Remembering Sri Lanka

The terrorist attack that happened recently in Sri Lanka is horrific

but if we are not familiar with a place or the people who experienced the horror it quickly slips from our mind.  More than 250 were killed.  John and I visited a couple years ago and our son, Jim, stayed at one of the hotel that was attacked more recently on a business trip so it felt more personal. Sri Lanka is a great destination and the people were very welcoming.

Sri Lanka is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, an array of beaches, exotic animals, plus it’s affordable. All of this is packed in a country the size of West Virginia. One morning we toured the bustling capital, Colombo, which has many of the British colonial buildings plus an ornate Hindu temple and Slave Island. Slave Island was originally a place where the Dutch kept the slaves they brought to Sri Lanka to build the

canals they needed for transporting goods from inland to the harbor. Today it is a relaxing little island in a large pond that was once home to crocodiles that deterred slaves from trying to escape. Eventually the slaves were returned to Africa. Sri Lankan culture has been influenced by the Dutch, Portuguese, English, and Indians. 

I am a sucker for World Heritage Sites. I was impressed by the Golden Temple of Dambulla which dates to the 1st century BC and where a long row of saffron-robed monk statues bearing alms are heading toward the giant golden Buddha. At the iconic Sigirya, built in the 5th century, I would have liked to climb to the top the Lion Rock to see the ancient city and gardens

but it was a bit too strenuous for me however the rock that towers 600 feet over the plain is impressive as were the moats surrounding it. My favorite World Heritage site was Polonnaruwa archeological site mainly because many of 900-year old ruins are still discernible and diverse in nature with palaces, temples, statues, and murals. Especially

impressive were the beautifully carved statues of Buddha at Gal Vihara, one of which is 21-feet in height. One evening I strolled the walls of the 17th century Dutch fort in the coastal city of Galle. Within the walls there are many Dutch-style buildings, museums, and other attractions. Galle Fort is a living, functioning World Heritage Site.

Sri Lanka is a great destination for naturalists. We were at the

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage at 9 a.m. for the morning bottle feeding of the elephants. The 80 elephants were either orphaned or injured. Later in the morning they were led down to the river. It was obvious that it was one of their favorite activities. The young wrestled in the water like children dunking each other. I never associated the word “safari”

with Sri Lanka but that is the most popular activity at Yala National Park.  On safari I saw wild elephants, monkeys, wild boar, sambars, deer, crocodiles, water buffaloes, and a wide variety of birds; but, alas, no leopards for which the park is famous. 

Sri Lanka is a popular and affordable beach destination for

Europeans. John and I stayed at the beautiful Jetwing Beach in Negombo not far from the international airport. There are many fascinating day trips. My favorite was a boat trip on the Madu River where we visited Cinnamon Island, a temple, and a fish farm where I had a fish foot massage.  

A lot to see in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is the world’s fourth largest producer of tea and it is a critical part of the country’s economy. In the area around Nuwara Eliya (Little England) the rolling hills are blanketed with tea trees. The humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall in the country's central highlands provide a climate that favors the production of high quality tea plus flowers and vegetables. John and I visited the Blue Field Tea Factory, which is just one of the many tea factories in the area, and learned about the process from hand picking to drying to sorting and then grading and packaging.

Before arriving at the tea factory we visited the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, arriving in time for the 9 a.m. feeding. The elephants are free roaming. At 10 a.m. they were herded together, all 70-plus, and led across the road to the river for “play time.”  I loved watching them.  Three of the younger ones took turns dunking one another and holding them down. Later the drive through the highlands was beautiful with waterfalls and great views.  

Along the way to Yala National Park we visited a gem factory. Sri Lanka is known for its fine quality sapphires and rubies. In fact, Kate Middleton’s engagement ring, which was previously Lady Di’s, came from Sri Lanka. One interesting stop was a family place where they showed us many things that can be made from the coconut palm – coconut meat, coconut milk, the fiber from the husk can be made into rope, the shell is fashioned into utensils, the leaves are woven into mats and the sap from the flower becomes jaggery (like brown sugar); treacle, which is a bit like maple syrup; and then toddy which can be distilled even more to make an even stronger alcohol. They say that eight coconut palms can support one family. To make harvesting easier the toddy workers have ropes from palm tree to palm tree so they don’t have to climb each tree individually. We also stopped to see huge five-foot-long river monitors and a Hindu temple.

We stayed at the beautiful Chaya Wild Hotel right in the national park and then set off on a three-hour safari through the park where we saw wild elephants, wild boars, two varieties of deer, water buffalos, a slew of birds but we did not see any of the elusive leopards the park is famous for.  We did stop at a memorial for some of the 34,000 who lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami. There are several memorials along the south coast. 

We drove along the south coast where there are many beaches, fishing villages, resorts and stopped to take a picture of the stilt fishermen who fish from tall stilts in the water.  I got the impression they made most of their money from the tourists who take their picture. 

In Galle we stayed at the Closenberg Hotel located on a point and was, at one time, the home of a Dutch sea captain. I appreciate hotels that preserve the architecture. The hotel looked out to the Indian Ocean and had high ceilings, Dutch style doors, antique furniture plus large verandahs and balconies to allow the air to flow through. Galle Fort was first built by the Portuguese and was modified by the Dutch in the 1600s.  It is massive and includes the town of Galle. I would have liked more time here.  Next time.

Sri Lanka - The Pearl of the Indian Ocean

Sri Lanka had been on my “Wish List” for several years and this year I finally got to experience the many facets of Sri Lanka. Using frequent flyer miles John and I flew from Hong Kong to the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.  We spent three nights at the Hilton where they have an amazing array of restaurants that meets the needs of their international clientele.  We especially liked the Curry Leaf, an alfresco restaurant, with unique stations set up like a village. From the fish market we could choose fresh fish and watch it prepared, plus there were show stations with chefs preparing traditional items such as hoppers, roti, kottu, and Konda Kavum, a dessert made of rice flour, coconut milk and treacle. 

One day we took a tour of Colombo, a bustling city with a mix of new and colonial British architecture. Sri Lanka was an English Colony for many years before becoming an independent nation in 1948. It was called Ceylon until 1972. The Portuguese and Dutch also influenced the island before the English.  One place we stopped was Slave Island, which today is a lovely park in the middle of a small lake.  It seems the Dutch imported slaves from Africa to help built canals needed to get goods from inland to the port.  We also went to a Hindu Temple with its usual riot of colors and statues. 

From Colombo we headed to Dombulla with a giant Buddha and a long hike up the hill to a sacred cave with many Buddha statues.  Then it was off to Sigiriya, a 1200-foot high ancient rock fortress from the 5^th century. The palace is surrounded by gardens the whole of which is surrounded by a moat.  The hike to the top was too strenuous for us but the site was impressive regardless.  Sigiriya is one of the iconic images of the country.

We stayed at an amazing hotel, Ulagalla, where we were greeted with, “Welcome home to Ulagalla!” Then in accordance with Sri Lankan tradition we lit an oil lamp and rang a set of bells to announce our arrival.  The hotel is part of the Small Luxury Hotel of the World group and Leeds Certified which means it is top-notch when it comes to preserving nature.  They recycle everything, create their own purified water, and work in unison with the local people.  Our villa, which had its own plunge pool, was so lovely we had dinner served in our room. The sad thing was we were only there one night.

Sri Lanka has eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which is amazing for such a small country.  One such site is in Polonnaruwa where we went to the museum to learn about the history and then visited some of the amazing ruins dating from the 11^th to 13^th century. It was extensive and extremely impressive. The royal palace had 1000 rooms. At Thuparama the walls are lined with images and located next the circular Hatadage is the 26-foot long Stone Book, where the king recorded his accomplishments. My favorite was the Gal Virhara Rock Temple with very large Buddha statues in several positions which to me seemed very serene and timeless.  The standing image is 23 feet tall and next to it is an enormous 46-foot reclining Buddha. It would take a lifetime to learn and see everything in Polonnaruwa.