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Published: March 7th 2008
After an ordinary Emirates flight (other than wine at 09-15am!!) we are met at Colombo airport by Sanath our pre arranged Chauffeur-guide with car. We check in at Ranjit’s Ambalama Homestay in Torrington avenue, Cinnamon Gardens - basic & comfortable.
Go to the Fort & Pettah areas to revisit M’s memories of his trips to SL 38 years ago. The area looks like a war zone with army blockades all over & guys with machine guns who look like they just left high school (is this a sign of age we wonder). Really disappointing - Colombo looks tired & worn out by the 25 year conflict. We couldn’t take pictures or get to Pettah, the famous old market place.
Made do with a trip to the Galle Face Hotel for tea. Faded Colonial splendour & a who’s who list of celebs who have stayed here e.g Bo Derek, Prince Philip, Ursula Andress etc etc. Found a local eatery for a fab meal - food wrapped in parathas - think they are called Kottu & Rotty - fillings include egg, vegetables and fish. Very tasty & loads for £1.
Walked around the next day to a less sensitive part
of the city. Visited a few Buddhist temples, met some Buddhist monks (from Bangladesh!!!), walked through the Viharamahadevi Park, (opposite the Town Hall which looks like the White House in DC). The park has a Buddha statue at its main entrance, is very serene & well set out & is a haven for young courting students from the University, used in the evening by local families for walking (a SL sunset past time - everyone is into exercising), & also home to some working elephants.
Bought a lunch pack - a SL invention - food parcels for less than 50 pence - choices include vegetarian, chicken with rice & veg, prawn fried rice, etc - really nice. Also discovered an Irish bar called Clancy’s where some local cold Lion beer went down a treat. Spent a pleasant evening with Ranjit & his friend Maulie drinking (more) beer & finding out their perspective on things in SL - quite honest & instructive.
We leave early with Sanath on the long drive to Anuradhapura, one time capital city of SL. Stopped off briefly at a street side café which was full of local people having a buffet meal for breakfast
- we are amazed at how much folks eat - rice & 3 or 4 vegetables dishes with chicken, beef or fish curry (for about 50p). Yet they generally look fit & slim. How??!! The countryside as we drive is very tropical; bananas, coconuts, mango, papayas, guavas, limes and cashews. All along the roadsides are stalls selling local produce, shrines and temples, and the motliest assortment of mangy dogs we’ve ever seen! The government took action to cull the dogs once but the Buddhist monks protested; seems to us they need to do something urgently.
Anuradhapura - ARP from now on - is a world heritage site. It has ruins of the old capital city spread out over a vast area. It dates back over 2500 years & we are impressed with the planning, architecture & construction to perfection without modern tools - similar to other old civilisations like the Egyptians, the Incas etc. Highlights are the Dagoba’s (Buddhist temples/stupas) constructed in the 1st century BC; Mirisavatiya, the oldest in the world, and Ruvanvelisaya, beautifully ornate with an elephant frieze around the base. And also the sacred Bodhi tree (Sri Maha Bodhi) which is known to have existed for
at least 2000 years. It was grown from a cutting brought from India and is the tree under which Siddhartha gained enlightenment and so became known as the Buddha.
On the road to Polonnaruwa we pass many wewas or water tanks (reservoirs) dating back to 5th century BC! These are ingenious irrigation systems which operate on the natural lay of the land (akin to the systems in ancient Egypt) . They provide water for a whole region of paddy fields which produce the rice the country is dependent on. They also provide drinking water and bathing facilities for local people. The water is quite clear & most tanks are full of lotus flowers giving the areas a beautiful look. They have them in all shapes, sizes & range of colours - we saw the smallest ones - about the size of a 1 pence coin fully opened - & the largest, the size of hydrangeas. The vegetation of the area is sub tropical, lush & green. The range & colour of birds make this a birdwatchers paradise - we saw among other things - bee eaters, kingfishers, lapwing, yellow oriole, parrots, bulbul, eagles, purple heron & Ceylon paradise flycatchers…….
Part of the area is know for it’s wild elephants that roam freely. The numerous colourful butterflies add to the natural scene. They also have reportedly 80+ variety of snakes - only 8 being poisonous - luckily we didn’t see any other than the cobra with the snake charmer in toe!! Though we did see lots of mongoose.
This ancient city was the capital of SL after ARP. It was planned as a sustainable community - palace, homes, shops, etc all within the city boundary. Unfortunately due to fear of invasion from Indian tribes, the capital was moved to Colombo & the city fell into decay as it largely is today. The ruins are beautiful, especially those of the Vatadage - a round structure with a small dagoba in the middle and 4 seated Buddha’s facing out. The highlight of the trip is the Gal Vihara - 4 Buddhas carved into a single slab of Granite. The standing Buddha is 7m tall and there is an equally tall one in “recumbent” pose. The detail and craftsmanship are awe inspiring.
We find a nice place to stay - The Lion Rock which has views to the Sigiriya rock an
ancient mountain fortress, which we climb early the following morning when it’s cooler. Even so it’s a hard slog & we definitely lose a few pounds on the way. The fact that we made it gives us some hope for the Annapurna trek to come in Nepal in a month’s time!!!
The rock was selected as a fortress by an illegitimate son of the King to ward off an attack by his brother, the real heir to the throne, from India. The true heir eventually led an assault on his brother, who fatally lead his troops into a swamp, at which point they deserted him and he committed suicide!! (Thought you’d want to know that). The fortress on the top of the rock, accessed by steep steps through huge stone carved Lion paws, has little left of it, but the frescos of apsaras - celestial nymphs - drawn in natural colours & still well preserved in a cave are quite spectacular. They’re located half way up the rock face and it’s unfathomable how people got up there to do the drawings. The entrance to the fortress through water and boulder gardens is very attractive and surprisingly in tact.
We move on to Dambulla - an interesting site where images of the Buddha, and other Buddhist and Hindu deities are placed inside caves - quite amazing craftsmanship again. The ceilings are painted and look like billowing coloured sheets - like being in a marquee.
We arrive in Kandy having stopped en route to see a batik factory - so simple yet incredibly intricate designs. Our guesthouse, Blinkbonnie’s!! (name of a tea plantation apparently) is on a hill overlooking the town & lake . Room not bad and the added bonus of a balcony to sit out on - it rains! So we head to a local bar in the Queens hotel; very colonial - definitely seen better days, and then to “Probably the best restaurant in Kandy”; not if you hate cheesy quartets playing at your table & coach loads of tourists singing “Quantana mera”!
We walk beside the lake and visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic - a very important Buddhist shrine believed to hold a tooth taken from Buddha as he was cremated. There are long queues to get in to see the Relic (or at least a replica of it in a
casket) and offer pujas (offerings - mainly flowers but also food or gifts). It’s all very ornate and, probably because of the number of people there, much less peaceful than expected.
Full of excitement for our trip to the elephant orphanage at Pinnawala which is fantastic (says C!). The largest number of elephants we’ve seen and many babies including one just weeks old. Sooo cute (again says C)! The orphanage is government run to care for orphaned or abandoned elephants and the majority roam free. An old lady (elephant that is) with a front foot missing, and the other leg deformed as a result of a land mine, takes C’s eye and gets most of the bananas we brought. Friend for life. She’s a real trooper and is always at the front when they march. After feeding time it’s bath time at the local river. Nearby on the way to the bathing spot, they have a creative eco - friendly income generating scheme; elephant dung paper products! Sounds odd but pretty impressive & innovative - Sustainable Homes at Hastoe could take a “leaf” out of their book says M. The area we drive through is famous for fruit growing
- the variety available is astounding, and also spice gardens. Cotton trees with buds bursting open abound - the cotton looks of the highest quality.
A highlight in the evening is a visit to a Sri Lankan cultural evening; drums, dancing, acrobatics and singing in traditional costumes and masks. And the finale, walking on hot coals - how?. Terrific.
Next day we head to Nuwara Eliya (NE), a hill town and centre of the tea plantation industry. As we drive the vegetation changes substantially, becoming more open grassland, avocado trees, fields of vegetables and hill after hill of tea plantations. NE is at 2000m above sea level so much cooler - quite like British summer time and many of the plants are things we see at home; hydrangeas, geraniums, roses. But many others we don’t see too; it’s very colourful. On the way we stop at Mackwoods tea plantation and have a tour and explanation of the tea production process. Fascinating. And we get a nice cup of tea afterwards with some chocolate cake!
We stay at Grosvenor Hotel, an old colonial governor’s house and have a happy afternoon watching India thrash Australia in the cricket one
day final in Sydney.
On our journey to the coast we wind our way down (literally) the hill country with beautiful changing scenery, strawberry fields, vegetable patches on terraced hillsides, mist covered valleys, waterfalls for good measure then more water tanks with lilies - some reported to have crocodiles, and onto the plains. We do a surprise stop at Sanath’s sister’s home which is a beautiful two story mansion in the making with a lovely garden full of fruit trees - coconuts, wood apple & a new one on both of us - Rose apple which we given to taste - it‘s delicious. His mum serves up an amazing lunch with brinjal curry, pickles of bread fruit & onions with chillies - to die for - dhal, red rice - all traditional Sri Lankan food which has been a real revelation not like the stuff one gets in the UK at all. We are so impressed that C signs up for a cookery class when we get to Unawatana.
We eventually make the beach area after 8 hours, (Sanath performs heroics; we didn’t appreciate the time or distance involved) driving along some amazing coast road in the south.
Most of it was affected by the Tsunami in some way & there are reminders of the sad event all around; some destroyed homes, new housing projects sponsored by many foreign countries, rows of gravestones along the way as mementos of those who perished both local & visitors. We book into the Beach Bunglow (how it’s spelt) for the rest of the trip (it’s just off the beach which we can see from our room).
Get a taste of SL beaches at last. Unawatana looks like Kovalam in Kerala or parts of Goa but with dagoba’s rather than temples, a lot less hassle from beach vendors & no men gawking at women sunbathing! It is quiet & relaxed. Hire a scooter to get around in between topping up the tan that’s fading fast!! Drive to Galle Fort in the afternoon after wishing Kaka a happy b’day in India & touching base with Satish. It’s the 2nd game of the 3 match final between India & the Ozzies! Galle Fort is quite beautiful & has maintained a lot of its Dutch charm. We dive in to Pedlar’s Inn for a real Lavazza coffee & yummy banana milkshake with ice cream.
They’re showing the game. We keep going back to keep up with the score & see India win the trophy. We can imagine the scenes in Satara - I’m sure the Cognac (Kaka’s present) would have gone down a treat!!! Hope they had one for us.
One of the hazards of driving in SL is the marauding buses; the maniac drivers race one another for business at the next stop so overtaking on blind corners holds no fears for them, but god help the passengers & other road users! Ironically, it feels safer to be on a scooter than in a car.
We drive to see the fishermen on sticks - a picturesque sight we are told - no such luck - we are too late. Serendipitously, we drive into the home owned by Rasika & Charlotte - Tsunami victims in Koggala, who survived, though their house & business didn’t. However, Deirdre from the Sun (agony aunt for those like C who had never heard of her), witnessed what happened & did some fundraising (£8K), which helped the family rebuild their house & business. One of many happy endings.
For those who haven’t been here or seen
it’s effects elsewhere it is quite impossible to imagine the sheer scale of the devastation & impact of the Tsunami. Clearly we had not. Driving mile after mile it was astonishing to discover how much of the countryside was affected & the fact that the sea actually came in up to 2 kms in places. Mind blowing really. Sanath took a group of Italian journalists out on the 27th & saw the raw destruction which he describes vividly. We talk to others who lost family, homes & businesses (such as Lalith at Shekira‘s beach shack),who bear the physical & mental scares but are making a great effort to get back to normal - if the war would let them; it is holding off the tourist trade which is badly needed. A side effect is the impact on food production and prices for local people. Much of the basic crops are grown in the north which is the Tamil Tigers stronghold. The government is suggesting that the war will be over in 2-3 months - which folks find hard to believe.
Our next outing to see the stilt fishermen trying to catch sardines is more successful; about 30 or so
perched on what look like twigs in the water. Quite a sight. The stilt perches are passed down from father to son and are highly coveted apparently.
C decides on a SL cookery class run by a local enterprising women called Karuna - in her home for a princely Rs3,000 (£15), which includes dinner for two at the end of the day - assuming the student hasn’t burnt the grub!! She doesn’t and we have a feast of curries: pineapple, aubergine, snake gourd, okra, pumpkin & dhal, and coconut pancakes, cookies and roti’s.
Talking of food - one delicious find has been near ripe Papaya with lime squeezed on to it - awesome. Served to us first in the Maldives so we buy local & make our own fruit breakfast. If only the Papayas in the UK could have a semblance of the real flavour of the fruit - Tesco’s et al have a lot to answer for! It’s also Guava season in SL & India & we have had some really great ones.
And so we come to the end of our Sri Lanka sojourn. This visit has left us with a sense of a gentle
& honest people who are struggling with the circumstances they face. Despite the torrential rain (in short bursts) it has been a wonderful experience - and we’re looking forward to a special feast tonight (jumbo prawns, calamari, butterfish) at Shekira’s, then the flight back to India tomorrow…………..
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Heather
non-member comment
elephant poo paper!
Hi there, I've really enjoyed reading all about your travels and all the fantastic places you've visited. Great photos too. However, I do draw the line at elephant poo paper thanks very much M!!! Look forward to catching up with the rest of your blog soon. Very best wishes.