefully we can come back to you with some great news in the not too distant future. If you would like to be part and contribute in any way, please contact us.

Early Friday morning dawned upon us way too early and we were off to the Colombo airport. Once we arrived at the LCCT in Kuala Lumpur we set off to meet with our colleagues at the AirAsia HQ. Flora took us around the office and introduced us to some of the team, and we can tell you one thing - these guys never stop. They do some remarkable work up there and we are so pleased to have had their support throughout this exploratory journey. As a token of our appreciation we decided to handover the 'Go Green' award we received on conclusion of the Lanka Challenge to the team. Again, thank you Flora, Emilia, Derek and the team for all your efforts and work in assisting along the way. You have been true champions and on behalf of all travel afficionados out there - thank you for giving us the opportunity to make our dreams come true more often, and over and over again!

The last few hours before departure for the Gold Coast we spent in the LCC Terminal. We managed to yet again burn some ringgit and enjoy the benefits of the currency before it was too late. Once we boarded our flight to the Gold Coast that evening we had almost forgotten that we had been given VIP treatment with seats in the Premium Economy section. On a full flight, this was a blessing more than welcomed by two absolutely buggered Gypsy Queens. However, with seats that comfortable no one can stay awake and a even sleeping queens drool - not a pretty sight :)

Once back in Australia Abbie's mum greeted us with flowers which we very much appreciated. The surprises did not end there! She had put together a really nice poster saying 'Welcome home Gypsy Queens, and a collage of photos and AirAsia branding (!). Once we had fitted our luggage into the boot we headed up the highway and stopped in to enjoy a good cup of coffee at one of our favourite local cafe's Zarraffa's.

So, that is the end - at least for this time. Large Minority let us know the event will be on in South Africa towards the end of April, 2010 and the Lanka Challenge will return for 15 days this time in September next year. All we can do now is crossing fingers and toes and hope that AirAsia decides to fly to South Africa between now and then ;)

Lastly, having reached close to 3000 readers of each and every blog post since we started about a month ago we would like to extend a warm thank you to all of the readers that have followed us. It has been a sincere pleasure to share our adventure with you and we hope it has made you keen to travel and experience this amazing country that always welcome you with a smile. Hopefully we will see some of you on the spicy island of Sri Lanka in 2010 as the Gypsy Queens certainly intend to be there in some shape or form.

Over and out... for now

AirAsia Gypsy Queens

So this is the end of an absolutely amazing adventure that has lasted 10 days. Yesterday afternoon the 24 teams arrived in to Colombo and drove in convoy to the hotel - in the middle of peak hour traffic of course. There are no words to explain what a fantastic, extremely well organised event this has been.

Having completed nearly 1200 km's in a rickshaw around Sri Lanka you can imagine that several body parts of ours are sore. A full Ayurvedic massage is on the wish list right now. The AirAsia Gypsy Queens ended up in 20th place (out of 24, as we were not really here to race but to enjoy the country) however, we are pleased to share the news that we received the 'Go Green' award for being the most eco friendly team on tour. Throughout the Lanka Challenge we have collected our garbage, avoided littering at all times and just in case you were wondering how much petrol the 'More whoopee for your rupee'-mobile has used we can share with you that for LKR 5840 you can drive nearly 1200 kms. We are quite proud of this effort and have made our best to 'take only photos and leave only foot prints'.

As our clutch hands' are aching, and typing seems so hard, we will leave you with some of our most amazing photos to enjoy. In the next few days we hope to visit one of the factories constructing the Jaipur Limbs for our charity project thanks to our new found friends at Rotary Colombo City. We look forward to sharing this experience with you when we check in next.

In the meantime, thanks to all for your support and for following us during this life changing journey. There are so many stories to tell, and all we can say is come experience it for yourself. You will always be welcomed with a smile and people are extremely genuine and even though many are far less fortunate than us, their happiness is so evident.

Until next time, have as much fun as we are!!

AirAsia Gypsy Queens

The AirAsia Gypsy Queens were team number 1 - sadly we didn't keep that position all the way through :)

We spent one night camping with the indigenous people of Sri Lanka - the Veddah's in Dambana. Here are some of the local children with Abbie and Juan.

While in Kandy we visited the Elephant Orphanage - it was stunning. Em took the opportunity to complete one of the picture challenges and shot-put elephant dung... say no more, very proud moment :P

If driving branded rickshaws around Sri Lanka is not enough I can tell you when 24 branded rickshaws line up and drive in convoy it is quite powerful

In Nuwra Eliya we went to Amalfi's vegetarian curry house and had the most amazing lunch, including drinks it came in at under AUD2 (MYR6) per person. We washed our hands and dug into an amazing ghee with the locals. Sensational!

The Whoopee mobile has made a statement where ever we have been, be it because it always had a lady driver, the funky tunes that were pumping along with the spectacular branding this little tuk has been places we could only have dreamt of. Here it's parked in a paddy field - yeah, there are a few around!

So, the only question is - who's coming along next year??!! We want to hear from you...

First of all, we cannot be held responsible for the spelling of the subject. It is the greeting of the indigenous Veddah people in Dambula where we camped last night.

Since the last post we have just completed over 300 rickshaw kilometres in the 'More Whoopee for your Rupee'-mobile. It has been a steep learning curve navigating the rickshaw amongst some quite stressful traffic. In Sri Lanka, rickshaws are considered the lowest form of transportation and are rarely paid any courtesies on the road. Add to that the following elements: chickens, monkeys, goats, cows, dogs (5 dogs/person in Sri Lanka!) and you've got yourself a good mix of obstacles to swerve.

The first day, understandably, the competition side of the Lanka Challenge was paramount. However, the sence of camaradarie has overtaken most participants' competitive streaks... On a daily basis in our current life, running out of fuel, mechanical breakdowns etc is a constant that adds to the adventure. With 24 rickshaws to maintain you can only imagine how busy the mechanics are once we arrive at camp at night.

You don't have to travel far to see people, and smiling and waving goes a long way in interacting with the locals. People are extremely friendly and helpful even if they do not speak English, and we are practising our broken Sinhalese daily, not to mention our navigational skills. Yes, we have more than once deviated from the given route... however, we'd like to think this is not a direct reflection of our navigational skills

Today's challenges was to find our way to the Central Markets in Kandy locate a man by the name of Abdullah (this was the only clue given) within the markets (that were visited by several hundred locals at the same time) to collect instructions. The task was then to buy fruit and snacks for LKR300 and sell to the locals waiting to board the buses. The goal was to reclaim the same amount of money spent if not more. This gave us an insight into how hard it is to be stallholder in this country.

The next two days will be spent at Amaya Hotels in Kandy. Judged by the views this could very well be paradise. Stay tuned for photos next time.

We are lucky to have a good Internet connection here in Kandy, however, we cannot promise when we will check in with you next. Having said that we are sure more stories are yet to be shared (such as the one where Em deleted a week worth of photos, snake charmers, meeting a local family, the charity work and meeting the recipients of Jaipur limbs and much more)

Until next time, have as much fun as we are

Over and out
AirAsia Gypsy Queens

PS Apologies for not being able to upload any photos to this post... next time we are online we hope we have better luck

We left Australia early on Tuesday morning on AirAsia X D7 2703 and I must say we were treated like royalty in the premium seats.

It was a very smooth flight over to Kuala Lumpur and when we arrived we were positively surprised to see the new LCC Terminal. What a great job that has been done here. One of us visited a year ago and the improvement since is fantastic!

We met up with Flora and Derek from the AirAsia team that has been outstanding in their efforts to support us on this journey. Thanks guys!! Another special thanks to Sue, of the AAX team in Australia - thanks for the last minute tip, it has come in handy believe it or not.
Here are a few snaps we took on our way over.

Having arrived in Sri Lanka early on Wednesday morning we were greeted like royalty by the Sri Lanka Tourism Board at the airport with hand made flower leis.

The 30 minute drive to Club Dolphin Hotel in Waikkal offered some amazing sights. Not far from the airport we started seeing rickshaws everywhere and we started to realize that we are finally here...and what exactly it is we are in for.

At the hotel we were greeted by fantastically friendly staff and even though we arrived at 8 am our room stood ready for us. We took a walk around the massive hotel area and found the pool. It is not just any pool, Club Dolphin has the largest pool in Sri Lanka and yes, it is overlooking the ocean. Ever since we arrived we have had overcast skies, but we are blending in nicely with the other British guests after getting a good bit of colour on the first day. We took the opportunity to have an hour massage to really kick start the holiday mood. That naturally followed by cocktails near the pool. So far, it has been great.

Yesterday we decided to put on our adventure boots and head in to Colombo. After bargaining with the local taxi drivers for a good price we ended up catching a rickshaw to the Waikkal train station. In Waikkal we found out that the train was going to depart in a bit over an hour so we took a walk down the road to engage with the locals. At one of the roadside fruitstands we met a gentleman who firstly introduced us to the local delicacy of king coconuts - and the sweet coconut water inside. Having finished our drink he invited us to come and visit the denim dye factory he worked at. It was a very interesting experience for both us and them I am sure. Most of the orders come from the USA or the UK and the fabric arrive in Sri Lanka from China or Pakistan. Some garments are made here in Sri Lanka before ending up in the wash. We were taken through the entire process from dying, sandblasting and how patterns are made. Unfortunately Sri Lanka has also been exposed to the financial crisis and we heard mentioned that up to 40% of the workforce here has been affected. The factory had been forced to let go of as many as 20 staff as orders have been slow lately.

After our visit to the denim wash factory we walked back to the train station to do the 50kilometer ride to Colombo. The scenery outside the windows was quite diverse, and really put things into perspective. On the other hand, the children on the train thought we were quite exotic and a lot of smiles were exchanged over the next 2 hours. (insert pic 9)

Once in Colombo we walked around the city and after a long day under the sun we went to the Cinnamon Grand Hotel which we will be staying at the last few nights of our trip. We refreshed with a couple of cocktails before heading to Sayagiriya to attend a Rotary Dinner.

As part of the Lanka Challenge we have chosen to contribute funds towards Jaipur Limbs for people that have lost their limbs in landmines etc here in Sri Lanka as part of our chosen charity. In doing so, we have through a colleague been introduced to the Rotary Club of Capital City, in Colombo, to assist them in raising funds jointly with the Rotary Club Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast. As it happened yesterday the Rotary Club of Capital City had their Installation Ceremony of the 9th President and we were kindly invited to join.

During the meeting there were presentations to the audience on what has been achieved by the club in the past year. We were amazed at what great a job these people are doing in their own country, and we are really looking forward to do our part. Once back in Colombo, towards the middle of the month, the Club will arrange for us to visit one of the factories where the limbs are made. That will definitely be the icing of the cake – we will keep you posted! Both Abbie and I feel privileged to have been invited to be part of the Installation Ceremony and send a warm thanks to the Rotary Club of Capital City for the fantastic hospitality. (Insert 10 and 11)

So, tomorrow is the day it all begins… FINALLY! We cannot wait to get on the road on Sunday morning but we are really looking forward to meeting all the teams tomorrow as we register and go for our first rickshaw driving lesson – stay tuned for photos which will be posted on Sunday.

All we can say is, we are so ready to get started and look forward to bringing you the best of stories and photos on the way.

Over and out for now

AirAsia Gypsy Queens