by Kiran Jayasinghe
We relocated to the Hilton on the 25th. The Hilton was less ‘grand’ than the Cinnamon Grand, but the hotel was still great. The service was also exceptional. We had dinner through room service, and since it was Christmas, it came with bonbons, which was a nice touch.
On the 26th we visited the Old Dutch Hospital, which was a hospital built by the Dutch in 1681, that was recently converted into a mall. We enjoyed some chocolate biscuit pudding and shopped for souvenirs. Simran was still sick, so our grandfather took her to the hospital where he worked, to get a blood test done to make sure she didn’t have any serious virus, like Dengue fever or malaria. On the 27th, it was finally our birthday. Unfortunately, it was also finally my turn to get sick. I had such good luck! Right on my birthday, too. We lounged in bed for most of the day in hopes that we would feel better, but
Our parents had made plans to celebrate with high tea at the Gallface hotel. The hotel had set up a table for about 30, overlooking the beach. They served us several platters of sandwiches and cakes, and of course, Ceylon tea. Everything looked delicious!
Afterwards, they brought out two chocolate birthday cakes with a giant sparking candle for each of us.
Although I didn’t enjoy the high tea because I was sick, it was a great experience. On the 28th we checked out of the hotel and took a three-hour drive to Minnehaha, where we would be staying for the next three days. We got there in time for dinner, picked our rooms, and had a relaxing night for once.