There's a lot more to Sri Lanka than sandy beaches and vast fields of tea. Did you know it's one of the most diverse places on the planet? The nature is absolutely stunning and when you throw the culture into the mix as well, it's no surprise everyone and their mother is currently planning a trip there. I was fortunate enough to explore the country for two whole weeks over the Christmas break and saw countless of incredible places. It's very hard for me to pick out the best, but here's five experiences you should definitely put on your to-do list if you haven't yet. 

KANDY TO NUWARA ELIYA TRAIN JOURNEY

Train journeys in Asia are quite an experience on their own, but the one from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is considered to be one of the most scenic. And scenery is what you get! The train takes you through forests, villages, past waterfalls, rolling hills full of lush green tea plantations... It's stunning! So much so you don't even realise you're stuck on train for hours on end. I was happily snapping away with my camera every second of the journey and taking advantage of the open windows and doors, despite my dad's disapproval, haha. I'm still alive, with no body parts missing, and I managed to take a couple of sick shots as well, so I guess we can call it a success.


If you're planning to take the journey yourself - and you should - make sure to book your tickets at least a couple of days in advance at the train station, as they often sell out. You have three classes to choose from, the first two being more touristy, with padded seats and fans, while the third one is a bit rougher and can be crowded. I think the prices start at €2,50 per person. Cheap as chips!

As the journey usually takes over five hours, make sure to take the window seat, bring some water and snacks (sometimes you can buy fruit and fritters straight from your window when the train stops at intermediate stations), and be prepared for delays. The trains break down on a daily basis, so don't be surprised when they announce your train won't be coming for a while. In our case, a while meant two hours, teehee.


YALA NATIONAL PARK SAFARI

When I hear the word safari, Africa is usually the first association I get. Before visiting, I had no idea Sri Lanka has so many animals living out in the wilderness, so maybe you too would be surprised to hear you can spot hundreds of species of birds, monkeys, elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, deer, buffalo and even leopards!


Yala National Park has one of the highest leopard densities in the world, believe it or not, and some people travel there just to see this magnificent creature in its natural habitat. We were told not to expect anything, though, as some people spend weeks in the park before seeing one, and even then, it might be just a tail hanging down from a tree... But I guess the universe had a surprise in store especially for us! We managed to see it in all its glory, chilling by the trees, not even far away from us. I was gobsmacked. It's something I'll never forget! Obviously, I can't promise you to be equally lucky, but either way, leopard or no leopard, the safari was an amazing experience.

















CLIMBING SIGIRIYA

Sigiriya, also known as the Lion Rock, is a giant stand-alone rock formation listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It used to be the home of the king, and there are still the remains of the palace to be found on top, as well as frescoes and gardens in front.

While I can't say the climb was my favourite part thanks to my dodgy knee and my fear of heights, I have to admit I felt a true sense of accomplishment after winning the battle of those 1200 stairs, and the views from the top turned out to be well worth the effort as well. If the number of stairs freaked you out, don't worry. If I can do it, so can you. Considering my fitness levels are at the all time low, and my knee injury barely allows me to bend my knee, I think I'm the best proof everyone can do it. I actually didn't find it as physically strenuous as I did mentally exhausting. I'm so afraid of climbing up somewhere high my legs instantly turn into jelly and I can't even move. I think that's enough of a proof you are just as if not more capable. There's a lot of resting stops too, so you can go at your own pace and take some photos along the way.

I do have a few tips, though. Bring enough water, because you will sweat out all bodily fluids, and set off early. And by early, I mean at sunrise. Yes, you'll have to get up in the middle of the night unless you want to climb up there when the sun is scorching hot and there's hundreds of people around you attempting to do the exact same thing at the exact same time. The crowds we saw on the way down were insane and trust me, you do want to avoid them.
















CYCLING AROUND POLONNARUWA

The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa is another UNESCO World Heritage Site worth a visit. The ruins span over 4 km, so it's best to rent a bike and cycle it out. You can see the Royal Palace and dozens of temples, which you'll need to be dressed for appropriately to check them out from the inside. I suggest you to wear a top which covers your shoulders and trousers that cover your knees. Alternatively, you can also bring a scarf you can wrap around yourself. I always carry one in my backpack whenever I'm exploring Southeast Asia, because there's gorgeous temples around every single corner.

Before you enter any temple, you also need to take off your shoes, so flip-flops are your best friends when it comes to Polonnaruwa. Unless you want to practise tying your shoes, hehe. And do prepare having your feet burn. The stones are hot, hot, hot! Now that I think of it, it makes sense why all Japanese tourists had socks with them. Maybe I should copy them next time.
















PINNAWALA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE

I'm writing down this suggestion with a caution. If you're looking for a proper orphanage, this is probably not the place to go. Pinnawala started as an orphanage, and all elephants are still either rescued or born there, but the place now resembles a ZOO and is there mainly for the purpose of tourism if you ask me. Unfortunately, I don't know of any other elephant orphanages I could recommend instead, so this is the only place I can comment on. The reason why I'm including it is because I have an unexplainable obsession with elephants. I just love them and feel like a kid in a candy store when I have the opportunity to get up close to them, and this place provides you with just that. You are able to walk up to them, feed them, bathe them... the whole shabang.
I have to say, I didn't get the impression elephants were treated poorly. I enjoyed watching them roam around and having a bath. They seemed happy and I didn't see any getting stabbed while I was there. But a few were chained, which is what I had the biggest problem with. I understand they probably had to be due to safety reasons; however, it still left a bitter taste in my mouth. That and the keepers who are too hungry for money. They take your camera to take photos of you and then pester you for extra money even though everything is already included in the unusually expensive ticket price. A bit of a bitter sweet experience, really. It is one of the most popular and unique places in Sri Lanka that everyone still wants to go to, though. I was looking forward to going and enjoyed my time there, but I'm hoping to find a proper, less touristy orphanage next time.


Now that you've made it until the end of this very long blog post, I would like to invite you to check out my YouTube channel for even more Sri Lanka content. I was vlogging every day of my trip and now put together a playlist of all the vlogs I filmed. I poured my heart and soul into them, so I hope you enjoy them! Just a warning... there's no way you won't want to visit Sri Lanka once you give them a watch. 

One thing's for sure. Stockholm definitely knows how to do museums right. Usually I leave them until the very end and only visit the best of the best, after I check off all other, more or less outdoorsy activities, but in the land of meatballs and overly attractive men, I was trying to squeeze them in right, left and centre. The list of highly recommended was getting longer by every human encounter, and everything made sense the moment I was finished with the first one - Vasa Museum. 

Vasa Museum, or Vasamuseet in Swedish, is essentially a maritime museum featuring a 17th century warship called - surprise, surprise - Vasa. It was salvaged from the depths of the sea over 300 years after it sank, and restored in its entirety over nearly half a century, which is absolutely mindblowing to me. It's a truly beautiful ship with incredible details that you just need to see, but what impressed me even more was the structure of the exhibition itself. It spans over several floors and covers everything, from the restoration process to the life on the deck. It's straight to the point, with concise text boards, and very easy to follow. I think this is the first museum I've visited and actually managed to absorb every piece of information in the few hours I spent inside. There's a great deal of accompanying visuals too, from photos and artifacts to films and scale models. Oh, and the guided tour sounded fantastic as well from what I managed to catch. 

Now, the next one may not be for everyone, but if you're a fan of the most famous and successful Swedish pop group of all times, it can't be missed. Of course I'm talking about ABBA The Museum. I've always been a fan of their music and once I heard what great fun the museum was, I just had to go. Again, I was pleasantly surprised. It doesn't only offer a look behind the scenes and an insight into their lives, but is also incredibly entertaining. You can attempt to mix a song, record yourself singing, shoot a music video and even sing with ABBA holograms. Yes, really. Unfortunately, the girls I travelled with didn't come along for the ride, so I ended up skipping quite a few activities that would be fun to do as a group, but I still enjoyed the experience. And sang ABBA songs every following day of the week. Yes, my friends hated me. 

Skansen was another one I had on the top of my list, but everything went wrong on the day I was meaning to pay it a visit, so I had to cancel my plans. Boo! Long story short, I got lost, drenched and severely injured my foot. For the full story, go check out my Stockholm vlogs if you haven't watched them yet. Anyway, Skansen is definitely the first place I'm checking out next time I'm in Stockholm. It's an open air museum (combined with a Zoo) which takes you through the history of Sweden and gives you an insight into the Swedish culture and the way people lived before the industrial era. To make it easier for us to imagine how the life really looked like, there's traditional buildings and even actors in period dress. The concept sounds very similar to the Sovereign Hill's, which is an open air museum I visited on my trip to Australia, and if it's anything like it, it must be real good.

There's two more places I was also told to visit next time I'm in town. Both are galleries. The first one's Fotografiska, one of the world's largest exhibiting places for contemporary photography. I wish I had more time to pop in the first time around, because I love photography and my love for it is growing stronger by day now that I've started getting more into it. My friends went while I was at the ABBA museum and they came back with more than positive feedback, so it's definitely the one to consider. I think they saw Bryan Adams' exhibition. Did you know he's also a photographer?

The second one, and the last one that made the 'top 5' cut, is Moderna Museet, where you can find modern and contemporary art, including pieces by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about it, since none of us visited it, but it seems to be quite popular, so I guess it's worth checking it out if you're a fan of such art. 

For some reason, I'm crazy excided for fall this year. Usually I would be sitting in the corner and mourning the best season of them all - summer, duh - but not this time around! I'm actually looking forward to foggy crisp mornings, hot sugary drinks, cozy nights in, and amazing fall shades. Not only the ones you can spot in nature! 

I've always had a soft spot for bold burgundy and violet lip numbers, and fall is just the perfect season to rock them, don't you agree? But that's not to say the nudes get to take a time out. They're still very much in front of my makeup drawer, especially if they're matte!

To find out which exactly I'll be carrying in my bag this upcoming season, watch the video below! There's some nude and some bold options, and I made sure to include hand and lip swatches as well this time so that you can see them in all their glory. And remember, don't skidaddle before telling me what you'll be wearing on your lips this fall! 

It's no secret that Essence is one of my all time favourite drugstore brands. I've been using their products for ages and have tried plenty of them, so I hought I would share the selection of my top 5 with you today. I'm really glad that the brand was launched in the UK as well recently, as I can't imagine my life on the island without some of their gems. Find out which in the video below! 

It's summer and I love nail polish, so it's only appropriate for me to share my favourite shades for the summer of 2014 with you! I think I got pretty much every summer nail trend covered, minus the neons. They just don't float my boat. I mean, I like them on others, but not on me. My skintone decided not to be firends with them, so I'm pretty much screwed until the rest of my life. Yay! On another note, do you know who loves nail polish even more than me? My fellow blogger Tatjana, who is also sharing her faves on her blog. Check out the post here! 

P.S. You can see the names of all the nail polishes I mentioned along with shoppable links here in the 'show more' section. 

Here I am with the last episode of my top five spring series. Today's video is a part of the collab that we did with my lovely youtube friend Laura. We'll both be showing you our favourite lipstick shades for the spring! During this time of the year, I'm all about fresh and bright looks, so I normally gravitate towards wearable creamy pinks and peaches. I have four of those to share with you today, but I also included one 'out there' kind of shade that I've been obsessing over for the past month. It probably doesn't need an introduction, because I've been going on and on about it all month long. Can you guess which lipstick I'm talking about? :)

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Please check out my lovely sponsor DressLoop.co.uk for amazing party, prom, wedding and bridesmaid dresses.

Today I'm here with the second part of my top 5 spring series. About a week go, I showed you my favourite perfumes for this time of the year, but now it's time to talk about nail polish! If you want to know more about the shades I've been obsessing over for the past month, click the play button below! And of course, don't forget to tell me which nail polishes you've been loving recently. 

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Please check out my lovely sponsor DressLoop.co.uk for amazing party, prom, wedding and bridesmaid dresses.

I'll be doing a 'top 5' spring beauty series on my youtube channel during the next few weeks, and I thought I would kick it off by showing you five perfumes I gravitate towards the most during this time of the year. As smell-o-vision is unfortunatelly still not a thing, I tried to describe every scent as close as possible, but since I wasn't sure if my nostrils perceived them correctly, I've read you the official descriptions as well. What do you think, did I come close to any of them or failed completely? Let me know what you had thought before you started watching the video! :)