This is more than just a tour of Sri Lanka. More than a travel itinerary. Even though our days were jam pack with elephant safaris, hiking, visiting sacred sites, lounging on beaches; of downing exotic cocktails laced with arak and cut throat tuk tuk races; we all found time and space for the unexpected and the unplanned. The unforgettable privilege of attending a Buddhist alms giving ceremony. The joy of sneaking into kitchens to watch in wonder as locals cooked up magic. To talk to people who had lived through the last days of the British empire, the buzz of Independence, the horrors of the civil war and the joyous freedom of peace. To lie in a pool and watch the full moon rise over Sigirya.