Laki Ratnayake

sound of sa lay woo

Laki Ratnayake

My name is Laksri Ratnayake, Laki for short. Having spent two and a half decades in the UK I have now come back to Sri Lanka. From a past that was of a financial background a paradigm shift has brought about a new me. Now I am a travel writer, businessman and I have undertaken a community project work. The sole purpose is to have fun, earn some money and give something back to my country.

With this view I am writing a book and also maintaining this blog to introduce to interested parties the soul of my country. Whilst this includes visiting the most beautiful villages, archaeological sites, cultures and the ways of the Lankan, it also means that you will be introduced to the very core values of our belief system. Who we are—irrelevant of race or creed— and why are we here, irreverent of our history.

To this end I have named my project, “In Search of the Sound of Salé Wӧd” (sa-le-woo)

My expedition, if you can call it one will start at Mihintale, where Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka and neighbouring Abhayagiriya which boasts of some of the oldest archaeological sites. Whilst I will refrain from delving deeply into the more popular touristic sites, my main focus is to live with the villagers, get to know them on an intimate level and introduce my country to you from their hearts and minds.

Then with the blessings from the sacred city, I will head to the very top of the Island. Jaffna, I will live there also with a family if possible. This war torn town has seen the worst of it and now I look forward to seeing a smile on their faces. But be warned! Be prepared!

From Jaffna I will travel to each unknown village zigzagging my way until I reach the southernmost town of Sri Lanka, Galle and by this feat I shall search the Sound of Salé Wӧd” (sa-le-woo).

To this end, I have invested in a mode of transportation—jeep— and in this vehicle I will embark on my adventure for approximately ten days of each month leaving the rest for my other responsibilities.

This personal contract requires your blessing and encouragement. Therefore, if I have introduced you to my travel blog, please take a moment to read it and in the process I hope you gain much enjoyment from it. In addition, please be kind enough to introduce this blog to as many people as you know so that I am encouraged on my onward journey.

The purpose of this task is to encourage tourism to my country beyond its present capacity—to introduce to you the rarest of sites and community spirit known to none. To spread awareness of the people who need no more than your acknowledgement of their existence.

But most of all please enjoy my experience.

www.sallelanka.com

Asia » Sri Lanka » Western Province » Colombo December 23rd 2011

sound of sa lay woo

I have my own website now which is known as www.sallelanka.com Please have a look at it for more of my writing.... read more

Good Morning Lanka—J E L Ratnayake

Asia » Sri Lanka November 3rd 2011

sound of sa lay woo

At dawn, breaks the sound of the temples— Buddhist chanting in the temple, Hindu prayers in the kovil, Islamic prayers in the mosque and the bells of the church toll. It is habitual for the woman to start the day by lighting the kitchen stove in preparation of the day’s meal. Her man seated on a bench stares into emptiness. Birds and squirrels take part in an unending chatter. Beyond the high trees a glimmer of hope, pink in colour promises the Sun. The woman now adds to the sounds thereof the doldrums of the iron pounder meeting the ebony pestle. She is mixing spices. With the dullness of the thumping her man awakens. There is synchronicity between her thumping and the church bells and the chanting and the prayers and the chatter and her man. ... read more

Dhuuwa—a fishing village off Yala

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Yala NP October 2nd 2011

Mending the nets

sound of sa lay woo

Shades of pink and orange reined the skyline and a green basin of water surrounded by wattle & daub huts and colourful fishing boats like a necklace—this little fishing village had a befitting label—Dhuuwa—an isolated point like an Island. The basin, which is a natural harbour, is a rare site in Sri Lanka enjoyed by these villagers who dwell here to pursue a livelihood in deep sea fishing. Many generations have made this their home for at least six months of the year. When the waves caught up with the rock formation; on occasion was splashed with cosmic orientations painted in white froth, fine as in beer making a Mandala impression on the pastel blue sky. Coral red crabs bask in the Sun upon these rocks but they are not troubled by the waves. Inquisitively they ... read more

Ancient Villages of Lanka

Asia » Sri Lanka » Central Province » Kandy July 25th 2011

The Village Woman

sound of sa lay woo

The ‘Grease Boothaya’ had struck twice. The first casualty was an old woman who was given enough time to complete her bath by a waterfall. Later the villagers found her decapitated body by a natural pool. The second casualty was an eight year old girl. They were both murdered in a manner that was unthinkable. Low as the quiet mist that engulfed these rugged mountains at dusk, a sombre disposition greeted us when we reached the ancient village of Meemore. Situated in the dense forests of the Knuckles range of mountains in Sri Lanka, this village had a rare form of adrenaline running up its spine. Naively I drove over the valley into the village not knowing their underlying fears about strangers. Chintake, who joined me to Kabilitha was my companion for this trip. There is ... read more

Knuckles Range of Mountains in Sri Lanka

Veheragala Nidane (nee-da-ne)

Asia » Sri Lanka » North Central Province » Mihintale June 20th 2011

Waiting for the train

sound of sa lay woo

On the 19th June I got a call from Chintake from Mihintale to say that there was a Nidane that was discovered in 1977 and now displayed in a nearby village by the a Chief Monk of that temple. Around the 3rd Century BC, some Buddhist statues made out of pure gold encrusted with large precious stones had been buried underground and out of reach of the then Kings from India that invaded the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. You should note that I have no intention of going into detail about the history and the names of past Kings etc. There are many books written on these subjects and frankly it’s boring to write leave alone read about it. Since I write this blog with a view to create interest about my country and not ... read more

Some pictures I captured on my return from Kabilitha

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Yala May 9th 2011

Monks on a run

sound of sa lay woo

Following are some photographs I took on my return from Kabilitha. We camped by the seaside at Kumana, Okanda.... read more

Arriving at Kabilitha

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Yala NP May 8th 2011

Butterflies 1

sound of sa lay woo

One of the things that amazed me on this trip was the experience of nature and how it differed as we progressed on the journey. The start of the journey was agonizing and it was stressful driving the vehicles. Slow and hot, every hundred yards or so we had some challenge or another. Marshy grounds that needed to be driven on with the four wheel-drive in low gear and sometimes the jeep would travel forwards on its side in the mud. Whilst this seemed fun at the beginning, very soon the excitement wore off. It’s ok to drive a jeep on marshy land sideways, but it increased the possibilities of jeopardising the whole trip if the vehicle got stuck on a deep muddy hole. The concentration brought mental fatigue and the physical exertion which was stressful ... read more

Kabilitha at 7am, 7th May 2011

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Yala NP May 7th 2011

Kabiitha

sound of sa lay woo

At sharp 7am on the 7th day of the week and the 7th day of the month of May 2011 I crossed a river to the Kabilitha Devale. Whether by coincidence—I am not sure! But sounds uncanny! I only realised it later in the day when I had a quiet moment to contemplate on the distressing journey of the last two days. We were to embark on this trip on the 30th and despite all my efforts to make it happen on that day, disappointment awaited us when I was informed that the water levels of the various places we had to cross was over six feet. There was no way that our Jeeps would take that level of water and current without getting washed down that river. Manju called and asked me to cancel the ... read more

The Journey

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Yala NP May 5th 2011

Our Camping site

sound of sa lay woo

We travelled along a river bank all the way up to Kabilitha and it took us two days. There was a track made through the dense forest by previous pilgrimages. There is a myth that Kabilitha was first recognised by the Vaddhas. They are the aborigines of Sri Lanka and long before any foreigners visited this country it was the Vaddhas that inhabited this land. The Vaddhas just as the aborigines of Australia, although primitive to our way of life are first consciousness beings. They are able to communicate, know and be on a level that is incomprehensible to most of us. This I am sure is because they are connected to the cosmic laws and nature. It appears that the Vaddhas during ancient times treated Kabilitha as a spiritual courthouse to settle their differences. It ... read more

Crossing

Asia » Sri Lanka » Southern Province » Yala NP May 5th 2011

Assessing the situation

sound of sa lay woo

The road ahead was not a road or even a path. At times there were tyre tracks but in general I followed Manju not knowing which way to turn. Be warned! This journey cannot be made by a two wheel drive. It cannot be made in a posh vehicle either even if you had all wheels powered. On that note please do not take a computer controlled Land Rover or a Range Rover. If the computer gives up on you, which happens to these vehicles all the time, your agent will not visit you there to recover it. In addition please do not take automatic vehicles. It is likely that you may have to abandon it in the jungle for days. If you do so, you will have to return to the base camp at Kumana ... read more

Joined	November 24th 2010	Trips	5
Last Login	July 25th 2023	Followers	0
Status	BLOGGER	Follows	0
Blogs	26	Guestbook	34
Photos	126	Forum Posts	8