We left Unawatuna with a full heart and a tidy plan: a scenic drive to Ella, a few days in the hills, and then onward into the northern reaches of Sri Lanka.
Life, however, has a habit of glancing at my itinerary and saying, “That’s adorable.”
The day began with ancient stone carvings, cold drinks by the water, and monkeys staging a roadside circus around a dog who had clearly achieved enlightenment.
It felt like the universe was easing us gently into the next chapter. Instead, it was preparing us for a plot twist — the kind that reminds you that even the best‑made plans are only suggestions, and the real journey is the one you never saw coming.
The Journey You Didn't Plan
The next morning, as the sun lit up the waterfall outside our window, life delivered its plot twist. A message from Sonja’s brother: her mother had suffered a minor stroke and was in the hospital back in Seattle. In that instant, the trip shifted. The bags we had just unpacked were repacked without a second thought. Travel mode turned into mission mode.
I’ve booked a lot of flights in my life, but making international arrangements for the same day is a special kind of sport. You’re negotiating with airlines, time zones, and fate — and fate rarely offers Business Class. Still, experience has its perks. I slowed down, breathed, and pieced together the best route the universe would allow. It wasn’t pretty, but it wasn’t a 14‑hour layover in Doha either, so I counted it as a win.
Kiah, our host at Waterfalls Homestay, stepped in like an old friend, arranging a driver for the five‑hour ride back to Colombo. That’s something I’ll remember about Sri Lanka: the kindness that appears exactly when you need it. One minute you’re staring at flight options that look like punishment, and the next someone is helping you get home.
Our route home was a patchwork of airports and improvisation — Colombo to Bangkok, a cross‑city airport shuffle, then onward to Manila. And here’s where the universe, in its strange sense of timing, handed us something unexpected. Sonja’s grandfather grew up in the Philippines, leaving for Hawaii in the 1920s. No one in her family had set foot in the islands since. Until now.
As we descended into Manila, Sonja pressed her forehead to the window and didn’t move. It may have only been the airport, but it was the Philippines — her grandfather’s homeland — and you could feel what that meant to her. In the middle of a stressful, unplanned journey home, there was this quiet, powerful moment of connection. A reminder that even detours have their reasons.
Five hours later, we boarded our final flight to Seattle. By the time we landed, we had been traveling for 25 hours straight — the kind of day that makes you forget what continent you started on. But all of that vanished the moment our son and all three grandchildren pulled up to greet us. Jet lag doesn’t stand a chance against a seven‑year‑old running into your arms.
For the second year in a row, our adventure ended early. And once again, India remained just out of reach. At this point, I’m starting to think India is politely declining our invitations. Maybe the universe is saving it for a different chapter. Or maybe it’s just having a good laugh at my itinerary.
Thoughts
And so our Sri Lankan adventure ended not with the quiet hills of Ella or the northern landscapes we hoped to explore, but with an unexpected sprint across countries, airports, and emotions. It wasn’t the ending we planned, but it was the one life handed us — and in its own way, it was just as rich. Between ancient carvings, waterfall mornings, roadside monkeys, and a brief but powerful connection to the Philippines, this trip gave us more than we expected, even if it gave it to us in a different order. Once the jet lag loosens its grip, I’ll sit down and reflect on the whole journey — the beauty, the surprises, the lessons, and the reminders that travel doesn’t always follow your script, but it always leaves you changed.
If you'd like to see our videos of the trip: Our YouTube Channel
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