July 18 – 29, 2018 · 12 days · Chandra & Astami Bekti · Qatar Airways via Doha
🌿 The shape of the trip: Red-eye to Doha on a 777-300ER, connection to Colombo, pre-dawn taxi straight to Kandy — Sri Lanka’s ancient cultural capital and temple city. Two days exploring the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, Kandy Lake, and highland markets. Then the main event: Train 1005 from Kandy to Ella, 7.5 hours through misty tea estates and the Nine Arch Bridge — consistently ranked one of the world’s most beautiful rail journeys. Three nights in Ella’s highland village (Little Adam’s Peak, tea factory tours, balcony mornings). Then south to Weligama’s Indian Ocean surf camp for the exhale. 3 PM night drive back to Colombo for a 3:15 AM departure. Back in Queens. Total regrets: zero.
| Dates | July 18 – 29, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 days |
| Travelers | Chandra & Astami Bekti |
| Airline | Qatar Airways · Conf P4YPOQ |
| Hotels | OZO Kandy · White House Ella · Elsewhere Surfcamps Weligama |
| Countries | Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 · (Qatar transit) 🇶🇦 |
| Total Known Cost | ~$2,796 |
NYC ✈️ JFK → 🇶🇦 Doha → 🛬 Colombo → 🚕 → 🏛️ Kandy → 🚂 Train 1005 → 🌿 Ella → 🚌 → 🏄 Weligama → 🚗 → ✈️ CMB → 🇶🇦 Doha → 🏠 JFK
| Flight | Route | Date | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QR 702 | JFK → DOH | Jul 18 (Wed) | 9:00 PM EDT → 4:25 PM GMT+3 (Jul 19) | Terminal 8 · Boeing 777-300ER · 12h 25m nonstop · 6,688 mi |
| QR 662 | DOH → CMB | Jul 19 (Thu) | 7:00 PM GMT+3 → 2:45 AM GMT+5:30 (Jul 20) | Gate B9 · Airbus A320 · 5h 15m nonstop · 2,244 mi · 2h 35m layover |
| QR 669 | CMB → DOH | Jul 29 (Sun) | 3:15 AM GMT+5:30 → 5:50 AM GMT+3 | Gate 09 · Boeing 777-300ER · 5h 5m nonstop |
| QR 701 | DOH → JFK | Jul 29 (Sun) | 8:40 AM GMT+3 → 3:25 PM EDT | Gate C7 · Boeing 777-300ER · 13h 45m nonstop · 6,688 mi · 2h 50m layover |
🎫 All 4 flights: Qatar Airways Conf P4YPOQ · ~$1,100/person (~$2,200 total) · Chandra ticket: 157-7117803560 · Astami ticket: 157-7117803561 · Economy class both directions
| Hotel | Location | Dates | Cost | Confirmation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OZO Kandy | No 31, Saranankara, Kandy | Jul 20–22 · 2 nights | $152.71 ($70.13/night) | 7365342601412 |
| White House Ella | No 21, Grandview, Passara Road, Ella 90090 | Jul 22–25 · 3 nights | $106.46 | — |
| Elsewhere Surfcamps | No. 172 Kapparathota, Weligama 81700 | Jul 25–28 · 3 nights | $258.72 | — |